18.04.130 Use of exemptions.
A. Each department within the city that receives an application for a license or, in the case of governmental proposals, the department initiating the proposal must determine whether the license and/or the proposal is exempt. The department’s determination that a proposal is exempt must be final and not subject to administrative review. If a proposal is exempt, none of the procedural requirements of this chapter apply to the proposal. The city must not require completion of an environmental checklist for an exempt proposal.
B. In determining whether or not a proposal is exempt, the department must make certain the proposal is properly defined and must identify the governmental licenses required (WAC 197-11-060). If a proposal includes both exempt and nonexempt actions, the department must determine the lead agency, even if the license application that triggers the department’s consideration is exempt.
C. If a proposal includes both exempt and nonexempt actions, the city may authorize exempt actions prior to compliance with the procedural requirements of this chapter, except that:
1. The city must not give authorization for:
a. Any nonexempt action;
b. Any action that would have an adverse environmental impact; or
c. Any action that would limit the choice of alternatives;
2. A department may withhold approval of an exempt action that would lead to modification of the physical environment, when such modification would serve no purpose if nonexempt action(s) were not approved; and
3. A department may withhold approval of exempt actions that would lead to substantial financial expenditures by a private applicant when the expenditures would serve no purpose if nonexempt action(s) were not approved. (Ord. 3046 § 1 (Att. A), 2019; Ord. 2471 § 1, 1998)