Marysville, WA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

Chapter 22C.080 MMC governs development inside the Marysville downtown boundaries mapped in Figure 22C.080.110, covering the Downtown Core, Main Street, Flex, Flex Residential, Midrise Multifamily, Middle Housing 1 and Middle Housing 2 zoning districts created by MMC § 22C.080.105. Under MMC § 22C.080.000, the chapter exists to help implement the vision for downtown Marysville set out in the adopted downtown master plan.

MMC § 22C.080.010 sets the applicability tiers. New construction must meet every regulation in the chapter. For additions and remodels, three thresholds apply based on the cumulative increase in gross floor area within three years of permit issuance. Level I (exterior remodels, additions, or site work with less than a 50 percent cumulative floor-area increase) need only avoid making the property more nonconforming. Level II (a 50 to 100 percent increase) must meet every regulation that does not require repositioning the building or reconfiguring the site, including block frontage, through-block connection, off-street parking, site planning, and building design standards. Level III (more than a 100 percent increase) must conform to all applicable regulations, except that on a multi-building site where only one building is being enlarged, the other buildings are exempt.

MMC § 22C.080.020 explains that the chapter's sections mix mandatory 'shall'/'required' standards with voluntary 'should'/'recommended' guidelines, and that some standards carry a departure option. MMC § 22C.080.030 lets an applicant propose an alternative design where a departure is flagged, provided the director finds it meets the purpose of the standard; the director must document every approved departure in the project file. MMC § 22C.080.040 makes this chapter control over any conflicting provision elsewhere in the Marysville Municipal Code.