Chapter 4.13
Design Review Committee

Sections:

4.13.010 General.

4.13.020 Authority.

4.13.010 General.

A.  Establishment. The Design Review Committee is hereby established to:

1.   ensure community input into the design of public buildings and structures and to ensure their design reflects community standards;

2.   ensure design input into the building design and site planning for projects subject to design review under the Spokane Municipal Code;

3.   ensure innovative and creative development and site planning;

4.   permit design flexibility from the standards of the zoning code through the use of the planned unit development mechanism;

5.   facilitate the development of a more compact environment compatible with existing development in a manner that implements the City’s comprehensive plan.

B.  Composition and Qualification. The Design Review Committee is composed of eleven members as follows:

1.   one architect;

2.   one landscape architect;

3.   one urban planner;

4.   one civil or structural engineer;

5.   one member of the city arts commission;

6.   one member of the city-county landmarks commission;

7.   one member of the Greater Spokane development task force;

8.   one member of the small business community (as determined and defined as employers of twenty or less employees);

9.   one citizen at large from north of the Spokane River;

10.  one citizen at large from south of the Spokane River;

11.  one designated liaison from the community assembly representing the interests of the affected neighborhood(s).

C.  Appointment and Removal. Members of the design review committee shall be appointed by the mayor and may be removed for cause by the city council; provided, however, that the community assembly may submit recommendations to the mayor for the appointment and removal of the designated liaison from the community assembly.

D.  Terms of Office. Members shall serve staggered terms of three years. No member may serve more than two consecutive terms. Vacancies shall be filled by appointment to the unexpired term.

E.  Compensation. Members shall serve without compensation.

F.  Neighborhood Notification Process.

1.   Each of the city’s neighborhood councils will designate a representative and an alternate to serve as a point of neighborhood contact regarding design reviews that affect their neighborhood.

2.   At the first of each year, the neighborhood councils will submit the name, address, phone number, and e-mail, if any, for each representative and alternate.

3.   The neighborhood council representative will receive direct meeting notification, and staff report for all project(s) affecting the neighborhood which they represent.

[Ord. C32897 § 1; Passed: 8/20/2001]

4.13.020 Authority.

A.  General Authority. The design review committee has the authority to conduct hearings and meetings and prepare a record thereof and make written recommendations or decisions regarding the design elements of the following developments and applications:

1.   all public projects or structures;

2.   shoreline permit applications as provided in SMC chapter 11.15;

3.   planned unit development applications;

4.   skywalk applications involving request for exception(s) to design standards;

5.   downtown sidewalk encroachment by private use;

6.   as required in a neighborhood design or specific plan;

7.   in the CBD zone:

a.   along a Type I Green Street all landscaping, street trees, signs and development projects affecting the exterior of a building, other than routine maintenance and repair;

b.   all surface parking lots;

c.   all development more than sixty feet in height that is within three hundred feet of the tallest point of a landmark tower, for the sole purpose of protecting views of the designated landmark towers; and

d.   all projects requesting plans-in-lieu of compliance pursuant to SMC 11.02.03605; and

8.   any other development proposal or planning study about which the plan commission or hearing examiner request to have the design review committee’s advice pertaining to any design elements.

B.  Recommendations. Recommendations of the design review committee are made according to the design review criteria adopted by the city council upon the recommendation of the city plan commission. In no case may the recommendations or decisions of the design review committee contain design solutions contrary to other applicable provisions of this code. The design review criteria reflect the policies of the comprehensive plan and the neighborhood specific plans.

1.   The design review committee is advisory and makes recommendations on matters in which the hearing examiner or plan commission is the action-approving authority. The design review process may occur concurrently with the plan commission or hearing examiner hearings as long as the hearing examiner or plan commission decision incorporates the design review committee’s recommendations.

2.   Any party aggrieved by the design review committee’s recommendations may, within five days of the issuance of those recommendations, file a notice of contested recommendation with the planning director. In the case of a contested design review committee recommendation, the plan commission or hearing examiner, in an expedient manner, conducts a public hearing regarding the disputed recommendations. The decision of the plan commission or hearing examiner on the disputed recommendations is incorporated into the decision on the underlying action.

3.   The design review committee makes recommendations to the responsible official on all other matters for which design review is required.

C.  Reserved.

D.  Rules. The design review committee may adopt rules of procedure for the conduct of its duties and must adopt design guidelines and review criteria for specific proposal types.

E.  Meetings.

1.   The design review committee meets once a month or more often if necessary to promptly respond to development applications. The meetings are open to the public.

2.   The deadline for submittal of a complete application to the design review committee is at least twenty-one days prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting.

3.   The staff report to the design review committee will be available fourteen days prior to the committee meeting on the application.

4.   The design review committee prepares a written report of its recommendations or decision. The report contains a description of the proposal, a summary of applicable code provisions and comprehensive plan policies and provisions, a summary of the design review criteria that apply to the proposal, a statement setting forth how the proposal satisfies or fails to satisfy those provisions and policies and the committee’s recommendation or decision.

5.   The design review committee’s recommendations are submitted to the action-approving authority within thirty-five calendar days of the date of acceptance of the complete application unless an alternative timeframe is agreed upon by the design review committee and the approving authority.

[Ord. C33273 § 7; Passed: 7/14/2003]