Planners push to make permit‑review timelines permanent, reclassify site‑plan review as administrative

Planning staff told the Lake Stevens Planning Commission they will bring an interim ordinance on permit‑review timelines into permanent code and recommended reclassifying site‑plan review from a type‑2 public process to a type‑1 administrative process.

David Levitan and planning manager Christy Schmidt said the change responds to recent state legislation — including Senate Bill 5290 on permit timelines and House Bill 1293 on clear‑and‑objective design review — that requires cities to define review timelines and to integrate design review into associated land‑use processes. Levitan said the city adopted an interim ordinance and needs council action to make the timelines permanent: "We do need to have the code language specifically related to the permit review timelines adopted by city council by December 9th," staff said.

Staff argued that site‑plan review often requires only confirmation of clear‑and‑objective development standards (setbacks, landscaping) and that requiring a type‑2 public process can create unnecessary public notice for approvals that meet objective criteria. The proposed change would align Lake Stevens with the state’s emphasis on objective standards and streamline administrative review where appropriate.

Schmidt previewed follow‑up items for the commission’s Nov. 19 meeting, which will include a second public hearing on the process code as well as a traffic impact fee and concurrency management systems package. Staff intends to present the full package to the city council for adoption before the interim ordinance expires.

Next steps: staff will return to the planning commission on Nov. 19 for additional public hearings and will forward recommended permanent code language to the city council for consideration on or before Dec. 9, 2025.