Yakima City Zoning Code

Applications shall be submitted either online or in writing on forms provided by the department;

Each submitted land use application shall be completed in its entirety, and contain all narratives, supplemental narratives, site plans, or other required attachments as specified by the pertinent application. For all planning applications, the application shall include a site plan in print or digital form in conformance with YMC § 15.11.030; provided, the administrative official at their discretion may require additional information to clarify the application or determine compliance with the provisions of this title;

All applications, including a Type (1) review, shall be signed by the property owner or his agent authorized in writing to do so;

Applications shall be accompanied by the appropriate fee as established by ordinance;

An application is not complete unless it includes all required information, attachments and fees. No application shall be considered officially filed until accepted as complete by the division; and

All applications shall include a minimum eleven-inch by seventeen-inch reproducible copy of the site plan in print or digital form. In the event of expanded review, additional copies may be required at the applicant’s expense. Site plans shall be developed in accordance with YMC § 15.11.030.

General Site Plan Form. All general site plans shall be drawn to scale and be legibly drawn or prepared in a reproducible printed or digital form. Unless otherwise requested or authorized by the administrative official, the paper size for all land use review applications shall be eleven inches by seventeen inches. The scale of the drawing shall be a standard engineering scale and shall reasonably utilize the media’s size. A list of all site plan content requirements is kept on file within the planning division and available with all land use applications or upon request. The site plan shall also include any other information required by the division or administrative official to clarify the proposal, assess its impacts, or determine compliance with this title.

The application shall be reviewed for completeness within twenty-eight days after receiving an application in accordance with YMC § 16.04.010. If additional information is required, the application shall be referred back to the applicant in accordance with YMC § 16.04.020. If the application is incomplete, the applicant shall be provided with an explanation of what is necessary to make the application complete in accordance with YMC § 16.04.030, and if accepted as complete, the division shall begin processing the application in accordance with this chapter, and Title 16, Administration of Development Permit Regulations;

File Closure. In the event that the applicant/property owner does not provide the city of Yakima planning division within thirty days of mailing of the letter of incomplete application, either the requested information or a written correspondence indicating when the requested information will be provided, the planning division shall send a letter of file closure to the applicant. The letter of file closure shall be sent to the property owner of record and applicant indicating that “the file has been closed due to inactivity, and any further processing of the application will require resubmission of the application and payment of the applicable application fee.” In addition, any application which is inactive (meaning that the planning division has not received written correspondence from the applicant which provides the required information) for more than ninety days shall be deemed null and void, and shall not require issuance of a letter of file closure;

If more than one permit, approval, or action under this title is required, the division shall refer the application back to the applicant for consideration of a master application under YMC § 16.03.010(B) or withdrawal of the application. If no response is received within seven days, the division shall determine the order of processing and forward the application to the appropriate administrative official;

A complete application shall be reviewed by the division and, if State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review is required, under the provisions of WAC Chapter 197-11, the project permits shall be integrated and shall be processed concurrently with the permit procedures of YMC Title 16;

The division shall be responsible for providing appropriate public notice for all land use applications and hearings which conforms to the statute or ordinance governing the application as specified in YMC Ch. 16.05;

Upon completion of all required comment periods and SEPA review for permit applications:

If the decision of the administrative official or legislative body is for approval, not appealed, and if all other permits, approvals, or actions required under this title have been secured, the applicant’s decision and final approved site plan shall serve as the final official indication of compliance with this title only, and shall not relieve any person from requirements of other laws or ordinances; nor shall it authorize the division to issue a development permit without compliance with other duties or review required by administrative official by law.

Notice requirements shall be decided based upon compliance with the notice requirements set forth in the provisions of this title dealing with the particular types of permits, approvals, or other actions and that of YMC Ch. 16.05. In case of conflict between other provisions in this title and Title 16, the most lengthy and greatest notice requirement shall apply.

Responsibility for Notice. The division and/or the city clerk shall provide all notice requiring first-class mailing or legal publication. When required, the applicant shall post the property in accordance with subsection C of this section.

Posting Notice. The applicant shall post the subject property with signs provided by the division for Type (3) review, variance, rezone, appeal, interpretation (if required), and all project permit applications requiring State Environmental Policy Act review as provided for in YMC Title 16. Signs shall be posted on the subject property so as to be clearly seen from each right-of-way providing primary vehicular access to the subject property. The time of posting shall occur prior to issuance of notice of application, or as otherwise required by YMC Title 16.

Mailing Notice. For purposes of providing legal notice to adjoining property owners, the person or persons shown as the owner on the official records of the Yakima County assessor’s office shall be considered the property owner. The notice of application will follow the provisions of Yakima Municipal Code Chapter 16.05.

Process. Any person proposing a land use project, which would require more than one permit or approval, may submit a master application on form(s) provided by the department. The master application shall be processed subject to the highest type of review applicable to any of the required permits or approvals, Type (3) review being higher than Type (2), and Type (2) review being higher than Type (1). For purposes of this section, the administrative official’s decisions shall have the following effect:

Fees. When two or more zoning applications for the same project are processed as a master application, only the highest fee among the applications submitted shall be charged.