Spokane Municipal Code

Title 17G Administration and Procedures

Chapter 17G.041 Streamlined Design Review

Section 17G.041.020 Public Projects Subject to Design Review

 

1. All projects sponsored by a public agency or utilizing public funds shall be subject to design review, unless otherwise exempted under this section.

2. The following public projects are exempt from the design review process:

1. 1. Maintenance or repair work;

1. 2. Interior modifications;

1. 3. Minor changes to exterior facades (less than 25% of the building facade facing the public right-of-way);

1. 4. Minor additions to existing structures;

1. 5. Minor structures related to public infrastructure, such as pump houses and storage sheds, unless such elements are part of a larger project;

1. 6. Transportation projects in the public right-of-way;

1. 7. Structures for which design review is impractical, such as wellheads, electrical substations, and playground equipment, unless such elements are part of a larger project;

1. 8. Projects for which there is a separate public process in which the public has an adequate opportunity to provide feedback on the placement and design of public structures. The Planning Director shall determine if the separate public process is sufficient for exempting the project from the City’s design review process.

1. 9. Projects where public funding constitutes a minority of overall project funding; and

1. 10. Projects using public funds where the primary use will be residential or a child day care center, unless the structure triggers the design review process through some other aspect of the public project.

3. Design review of public projects shall be performed using the Public Projects and Structures Design Guidelines.

4. The Planning Director shall have authority to require design review for public projects notwithstanding an exemption if such review is determined to be in the public interest.

 

Date Passed: Monday, February 9, 2026

Effective Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026

ORD C36830 Section 8