17.02.090 Amendments.
A. Initiation of Amendments.
1. The city council upon its own motion may request the planning commission to conduct a public hearing to amend any portion or all of this title; provided, that no public hearing is required for a purely administrative or procedural amendment of any portion of this title;
2. The planning commission may upon its own motion call for a public hearing to amend any portion or all of this title, with the exception of purely administrative or procedural amendments;
3. Any resident or property owner of the city may petition the city to request an amendment to the text of this title.
B. Public Hearing and Notice.
1. With the exception of purely administrative or procedural amendments, the planning director shall schedule a public hearing to be held before the planning commission for any proposal to amend this title or to adopt or repeal any ordinance under the authority established by Chapter 58.17 RCW. The director shall cause notice of such hearing to be given as follows:
a. By sending to any individual or organization which has submitted a request for notification a notice indicating the time and place of public hearing, describing the general nature of the proposal, and indicating how copies of the proposed ordinance or amendment can be obtained; and
b. By publishing in a newspaper of general circulation in the area a notice indicating the time and place of public hearing, describing the general nature of the proposal, and indicating how copies of the proposed ordinance or amendment may be obtained.
2. For all proposals to make purely administrative or procedural amendments to this title, the planning director shall cause notice of such proposed amendment to be given as follows:
a. By sending to any individual or organization which has submitted a request for notification advance notice of the proposed amendment that indicates how copies of the proposed amendment can be obtained.
b. By publishing in a newspaper of general circulation in the area advance notice of the proposed amendment that indicates how copies of the proposed amendment can be obtained.
3. For the purposes of this section, substantive amendments shall be distinguished from procedural or administrative amendments in accordance with the following: substantive matters relate to regulations that define or limit what can be done in terms of conduct, use or action (e.g., what use may be made of land, what requirements apply to development), and procedural or administrative matters are those that relate to the process of how an application to take such action must be pursued (e.g., time limits for applications and appeals, what forms must be used, and where or how applications must be submitted. Essentially, procedural or administrative matters are the mechanical rules by which substantive issues may be pursued).
C. Planning Commission Recommendation. After the public hearing has been closed, the planning commission shall recommend to the council either adoption, adoption with modifications, or rejection of the proposed ordinance or amendment. In formulating its recommendation, the commission shall consider, among other things, the relationship between the proposed ordinance or amendment and the comprehensive plan, other applicable city policies, and other existing land use controls.
D. City Council Action. The planning director shall forward the planning commission’s recommendation, in writing, to the council. The council may elect to hold its own public hearing, in which case the city clerk shall cause adequate notice to be given. The council shall consider, but shall not be bound by, the planning commission’s recommendation in reaching its own decision. (Ord. 6532 § 27, 2014; Ord. 6287 § 2, 2010; Ord. 6239 § 1, 2009.)