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A. The city department which receives an application for a proposal, or initiates a proposal which is potentially subject to the environmental review requirements of SEPA, shall request the responsible official or the responsible official’s designee to make the following determinations:

1. Whether the proposal is an “action” as defined by WAC 197-11-704; and

2. If the proposal is an “action,” whether it is categorically exempt from the requirements of SEPA; and

3. If the proposal is a nonexempt action, whether appropriate environmental review of the project has been conducted or commenced.

B. The responsible official or the responsible official’s designee shall be responsible for making the final decision required by this section.

C. The city recognizes that the list of categorical exemptions included in the SEPA rules cannot be relied upon as the final determination of when a proposed project, regardless of its environmental impact, must comply with SEPA and this chapter. Where the responsible official determines that a proposal has a reasonable likelihood of causing more than a moderate adverse impact on environmental quality, whether that impact is direct, indirect or cumulative, environmental review under SEPA shall be conducted.

D. It is recognized that a particular development or land use, although otherwise consistent with city regulations and policies, may create adverse impacts upon facilities, services, natural systems or the surrounding area when aggregated with the impacts of prior or reasonably anticipated future developments. The city shall evaluate such cumulative environmental impacts and make its environmental determinations and substantive decisions accordingly. (Ord. 4840 § 1, 1996.)