City of Spokane

Spokane Municipal Code

***Note: Many local criminal codes can now be located under Chapter 10.60 SMC while others are now cited under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), which was incorporated into the municipal code in 2022. (See SMC 10.58.010). Code Enforcement, including Noise Control and Animal Regulations are located in Chapters 10.62 through 10.74.

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Title 17G
Chapter 17G.061
Section 17G.061.150
 

Title 17G Administration and Procedures

Chapter 17G.061 Land Use Application Procedures

Section 17G.061.150 Modification of Applications and Permits
  1. Modification of Complete Application.
  1. Proposed modifications to an application, which the department has previously found to be complete, will be treated as follows:
  1. Modifications proposed by the department to an application shall not be considered a new application.
  1. If the applicant proposes substantial modifications to an application, as determined by the department, the application may be considered a new application. The new application shall conform to the requirements of all statutes and ordinances in effect at the time the new application is submitted. A substantial modification may include but is not limited to the following:
  1. change in use;
  1. increase in density;
  1. increase in site area; or
  1. changes that increase or significantly modify the traffic pattern for the proposed development.
  1. Limitations on Refiling of Application.
  1. Applications for a land use permit pursuant to Title 17 SMC on a specific site shall not be accepted if a similar permit has been denied on the site within the twelve months prior to the date of submittal of the application. The date of denial shall be considered the date the decision was made on an appeal, if an appeal was filed or the date of the original decision if no appeal was filed.
  1. The twelve-month time period may be waived or modified if the director finds that special circumstances warrant earlier reapplication. The director shall consider the following in determining whether an application for permit is similar to, or substantially the same as, a previously denied application:
  1. An application for a permit shall be deemed similar if the proposed use of the property is the same, or substantially the same, as that which was considered and disallowed in the earlier decision.
  1. An application for a permit shall be deemed similar if the proposed application form and site plan (i.e., building layout, lot configuration, dimensions) are the same, or substantially the same, as that which was considered and disallowed in the earlier decision; and
  1. An application for a variance, exception, or waiver shall be deemed similar if the special circumstances which the applicant alleges as a basis for the request are the same, or substantially the same, as those considered and rejected in the earlier decision. In every instance, the burden of proving that an application is not similar shall be upon the applicant.
  1. Modifications or Revisions to Shoreline Permits.
  1. A permit revision is required whenever the applicant proposes substantive changes to the design, terms, or conditions of a project from that which is approved in the permit. Changes are substantive if they materially alter the project in a manner that relates to its conformance to the terms and conditions of the permit, the shoreline master program and/or the policies and provisions of chapter 90.58 RCW.
  1. Changes which are not substantive in effect do not require approval of a revision. When an applicant seeks to revise a permit, the director shall request from the applicant detailed plans and text describing the proposed changes in the permit.
  1. If the director determines that the proposed changes are within the scope and intent of the original permit as defined in WAC 173-27-100(2) and are consistent with the shoreline master program and the Shoreline Management Act, the director may approve a revision.
  1. If the proposed changes are not within the scope and intent of the original permit, the applicant shall apply for a new permit in the manner provided for in this chapter.
  1. Revisions to permits may be authorized after original permit authorization has expired under RCW 90.58.143. The purpose of such revisions shall be limited to authorization of changes which are consistent with WAC 173-27 and which would not require a permit for the development or change proposed under the terms of the Shoreline Management Act, this section and the shoreline master program. If the proposed change constitutes substantial development then a new permit is required. This shall not be used to extend the time requirements or to authorize substantial development beyond the time limits of the original permit.
  1. If the sum of the revision and any previously approved revisions under former WAC 173-14-064 or WAC 173-27-100 violate the provisions that they are “within the scope and intent of the original permit,” the director shall require that the applicant apply for a new permit.
  1. The revision approval, including the revised site plans and text consistent with the provisions of WAC 173-27-180 as necessary to clearly indicate the authorized changes, and the final ruling on consistency with this section shall be filed with the department of ecology. In addition, the director shall notify parties of record of their action.
  1. If the revision to the original permit was a conditional use or variance, which was conditioned by the department of ecology, the director shall submit the revision to the department of ecology for its approval, approval with conditions, or denial, indicating that the revision is being submitted under the requirements of this section. Ecology shall render and transmit to the City and the applicant its final decision within fifteen days of the date of the department of ecology’s receipt of the submittal from the director. The director shall notify parties of record of the department of ecology’s final decision.
  1. The revised permit is effective immediately upon final decision by the director, or when reviewed by the department of ecology, pursuant to subsection (7), then upon final action by the department of ecology.
  1. Appeals shall be in accordance with RCW 90.58.180 and shall be filed with the shorelines hearings board within twenty-one days from the date of receipt of the revision approved by the director, or when appropriate under subsection (7), the date ecology’s final decision is transmitted to the City and the applicant. Appeals shall be based only upon contentions of noncompliance with the provisions of subsection (2). Construction undertaken pursuant to that portion of a revised permit not authorized under the original permit is at the applicant’s own risk until the expiration of the appeals deadline. If an appeal is successful in proving that a revision is not within the scope and intent of the original permit, the decision shall have no bearing on the original permit.
  1. Modification to a Building Permit Subject to a Type II or III Approval.

In issuing building permits for construction under an approved site plan, the building official may, with concurrence of the Planning Director , permit minor adjustments of the location and/or dimensions of buildings, parking areas, and roadways as long as such adjustments do not change any points of ingress or egress to the site unless approved by the director of engineering services, change any perimeter setbacks, or exceed the density authorized in the permit. No modification of an approved application may be considered approved unless specifically provided in writing.

  1. The Planning Director may, without public notice, modify an approved site plan, if all the following criteria are met:
  1. The use will remain the same.
  1. The total site coverage or total area covered by buildings will not increase.
  1. The use will continue to comply with all conditions of approval imposed by the original decision.
  1. The use will comply with all of the requirements of the land use regulations applicable to it and the property on which it is or will be located.
  1. Any modification of an approved site plan not consistent with the standards of subsection (B)(1) of this section may be approved only pursuant to the procedures for granting the original Type II or III approval.
  1. Modification of Shoreline Permit.
  1. Recision and Remanding of Shoreline Permit.
  1. After providing notice to the permitee and the public and also holding a public meeting, the Planning Director may rescind or suspend a permit if any of the conditions in RCW 90.58.140(8) exist.
  1. Under the conditions listed in RCW 90.58.180, shoreline permits may be remanded back to the City by the Shorelines Hearings Board.
  1. Other Modification of Shoreline Permit.
  1. A permit revision is required whenever the applicant proposes substantive changes to the design, terms, or conditions of a project from that which is approved in the permit. Changes are substantive if they materially alter the project in a manner that relates to its conformance to the terms and conditions of the permit, the shoreline master program and/or the policies and provisions of chapter 90.58 RCW.
  1. Changes which are not substantive in effect do not require approval of a revision. When an applicant seeks to revise a permit, the director shall request from the applicant detailed plans and text describing the proposed changes in the permit.
  1. If the director determines that the proposed changes are within the scope and intent of the original permit as defined in WAC 173-27-100(2) and are consistent with the shoreline master program and the Shoreline Management Act, the director may approve a revision.
  1. If the proposed changes are not within the scope and intent of the original permit, the applicant shall apply for a new permit in the manner provided for in this chapter.
  1. Revisions to permits may be authorized after original permit authorization has expired under RCW 90.58.143. The purpose of such revisions shall be limited to authorization of changes which are consistent with WAC 173-27 and which would not require a permit for the development or change proposed under the terms of the Shoreline Management Act, this section and the shoreline master program. If the proposed change constitutes substantial development then a new permit is required. This shall not be used to extend the time requirements or to authorize substantial development beyond the time limits of the original permit.
  1. If the sum of the revision and any previously approved revisions under former WAC 173-14-064 or WAC 173-27-100 violate the provisions that they are “within the scope and intent of the original permit,” the director shall require that the applicant apply for a new permit.
  1. The revision approval, including the revised site plans and text consistent with the provisions of WAC 173-27-180 as necessary to clearly indicate the authorized changes, and the final ruling on consistency with this section shall be filed with the department of ecology. In addition, the director shall notify parties of record of their action.
  1. If the revision to the original permit was a conditional use or variance, which was conditioned by the department of ecology, the director shall submit the revision to the department of ecology for its approval, approval with conditions, or denial, indicating that the revision is being submitted under the requirements of this section. Ecology shall render and transmit to the City and the applicant its final decision within fifteen days of the date of the department of ecology’s receipt of the submittal from the director. The director shall notify parties of record of the department of ecology’s final decision.
  1. The revised permit is effective immediately upon final decision by the director, or when reviewed by the department of ecology, pursuant to subsection (7), then upon final action by the department of ecology.
  1. Appeals shall be in accordance with RCW 90.58.180 and shall be filed with the shorelines hearings board within twenty-one days from the date of receipt of the revision approved by the director, or when appropriate under subsection (7), the date ecology’s final decision is transmitted to the City and the applicant. Appeals shall be based only upon contentions of noncompliance with the provisions of subsection (2). Construction undertaken pursuant to that portion of a revised permit not authorized under the original permit is at the applicant’s own risk until the expiration of the appeals deadline. If an appeal is successful in proving that a revision is not within the scope and intent of the original permit, the decision shall have no bearing on the original permit.

Date Passed: Monday, November 20, 2023

Effective Date: Monday, January 1, 2024

ORD C36459 Section 35