Chapter 16.21
Large Lot Subdivisions
Sections:
16.21.010 Purpose.
In regulating large lot subdivisions, which are anticipated to be normally located within rural areas of the city, it is the intent of the city to achieve those purposes set forth in RCW 58.17, including specifically the following goals:
A. To promote orderly lotting patterns and development of large acreage tracts;
B. To provide adequate fire access to homes on large lots;
C. To provide adequate roadways and easements to serve large lot developments;
D. To promote orderly development and establishment of roadways and easements to provide for adequate and safe traffic circulation and movement in large lot developments as well as plan for future development and roadway needs;
E. To ensure that electrical, water, and sewage disposal systems are adequate to support future construction;
F. To provide adequate handling of drainage from roadways and easements. (Ord. 1401 §1, 1998).
16.21.020 Definitions.
As used in this chapter, the following term(s) are defined in this section:
"Large lot subdivision" means any number of divisions or redivision of land lots, tracts, parcels, sites, or divisions for the purpose of sale, lease, or ownership transfer, the smallest of which is larger than one onehundred-twenty-eighth of a section or five acres, if the land is not capable of designation as a fraction of a section of land, but smaller than one thirty-second of a section, or twenty acres, if the land is not capable of description as a fraction of a second of land. (Ord. 1401 §2, 1998).
16.21.030 Processing.
Processing of an application for approval of a large lot subdivision shall be handled as follows:
(a) Review and Approval. Large lot divisions shall be filed in the manner and with the official, reviewed by all departments and agencies, and considered for approvalor disapproval by the director, all in accordance with the procedures specified in the Municipal Code for short plats, provided that approval shall not be automatic, rather being within the discretion of the director, after review of all relevant material available to the director.
(b) Approval Standards. Large lot divisions shall be subject to the same review, design, and approval criteria as specified within the Municipal Code for short plats. Approvals or disapprovals shall specifically comply with RCW 58.17.060 and 58.17.110, as now enacted or hereafter amended or succeeded, to the extent each is applicable to the action of the director.
(c) Posting Requirements. After acceptance of a large lot application, notice of application shall be posted by the applicant on the property at its principal entry point to the nearest right-of-way and such other locations as may be appropriate, all as determined by the director.
(1) Notice shall be posted on waterproof signs of such number, size, color, content and design as may be established by the director as being reasonably likely to draw the attention of passing members of the public to its location and provide reasonable notice of the pending application.
(2) The sign(s) shall be located so as to be easily visible from the abutting road. When more than one road abuts the property, the sign(s) shall be easily visible from the road having the greatest traffic volume, as determined by the director.
(3) When a proposal is within an existing subdivision, planned development district or planned unit development, an additional sign shall be posted at each major roadway entrance to the development as determined by the director.
(4) The sign(s) shall be erected by the applicant within seven days of the date of application and maintained by the applicant during the period of consideration by the director, or pending the hearing, if any, and continue through the appeal period or until a decision is rendered on the appeal. The sign(s) shall be removed by the applicant within one week following the decision on the application or appeal.
When the sign(s) is/are posted, the applicant shall complete and return a notarized affidavit or sworn declaration of posting to the director who shall file the affidavit or declaration with the application.
(d) Preparation. Applications for approval of large lot divisions shall provide the information, be drawn, and shall meet the application requirements, including drafting standards, as specified in this code for short plats. Each lot within the large lot division shall be numbered.
Future legal descriptions of a approved recorded large lot division shall be referred to as "Lot of Large Lot
Division No. " The latter blank space will be the description assigned to the large lot division by the auditor, unless the auditor requests that the city designate the number.
(e) Recording of Surveyed Divisions. After obtaining the reviewing authorities' approval, the applicant must submit to the director written confirmation from the county assessor-treasurer's office that the real estate taxes are current. After obtaining such approvals all large lot divisions shall be recorded with the county auditor.
(f) Fees, Appeals and Amendments. (1) A nonrefundable filing fee, as established by action of the council, shall accompany a large lot division when it is filed for review and approval with the director, when an appeal is taken, or an amendment sought.
(2) Appeals of any reviewing decision on a large lot division may be made by the examiner subject to such further review as may be provided pursuant to the terms of the procedure adopted by reference in the following sentence. The appeal procedure and fee shall be the same as that set forth within this code for short plats.
(3) Amendments to a large lot division shall be processed in the same manner as that set forth in the code for utilization in relation to short plats.
(g) Five-Year Short Plat Restriction. Large lot divisions, or any portion thereof, shall not be further divided by short subdivision within five years of the date of large lot division approval or such other period as may be allowed by action of the council, pursuant to applicable statutory authority. (Ord. 1401 §3, 1998).