HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 116

BYRepresentatives Nutley, Allen, Haugen, May, Ferguson, Bristow, Rayburn and Brough

Modifying procedures for administrative approval of plats.

House Committe on Local Government

Majority Report:     The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (11)

     Signed by Representatives Haugen, Chair; Cooper, Vice Chair; Beck, Ferguson, Madsen, Nealey, Nelson, Nutley Rayburn, L. Smith and Zellinsky.

House Staff:Steve Lundin (786-7127)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT FEBRUARY 27, 1987

BACKGROUND:

Every division of property for purposes of sale, lease, or transfer of ownership, where the smallest lot is less than five acres, must be reviewed and approved by the county, city or town within which it is located.  A county, city, or town may increase the size of the smallest lot to be created by a division of property that is subject to its review and approval or rejection.

A county, city or town may adopt an ordinance subjecting proposed divisions of property to a binding site plan procedure in lieu of the subdivision or short subdivision procedure, if the division is for any or all of the following purposes: (1) sale or lease for industrial or commercial uses;  (2) lease for placing mobile homes or travel trailers; or (3) condominiums.

Boundary line adjustments, within a subdivision or short subdivision, are exempt from the subdivision or short subdivision procedures.

SUMMARY:

SUBSTITUTE BILL:  The binding site plan procedure, that is an option for approving divisions of property under certain circumstances, is more fully described.

A binding site plan may provide for administrative approval of the proposal in lieu of a public hearing process.  The number of lots created under a binding site plan process may not exceed the number of lots allowed by applicable zoning ordinances.

This optional procedure for industrial or commercial divisions is only allowed on land that is zoned for industrial or commercial users, and shall provide that after approval of the general binding site plan, the approval of improvements and finalization of specific individual lots shall be done by administrative approval.

A boundary line adjustment between platted or unplatted lots, or both, is exempt from the subdivision and short subdivision process.

SUBSTITUTE BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  Provisions were dropped expanding the short subdivision procedure and requiring similar standards in most short subdivisions as in full subdivisions. The binding site plan procedures were more fully described.  The binding site plan procedure for industrial or commercial divisions is restricted to such divisions on land zoned for industrial or commercial uses.

Fiscal Note:    Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:     Jim Williams, Washington Association of Counties.

House Committee - Testified Against: Don Chance, Seattle Master Builders; and Steve Hyer, Washington Association of Realtors.

House Committee - Testimony For:     This clarifies the binding site plan procedure.  Existing laws are not complied with uniformly.  This allows a boundary line adjustment to take land into or out of a subdivision or short subdivision.

House Committee - Testimony Against: It is redundant to say that a division of land under a binding site procedure must comply with zoning requirements.