Ordinance 3323-13 - Laserfiche WebLink

And, WHEREAS, the City Council concludes the following: 1. The proposed amendments to the City's land use regulations are consistent with the Everett Growth Management Comprehensive Plan; 2. The proposed amendments bear a substantial relation to the public health, safety and welfare; and 3. The proposed amendments promote the best long term interests of the Everett community. NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY OF EVERETT DOES ORDAIN: Section l: Section 2 of Ordinance No. 2909-06, as amended, which reads as follows: Purpose. Erosion, flood, landslide, and seismic hazard areas, streams, wetlands, protective buffers, and wildlife habitat areas constitute critical areas that are of special concern to the city. The purpose of this chapter is to designate, classify and protect the critical areas of the Everett community by establishing standards for development and use of properties which contain or adjoin critical areas and thus protect the public health, safety, and welfare by: A. Preserving, protecting, and restoring critical areas by regulating development within such areas and their buffers; B. Mitigating unavoidable adverse impacts by regulating alterations when protection cannot be required; C. Protecting the public from personal injury, loss of life or property damage due to flooding, erosion, landslides, seismic events, or soil subsidence; D. Avoiding publicly financed expenditures to correct misuses of critical areas, which may cause: 1. Unnecessary maintenance and replacement of public facilities, 2. Publicly funded mitigation of avoidable impacts, 3. Public costs for emergency rescue and relief operations where the causes are avoidable, or 4. Degradation of the natural environment; E. Protecting and enhancing unique, sensitive, and valuable elements of the environment, including fish and wildlife habitat; F. Alerting appraisers, assessors, owners,potential buyers or lessees to the presence of critical areas and the respective development limitations of such areas; 2