Chapter 24.04
GENERAL PROVISION

Sections:

24.04.010    Title.

24.04.020    Purpose.

24.04.030    Application of regulations.

24.04.040    Regulations mandatory.

24.04.050    Severability.

24.04.060    Master planned communities.

24.04.010 Title.

This title shall be known and may be cited as the “Richland platting and subdivision ordinance.” [Ord. 73 § 1.01; Ord. 40-10 § 1.05].

24.04.020 Purpose.

This title is adopted in furtherance of the comprehensive plan of the city. It is hereby declared that the regulations contained in this title are necessary for the protection and preservation of the public health, safety, morals and the general welfare, and are designed, among other things, to encourage the most appropriate use of land throughout the municipality; to lessen traffic congestion and accidents; to secure safety from fire; to provide adequate light and air; to prevent overcrowding of land; to avoid undue concentration of population; to promote the coordinated development of unbuilt areas; to secure an appropriate allotment of land area in new developments for all the requirements of community life; to conserve and restore natural beauty and other natural resources; and to facilitate the adequate provision of transportation, water, sewerage and other public uses and requirements. [Ord. 73 § 1.02; Ord. 40-10 § 1.05].

24.04.030 Application of regulations.

The regulations contained in this title shall apply to the subdivision of any lot, parcel, or tract of land into two or more lots or tracts, or other division of land for the purpose of sale or building development, whether immediate or future, including the resubdivision or replatting of land or lots. The regulations shall apply in every situation where there is a dedication of streets, alleys, easements, or land for public use. The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to:

A. Cemeteries and other burial plots while used for that purpose;

B. Divisions of land into lots or tracts each of which is one-one-hundred-twenty-eighth of a section of land or larger, or five acres or larger if the land is not capable of description as a fraction of a section of land; provided, that for purposes of computing the size of any lot under this title which borders on a street or road, the lot size shall be expanded to include that area which would be bounded by the centerline of the road or street and the side lot lines of the lot running perpendicular to such centerline;

C. Divisions made by testamentary provisions, or the laws of descent;

D. A division made for the purpose of alteration by adjusting boundary lines, between platted or unplatted lots or both, which does not create any additional lot, tract, parcel, site, or division nor create any lot, tract, parcel, site, or division which contains insufficient area and dimension to meet minimum requirements for width and area for a building site; and

E. The reestablishment of a previously platted legal lot of record to its original dimensions that does not violate any current setback, lot coverage or other development standard excluding minimum lot size requirements. [Ord. 73 § 1.03; Ord. 23-03; Ord. 40-10 § 1.05; Ord. 20-14 § 1.05].

24.04.040 Regulations mandatory.

Any map, plat, replat, or plan hereafter made of any subdivision or any part thereof lying within the territorial limits of the city shall be presented for approval and recorded as prescribed by this title. No such map, plat, replat, or plan shall be recorded or have any validity unless it shall have such approvals as are required by this title. [Ord. 73 § 1.04; Ord. 295 § 1.01; Ord. 40-10 § 1.05].

24.04.050 Severability.

The invalidity of any chapter, section, subsection, provision, clause, or portion thereof, or the invalidity of the application thereof to any person or circumstance, shall not affect the validity of the remainder of this title or the validity of its application to other persons or circumstances. [Ord. 73 § 1.05; Ord. 40-10 § 1.05].

24.04.060 Master planned communities.

A development agreement entered by the city under the authority of RCW 36.70B.170 through 36.70B.210, governing development of a master planned community, may provide that the procedures, standards and other provisions of the agreement shall supersede or otherwise modify the provisions of this title. For purposes of this section, “master planned community” shall mean an integrated development over 1,000 acres in size, developed under unified control according to a master plan, that provides for a mix of residential, commercial, civic, and recreational uses. [Ord. 40-10 § 1.05].