Work group considers extending 70-day default approval period to reduce errors

A recurring theme was whether the state's or county's default timelines are realistic given reviewer workload and the complexity of applications. Mr. Smith argued that the current 70-day default-approval rule can force rushed or incomplete filings and proposed extending the period to 90 days with interim checkpoints: "If 70 days is not adequate given the staff resources, given the applicant's resources, then maybe change that rule from 70 days to something more like 90 days and to set a hard stop somewhere along the way," he said.

Other participants pushed back on a simplistic blame-the-developer narrative, noting review inconsistencies, remands due to staff or board errors, and court cases that arose from ordinance transitions. Victoria Bartlett Stowell suggested consolidating related review steps into a single, longer codified window so applicants and county reviewers have a shared timeframe rather than scattered deadlines. Planning staff said timeline variability often results from remands, incomplete documentation and required interagency reviews.