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A. Proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments, except for Budgetary Capital Facilities amendments and Emergency amendments, may be initiated by:

1. The County Executive, by submitting completed applications for each amendment to the County Council by the date prescribed in PCC 19C.10.070, provided such applications are consistent with the requirements of subsection E of this Section.

2. A city or town having jurisdiction within Pierce County, by submitting completed applications for each amendment to the County Council by the date prescribed in PCC 19C.10.070, provided such applications are consistent with the requirements of subsection E of this Section.

3. The County Council, pursuant to an official Resolution of the Council by the date prescribed in PCC 19C.10.070, provided the proposed amendment is consistent with the requirements of subsection E of this Section. The amendments initiated by the County Executive, and the Cities and Towns pursuant to this Section shall be included in the Resolution. The Resolution shall request the Planning and Public Works Department to conduct environmental review and to report on and set the matter for hearing and recommendation by the Planning Commission.

B. Proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments initiated pursuant to PCC 19C.10.050 A. above shall be submitted in writing to the Director of Planning and Public Works. Each initiated proposal for a Comprehensive Plan amendment shall include a completed application as described in PCC 19C.10.055.

C. Budgetary Capital Facilities amendments may be initiated by the Executive or the Council by submitting the proposed changes to the Capital Facilities Element of the Comprehensive Plan (PCC Titles 19A and 19E) to the Planning Commission and the Council under the time line prescribed in PCC 19C.10.070.B.

D. An update to the Transportation Plan and related amendments to the Transportation Element may be initiated by the Executive by submitting the proposed Plan Update and changes to the Transportation Element to the Planning Commission and the Council under the timeline prescribed in PCC 19C.10.070 D.

E. Requirements for Acceptance of Applications.

1. Map, Text or Urban Growth Area Amendment applications will not be accepted if the proposal(s) is associated with a community plan where a planning process for a new plan or an update to an existing community plan is currently underway or has been initiated by Council action but not yet begun;

2. Map, Text or Urban Growth Area Amendment applications associated with a community plan area where the community plan was adopted within the two years prior to the start of the amendment cycle will not be accepted, unless correcting technical errors as determined by Planning and Public Works;

3. Map Amendment applications for Employment Centers, Planned Communities or Agricultural Resource Lands technical corrections, that do not include the required components listed in PCC 19C.10.055 C., D. or E., as applicable, will not be accepted;

4. Urban Growth Area Amendment applications that do not include the required components listed in PCC 19C.10.055 F. will not be accepted; and

5. Map or Urban Growth Area Amendment applications that do not include documentation that the notification requirements of PCC 19C.10.055 G. have been met will not be accepted.

6. Applications for expansion of an Urban Growth Area shall include the following documentation:

a. the proposal has been included in the appropriate Comprehensive Plan, if affiliated with a city or town;

b. SEPA has been completed;

c. the proposal is consistent with an adopted Capital Facilities Plan which demonstrates how public facilities and services will be provided; and

d. a public outreach program that includes affected property owners has been conducted. Such outreach may be accomplished by:

(1) the jurisdiction's public involvement program for the related city or town Comprehensive Plan amendment or SEPA process, provided that the unincorporated property owners were included in the notices and that such notice was clear about the property involved, or

(2) through a public hearing before a County land use advisory commission.

If this was not done, public outreach may be accomplished through public notice and public hearings associated with the city or town legislative body's decision to forward the Urban Growth Area application to the County Council.

e. documentation acknowledging the requirement to comply with the requirements of Pierce County's TDR/PDR program or community plan if applicable.

f. documentation acknowledging the requirement to remove all development rights from designated agricultural land and critical areas or from commensurate agricultural land pursuant to an applicable community plan, if a UGA expansion is approved that encompasses such lands.

7. Applications which were submitted to the Council but either not initiated or denied in one Plan Amendment cycle shall not be accepted in the next subsequent cycle unless the application is modified to address the reason for rejection.

F. Applications for Comprehensive Plan amendments considered pursuant to the required GMA periodic update cycle as required in RCW 36.70A.130 (5)(a) shall not be subject to the application requirements of PCC 19C.10.050 E. or 19C.10.055 but shall include an analysis and recommendation pursuant to PCC 19C.10.065.

G. Proposed text, policy, or land use designation changes through a Community Plan Update process shall not be considered a "Community Plan amendment" and shall not be subject to the application requirements of PCC 19C.10.050 E. or 19C.10.055.

(Ord. 2021-42s § 7, 2021; Ord. 2017-12s § 2 (part), 2017; Ord. 2016-18 § 1 (part), 2016; Ord. 2014-31s § 1 (part), 2014; Ord. 2009-71s § 3 (part), 2009; Ord. 2007-91s § 3 (part), 2007; Ord. 2005-121s4 § 1 (part), 2006; Ord. 98-16S § 1 (part), 1998; Ord. 96-123 § 1 (part), 1996; Ord. 95-27S § 3 (part), 1995)