14.30.020 Project review classifications.
Five classes of review are established for the purposes of administering this title. The permits included in each class, the public notice requirements, hearing body, decision maker, and appellate body are summarized in Table 14.30.040.
A. The mayor and city administrator, or their designee, are authorized to determine the classification of review for any permit or approval not identified on the following table.
B. It is the goal of the city to consolidate the permit processing for projects or development activities that require two or more permits or approvals. The mayor and city administrator, or their designee, shall determine the appropriate means of consolidating the processing of all permits and approvals and shall assign the highest-class review classification of the individual permits being sought to the consolidated permit application (with Type 5 being the highest followed by Type 4, 3, 2, and 1). This consolidation, sometimes referred to as a “master” application, may include integrating public hearings, establishing unified comment periods, and/or concurrent reviews. The mayor and city administrator, or their designee, are authorized to make modifications to the procedural requirements of this title in order to effectively consolidate project reviews.
1. Except for the appeal of a SEPA determination of significance as provided in RCW 43.21C.075, no more than one open record public hearing and no more than one closed record appeal may occur on a single permit application or master application.
2. A public meeting(s) and/or a workshop may be held prior to an open record hearing. A public meeting may include but is not limited to a scoping meeting for the preparation of a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) or presentation of a final environmental impact statement (FEIS), an informational meeting, and/or a neighborhood meeting. The proceedings at a public meeting may be recorded and any report or recommendation created at such public meeting may be included in the project permit application file.
C. It is a goal of the city to process and issue a decision on land use and development applications within one hundred twenty days from the date that an application is deemed complete and ready for processing; provided, that:
1. The following shall not be included in the count of the number of days to process an application:
a. The time required by the applicant to adequately respond to written requests from the city for additional information; and
b. The time required to prepare environmental documents; and
c. Voluntary agreements to extend the review process.
2. If the city anticipates that it will not be able to meet this goal, it shall provide the applicant with a written estimate of the revised date of issuance of the final decision.
3. Since applications for projects in the planned mixed-use zoning district tend to involve larger scale or more complex development proposals, the one hundred twenty-day processing goal shall not apply.