HomeMy WebLinkAboutC_Extension Request_LUA18-000559_210309Patricia Sather
532 SW 3rd Place
Renton, WA 98057
March 1, 2021
Vanessa Dolbee
Planning Director
City of Renton
1055 South Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057
Dear Vanessa:
I am writing to ask for an extension on my preliminary short plat application PR18-000386, LUA18-00055. In
corresponding with Angelea, she has indicated that because my short plat was "vested" at a time the City had a
two year expiration for short plats and that Section 4-7-070.M does not apply to my short plat approval. The
use of vesting to apply a past code by the City in this case, I believe, is flawed. I believe the purpose of vesting is
to protect the applicant, not the City. The City has already determined that life, safety, and public health is not
impacted by allowing a short plat approval to expire in five years rather than two. Therefore, it can be
concluded that applying the new code requirements, on its face, would not be detrimental to the City. An
applicant requires certainty that it will be held to codes and ordinances in effect at the time of submittal as most
code changes after an approval are more restrictive than what was in place at the time of application. In this
case the City has clearly "loosened" the restrictions by increasing the short plat approval from two to five years.
Clearly, the City's intent when enacting the code change (Ordinance 5907 attached) was that it would apply to
approvals after January 1, 2015. Ordinance 5907 was adopted on DECEMBER 10, 2018 and was clearly intended
to apply retroactively to projects vested after January 1, 2015. If the City did not want to apply this code
provision retroactively it would have applied the ordinance to projects vested after December 10, 2018. My
preliminary short plat application was approved on October 30th, 2018 and should be subject to a five (5) year
expiration period as permitted in RMC 4-7-070.M. The City is using the vesting concept to place an undue
financial burden on me when the new code is less restrictive.
Pursuant to the above I hereby request the Community and Economic Development Administrator to issue an
Administrative Interpretation in accordance with RMC 4-1-080.A (or some similar code equivalent) clarifying the
expiration period of Short Plats as provided in Renton Municipal Code 4-7-070.M, and/or, allow me an extension
on my short plat application.
Sincerely,
Patty Sather
206-714-1418
patty.sather@outlook.com