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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity's Reconsideration - Wilson CITY OF RENTON JUL 0 2 2018 1 RECEIVED CITY CLERKS OFFICE 2 3 4 5 6 7 BEFORE THE HEARING EXAMINER OF THE CITY OF RENTON 8 9 RE: Wilson Park I City of Renton's Limited Motion for Reconsideration 10 Request for Extension of Plat Expiration 11 12 13 14 The City of Renton (the "City") respectfully submits this limited motion for 15 reconsideration of the Hearing Examiner's June 27, 2018 Final Decision (the "Decision") on the Wilson Park I subdivision's request for extension of preliminary plat expiration. 16 Scope of Motion 17 The City agrees with the Decision's analysis supporting the denial of the request to 18 extend the Wilson Park I expiration date. In this limited motion for reconsideration, the City 19 challenges only the Decision's grant of a three-month plat extension (to November 16, 2018) 20 that the Decision made "to account for the uncertainties attributable to the decision-making 21 process in addressing this extension request." Decision at 1:15-16. For the reasons discussed 22 below, the City respectfully requests that the Hearing Examiner reconsider the Decision and 23 issue a modified decision that (1) denies the extension request in full and (2) retains the August 24 16, 2018 preliminary plat approval expiration date for Wilson Park I. 25 Wilson Park I Renton City Attorney 1055 South Grady Way City's Motion for Reconsideration-1 Renton,WA 98057 Phone: 425.430.6480 Fax: 425.430.6498 1 Discussion 2 The Renton Municipal Code ("RMC") provides that the Hearing Examiner may only grant 3 additional plat extensions if the requestor satisfies strict criteria. Specifically, the requestor 4 must show that "unusual circumstances or situations" caused it to be "unduly burdensome" to 5 proceed without an additional extension. RMC 4-7-080.L.2. These criteria apply to any and every additional extension, including the three-month extension given in the Decision here. 6 However, here, the Decision's analysis explains that the requestors (the Wilsons) did not satisfy 7 the applicable code criteria. In other words, the Decision itself does not support its own three- 8 month extension and is, thus, in conflict with RMC 4-7-080.L.2. 9 Nor could the Wilsons reasonably argue now that the Decision's three-month extension 10 satisfies RMC 4-7-080.L.2's criteria for showings of"unusual circumstances or situations" and 11 "undue burden." First, there was no undue delay or burden in the processing of the Wilsons' 12 request for extension. They submitted their request on May 3, 2018, and the Decision issued 13 on June 27, 2018, 50 days before the plat expiration date of August 16, 2018. Meanwhile, the 14 code allows a requestor to wait until just 30 days before plat expiration to even submit a 15 request for an additional extension. RMC 4-7-080.L.W (request for additional extension must 16 "be filed at least thirty (30) days prior to the plat expiration date"). Here, the decision on the 17 Wilsons' request was issued 50 days before plat expiration. The Wilsons received the Decision 18 20 days before they were even required to submit their request. There was no "unusual 19 circumstance or situation" causing "undue burden." 20 Next, there was no evidence before the Hearing Examiner that the Wilsons suspended 21 their plat-related activities after submitting their request for the additional plat extension, 22 which the Decision's three-month extension appears to assume. In fact, the City's Community & Economic Development department ("CED") recently received inquiries from potential 23 buyers of the plat, suggesting that marketing of the plat continued. Even if the Wilsons had 24 25 Wilson Park I Renton City Attorney City's Motion for Reconsideration-2 1055 South Grady Way iTS, Renton,WA 98057 Phone: 425.430.6480 Fax: 425.430.6498 1 suspended their plat-related activities while waiting for the Decision, such suspension would 2 not have been reasonable. Nothing in the code authorizes a "tolling" of the expiration date 3 pending the outcome of a request for plat extension. Without such a provision, in CED's 4 experience, it is routine that a plat's interested parties (i.e., both applicants and the local 5 government) rely on the specified plat expiration date unless and until that date is actually extended. 6 Finally, the unsupported three-month extension could allow the very consequences that 7 compelled the City to urge denial of the extension request in the first place. For example within 8 the three-month period, extensive site clearing and mass grading could commence resulting in 9 tree removal, as well as construction of retaining walls, all of which would not be permitted 10 under current code. 11 In sum, because the Decision's three-month extension violates the criteria of RMC 4-7- 12 080.L.2 and could have significant negative consequences to the City, the City respectfully 13 requests that the Hearing Examiner issue a modified decision that (1) denies the extension 14 request in full and (2) retains the August 16, 2018 preliminary plat approval expiration date for 15 Wilson Park I.1 16 Respectfully submitted this!1 day of July, 2018. 17 _�' 18 e , C. E. "Chip" Vincent 19 Administrator Community & Economic Department 20 City of Renton 21 22 23 1 Even if the Hearing Examiner disagrees with the City's analysis and denies this limited motion for 24 reconsideration,the City urges the Hearing Examiner to not add additional time to the plat expiration as a consequence of the time taken to decide this motion. 25 Wilson Park I Renton City Attorney City's Motion for Reconsideration-3 w 1055 South Grady Way Renton,WA 98057 Phone: 425.430.6480 Fax: 425.430.6498