§ 2.32.040. Powers and duties.

The powers and duties of the planning commission are as follows:

A.

The commission shall develop, adopt and recommend to the council a comprehensive plan for the orderly development of the city. Periodically, not less than every two years, the commission shall solicit suggestions for modifications of the plan. The commission shall review the plan, prepare an ordinance detailing any recommended changes, hold a public hearing on the changes, and present its recommendations to the council.

B.

To implement the comprehensive plan, the commission shall prepare and recommend to the council a zoning ordinance.

1.

Zoning regulations shall be uniform for each class or kind of building, structure, land or water area within each district, but regulations may differ among districts and exceptions may be made in order to provide for preservations, maintenance and protection of historic sites, building and monuments.

2.

Zoning regulations adopted under this authority may include, but are not limited to, regulations of: land use; building location; the height and size of structure; the number of stories in buildings; lot coverage; the size of open space; population density and distribution.

3.

Zoning regulations shall be designed for, but not limited to: providing for orderly development; lessening street congestion; fire safety and public order; protecting the public health and general welfare; preventing overcrowding; stimulating orderly development of transportation, water, sewer, schools, parks and other public facilities; and reducing effect of natural hazards.

4.

The commission shall review all requests for amendments to the zoning and floodplain ordinances, including amendments to the zoning map, and shall make recommendations to the council thereon.

5.

The commission shall review and act upon requests for variances and conditional use permits in accordance with the provisions of Title 17.

C.

The commission shall prepare and recommend to the council a subdivision ordinance and amendments thereto. The ordinance shall establish standards necessary to ensure safe, healthful, economical and desirable patterns of community development in accordance with the comprehensive plan.

1.

The subdivision ordinance shall provide for the control of:

a.

Form, size and other aspects of subdivisions, dedications and vacations of land;

b.

Dimensions of lots or tracts;

c.

Street width, arrangement of rights-of-way, including allowance for access to lots and installations of street paving, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, sewers, water lines, drainage, or other public utilities, facilities and improvements.

2.

The commission shall act as the platting board.

3.

The commission shall review all requests for amendments to the subdivision ordinance and shall make recommendations to the council thereon.

D.

The commission may prepare, subject to budget appropriation, and recommend to the council any official map of all public streets and other public ways existing and established by law, all plans, streets and street lines approved by the council and all streets and street lines shown on recorded plats of the subdivisions. The official map may show the locations of planned streets and other ways and may show existing and approved planned public facilities. The placing of any street, street line or public facility upon any map shall not constitute the opening or establishment of same nor the taking or acceptance of land for public purposes. All street locations and subdivision plats subsequently approved shall be placed on the official map.

E.

The commission shall prepare and recommend to the council modifications or amendments to the documents specified in this section. The commission shall publish notice of and hold at least one public hearing before submitting its recommendations.

F.

The chairperson of the commission, or designee, shall attend council meetings at which public hearing is scheduled on any ordinance upon which the commission has acted and advise the council of the commission's recommendations.

G.

The commission shall review annually the capital improvements program of the city and school district and comment on whether the public facilities location conforms to the comprehensive plan.

H.

The commission shall investigate and report to the council regarding locations, design, demolition or disposition of any public building, facility, traffic arterial, park, greenbelt or playground. All officials and employees of the city are required in their official capacity and all public agencies not a part of the city are requested to inform the commission of such improvements for action and to submit all pertinent information within such time as will enable the commission to make recommendations as to whether the proposed project is consistent with the comprehensive plan.

I.

The planning commission shall assist the city manager in the development of the annual work program and budget to support the commission's activities.

J.

The commission shall perform such other duties as the council may from time to time direct.

(Prior code § 7.01.040)