16.24.090 Form-based code review.
A. Administration of development review shall be the responsibility of the director of community and economic development. The director shall implement development review concurrent with any related planning review process or building permit application. The review process consists of a presubmission conference followed by an application review by either the director or the site plan review committee (SPRC).
1. Presubmission Conference.
a. The applicant shall attend a presubmission conference with an assigned staff member. The presubmission conference shall be conducted in accordance with Section 1B.020 of the City of Lacey Development Guidelines and Public Works Standards.
b. The site plan, landscaping plan, and building design may be conceptual in form for the presubmission conference.
c. Staff shall provide a written summary of the meeting to the applicant including identification of the relevant approval criteria in LMC 16.24.030 through 16.24.070.
d. The staff summary shall identify the applicable review process, which will be an administrative review by the director of community and economic development or a review by the SPRC.
e. The staff summary shall identify any submittal requirements in LMC 16.24.120 that are not applicable or required.
2. Limited Administrative Review.
a. Development applications, which do not exceed the thresholds in subsection B of this section, shall be subject to an administrative review by the director under Chapter 12.28 LMC, Development Standards and Public Works Standards.
b. The director shall conduct this review concurrent with any related planning review process or building permit application.
3. Review by the SPRC.
a. Development applications, which exceed the thresholds in subsection B of this section, shall be subject to a review by the SPRC.
b. The SPRC shall review development applications in accordance with the full administrative review process and timelines outlined in Section 1C.040 of the City of Lacey Development Guidelines and Public Works Standards. The application shall be approved or approved with conditions to conform to the standards, provisions and policies of the city as expressed in its various adopted plans and ordinances. Whenever the SPRC disapproves an application, it shall set forth in writing its findings, which shall specify the particular standards, provisions and policies to which the site plan fails to conform and the reasons why it fails to conform.
c. The site plan review committee (SPRC) shall have the prerogative of refusing to rule on a development application if in the opinion of the SPRC the site plan is sufficiently complex that it should be reviewed by the hearings examiner according to the quasi-judicial process in Section 1C.050 of the City of Lacey Development Guidelines and Public Works Standards. The SPRC shall decide to transfer review authority to the hearings examiner within fourteen days of the determination of completeness, according to Section 1B.070 of the City of Lacey Development Guidelines and Public Works Standards.
B. Review and approval by the SPRC shall be required for any of the following activities:
1. The use of land for the location of any commercial, industrial or public building or activity, and for the location of any building containing more than two dwelling units or lot with more than one residential structure other than a permitted accessory dwelling.
2. A change of land use at an existing site or structure when the new activity requires either a change of occupancy according to the Building Code or is a change of land use according to the Standard Industrial Classification Code and, in the opinion of the community and economic development director, results in an intensification of land use and will require new development conditions to comply with existing regulations. This provision may not apply to malls (buildings with ten or more tenants sharing common parking) where original conditions to establish the mall complex anticipated a range of tenants and existing facilities and where it can be shown existing infrastructure can accommodate the new intensified use.
3. Expansion of an existing commercial, industrial, public or multifamily structure or use. Provided residential duplexes are exempt.
4. A remodel of an existing structure where the remodel is fifteen percent or more of the assessed valuation of existing structures with the permit value of the proposed improvement greater than $20,000.00. The remodel value shall be calculated according to methodology described in Chapter 14.04 LMC adopting the Building Code. The value of existing structures shall be the most recent value assigned by the county assessor. The fifteen percent threshold shall be cumulative over the most recent five years, including calculations of all previously exempt remodels, but shall not include life/safety improvements or normal maintenance not requiring a building permit. Remodels of residential duplex, triplex, and quadraplex shall be exempt from site plan review.
5. Uses and activities within designated environmentally sensitive areas or their buffers pursuant to the requirements of LMC Title 14. (Ord. 1539 §76, 2019; Ord. 1487 §3 (part), 2016).