Potential Changes to Environmental Review Exemptions for Residential and Parking Projects

An item on this week’s agenda could increase the size of certain projects that could be exempt from environmental review. The resolution would direct City staff to use the highest levels of categorical exemptions allowed under the State Environmental Policy Act to raise the maximum thresholds for dwelling units and parking spaces.

SEPA establishes thresholds at which certain development projects are exempt from environmental review. The DOE is in the process of completing a review of various SEPA thresholds, and expects to have revised levels by the end of 2012. In the meantime, cities and counties are authorized to use the maximum threshold levels listed until the new thresholds are passed.

Tacoma currently uses the minimums for residential and parking projects, granting exemptions only to residential structures of four or fewer dwelling units, and to parking facilities and parking lots designed for no more than 20 automobiles. The adopted flexible SEPA threshold for residential projects allows up to 20 residential units, and up to 40 parking spaces. The City of Tacoma has already adopted the maximum thresholds for commercial and institutional buildings and for grading/filling activity.

Listed benefits to raising the SEPA thresholds will include:

• Streamlining the Building/SEPA review process
• Allowing reviewers to focus on fewer SEPA projects to review
• Support from the development/business community
• Enhancement of economic development

City staff will be working with the Planning Commission and the public to review Tacoma’s thresholds and adopt appropriate changes; meanwhile, the proposed resolution would direct staff to use the higher thresholds allowed under SEPA.

So, what do you think? The proposed changes would open up the opportunity for larger projects to skip environmental review, which obviously has its advantages in facilitating development, but it also means that more projects would skip that environmental review process…