Planners give thumbs up to permit streamlining

Whitman County’s planning commission gave unofficial approval last week to changes in county zoning code that would reduce the public process required to build in unincorporated areas.

The changes give Planner Alan Thomson sole discretion to permit construction of some projects that currently require conditional use permits from the citizen board of adjustment.

Thomson Monday said the changes are designed to speed the permit process.

The code changes would eliminate the board from ruling on construction of cell phone towers and accessory farm buildings and to determine if property owners can change how their land is being used.

Many of the conditions put on such projects by the board, said Thomson, are applied to every application for said projects.

The new language would insert those standardized conditions into code, which would eliminate the board’s need to place conditions on projects.

If those developments are deemed by Thomson to impact neighboring properties, they will be sent back to the board for public hearings and special conditions.

Anyone who objects to projects would be able to appeal to the county to take the decision out of the planner’s hands and demand a board hearing. Legal notices for such projects would still have to be published.

Thomson said the cost of public hearings and much of the conditional use process is borne by developers. Streamlining the process by setting up these administrative use permits, he said, would hold down those costs.

The planning commission will conduct a public hearing on the code changes Jan. 5.