Title 04 Administrative Agencies and Procedures

Chapter 04.13 Design Review Committee

1. 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 chapter 11.15 SMC.

   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:

      1. 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;

      2. all surface parking lots;

      3. 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

      4. all projects requesting plans-in-lieu of compliance pursuant to SMC 17G.060.070(B)(3); and

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

2. 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.
       
3. Design Review Criteria.
   [Reserved]
    
4. 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.
    

5. 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 time frame is agreed upon by the design review committee and the approving authority.

Date Passed: Monday, March 26, 2007

Effective Date: Sunday, May 6, 2007

Recodification ORD C33995 Section 1