A county, city, or
town may adopt an ordinance providing for the administrative review
of a preliminary plat without a public hearing by adopting an
ordinance providing for such administrative review. The ordinance
may specify a threshold number of lots in a subdivision above which
a public hearing must be held, and may specify other factors which
necessitate the holding of a public hearing. The administrative
review process shall include the following minimum conditions:
(1) The notice requirements of RCW 58.17.090 shall be
followed, except that the publication shall be made within ten days
of the filing of the application. Additionally, at least ten days
after the filing of the application notice both shall be: (a)
Posted on or around the land proposed to be subdivided in at least
five conspicuous places designed to attract public awareness of the
proposal; and (b) mailed to the owner of each lot or parcel of
property located within at least three hundred feet of the site. The applicant shall provide the county, city, or town with a list
of such property owners and their addresses. The notice shall
include notification that no public hearing will be held on the
application, except as provided by this section. The notice shall
set out the procedures and time limitations for persons to require
a public hearing and make comments.
(2) Any person shall have a period of twenty days from the
date of the notice to comment upon the proposed preliminary plat. All comments received shall be provided to the applicant. The
applicant has seven days from receipt of the comments to respond
thereto.
(3) A public hearing on the proposed subdivision shall be held
if any person files a request for a hearing with the county, city,
or town within twenty-one days of the publishing of such notice. If such a hearing is requested, notice requirements for the public
hearing shall be in conformance with RCW 58.17.090, and the
ninety-day period for approval or disapproval of the proposed
subdivision provided for in RCW 58.17.140 shall commence with the
date of the filing of the request for a public hearing. Any
hearing ordered under this subsection shall be conducted by the
planning commission or hearings officer as required by county or
city ordinance.
(4) On its own initiative within twenty-one days of the filing
of the request for approval of the subdivision, the governing body,
or a designated employee or official, of the county, city, or town,
shall be authorized to cause a public hearing to be held on the
proposed subdivision within ninety days of the filing of the
request for the subdivision.
(5) If the public hearing is waived as provided in this
section, the planning commission or planning agency shall complete
the review of the proposed preliminary plat and transmit its
recommendation to the legislative body as provided in RCW 58.17.100.
[1986 c 233 § 1.]
NOTES:
Applicability -- 1986 c 233: "This act does not affect the provisions of RCW 82.02.020." [1986 c 233 § 3.]