30.74.030 Initial review and evaluation.
(1) The department shall conduct an initial review and evaluation of proposed amendments and assess the extent of review that would be required under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The initial review and evaluation shall include any review by other county departments deemed necessary by the department, and shall be made in writing. The department shall recommend to the county council that an amendment be further processed only if all of the following criteria are met, except as provided in SCC 30.74.040:
(a) The proposed amendment is consistent with the countywide planning policies, the multicounty planning policies, the GMA, and other applicable state and federal laws;
(b) Any proposed change in the designation of agricultural lands, forest lands, and mineral resource lands is consistent with the designation criteria of the GMA and the comprehensive plan;
(c) If the proposed amendment has been reviewed by the planning commission or county council as part of a previous proposal, circumstances related to the current proposal have significantly changed and support a plan or regulation change at this time; and
(d) If the next docket cycle to be set is limited to minor amendments by SCC 30.74.015(2)(a), the proposal satisfies all of the following conditions:
(i) The time required to analyze environmental impacts of the proposed amendment is available within the time frame for processing minor amendments;
(ii) The time required for additional analysis to determine the need for additional capital improvements and revenues to maintain level of service, when applicable to the proposal, is available within the time frame for processing minor amendments;
(iii) The time required for processing any required additional amendments not anticipated by the proponent is available within the time frame for processing minor amendments;
(iv) The proposed amendment does not alter the urban growth area boundary;
(v) The proposed amendment does not make or require substantial changes to comprehensive plan policy language; and
(vi) The proposed amendment does not change land capacity to an extent that would require compensating changes in other areas in order to maintain consistency with policies and growth allocations established at the county and regional level.
(2) If the department finds that a proposal does not meet initial evaluation criteria, the department will, if appropriate, make recommendations to the applicant of the proposal regarding possible modifications to the proposal in order to meet the criteria.
(3) Any person may resubmit a proposal to the department at any time, subject to the timelines contained in this chapter. (Added by Amended Ord. 02-064, Dec. 9, 2002, Eff date Feb. 1, 2003; Amended by Amended Ord. 10-022, Sept. 8, 2010, Eff date Oct. 3, 2010; Amended by Ord. 17-100, Nov. 29, 2017, Eff date Dec. 24, 2017).