Anacortes holds first reading of code changes to adopt SB 5290 permit-review timeframes

Libby Grama, planning manager for the City of Anacortes, presented Ordinance 4092 on March 9, a first-reading proposal to amend AMC Title 19 to implement the Local Project Review Act (SB 5290). Grama said the statute, effective Jan. 1, 2025, sets new default permit-review time periods by permit complexity and includes a fee-refund requirement if jurisdictions miss adopted timeframes unless they adopt at least three optional measures.

Grama summarized the statute's default review windows (65 days for ministerial/administrative permits, 100 days for applications requiring notice but no hearing, and 170 days for matters requiring public hearing) and recommended adopting those default timeframes into the city code. Staff proposed three optional measures to avoid refund exposure: (1) budget and continue on-call permitting assistance to handle volume spikes; (2) make housing types outright permitted where they are allowed; and (3) adopt a procedure to offer targeted meetings with applicants to resolve outstanding review issues.

Council members asked clarifying budget questions about whether on-call permitting would require a 2026 budget amendment; staff said a small allocation is already budgeted and that some existing stormwater review funds could satisfy that measure. Council also discussed not adopting measures that would limit public hearings or broadly make pre-application meetings optional.

Because this was a first reading, the council did not adopt the ordinance March 9. A motion was made and seconded to advance the item to next week's consent agenda for continued consideration.