A Residential Review Board is hereby created and established for the purpose of promoting the orderly development of the City, and the direction of single-family residential development, according to the zoning plan of the City; and to conserve property values and the character of the residential zone and areas in the City and the character of buildings already erected in such zones or areas.
(Prior code § 44-224)
The Residential Review Board shall consist of the Director of Planning, the Chief Building Official, and the City Engineer or designee. The Board shall have the power to make its own rules of procedure, with the following limitations:
A. 
All meetings shall be held in the City Hall.
B. 
The Board shall not be required to hold noticed public hearing, but any interested person shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to be heard, and the meetings shall be open to the public.
C. 
The applicant shall be entitled to attend any hearing of the Board and to testify or present evidence on his or her behalf.
D. 
The Board shall cause to be kept and maintained minutes of all meetings.
E. 
The Board shall receive and promptly review and pass upon all site plans and promptly report in writing its decision to both the applicant and the Chief Building Official.
(Prior code § 44-225; Ord. 1198, 4/22/2025)
The Residential Review Board shall have the following powers and duties:
A. 
Prior to the issuance of a building permit for any buildings or structure, the site of which is within the R-1, R-2 and R-M zones, to determine whether the application therefor meets the conditions for approval as set forth in this chapter.
B. 
To make a report and recommendation on all matters requested by the Council.
C. 
Residential structures included as a permitted use shall include a mobile home, if certified under the National Mobile Home Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 and installed on a foundation system, and shall be subject to the same development standards as conventional single-family residential dwellings.
(Prior code § 44-226)
The Residential Review Board, after a view of the proposed structure and an examination of the application papers for a building permit, prior to the approval, must make the following findings of fact:
A. 
That the development will not be detrimental to the character of the zone in which it is proposed to construct the building, the peculiar suitability of the zone for particular uses and the character of buildings already erected in the district and will conserve property values and promote the direction of building development according to the zoning plan of the City.
B. 
That the application for the building permit indicates the manner in which adjacent structures are protected against noise, vibration and other factors which tend to make the environment less desirable, and are reasonably efficient and satisfactory.
C. 
That the exterior architectural appeal, design and functional plan of the proposed structure will, when erected, not be either so at variance with the exterior architectural appeal, design and functional plan of the structures already constructed or in the course of construction in the zone in question and the immediate neighborhood of the proposed site as to cause a substantial depreciation of property values in the neighborhood, so far as:
1. 
Setbacks;
2. 
Building height;
3. 
Vehicular parking, and vehicular and pedestrian ingress and egress;
4. 
Location of services;
5. 
Walls;
6. 
Landscaping; or
7. 
Gross floor area.
D. 
That the proposed development indicates adequate consideration for the other existing or contemplated uses of land in the general area and an orderly development of the same.
(Prior code § 44-227)
Every applicant and every interested person shall have the right to appeal the actions and decisions of the Residential Review Board to the Planning Commission within 10 days after the decision of the Board. The decision of the Planning Commission may be appealed to the City Council in the manner provided in Section 17.60.050.
(Prior code § 44-228)