Title
Rezone Application Consolidation Amendment Briefing
Recommended Action
Briefing only; no action required. Commission members may elect to provide direction to staff as described below.
Report
Issue:
The Growth Management Act requires that development regulations be consistent with a city's Comprehensive Plan. The updated Comprehensive Plan recently approved by City Council has a less specific Future Land Use map and as a result there is now a greater possibility of amending the implementing zoning without needing to amend the Plan. Comprehensive Plan amendments can only occur once each year. During the City Council's public hearings on the Plan some members of public suggested that if Council approved the new Plan as proposed, a similar once-per-year limit should be imposed on zoning map amendments (also known as "rezones") that are independent of Plan amendments. On October 7, 2014, the Council referred this 'periodic rezone process' issue (sometimes referred to as "batching") to the Commission for consideration.
Staff Contact:
Todd Stamm, Principal Planner, Community Planning and Development Department, 360.753.8597
Presenter:
Todd Stamm, Principal Planner
Background and Analysis:
In 2011 the staff and Commission discussed the possibility of adopting a less specific Future Land Use map in the new Comprehensive Plan. A 'white paper' prepared for that discussion is attached. Ultimately the Commission recommended and the City Council approved this approach. In addition the Commission has recommended that the development code be amended to provide that all rezones are reviewed by the Commission (current code provides that some are directed to Hearing Examiner for review prior to a City Council decision) and that new more specific rezone criteria be added to the development code. These recommended code amendments will soon be considered by the City Council -- probably in February.
Because the issue of consolidating all rezone...
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