15.01.050 Determination of completeness or incomplete application.
A. Within twenty-eight days after receiving a project permit application, the city shall mail (electronic mail acceptable) or personally provide a determination to the applicant which states either:
1. That the application is complete; or
2. That the application is incomplete and what is necessary to make the application complete.
B. To the extent known by the city, other agencies that may have jurisdiction over the application shall be identified in the city’s completeness determination.
C. An application is complete for purposes of this section when it meets the procedural submission requirements set forth in Section 15.01.020 and is sufficient for continued processing even though additional information may be required or project modification may be undertaken subsequently. The determination of completeness shall not preclude the city from requesting additional information or studies either at the time of the notice of completeness or subsequently if new information is needed or substantial changes in the proposed action occur.
The determination of completeness may include the following as optional information:
1. A preliminary determination of those development regulations that will be used for project mitigation;
2. A preliminary determination of consistency, with the comprehensive plan or subarea plan, and applicable development regulations; or
3. Other information deemed appropriate by the planning director.
D. An application shall be deemed complete under this section if the planning director, within twenty-eight days of receiving the application, does not mail (electronic mail acceptable) or provide in person a written determination to the applicant that the application is incomplete.
E. If the planning director determines that an application is not complete, then within twenty-eight days after receiving the application, the planning director shall place in the mail (electronic mail acceptable) to the applicant a written statement that the application is incomplete based on a lack of information and listing what is required to make the application technically complete; provided, however, an applicant may request or agree to an extension of the twenty-eight day completeness review period.
F. If the applicant receives a determination of the city that an application is not complete, the applicant shall have ninety days to submit the necessary information to the city. The planning director may grant an extension to the ninety-day time deadline for filing the required information. Within fourteen days after an applicant has submitted the additional information requested in a notice of incompleteness, the city shall make a new determination of completeness as described herein, and notify the applicant in the same manner.
G. If the required information is not submitted by the date specified and the planning director has not extended that date, the planning director may take one of the following actions as deemed appropriate by the planning director:
1. Reject and return the application and eighty percent of the application fee(s) and mail to the applicant a written statement which lists the remaining additional information needed to make the application technically complete; or
2. Issue a decision denying the application, based on a lack of information; or
3. Allow the applicant to start the technically complete review process a second time by providing the required missing information by a date specified by the review authority, in which case the review authority shall retain the application and fee pending expiration of that date, or a technical review of the application as amended by that date.
H. A determination of completeness for a project subject to environmental review under SEPA, including planned actions (which do not require threshold determinations), may be withdrawn in the following circumstances:
1. There are substantial changes to a proposal so that the proposal is likely to have significant adverse environmental impacts;
2. There is significant new information indicating, or on, a proposal’s probable significant adverse environmental impacts; or
3. The determination of completeness was procured by misrepresentation or lack of material disclosure;
4. In the event that a determination of completeness is withdrawn and the responsible official determines that additional information is needed to process the application, the applicant shall be so notified, and the one-hundred-twenty-calendar-day period stayed pending receipt of the requested information by the city. (Ord. 3774-20 § 3 (Exh. 2), 2020.)