Spokane Municipal Code

Title 17G Administration and Procedures

Chapter 17G.040 Design Review Board Administration and Procedures

Section 17G.040.030 Projects Exempt from Design Review

1. Projects Exempt from Design Review.

1. 1. City Parks.

1. 1. 1. Maintenance or repair work.

1. 1. 2. Development or construction that does not increase the size of the park, or substantially change the physical or visual aspect of the park or park structures; and

1. 1. 3. Playground and recreational use structures that have been reviewed by neighbors through a public process.

1. 2. Streets.

1. 1. 1. Projects that occur between, and do not change, existing curb lines and do not have a visual or physical impact beyond the existing curb lines.

1. 1. 2. Projects that have been designed through a multi-departmental process (including review by staff from engineering, urban design, planning, the urban forester, and other applicable advisory or regulatory departments), clearly meet all adopted City policies, and are not requesting a deviation; and

1. 1. 3. City street projects that deviate from one or more adopted City policies, regulations, or standards but for which mitigation to address the deviation has been agreed to by engineering services, planning and economic development services, and any other affected departments through a decision making process based on prioritized criteria and that results in a memorandum of understanding between the affected departments.

1. 3. Utilities.

1. 1. 1. Underground utilities with no visual or physical impact, and

1. 1. 2. Small utility structures of minimal impact that have been reviewed by neighbors through a public process.

1. 4. A federal, state or county project located on a campus that meets one of the following criteria:

1. 1. 1. more than one hundred fifty feet from a public right-of-way, or

1. 1. 2. not visible from a public right-of-way or a shoreline due to an existing permanent structure.

2. Downtown Sidewalk Encroachments Exempt from Design Review.

1. 1. Temporary business signs (sandwich or ‘A’ frame signs) of less than six square feet.

1. 2. Standard kiosks for newspapers and pamphlets that are less than three feet high.

1. 3. Benches, water fountains, bike racks, and other ’catalog’ street furniture when in keeping with the established style, if any, of the existing furniture.

1. 4. Street lamps when in keeping with the established ‘style,’ if any, of the existing street lamps.

1. 5. Traffic and direction signage and lights installed by the City for the safety of pedestrians and motorists.

1. 6. Street trees when size, spacing, soil volumes, and location are in accordance with the Spokane Municipal Code and sidewalk clearance standards. Please note that species must be selected from the urban forester’s approved street tree list and a planting permit must be obtained from the urban forester.

1. 7. Temporary/seasonal railings for sidewalk café enclosures of a recommended material as noted in the downtown design guidelines.

3. Building Modifications Exempt from Design Review.

Projects subject to the secretary of the interior's standards for rehabilitation or other historic preservation guidelines established and adopted by the Spokane historic landmarks commission per SMC 17D.040.210, SMC 17D.040.240, or SMC 17D.040.270.

Date Passed: Monday, July 23, 2012

Effective Date: Thursday, August 30, 2012

ORD C34889 Section 2