23.79.008

The advisory committee shall perform the following functions: A. It shall conduct one or more public meetings within a ninety (90) day period from formation of the advisory committee. B. It shall gather and evaluate public comment. C. It shall recommend the maximum departure which may be allowed for each development standard from which a departure has been requested. Minority reports shall be permitted. The advisory committee may not recommend that a standard be made more restrictive unless the restriction is necessary as a condition to mitigate the impacts of granting a development standard departure. 1. Departures shall be evaluated for consistency with the general objectives and intent of the City's Land Use Code, including the rezone evaluation criteria in Chapter 23.34 of the Seattle Municipal Code, to ensure that the proposed facility is compatible with the character and use of its surroundings. In reaching recommendations, the advisory committee shall consider and balance the interrelationships among the following factors: a. Relationship to Surrounding Areas. The advisory committee shall evaluate the acceptable or necessary level of departure according to: (1) Appropriateness in relation to the character and scale of the surrounding area; (2) Presence of edges (significant setbacks, major arterials, topographic breaks, and similar features) which provide a transition in scale; (3) Location and design of structures to reduce the appearance of bulk; (4) Impacts on traffic, noise, circulation and parking in the area; and (5) Impacts on housing and open space. More flexibility in the development standards may be allowed if the impacts on the surrounding community are anticipated to be negligible or are reduced by mitigation; whereas, a minimal amount or no departure from development standards may be allowed if the anticipated impacts are significant and cannot be satisfactorily mitigated. b. Need for Departure. The physical requirements of the specific proposal and the project's relationship to educational needs shall be balanced with the level of impacts on the surrounding area. Greater departure may be allowed for special facilities, such as a gymnasium, which are unique and/or an integral and necessary part of the educational process; whereas, a lesser or no departure may be granted for a facility which can be accommodated within the established development standards. 2. When the departure process is required because of proposed demolition of housing, the desirability of minimizing the effects of demolition must be weighed against the educational objectives to be served in addition to the evaluation required in subsection C1. 3. Following the evaluation set out in subsections C1 or C2, departures may be recommended as set forth in the regulations for the applicable zone and in Chapter 23.54 . Recommendations must include consideration of the interrelationship among height, setback and landscaping standards when departures from height or setback are proposed. D. The advisory committee shall recommend departure limits to the Director no later than ninety (90) days after its first meeting. Such recommendation shall be made after a majority or plurality vote. If only one (1) meeting is held, departure limits shall be recommended no later than thirty (30) days after the meeting. A ten (10) day extension may be granted by the Director if requested, in writing, by a majority of the advisory committee. (Ord. 121429 , § 7, 2004; Ord. 120691 , § 31, 2001; Ord. 112799 § 2, 1986; Ord. 112539 § 10(part), 1985)