Chapter 16.05
SHORT SUBDIVISIONS
Sections:
16.05.030 General requirements.
16.05.040 Specific requirements.
16.05.050 Preliminary approval process.
16.05.060 Final short plat submittal and approval process.
16.05.070 General final short plat requirements.
16.05.080 Specific final short plat requirements.
16.05.100 Dedication, acknowledgment and endorsement.
16.05.110 Recording of final short plats.
16.05.010 General provisions.
A. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a process to divide land into nine or fewer lots, tracts, parcels, sites, or divisions.
B. The Director shall have the authority for summary approval of short plats and short subdivisions, or revision thereof pursuant to RCW 58.17.060. This summary approval shall apply to coordinating review, approval, approval with conditions, or disapproval of short plats and short subdivisions. (Ord. C-945 § 5, 2020; Ord. C-656 § 38, 2007)
16.05.020 Applications.
A. Any person seeking to divide or redivide land situated within the incorporated limits of the City into nine or fewer lots for the purpose of sale, lease, or transfer of ownership, unless exempt under this title, shall submit an application for approval to the Director.
B. Prior to filing an application with the City, the applicant is encouraged to attend an informal preapplication meeting to discuss, in general terms, the proposed development, City design standards, design alternatives, environmental review process, and required permits and approval process.
C. A formal preapplication meeting is required in accordance with Chapter 14.03 AHMC.
D. A complete preliminary short plat application shall consist of the following:
1. Application form and supplementary forms;
2. A minimum of an electronic copy in form acceptable to the City of the preliminary short plat map, prepared in accordance with this title;
3. SEPA environmental checklist, if applicable;
4. Application fees; and
5. Any information deemed necessary by the Director. (Ord. C-945 § 6, 2020; Ord. C-656 § 39, 2007)
16.05.030 General requirements.
A. The preliminary short plat, containing all the information specified in this chapter, shall be prepared by or under the direction of a licensed land surveyor.
B. The preliminary short plat shall be prepared in a neat and legible manner and at a horizontal scale of one inch equals 50 feet or one inch equals 100 feet and be the same for each sheet. If approved by the Director, an appropriate scale may be used which does not exceed one inch equals 200 feet. A marginal line shall be drawn completely around each sheet, leaving an entirely blank margin of two inches on the left side and one-half inch on the remaining sides.
C. A vicinity sketch at a scale of not more than one inch equals 400 feet shall accompany the preliminary short plat. The vicinity sketch shall show all adjacent subdivisions, streets and tract lines and bordering lines of adjacent parcels. It shall show how the streets and alleys in the proposed short subdivision may connect with existing and proposed streets and alleys in neighboring subdivisions or unplatted property to produce an advantageous development of the entire neighborhood.
D. The design of short plats shall conform to the requirements of all applicable City plans and standards and any official control relating to land use which has been adopted to implement the Airway Heights Comprehensive Plan. In addition:
1. The design, shape, size, and orientation of the lots should be appropriate for the uses for which the divisions are intended, and the character of the area in which they are located.
2. Block dimensions should reflect due regard to the needs of convenient access, public safety, emergency vehicle access, topography, road maintenance, and the provision of suitable sites for land uses planned.
3. Road alignments should be designed with appropriate consideration for existing and planned roads, anticipated traffic patterns, topographic and drainage conditions, public safety, and the proposed use of the land so divided.
4. Where lots of one acre or more in size are created, the Director may require an arrangement of the lots and roads such as to permit a subsequent redivision in conformity with roads or plans adopted by the City.
5. Lots should not be divided by the boundary of the City, zoning designations, or public right-of-way. (Ord. C-945 § 7, 2020; Ord. C-656 § 40, 2007)
16.05.040 Specific requirements.
The preliminary short plat shall include the following features and information:
A. Map Requirements.
1. Boundary lines and dimensions of all proposed lots or tracts;
2. Existing and proposed easements and rights-of-way, including location, width, and purpose;
3. Streets and alleys on and adjacent to the site, including name, location, and right-of-way widths;
4. Existing and proposed utilities on and adjacent to the site;
5. Proposed lot and block numbers;
6. Legal description, certified by a registered land surveyor;
7. Existing zoning classifications on and adjacent to the site;
8. Approximate location of existing buildings, septic tanks, drainfields, wells, or other improvements and indication of whether such structures are proposed to remain on-site;
9. Approximate location of all natural features such as wooded areas, streams, or drainageways;
10. Minimum building setback lines;
11. Sites, if any, to be reserved, dedicated, or offered for sale for parks, playgrounds, or other public uses. (Ord. C-656 § 41, 2007)
16.05.050 Preliminary approval process.
A. Applications for preliminary short plats shall be processed in accordance with Chapter 14.03 AHMC. Administrative approval of preliminary short plats by the Director shall require public notice to adjoining property owners in accordance with AHMC Title 14, but do not require a public hearing unless appealed in accordance with AHMC Title 14.
B. The Director shall review all reports, recommendations and comments received and enter written findings and a decision concerning the proposed short subdivision, which includes the following:
1. Whether appropriate provisions are made for, among others, the public health, safety and general welfare, community facilities, open spaces, drainageways, access streets, alleys, other public ways, transit stops, water supplies, sanitary waste disposal, utilities, parks and recreation, playgrounds, schools and school grounds, and shall consider all other relevant facts, including sidewalks and other planning features to assure safe walking conditions for students who only walk to and from school, and whether the public interest will be served by the subdivision.
2. The appropriateness of the short plat considering the physical characteristics of the site. A short subdivision may be disapproved or conditioned because of flood, inundation or swamp conditions, slopes or other physical characteristics detrimental to the proper development.
3. Whether the proposed short subdivision is consistent with the applicable zoning ordinance or other land use controls which may exist.
C. Applications for preliminary short subdivisions shall be approved, approved with conditions, or denied within 30 calendar days of the issuance of a letter of application completeness. The Director shall either:
1. Approve the short subdivision with or without conditions;
2. Return the short subdivision application to the applicant for corrections or for additional information; or
3. Disapprove the preliminary short subdivision.
D. The Director shall convey findings and actions on the short plat by written letter to the applicant.
E. The decision of the Director is final unless an appeal is made under AHMC Title 14. (Ord. C-945 § 8, 2020; Ord. C-656 § 42, 2007)
16.05.060 Final short plat submittal and approval process.
A. The final short plat shall be prepared in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. Two paper copies and an electronic copy in a format acceptable to the City of the final short plat shall be submitted to the Director.
B. The Director shall determine if the final short plat complies with the conditions of approval and applicable City standards. The Director shall provide written approval on the final short plat within 30 days of the date of submitting to the City, or return to the applicant for modification or correction, unless the applicant in the meantime shall have filed written consent for a longer period within which the Director is to act thereon. If approval is withheld, the original copy of the final short plat, together with a list of required modifications, prepared in accordance with the provisions of this title, shall be returned to the applicant. The Director shall retain a duplicate set of required modifications for his files.
C. Following approval of the final short plat by the Director, he or she shall indicate said approval by signing the original and all copies, provided the applicant furnishes the following:
1. Tax Statement. A certificate from the Spokane County treasurer no more than 60 days old indicating that all taxes and assessments on the short plat have been paid according to the provisions of RCW 58.08.030 and 58.08.040.
2. Certificate of Title. The certificate must have an effective date no more than 60 days prior to the recording of a final plat, binding site plan or other final development approval and be signed by a title officer. (Ord. C-945 § 9, 2020; Ord. C-656 § 43, 2007)
16.05.070 General final short plat requirements.
A. The final short plat shall incorporate all conditions of approval imposed by the City and shall be prepared and certified by a registered land surveyor.
B. The final short plat shall be submitted to the Director and conform to the following:
1. The final short plat, containing all the information specified in this chapter, shall be prepared in a neat and legible manner and be permanently reproducible.
2. All documents, maps, and survey notes shall contain the name of the short subdivision, the name(s) of the applicant(s), and the name of the registered land surveyor.
3. The trimmed size of the final short plat shall be 18 inches by 24 inches, and the final short plat shall be recorded on two or more sheets if the scale necessary to accommodate the map on one sheet would unduly congest the drawing. Each sheet shall contain the final short plat file number; the section, township and range; and the number of the individual sheet and the total number of sheets in the set. (Ord. C-945 § 10, 2020; Ord. C-656 § 44, 2007)
16.05.080 Specific final short plat requirements.
A. All linear dimensions shall be given in feet and decimals of a foot to the nearest hundredth.
B. The scale of the final short plat shall be a minimum of 100 feet to the inch.
C. The final short plat shall be accompanied by other sheets showing all utility grades, and based on a datum plane approved by the Public Works Director.
D. The final short plat shall clearly show the following information:
1. The boundary lines and names of all public and private streets, parks, playgrounds, and easements intended to be dedicated for public use, or granted for use of inhabitants of the subdivision;
2. The boundary lines and name of all public and private, existing or platted, streets, parks, playgrounds, and easements adjacent to the final short plat, subdivision or dedication, including municipal boundaries, township lines, and section lines;
3. The lengths and bearings of all straight lines, curve radii, arcs and semi-tangents of all curves;
4. The size of each lot and all dimensions along the boundary lines of each lot, with the true bearings and also any other data necessary for the location of any lot lines in the field;
5. Suitable primary control points, approved by the Public Works Director, or descriptions and ties to such control points, to which all dimensions, angles, bearings and similar data given on the short plat shall be referred;
6. The location of all permanent monuments;
7. The names of all subdivisions immediately adjacent thereto;
8. The date, true north point, scale, datum plane and date of survey;
9. The boundary of the tract, with courses and distances marked thereon, as determined by a field survey made by a registered land surveyor and to close with an error of not more than one foot in 4,000 feet;
10. The elevations of all corners on the boundaries of the subdivided tract;
11. Street names and addresses;
12. Certification by a licensed land surveyor that the final short plat was surveyed and prepared by him or under his/her supervision, that the final short plat is a true and correct representation of the subject property, and that permanent control monuments have been established at each and every controlling corner of each parcel of land being created;
13. A notarized certification by the owner(s) shall be provided dedicating streets, other areas intended for public use, granting of easements for utilities, and responsibility for maintenance of private roads and common areas;
14. All signatures affixed to a final short plat shall be original signatures written in permanent black ink. The following signatures are required on the final short plat:
a. Owner;
b. Director;
c. City Engineer;
d. Spokane County treasurer;
e. Spokane County auditor;
f. Spokane Regional Health District, if on-site sewage systems are utilized;
15. If the short plat constitutes a replat, the lots, blocks, streets, etc., of the original plat shall be shown by dotted lines in their proper positions in relation to the new arrangement of the plat, the new plat being so clearly shown in solid lines as to avoid any ambiguity. (Ord. C-656 § 45, 2007)
16.05.090 Replats restricted.
Land in short subdivisions may not be further divided in any manner within a period of five years without the filing of a final plat, except when the short plat contains fewer than nine parcels, nothing in this section shall prevent the owner who filed the short plat from filing an alteration within the five-year period to create up to a total of nine lots within the original short plat boundaries. (Ord. C-945 § 11, 2020; Ord. C-656 § 46, 2007)
16.05.100 Dedication, acknowledgment and endorsement.
The legal description of the short plat, licensed surveyor and owner certifications, and required signature blocks shall appear on the final short plat, lettered in ink either by hand or electronic device, in accordance with the format provided by the City. (Ord. C-945 § 12, 2020; Ord. C-656 § 47, 2007)
16.05.110 Recording of final short plats.
Following approval of the final short plat by the Director and all required signatures, the applicant shall record the original reproducible final short plat with the county auditor. The Director shall be notified of such filing by the applicant within five days and an electronic copy suitable to the City shall be submitted to the Director of the signed and recorded final short plat. (Ord. C-945 § 13, 2020; Ord. C-656 § 48, 2007)