The purposes of these design review regulations are to:
A. 
Promote the public health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens of Bonney Lake;
B. 
Recognize that land use regulations aimed at the orderliness of community growth, the protection and enhancement of property values, the minimization of discordant and unsightly surroundings, the avoidance of inappropriateness and poor quality of design and other environmental and aesthetic objectives provide not only for the health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens, but also for their comfort and prosperity and the beauty and balance of the community, and as such, are the proper and necessary concerns of local government;
C. 
Protect, preserve, and enhance the social, cultural, economic, environmental, aesthetic, and natural values that have established the desirable quality and unique character of Bonney Lake;
D. 
Promote and enhance construction and maintenance practices that will tend to promote visual quality throughout Bonney Lake;
E. 
Recognize environmental and aesthetic design as an integral part of the planning process; and
F. 
Implement adopted land use policies and regulations, including the downtown design guidelines and Bonney Lake 2035.
(Ord. 1025 § 10, 2004; Ord. 1524 § 2, 2015)
The design process shall apply to all property improvements except the following which will not materially affect implementation of the comprehensive plan's design goals, and are therefore exempt:
A. 
Development permits not immediately associated with building construction, such as land divisions or rezones unaccompanied by any building permit application;
B. 
Buildings with four or less dwelling units, including accessory uses and structures, both new construction and modifications;
C. 
Normal building maintenance and repair or a change of use that does not otherwise exceed the thresholds in this section;
D. 
Interior alterations that do not modify the existing site layout or its current use and involve no exterior work adding to the building footprint, provided that the alterations do not result in the following:
1. 
Additional sleeping quarters or bedrooms;
2. 
Nonconformity with substantial improvement thresholds for frequently flooded areas regulated by BLMC Title 16, Division II, Critical Areas;
3. 
An increase in the total square footage or valuation of the structure thereby requiring upgraded fire access or fire suppression systems.
Nothing in this section exemptions interior alterations from the construction code requirements in BLMC Title 15.
E. 
Nonresidential additions of less than 1,000 square feet of gross floor area;
F. 
Modifications of existing building facades which are not visible from a public right-of-way or which affect less than 200 square feet of facade surface;
G. 
Temporary placement of mobile structures such as construction offices;
H. 
Wireless communication antennas on existing towers or other structures.
I. 
Construction of new dwelling units entirely within a legally conforming or legally nonconforming existing building, the density may be increased by up to 50%. For the purpose of this subsection “existing building” means a building that received a valid certificate of occupancy at least three years prior to the permit application to add housing units. Any such dwelling unit shall also be subject to the provisions of BLMC § 15.04.098.
J. 
Construction of aboveground utility facilities of less than 2,000 gross square feet of gross floor area, such as sewer lift stations and water pump stations.
(Ord. 1025 § 11, 2004; Ord. 1099 § 4, 2005; Ord. 1702 § 5, 2023; Ord. 1737 § 11, 6/10/2025; Ord. 1745, 12/9/2025)