20.855.020 Development Requirements.
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A. Applicability. Essential Public Facilities where not prohibited, shall be conditional uses per the requirements of VMC 20.245 – Conditional Uses and shall be subject to the additional requirements contained in subsection (B) below.
B. Requirements.
1. Early notification and involvement of affected citizens and jurisdictions shall be provided as follows: At least 90 days before submitting an application for such a facility, the prospective applicant shall notify the affected public and jurisdictions of the general type and nature of the proposal, identify sites under consideration for accommodating the proposed facility, and identify opportunities to comment on the proposal. Applications for specific projects shall not be considered complete without proof of such a published notice in a local newspaper of general circulation.
2. If it will generate substantial traffic as determined by the city’s traffic engineer, such a facility shall be located near a major transportation corridor(s) served or planned to be served by mass transit.
3. Inter-jurisdictional agreements shall be developed to mitigate any disproportionate financial burdens which may fall on the local jurisdiction within which a facility of a state, regional, or county-wide nature is located.
4. The proposed project shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Comprehensive Plan, Title 20 and other applicable provisions of the Municipal Code, SEPA, and other federal, state and local statute, codes and ordinances.
5. Applicants for such a facility shall provide an analysis of the alternative sites considered for the proposed facility. This analysis shall include the following:
a. A justification of the need for the proposed facility in the proposed location. The applicant shall demonstrate that less impacting alternatives have been considered and found not to be feasible.
b. The applicant shall also describe the process used to identify and evaluate alternative sites.
c. An evaluation of the sites’ capability to meet basic siting criteria for the proposed facility, such as size, physical characteristics, access, and availability of necessary utilities and support services.
d. The sites’ relationship to the service area and the distribution of other similar public facilities within the service area or jurisdiction, whichever is larger.
e. A description of the relative environmental, traffic and social impacts associated with locating the proposed facility at the alternative sites that meet the applicant’s basic siting criteria. The applicant shall also identify proposed mitigation measures to alleviate or minimize adverse impacts.
6. Special provisions for specific types of essential public facilities.
a. Secure community transition facilities conforming with the standards set forth below may be approved by conditional use permit following notice to all property owners and occupants of record within 1,500 feet of the proposed site.
1. Secure community transition facilities shall conform with all substantive, procedural and operational requirements set forth in RCW Chapter 71.09 and rules, regulations, and policy guidelines promulgated under the authority thereof or in response thereto.
2. Secure community transition facilities shall provide the following staffing and security measures:
a. The owner and operator of the secure community transition facility shall submit and maintain a plan for staffing, security measures, procedures for immediate public notification of escapes, and escapee search procedures ("the Plan"), all in a form and content satisfactory to the planning official. The security measures shall indicate the types of security measures/facilities proposed for the secure community transition facility including, but not limited to, constant electronic monitoring of residents, site security measures/equipment, and site access and control consistent with Chapter 71.09 RCW, unless otherwise ordered by a court. The plan, along with documentation of the planning official’s concurrence in or rejection of the plan, shall be included in materials submitted to and reviewed by the Hearing Examiner, provided that the security plan made part of the public record shall not be in such detail that security of the facility would be compromised.
b. The owner and operator of the secure community transition facility shall enter into a contract with the city, in a form and content satisfactory to the City Attorney, committing the owner and operator to comply with and maintain the plan for the life of the facility.
c. The applicant shall install an eight-foot high fence, in character with the surrounding area, between the facility and all property boundaries. The Hearing Examiner may waive or lessen this requirement upon finding that due to existing site features or the type or character of adjoining uses, the privacy and security of the occupants of adjoining properties can be maintained in the absence of a fence or with a lower fence.
d. The facility shall have a backup power source.
3. No such facility shall be located adjacent to, immediately across a street or parking lot from, or within the line of sight of a risk potential activity or facility as defined in RCW 71.09.020. For purposes of this subsection, those specific risk potential activities and facilities described in the applicable state law shall be interpreted as follows and shall include such facilities located within the City of Vancouver and all neighboring jurisdictions:
a. Public and private schools and their grounds;
b. School bus stops;
c. Licensed child daycare and licensed preschool facilities;
d. Public parks;
e. Publicly dedicated trails;
f. Sports fields;
g. Playgrounds;
h. Recreational and community centers;
i. Places of worship such as churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques;
j. Public libraries;
k. Any other risk potential activity or facility identified in siting criteria by the Department of Social and Health Services with respect to siting a secure community transition facility. (Ord. M-3701 § 26, 05/02/2005; Ord. M-3643, 01/26/2004; Ord. M-3309 § 10, 1997: Ord. M-3234 § 4, 1996)