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The City designates the following general policies as the basis for the City’s exercise of authority pursuant to this Chapter. The City shall use all practicable means, consistent with other essential considerations of State policy, to improve and coordinate plans, functions, programs and resources to the end that the State and its citizens may:

A. Environmental stewardship. Fulfill the responsibilities of each generation as trustee of the environment for succeeding generations;

B. Protect Washington’s interests. Assure for all people of Washington safe, healthful, productive and aesthetically and culturally pleasing surroundings;

C. Widest range of beneficial uses. Attain the widest range of beneficial uses of the environment without degradation, risk to health or safety, or other undesirable and unintended consequences;

D. Preservation of national and local heritage. Preserve important historic, cultural and natural aspects of our national and local heritage;

E. Supportive of diversity and choice. Maintain, wherever possible, an environment which supports diversity and a variety of individual choice;

F. Balance. Achieve a balance between population and resource use which will permit high standards of living and a wide sharing of life’s amenities; and

G. Enhancement of renewable resources. Enhance the quality of renewable resources and approach the maximum attainable recycling of depletable resources.

1. The City recognizes that each person has a fundamental and inalienable right to a healthful environment and that each person has a responsibility to contribute to the preservation and enhancement of the environment.

2. The city incorporates by reference the policies in the cited city codes, ordinances, resolutions and plans, and all amendments to them in effect prior to the date of fully complete application of any building permit or preliminary plat, or prior to issuance of a DNS or DEIS for any other action:

a. 20.110 VMC, Intent and Purpose;

b. 20.120 VMC, Legal Provisions;

c. Chapter 20.130, Zoning Map Administration;

d. 20.140 VMC, Enforcement;

e. 20.150 VMC, Definitions;

f. 20.160 VMC, Use Classifications;

g. 20.170 VMC, Measurements;

h. 20.180 VMC, Fees;

i. 20.210 VMC, Decision Making Procedures;

j. 20.220 VMC, Review Bodies;

k. 20.225 VMC, Summary of Land Use Permits

l. 20.230 VMC, Annexations;

m. 20.245 VMC, Conditional Use Permits;

n. 20.250 VMC, Development Agreements;

o. 20.255 VMC, Interpretations and Minor Adjustments;

p. 20.260 VMC, Planned Developments;

q. 20.265 VMC, Design Review;

r. 20.268 VMC, Public Facility Master Plans;

s. 20.270 VMC, Site Plan Review;

t. 20.285 VMC, Text and Map Amendments;

u. 20.290 VMC, Variances;

v. 20.310 VMC, Boundary Adjustments;

w. 20.320 VMC, Subdivisions;

x. 20.330 VMC, Binding Site Plans;

y. 20.410 VMC, Lower Density Residential Zoning Districts;

z. 20.420 VMC, Higher Density Zoning Districts;

aa. 20.430 VMC, Commercial and Mixed-Use Zoning Districts;

bb. 20.440 VMC, Industrial Zoning Districts;

cc. 20.450 VMC, Open Space Districts;

dd. Repealed by 4/23 update.

ee. 20.505 VMC, Evergreen Airport Environs Overlay District;

ff. 20.510 VMC, Heritage Overlay District;

gg. 20.515 VMC, Hough Neighborhood Overlay District;

hh. 20.520 VMC, Noise Impact Overlay District;

ii. 20.525 VMC, Office Development Overlay District;

jj. 20.540 VMC, Surface Mining Overlay District;

kk. 20.550 VMC, Transit Zone Overlay District;

ll. 20.560 VMC, Vision Overlay District;

mm. 20.570 VMC, Airport Height Overlay District;

nn. 20.580 VMC, Fourth Plain Corridor Overlay District;

oo. 20.610 VMC, Plan Districts in General;

pp. 20.620 VMC, Columbia River Shoreline Enhancement Plan District;

qq. 20.630 VMC, Downtown District;

rr. 20.640 VMC, Vancouver Central Park Plan District;

ss. 20.650 VMC, Waterfront Plan District;

tt. 20.660 VMC, Auto Dealership Plan District;

uu. 20.680 VMC, Riverview Gateway Plan District;

vv. 20.690 VMC, Section 30 Employment Center Plan District;

ww. 20.691 VMC, 112th Avenue Corridor Plain District;

xx. 20.710 VMC, Archaeological Resource Protection;

yy.  20.725 VMC, Fish and Wildlife Habitat Protection;

zz.  20.730 VMC, Flood Hazards;

aaa. 20.740 VMC, Critical Areas Protection;

bbb.  20.750 VMC, Geologic Hazards;

ccc. 20.760 VMC, Shoreline Management Area;

ddd. 20.770 VMC, Tree Conservation;

eee.  20.775 VMC, Wetlands and Water Bodies Protection;

fff.  20.780 VMC, Wildlife Habitat Protection (Placeholder);

ggg. 20.790 VMC, SEPA Regulations;

hhh. 20.810 VMC, Accessory Dwelling Units;

iii. 20.820 VMC, Adult Entertainment;

jjj. 20.830 VMC, Bed and Breakfast Establishments;

kkk. 20.840 VMC, Child Care Centers;

lll. 20.850 VMC, Dog Day Care;

mmm. 20.855 VMC, Essential Public Facilities;

nnn. 20.860 VMC, Home Occupations;

ooo. Repealed by Ord. M-4289.

ppp. 20.880 VMC, Manufactured Home Parks;

qqq. 20.883 VMC, Medical Marijuana Collective Gardens;

rrr. 20.885 VMC, Temporary Uses;

sss. 20.890 VMC, Wireless Communications Facilities;

ttt. 20.895 VMC, Miscellaneous Special Use Standards;

uuu. 20.902 VMC, Accessory Structures;

vvv. 20.909 VMC, Escrow and Assurances;

www. 20.910 VMC, Exceptions and Interpretations;

xxx. 20.912 VMC, Fences and Walls

yyy. 20.914 VMC, Gated Access Standards;

zzz. 20.915 VMC, Impact Fees;

aaaa. 20.920 VMC, Infill Development Standards;

bbbb. 20.925 VMC, Landscaping;

cccc. 20.927 VMC, Narrow Lot Developments;

dddd. 20.930 VMC, Nonconforming Situations;

eeee. 20.935 VMC, Off-Site Impacts;

ffff. 20.940 VMC, On-Site Density Transfers;

gggg. 20.945 VMC, Parking and Loading;

hhhh. 20.960 VMC, Signs;

iiii. 20.970 VMC, Solid Waste Disposal and Recycling; and

jjjj. 20.985 VMC, Vision Clearance;

H. Endangered Species Act. The City incorporates by reference the evaluation criteria for protecting, during development, threatened and endangered salmon species listed under the federal Endangered Species Act as presented in the Federal Register, Vol 65, No. 132, Monday, July 10, 2000, Rules and Regulations and in "A Citizen’s Guide to the 4(d) Rule for Threatened Salmon and Steelhead on the West Coast," National Marine Fisheries Service, June 20, 2000. As applied in the City of Vancouver, it is the City’s policy that development within the City limits shall to the degree necessary to protect threatened and endangered species:

1. Meet demands on water supply without affecting, either directly or through groundwater withdrawals, the flows salmon need.

2. Avoid inappropriate areas such as unstable slopes, wetlands, areas of high habitat value, and similarly constrained sites.

3. Avoid stream crossings, whether by roads, utilities, or other linear development, wherever possible and where crossings must be provided, minimize impacts.

4. Protect wetlands, wetland buffers and wetland function, including isolated wetlands.

5. Prevent erosion and sediment run-off during and after construction, thus preventing sediment and pollutant discharge to streams, wetlands and other water bodies that support listed fish.

6. Adequately prevent stormwater discharge impacts on water quality and quantity and stream flow patterns in the watershed – including peak and base flows in perennial streams.

7. Adequately preserve permanent and intermittent streams’ ability to pass peak flows.

8. Stress landscaping with native vegetation to reduce the need to water and apply herbicides, pesticides and fertilizer.

9. Adequately protect historic stream meander patters and channel migration zones and avoid hardening stream banks and shorelines.

10. Protect riparian areas to attain or maintain properly functioning conditions for salmonid habitat around all rivers, estuaries, streams, lakes, deepwater habitats, and intermittent streams.

11. Where application of these policies creates a conflict with existing development regulations, the level of protection necessary to protect threatened salmon species shall apply.

I. Through the project review process.

1. If the applicable regulations require studies that adequately analyze all of the project’s specific probable adverse environmental impacts, additional studies under this Chapter will not be necessary on those impacts;

2. If the applicable regulations require measures that adequately address such environmental impacts, additional measures would likewise not be required under this Chapter; and

3. If the applicable regulations do not adequately analyze or address a proposal’s probable adverse environmental impacts, this Chapter provides the authority and procedures for additional review. (Amended during 4/23 update; Ord. M-4289 § 4, 2019; Ord. M-4034 § 24, 2012; Ord. M-3643, 2004)