Planning Commission Agenda Packet 102225 (1)

P25-0352, PMC Amendments Planning Commission 3 of 9 Zoning Administrator) or may be subject to Planning Commission and/or City Council review and action. • Examples of Planning Permits include: Conditional Use Permits, Planned Unit Developments, Variances, and Design Review. • Public noticing or project notification of some kind is generally required. Existing Design Review Process Design Review (DR), as outlined in PMC Chapter 18.20, is the primary discretionary planning process for evaluating new construction and exterior modifications to commercial, industrial, and residential properties.1 The Design Review process has not undergone a comprehensive review and update since 1993. During the DR process, all relevant City divisions review projects for compliance with City standards (similar to the building permit process); however, as a discretionary process, Design Review adds a layer of subjective staff review for the aesthetic and design aspects of the project, and allows opportunities for neighborhood notification and input. The Design Review process is important because it protects neighborhood character, scale, and privacy. However, current regulations require Design Review for very minor projects (e.g., changing a window to a door on a commercial building or a backyard residential accessory structure) that are objectively likely to have little to no impact on the fabric of the community. The Design Review process is broadly required for: • New commercial/industrial developments • All exterior modifications to existing multi-family/commercial/industrial sites or buildings • All signs without a Master Sign Program • New single-family and multi-family units (outside of PUD applications) • Changes to approved residential development plans • Single-family projects noted below Planning staff processes modifications to single-family residential as “Administrative Design Review” (ADR) applications. ADR applications are broadly required for: • Additions and/or accessory structures over 10 feet in height • Roof form changes • New windows over 10 feet in height • Certain fences/walls It is noted that all ADR applications and a majority of DR applications are processed administratively, with the Zoning Administrator as the hearing authority (unless appealed). Only certain projects require Planning Commission approval, generally limited to large additions and new buildings downtown, sizeable additions to commercial buildings throughout the City, and DR applications associated with Conditional Use Permits. The hearing authority may approve, conditionally approve, or deny applications based on a set of established criteria (e.g., relationship of proposal to surrounding sites and preservation of views). 1 Design Review can be conducted as a standalone process if no other land use approvals are required, or in tandem with land use approvals such as use permits or variances.