City of Cle Elum

Heart of the Cascades

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Interim Flood Hazard Prevention Ordinance Adopted

The Cle Elum City Council has repealed and replaced Cle Elum Municipal Code Chapter 15.24 Flood Hazard Prevention with interim regulations that include amendments required by FEMA and the Washington State Department of Ecology necessary for the City to remain eligible for participation in the federal flood insurance program. The adoption of these amended regulations as an interim land use control has enabled the City to meet the requirements of FEMA while providing City Staff sufficient time to prepare and present for Planning Commission review updated Flood Hazard Prevention regulations that are integrated with the City’s updated Critical Areas regulations. Following review of the updated and integrated regulations by the Planning Commission the draft regulations will be circulated for public review and comment and a public hearing will be conducted by the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission will then consider all comments received by the City and make a recommendation to the City Council.

The City is now accepting written comments on these interim flood hazard regulations which may be hand delivered, mailed, or emailed, provided that all written comments must be received by the City, or post marked no later than Friday November 19, 2021. All comments must clearly identify the name and address of the person(s) submitting the comments. No comments may be submitted through social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and the like.

  • Comment letters may be mailed to: City of Cle Elum, Attention: Planning Department/Interim Flood Hazard Prevention Regulations, 119 West First Street, Cle Elum, WA 98922.
  • Emails may be sent to planning@cityofcleelum.gov. Please include Interim Flood Hazard Prevention Regulations in the subject line; or
  • Written comments addressed to Planning Department/ Interim Flood Hazard Prevention Regulations may be hand delivered to Cle Elum City Hall, 119 West First Street, or placed in the Drop Box located outside of the Customer Entrance on Oakes Avenue.

The Cle Elum City Council will also accept direct testimony on the proposed Interim Flood Hazard Prevention regulations at a public hearing during their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday November 8th at 6:00 pm and again on Monday November 22, at 6:00 pm. The City Council meetings are conducted at the Cle Elum City Hall 119 W First Street, however virtual participation by Zoom or by phone will also be an option. Please go to the City website at cityofcleelum.com or call (509) 674-2262 for information on how to participate virtually.

It is anticipated that during the subsequent review that the City Staff and the Planning Commission will consider the following:

  1. The discretionary amendments to the Flood Hazard Prevention regulations (CEMC 15.24) recommended by the Department of Ecology.
  2. The integration of the DOE recommended revisions to the Flood Hazard Prevention regulations with the critical area regulations protecting frequently flooded areas previously reviewed by the Planning Commission.
  3. The proposed Best Available Science Report which is the basis for updating the City’s critical areas regulations and is to be used when evaluating project specific development proposals.
  4. The location and classification of streams in the City.
  5. The base map and standards to be used as a reference when determining whether a proposed development is in proximity to a stream that triggers the need for a critical area report.
  6. Possible formatting changes to make the regulations more user friendly and easier to administer.

For more information, please review the following documents or contact the City of Cle Elum at planning@cleelum.gov.

Links:

Notice of Meeting Cancellation

The Nov. 16, 2021 meeting of the Cle Elum Planning Commission has been canceled at the request of the Commission. This was requested due to conflicting meeting schedules and predicted inability to obtain a quorum. The Planning Commission will meet as scheduled on Nov. 2, 2021 and Dec. 7, 2021.

Join the City of Cle Elum Planning Commission

The City of Cle Elum Planning Commission has two vacancies and is seeking interested members of the public to apply for appointment. The Planning Commission is a quasi-judicial body that reviews and approves land use decisions, and permits such as conditional use permits, and is tasked with developing and  implementing the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission also reviews and makes recommendations to City Council on actions such as rezones, subdivisions, and development agreements.

The Planning Commission currently meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month at 6:00 pm. Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, meetings are currently held in a ‘hybrid’ format, with attendance options at City Hall and via Zoom. This may change depending on the state of the public health emergency.

Appointments to the Planning Commission are made by the Mayor. To request appointment, please click here. For more information, please contact Planning staff at planning@cleelum.gov

Bullfrog/47 Degrees North Update

The City Development Review Team is now reviewing the comments received during the extended Notice of Application comment period for the proposed modifications to the Bullfrog UGA Master Site Plan and Development Agreement. These comments are a part of the Official Record for this project and have been shared with the Project Sponsor for their consideration.

We anticipate that additional information will be submitted by the Project Sponsor and that the City will be requesting additional information as we proceed. It is possible that the Project Sponsor may submit revisions to their application based on the comments that the City received. Once all additional information has been received, the City Development Review Team will complete its analysis and prepare a detailed written report and determination of whether the proposed modifications are consistent with the approved Master Site Plan, Development Agreement, and the SEIS. This consistency determination will also include a recommendation from the City Development Review Team to approve, deny, or approve with conditions the proposed modifications. This report will be made available for public review and comment and all agencies and individuals that have submitted comments will receive a notice that is available. A public hearing will then be scheduled, and a Notice of Public Hearing will be published in the Northern Kittitas Country Tribune and mailed to Parties of Record with hearing details. It is anticipated that both written comments and direct testimony will be accepted at the hearing. The City Land Use Hearings Examiner will then consider the Development Review Team recommendation and all comments received and will make a recommendation to the City Council. The City Council will then review this recommendation and the Official Record of the proceedings and take action on the application to modify the approved Master Site Plan and Development Agreement.

Given the number of comments received and the complexity of some of the issues that must be addressed, no specific schedule has been established to complete the required Consistency Review. The schedule is entirely dependent on whether there are any additional modifications to the proposed project, the time required to prepare and submit additional information that may be required by the City, and the time required to complete a thorough analysis and recommendation.

We will periodically post updates on the status of the review process and additional information will be posted as it becomes available. If you have not submitted any comments but would like to receive direct notices in the future, please sign up below.

Notice of Application Comments (note: if you submitted comments but do not see it here, please contact planning@cleelum.gov)

Did you know? Sun Communities is currently displaying models of the manufactured homes proposed for the 47 Degrees North project at 4240 Bullfrog Road near the School District Administration Building! 

Click here for more project information: Proposed 47 Degrees North Project – City of Cle Elum

Update to Permit Review and Processing Procedures

The City Council recently authorized Ordinance 1609, establishing the position of a Hearings Examiner for certain permit applications and clarifying permit processing.

Click here to review the ordinance: Ordinance 1609

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For more information about Planning in the City of Cle Elum, click here