Ordinance 2909-06 - Laserfiche WebLink

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; G. Providing city officials with sufficient information, direction and authority to protect critical areas when evaluating public or private development proposals; and H. Implementing the policies of the Growth Management Act, State Environmental Policy Act, RCW Section 43.21C, Chapter 20.04 of the Everett Municipal Code, the city's comprehensive plan, and all updates and amendments, functional plans and other land use policies formally adopted or accepted by the city. (This section shall be codified as EMC 19.37.020.) Section 3: Applicability. A. This chapter establishes regulations for the protection of critical areas that are not otherwise regulated by the Shoreline Management Act and City of Everett Shoreline Master Program. The provisions of this chapter apply to all lands, all land uses and development activity, and all structures or facilities outside of shoreline jurisdiction in the city whether or not a permit or authorization is required, and shall apply to every person, firm, partnership, corporation, group, government agency, or other entity that owns, leases or administers land within the city. No person, company, agency, or applicant shall alter a critical area or buffer except as consistent with the purposes and requirements of this chapter. No development permit may be issued; no subdivision of land may be approved; no clearing, filling, or grading may occur; nor may any use be established, altered, or expanded on any lot until approvals required by this chapter have been granted by the city. a]