A preapplication meeting is optional but encouraged for an application for a project that may impact a critical area or its buffer consistent with SMC § 20.80.045.
A preapplication meeting is optional but encouraged prior to submitting an application for any project requesting departures through the Deep Green Incentive Program to discuss why departures are necessary to achieve certification through International Living Future Institute, Built Green, US Green Building Council, Passive House Institute US, or Salmon Safe programs. A representative from the prospective certifying agency(ies) should be invited to the meeting, but their attendance is not mandatory.
Applicants for development permits under Type A, Type B, and Type C actions are encouraged to participate in preapplication meetings with the City. Preapplication meetings with staff provide an opportunity to discuss the proposal in general terms, identify the applicable City requirements and the project review process including the permits required by the action, timing of the permits and the approval process.
Preapplication meetings are optional but encouraged prior to the neighborhood meeting,
The Director shall specify submittal requirements for preapplication meetings, which shall include a critical areas worksheet and, if available, preliminary critical area reports. Plans presented at the pre-application meeting are nonbinding and do not “vest” an application.
(Ord. 238 Ch. III § 4(a), 2000; Ord. 324 § 1, 2003; Ord. 439 § 1, 2006; Ord. 724 § 1 (Exh. A), 2015; Ord. 760 § 1 (Exh. A), 2017; Ord. 839 § 1 (Exh. A), 2019; Ord. 1027 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025)
Applicants are encouraged to develop a community and stakeholders consensus-based master development plan. Community input is required to include soliciting input from stakeholders, community members and any other interested parties with bubble diagrams, diagrammatic site plans, or conceptual site plans. The meeting notice shall be provided at a minimum to property owners located within 1,000 feet of the proposal, the neighborhood chair as identified by the Shoreline Office of Neighborhoods (note: if a proposed development is within 1,000 feet of adjacent neighborhoods, those chairs shall also be notified), and to the Department. Digital audio recording, video recording, or a court reporter transcription of this meeting or meetings is required at the time of application. The applicant shall provide an explanation of the comments of these entities to the City regarding the incorporation (or not) of these comments into the design and development of the proposal.
(Ord. 669 § 1 (Exh. A), 2013; Ord. 695 § 1 (Exh. A), 2014)
Prior to application submittal for a Type B or C action, the applicant shall conduct a neighborhood meeting to discuss the proposal.
A. 
The purpose of the neighborhood meeting is to:
1. 
Ensure that potential applicants pursue early and effective citizen participation in conjunction with their proposal, giving the project proponent the opportunity to understand and try to mitigate any real and perceived impact their proposal may have on the neighborhood;
2. 
Ensure that the citizens and property owners of the City have an adequate opportunity to learn about the proposal that may affect them and to work with project proponents to resolve concerns at an early stage of the application process.
B. 
The neighborhood meeting shall meet the following requirements:
1. 
Notice of the neighborhood meeting shall be provided by the applicant and shall include the date, time and location of the neighborhood meeting and a description of the project, zoning of the property, site and vicinity maps and the land use applications that would be required.
2. 
The notice shall be provided at a minimum to property owners located within 500 feet (1,000 feet for master development plan permits, special use permits for essential public facilities, and development in the MUR-70' zone seeking additional height pursuant to SMC § 20.30.297(C)) of the proposal, the neighborhood chair as identified by the Shoreline Office of Neighborhoods (note: if a proposed development is within 500 feet of adjacent neighborhoods, those chairs shall also be notified), and to the Department.
3. 
The notice shall be postmarked 10 to 14 days prior to the neighborhood meeting.
4. 
The neighborhood meeting shall be held within the City limits of Shoreline.
5. 
The neighborhood meeting shall be held anytime between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on weekdays or anytime between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on weekends.
6. 
The neighborhood meeting agenda shall cover the following items:
a. 
Introduction of neighborhood meeting organizer (i.e., developer, property owner, etc.);
b. 
Description of proposed project;
c. 
Listing of permits that are anticipated for the project;
d. 
Description of how comments made at the neighborhood meeting are used;
e. 
Provide meeting attendees with the City’s contact information;
f. 
Provide a sign-up sheet for attendees.
C. 
The applicant shall provide to the City a written summary or checklist of the neighborhood meeting. The summary shall include the following:
1. 
A copy of the mailed notice of the neighborhood meeting with a mailing list of residents who were notified.
2. 
Who attended the meeting (list of persons and their addresses).
3. 
A summary of concerns, issues, and problems expressed during the meeting.
4. 
A summary of concerns, issues, and problems the applicant is unwilling or unable to address and why.
5. 
A summary of proposed modifications, or site plan revisions, addressing concerns expressed at the meeting.
Staff will mail the summary of the neighborhood meeting to all persons who attended the neighborhood meeting, signed in and provided a legible address.
(Ord. 238 Ch. III § 4(b), 2000; Ord. 299 § 1, 2002; Ord. 406 § 1, 2006; Ord. 669 § 1 (Exh. A), 2013; Ord. 695 § 1 (Exh. A), 2014; Ord. 882 § 1 (Exh. D), 2020; Ord. 968 § 1 (Exh. A), 2022)
A. 
Who may apply:
1. 
The property owner, or an agent of the owner with authorized proof of agency may apply for a Type A, B, or C action, or for a site-specific Comprehensive Plan amendment.
2. 
Prior to purchase, acquisition, or owner authorization, a public agency operating an urban public transportation system providing transit services within the city may apply for a Type A, B, or C action, in order to develop the urban public transportation system, including any light rail transit facility or system, bus rapid transit facility or system, or any portion of such facility or system, for property that the governing body of the public agency has passed a resolution or motion authorizing acquisition or use. Permits or approvals shall not be issued until all of the necessary property interests, such as fee simple or easement, are secured and/or access to the property for such work has been otherwise approved by the owner of the property.
3. 
Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the regional transit authority and City from entering into an agreement to the extent permitted by the Code or other applicable law.
4. 
The City Council or the Director may apply for a project-specific or site-specific rezone or for an area-wide rezone.
5. 
Any person may propose an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan. The amendment(s) shall be considered by the City during the annual review of the Comprehensive Plan.
6. 
Any person may request that the City Council, Planning Commission, or Director initiate amendments to the text of the Development Code.
7. 
Application(s) for any Type A, B, or C permits shall not be accepted and/or issued for any lot, tract, or parcel of land following the issuance of a notice and order to correct regarding activity occurring on that lot, tract or parcel of land, unless the identified violations are corrected or required to be corrected as a condition of approval and all fees or penalties satisfied prior to application except when the permit is required to obtain compliance or where an enforceable compliance plan to resolve the violation(s) has been entered into by the City.
B. 
All applications for permits or actions within the City shall be submitted on official forms prescribed and provided by the Department.
At a minimum, each application shall include:
1. 
An application form with the authorized signature of the applicant.
2. 
The appropriate application fee based on the official fee schedule (Chapter 3.01 SMC).
3. 
The Director may waive City imposed development fees for the construction of new or the remodel of existing affordable housing that complies with SMC §§ 20.40.230 or 20.40.235 based on the percentage of units affordable to residents whose annual income will not exceed 60 percent of the King County Area Median Income. For example, if 20 percent of the units are affordable to residents with incomes 60 percent or less of the King County Area Median Income, then the applicable fees could also be reduced by 20 percent.
C. 
The Director shall specify submittal requirements, including type, detail, and number of copies for an application to be complete. The permit application forms, copies of all current regulations, and submittal requirements that apply to the subject application shall be available from the Department.
D. 
Expiration. Absent statute or ordinance provisions to the contrary, any application for which a determination of completeness has been issued and for which no substantial steps have been taken to meet permit approval requirements for a period of 180 days after issuance of the determination of completeness will expire and become null and void. The Director may grant a 180-day extension on a one-time basis if the failure to take a substantial step was due to circumstances beyond the control of the applicant.
(Ord. 238 Ch. III § 4(c), 2000; Ord. 406 § 1, 2006; Ord. 731 § 1 (Exh. A), 2015; Ord. 741 § 1 (Exh. A), 2016; Ord. 907 § 1 (Exh. C), 2020; Ord. 930 § 1 (Exh. A-1), 2021)
A. 
An application shall be determined procedurally complete when:
1. 
It meets the procedural submission requirements of the City of Shoreline;
2. 
All information required in specified submittal requirements for the application has been provided, even though additional information may be required, or project modifications may be undertaken. The City may, at its discretion and at the applicant’s expense, retain a qualified professional to review and confirm the applicant’s reports, studies and plans.
a. 
If the procedural submission requirements as outlined on the permit application have been provided, the need for additional information or studies may not preclude a completeness determination.
B. 
Within 28 calendar days of receiving a permit application for Type A, B and/or C applications, the City shall provide a written determination to the applicant.
1. 
The written determination must state either:
a. 
The application is complete; or
b. 
The application is incomplete and that the procedural submission requirements of the local government have not been met. The determination shall outline what is necessary to make the application procedurally complete.
2. 
If the Department fails to provide a determination of completeness, the application shall be deemed procedurally complete on the twenty-ninth calendar day after submittal.
C. 
If the application is determined to be incomplete and additional information has been requested, then within 14 calendar days of an applicant submitting the requested additional information, the Department shall notify the applicant whether the application is complete or what additional information is necessary.
D. 
If the applicant fails to provide the required information within 90 days of the date of the written notice that the application is incomplete, or a request for additional information is made, the application shall be deemed null and void. In this case the applicant may request a refund of the application fee minus the City’s cost of processing. The Director may grant 90-day extensions if the applicant requests the extension in writing prior to the expiration date and documents that the failure to take a substantial step was due to circumstances beyond the control of the applicant.
E. 
The determination of completeness shall not preclude the City from requesting additional information or studies if new information is required or substantial changes are made to the proposed action.
(Ord. 238 Ch. III § 4(d), 2000; Ord. 324 § 1, 2003; Ord. 406 § 1, 2006; Ord. 731 § 1 (Exh. A), 2015; Ord. 907 § 1 (Exh. C), 2020; Ord. 1027 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025)
A. 
Within 14 calendar days of the determination of completeness, the City shall issue a notice of complete application for all Type B and C applications.
B. 
The notice of complete application shall include the following information:
1. 
The dates of application, determination of completeness, and the date of the notice of application;
2. 
The name of the applicant;
3. 
The location and description of the project;
4. 
The requested actions and/or required studies;
5. 
The date, time, and place of an open record hearing, if one has been scheduled;
6. 
Identification of environmental documents, if any;
7. 
A statement of the public comment period (if any), not less than 14 days nor more than 30 days; and a statement of the rights of individuals to comment on the application, receive notice and participate in any hearings, request a copy of the decision (once made) and any appeal rights. The public comment period shall be 30 days for a shoreline substantial development permit, shoreline variance, or a shoreline conditional use permit;
8. 
The City staff Project Manager and phone number;
9. 
Identification of the development regulations used in determining consistency of the project with the City’s Comprehensive Plan; and
10. 
Any other information that the City determines to be appropriate.
C. 
The notice of complete application shall be made available to the public by the Department, through any or all of the following methods (as specified in Tables 20.30.050 and 20.30.060):
1. 
Mail. Mailing to owners of real property located within 500 feet of the subject property. Notice of application for SCTF, essential public facilities special use permits, master development plan permits, or development in the MUR-70' zone seeking additional height pursuant to SMC § 20.30.297(C) shall be mailed to residents and property owners within 1,000 feet of the proposed site;
2. 
Post Site. Posting the property (for site-specific proposals). For SCTF or essential public facilities special use permits, and master development plan permits, enlarged notice of application signs (a minimum of four feet by four feet) as approved by the City of Shoreline shall be posted on all sides of the parcel(s) that front on a street. The Director may require additional signage on large or unusually shaped parcels;
3. 
Newspaper. The Department shall publish a notice of the application in the newspaper of general circulation for the general area in which the proposal is located. This notice shall include the project location and description, the type of permit(s) required, comment period dates, and the location where the complete application may be reviewed.
D. 
The Department must receive all comments received on the notice of application by 5:00 p.m. on the last day of the comment period.
(Ord. 238 Ch. III § 4(e), 2000; Ord. 591 § 1 (Exh. A), 2010; Ord. 695 § 1 (Exh. A), 2014; Ord. 882 § 1 (Exh. D), 2020; Ord. 968 § 1 (Exh. A), 2022; Ord. 1027 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025)
An applicant may elect to submit a consolidated project permit application. Such request shall be presented by the applicant in writing and simultaneously with submittal of all applications to be consolidated. The review shall be conducted using the highest process type applicable to any of the applications. If the application for consolidated permit process requires action from more than one hearing body, the decision authority in the consolidated permit review process shall be the decision making authority with the broadest discretionary powers.
(Ord. 238 Ch. III § 4(f), 2000; Ord. 1027 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025)
A. 
Decisions under Type A, B or C actions shall be made within the time frames specified in this section.
1. 
Decisions for Type A actions shall be made within 65 calendar days from the date of a determination that the application is complete.
2. 
Decisions for Type B action shall be made within 100 calendar days from the date of a determination that the application is complete.
3. 
Decisions for Type C actions shall be made within 170 calendar days from the date of a determination that the application is complete.
Exceptions to these time limits are:
1.
The time required to prepare and issue a draft and final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the State Environmental Policy Act.
2.
Any period for administrative appeals of project permits.
3.
An extension of time mutually agreed upon in writing by the Department and the applicant.
4.
Amendments to the Comprehensive Plan or Code.
B. 
The time limits set for Type A, B, and C actions do not include:
1. 
Any period of time during which the applicant has been requested by the Department to correct plans, perform studies or provide additional information. This period of time shall be calculated from the date the Department notifies the applicant of the need for additional information, until the date when responsive information is resubmitted by the applicant or 14 days after the date the information has been provided to the Department, whichever is earlier.
2. 
If the Department determines that the additional information submitted to the Department by the applicant under subsection (B)(1) of this section is insufficient, the Department shall notify the applicant of the deficiencies, and the procedures provided in subsection (B)(1) of this section shall apply as if a new request for studies has been made.
3. 
Any period of time when an applicant requests, in writing, that they would like to temporarily suspend review of the permit application. This period of time is calculated from the date the Department receives a written notice from the applicant, until that time that the applicant notifies, in writing, that they would like to resume the application. An applicant may request to temporarily suspend review for a maximum of 90 days, after which the permit is expired. The Director may grant 90-day extensions if the applicant requests the extension in writing prior to the expiration date and documents that the need for suspension is necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the applicant.
C. 
If at any time, an applicant requests, in writing, that they would like to temporarily suspend review of the permit application for more than 60 days, or if the applicant is not responsive, pursuant to RCW 36.70B.080, for more than 60 consecutive days after the City has notified the applicant that additional information is required to further process the application, an additional 30 days may be added to the time periods for the City’s action to issue a final decision for each type of project permit applicable to the project permit application.
D. 
If at any time changes to an original application are made or requested by an applicant that adds or removes residential or commercial elements for the original application that would make the application fail to meet the determination of procedural completeness for the new proposal, the applicable review time frame will be calculated from the time that the City determines the revised application to be complete.
E. 
If the Department is unable to issue its final decision on a project permit application within the time limits provided for in this section, it shall provide written notice of this fact to the project applicant. The notice shall include a statement of reasons why the time limit has not been met and an estimated date for issuance of the notice of decision.
(Ord. 238 Ch. III § 4(g), 2000; Ord. 406 § 1, 2006; Ord. 1027 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025)
For Type B and C actions, the Director shall issue and mail a notice of decision to the parties of record and to any person who, prior to the rendering of the decision, requested notice of the decision. The notice of decision may be a copy of the final report, and must include the threshold determination, if the project was not categorically exempt from SEPA. The notice of decision will be posted and published in the newspaper of general circulation for the general area in which the proposal is located.
(Ord. 238 Ch. III § 4(h), 2000; Ord. 299 § 1, 2002; Ord. 406 § 1, 2006; Ord. 581 § 1 (Exh. 1), 2010)
Except for subdivisions, master development plans and special use permits for public agency uses or where a different duration of approval is indicated in this Code, vested status of an approved land use permit under Type A, B, and C actions shall expire two years from the date of the City’s final decision, unless a complete building permit application is filed before the end of the two-year term. In the event of an administrative or judicial appeal, the two-year term shall not expire. Continuance of the two-year period may be reinstated upon resolution of the appeal.
If a complete building permit application is filed before the end of the two-year term, the vested status of the permit shall be automatically extended for the time period during which the building permit application is pending prior to issuance; provided, that if the building permit application expires or is canceled, the vested status of the permit or approval under Type A, B, and C actions shall also expire or be canceled. If a building permit is issued and subsequently renewed, the vested status of the subject permit or approval under Type A, B, and C actions shall be automatically extended for the period of the renewal.
(Ord. 238 Ch. III § 4(i), 2000; Ord. 406 § 1, 2006; Ord. 581 § 1 (Exh. 1), 2010; Ord. 767 § 1 (Exh. A), 2017)
A. 
Purpose. A clearing and grading permit may be issued approving land clearing and site grading activities in conjunction with the development of a site. The expiration limitations of this permit are as follows:
1. 
Clearing and Grading Permit – Permit Expiration. Clearing and grading permits shall become invalid unless the work authorized by such permit is commenced within 180 days after its issuance, or if the work authorized by such permit is suspended or abandoned for a period of 180 days after the time the work is commenced. Clearing and grading permits associated with subdivision applications shall expire when the preliminary subdivision approval has expired as set forth by RCW 58.17.140.
2. 
Clearing and Grading Permit – Permit Extension. The Director is authorized to grant, in writing, one or more extensions of time for periods of not more than 180 days each. The extension shall be requested in writing and justifiable cause demonstrated. Extensions may be granted for those permits issued in conjunction with a preliminary subdivision approval that has been extended as provided in RCW 58.17.140.
B. 
Purpose. A site development permit may be issued approving engineering plans for infrastructure and grading improvements required in conjunction with the development of a site. The expiration limitations of this permit are as follows:
1. 
Site Development Permit – Permit Expiration. Site development permits shall become invalid unless the work authorized by such permit is commenced within 180 days after its issuance, or if the work authorized by such permit is suspended or abandoned for a period of 180 days after the time the work is commenced. Site development permits associated with subdivision applications shall expire when the preliminary subdivision approval has expired as set forth by RCW 58.17.140.
2. 
Site Development Permit – Permit Extension. The Director is authorized to grant, in writing, one or more extensions of time for periods of not more than 180 days each. The extension shall be requested in writing and justifiable cause demonstrated. Extensions may be granted for those permits issued in conjunction with a preliminary subdivision approval that has been extended as provided in RCW 58.17.140.
(Ord. 406 § 1, 2006; Ord. 1027 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025)