ORD NO. 2017-03 AMENDING BIMC SITE ASSESSMENT REVIEW
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Chapter 15.19
Site Assessment Review
Sections:
15.19.010 Purpose
15.19.020 Authority of the Director
15.19.030 Applicability
15.19.040 Exemptions
15.19.050 Review Process
15.19.060 Decision Criterion
15.19.010 Purpose
The purpose of this chapter is to ensure that the provisions in Chapter 15.20 BIMC, including
BIMC 15.20.010, are understood and effectively adhered to as part of the planning related to
development or redevelopment of a site, and prior to the undertaking of clearing and grading that
occurs in advance of construction activities on a site. All development and redevelopment within
the thresholds established in Chapter 15.20 BIMC shall be subject to Low Impact Development
(LID) standards regarding surface water and stormwater in order to mimic natural hydrology and
to limit pollution of the Puget Sound.
15.19.020 Authority of the Director
The Director of Public Works (“Director”) shall have the authority to:
A. Administer the provisions of this chapter including, but not limited to, interpreting the
chapter and issuing necessary rules and procedures.
B. Complete Site Assessment Reviews in accordance with this chapter.
C. Administer and coordinate the enforcement of this chapter and all policies adopted
hereunder.
D. Adjust the fees required by this chapter to be proportional to any increased scope of work for
which a review is required. Fees shall be set forth in a fee schedule adopted by the city
council by resolution.
E. Coordinate with other city departments to administer and enforce this chapter.
F. Assign responsibility for interpretation, application, and enforcement of specified procedures
to department staff.
G. Correct any condition that is a violation of this chapter.
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15.19.030 Applicability
No development, including clearing, grading, or other construction activity as described in
BIMC Title 15, shall occur until a Site Assessment Review has been completed. Activities
subject to this chapter are described below. For applicable activities, a Site Assessment Review
shall be completed before any building, clearing, or grading permit applications may be
submitted to the city. A Site Assessment Review is required for any of the following activities:
A. New development– as defined in Chapter 15.20 BIMC
B. Redevelopment – as defined in Chapter 15.20 BIMC
C. Grading – as defined in the International Building Code, Appendix J (see Chapter 15.04
BIMC)
D. Clearing – as defined in Chapter 16.18 BIMC
E. Paving 800 square feet or more related to:
1. New pavement; or
2. Removing and replacement of surfacing to base course or lower; or
3. Resurfacing by upgrading from dirt to gravel, asphalt, or concrete; upgrading from gravel
to asphalt or concrete; or upgrading from a bituminous surface treatment (“chip seal”) to
asphalt or concrete.
15.19.040 Exemptions
The following activities shall not require a Site Assessment Review:
A. Creation of less than 800 square feet of new hard surfaces – as defined in Chapter 15.20
BIMC.
B. Grading or clearing activities on less than 7,000 square feet or 35% of the site, whichever is
smaller, as defined in Chapter 15.20 BIMC.
C. Commercial Agriculture. Existing commercial agriculture practices involving working the
land for production are generally exempt. However, the conversion from timber land to
agriculture and the construction of new hard surfaces are not exempt.
D. Forest Practices. Forest practices regulated under Title 222 WAC are exempt, except for
Class IV general forest practices that are conversions from timber land to other uses. Class
IV general forest practices are required to obtain a Site Assessment Review, in addition to
any other required permits, prior to any clearing, grading, or tree removal.
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E. Road Maintenance. The following road maintenance practices are exempt: pothole and
square cut patching, overlaying existing asphalt or concrete pavement with asphalt or
concrete without expanding the area of coverage, shoulder grading, reshaping/regrading
drainage systems, crack sealing, resurfacing with in-kind material without expanding the
road prism, and vegetation maintenance.
F. New Non-Motorized Shoulder Improvements. New non-motorized shoulder improvements to
existing roads are exempt unless the new hard surfaces total 5,000 square feet or more and
total 50% or more of the existing hard surfaces within the project limits. The project limits
shall be defined by the length of the project, along the right-of-way, and the width of the
right-of-way.
G. Underground Utilities. Underground utility projects that replace the ground surface with in-
kind material or materials with similar runoff characteristics are exempt.
15.19.050 Review Process
A. The Site Assessment Review application, proposed project information, and other data and
materials filed by an applicant for a Site Assessment Review shall be analyzed by the
Director or his/her designee for a determination of completeness. The Site Assessment
Review application shall be considered complete upon the occurrence of all of the following:
1. The determination that the official Site Assessment Review application form is complete.
2. The proposed project information, data, and other materials submitted are adequate to
evaluate the proposed project.
3. The Site Assessment Review fee has been paid by the applicant.
B. All projects that are required to meet Minimum Requirements Nos. 1 – 5, as indicated in
BIMC 15.20.060 related to stormwater manual standards, shall submit an application and are
required to receive a written endorsement from the Director or his/her designee as provided
in BIMC 15.19.050.D. prior to the city accepting any other development application. Projects
required to meet Minimum Requirements 1 – 9 as indicated in BIMC 15.20.060 may submit
an application concurrently with the request for a preapplication conference identified in
BIMC 2.16.020. If the preapplication conference is waived in accordance with BIMC
2.16.020, the application and endorsement required by this chapter shall be completed prior
to any other development application being accepted by the city.
C. Those projects required to only meet Minimum Requirement No. 2 as indicated in BIMC
15.20.060 are encouraged to make use of the Site Assessment Review process prior to
application for any required permits.
D. The complete Site Assessment Review application, proposed project information, data, and
other materials shall be reviewed by the Director or his/her designee for compliance based on
the decision criteria in BIMC 15.19.060, and any other applicable regulations adopted by this
chapter and other applicable laws and regulations. If the Director or his/her designee
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determines that an applicant has completed the required Site Assessment Review, he/she
shall endorse the review in writing with or without recommendations.
E. The Department of Public Works or its designee may conduct a site visit(s) as part of the Site
Assessment Review process and a review meeting shall be scheduled with the applicant.
F. Validity. The completion of a Site Assessment Review shall not prevent the Director or
his/her designee from thereafter requiring the correction of errors in an applicant’s Site
Assessment Review proposed project information or other data. An endorsed Site
Assessment Review is not a permit and does not vest future development permits to any
future updates to Chapter 15.20 BIMC. Any future building, clearing, or grading permit
application that is utilizing a completed Site Assessment Review must comply with any
applicable laws and city regulations that are in effect at the time such a development permit
application is submitted.
15.19.060 Decision Criterion
The Director or his/her designee shall deem a Site Assessment Review complete if the
information provided in the application demonstrates that the proposed actions and the
information submitted comply with LID practices, as described in Chapter 15.20 BIMC and the
adopted LID Manual, to the maximum extent practicable. Subsequent development permits (i.e.,
building, clearing, or grading) shall substantially conform with the completed Site Assessment
Review. A Site Assessment Review may be endorsed with conditions or recommendations for
future development permits.