HomeMy WebLinkAbout111922 FW_ Site review application and process
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From: Benjamin Thompson
Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2022 10:15:50 AM (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
To: Heidi Eisenhour
Cc: Greg Brotherton; Kate Dean
Subject: Site review application and process
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Commissioner Eisenhour:
Early last month (October), after a long process,I had completed all the documents necessary, (structural engineering, architectural drawings, drainage plan, site plan, etc) to submit
for a permit to build an 850 Sq/ft detached garage on our property on Marrowstone. The day after I made my appointment to submit I got a call from the Community Development Department
advising me that several days prior to my making the appointment a new requirement for site review had been implemented. The next day, after receiving the call, I went to the CDC office
to submit the site review application and pay a $455.00 application fee.That was Oct 11th. It’s now 5 weeks later and I’m waiting for approval to submit my documents for the building
permit which will take several months on its own.
I’ve spent 40 years in the building industry as superintendent and project manager for major commercial contractors in Whatcom, Skagit and Jefferson county. I have always advocated
for the building officials with my clients who questioned the need for various regulations and reviews. I understand the processes and need for them to be transparent. I also understand
the inspectors and planning staff are trying to comply with the regulations and processes handed to them. In this case I wish to advocate for the staff who is obviously overwhelmed
with a mandate that came without adequate staffing for implementation. The downstream impacts for the site review mandate is to slow the process for legal construction and burden owners
as will as CDC staff with totally unacceptable delays in processing of legitimate applications for reasonable and permitted use. This case is a good example of property that should
be exempt from, or eligible for expedited review as it has a valid building permit for a single family residence closed out with certificate of occupancy within the last year. Prior
to that a SPAD had been reviewed and approved, water is supplied and verified by the PUD, likewise the on-site sewer is current with certified inspections and annual monitoring. There
are no liens or pending legal actions against the property, the corners are established and recorded, all taxes are paid. It is my sincere feeling that by creating a site review process
without providing staffing, reasonable exemptions and an explanation to the land owners and tax payers as to why they must be additionally burdened in time and expense creates a very
negative situation that tries everyone's patience. These unacceptable delays have a cost in real money and unnecessarily aggravate community relations.
I am writing to urge you to work with the other commissioners to provide timely relief to the staff and public.
Sincerely
Ben Thompson
725 Griffith Point Rd
Marrowstone, WA 98358
360-739-4299
ben@morewoohoo.org