Pre Requests

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WHAT TYPE OF PRE DO I NEED?

Planning and Development Services offers five different PRE processes to make permitting easier for applicants. These processes include:

OVER-THE-COUNTER (OTC) REQUESTS

If there is already a full set of plans available, do not submit the request as a PRE.

An Over-The-Counter (OTC) request can be made by first submitting the plan set under the applicable permit application, and then emailing appservices@cityoftacoma.org with the applicable permit number in the subject line and an indication that you are requesting OTC review in the body of the email. If staff determines the scope of the project requires a more extensive review, or if the plans require revisions, the permit will not be issued as an OTC request.

Permits eligible for OTC review may be:

Plumbing or mechanical repair, relocation,
Interior/exploratory demolition, non-structural
Re-roof (with prior courtesy inspection in the case of an overlay)
Whole building or structure demolition total cumulative structure square footage of less than 12,000 square
Utility connection permits (STORM, SEWER, WATER)
Minor right-of-way permits for right-of-way use (RUSE) or right-of-way construction (RCON)

Ineligible permits are:

Associated with a building addition, land use permit, change of use or occupancy, structural review, site work, or larger
Equal to total construction costs of more than 10% of the existing building value per the most recent ICC
Related to a brewery, distillery, or marijuana-related business – these types of uses often require additional reviewers or review time.

ACTIVE PERMITS

If there is already an active permit that you’d like to discuss, do not submit the request as a PRE.

Contact the assigned reviewer(s) directly. If you are not able to work with the reviewer directly, or if a meeting with more than one reviewer is needed, the Application Services team can help coordinate.

Please email appservices@cityoftacoma.org. Include the permit number(s) in the subject line and the list of questions or concerns you want addressed in the body of the email.

OPTION A PRE-DEVELOPMENT REQUESTS

Either of the fee-for-service pre-development requests (Option A or B) are recommended for all larger, more complex projects. Both of these services provide written feedback that increases predictability and solidifies requirements in early stages. Funding letters, if needed, can be provided upon request at the same time as the initial comment memo.

An Option A review can be upgraded to an Option B review after initial comments provided if needed.

Both fee-for-service pre-development options begin with an electronic review period that lasts approximately 3 weeks of payment of fees. After the electronic review period a comment memo is provided that includes feedback on the request as well as contact information for all reviewers.

Projects that receive a fee-for-service pre-development review are required to submit a conceptual site plan at the time of submittal. The conceptual site plan is allowed to be schematic and does NOT need to be surveyed or created by a design professional for review as part of the PRE process. The conceptual site plan does need to show locations of property lines, the proposed building footprint, proposed access, and location of any proposed parking.

Electronic Review comments are typically returned within 3 weeks of payment of fees. If an applicant elects to have a City Biologist conduct a site visit as part of our Critical Areas Pilot Program, additional review time may be necessary.

For project sites that are identified as likely to have presence of Critical Areas, where no previous critical areas reports exist for the site, an applicant can elect to have a City of Tacoma Biologist conduct a site visit and provide feedback regarding the absence or possible presence of a critical area as part of either of the fee-for-service pre-development options. To participate in this program, written approval from the property owner will be required prior to the site visit.

If the City of Tacoma Biologist determines that there are no critical areas and/or critical area buffers present on or near the site as part of the review, and if there are no drainage concerns, then no further Critical Area analysis will be be required.
If the City of Tacoma Biologist determines that there are known or potential critical areas and/or buffers on or near the site, a full Critical Area Delineation report will be required that determines the types and location of critical areas/buffers. The applicant will need to hire a qualified biologist to prepare the report.

Pre-application fees can be credited toward up to 100 percent of the building plan review fee of a permit that is applied for within 1 year of the pre-application request.

Affordable housing projects with 10 or more units proposed a nonprofit organization may receive the Option A review free of charge.

OPTION B PRE-DEVELOPMENT REQUESTS

For Option B, the meeting is scheduled after the initial comment memo is provided. A list of follow-up topics/questions will be requested as part of a meeting agenda. If the initial memo requires significant changes, please make those changes and upload the additional information to the PRE record online prior to scheduling the meeting.

If the City of Tacoma Biologist determines that there are no critical areas and/or critical area buffers present on or near the site as part of the review, and if there are no drainage concerns, then no further Critical Area analysis will be
If the City of Tacoma Biologist determines that there are known or potential critical areas and/or buffers on or near the site, a full Critical Area Delineation report will be required that determines the types and location of critical areas/buffers. The applicant will need to hire a qualified biologist to prepare the

RESIDENTIAL COACHING

PDS has a separate residential team that can typically address many of the questions associated with

single-unit detached dwellings, duplexes, accessory dwelling units, and garages. Assistance these small- scale project inquiries can typically be scheduled with our Residential Review team at no cost.

If a PRE request is submitted online for a small scale project, you may be redirected to the Residential Review team for residential coaching, residentialdevelopment@cityoftacoma.org.

For more complex residential projects, it may still be advisable to use one of the fee-for-service options, as the coaching provided by the Residential Review team does not include written feedback or review by groups outside of their team.

COMMERCIAL COACHING

‘Commercial’ projects contain commercial or industrial uses, and multi-family development of three or more units.

The coaching option provides a narrow scope of feedback, and is not meant for general feasibility. Feasibility requests should utilize one of the fee-for-service options.

Depending on project type and questions, items that may be needed include:

Site Plan
Floor Plan
Drawing Details
Associated Calculations

When submitting a PRE Coaching Request, it is helpful to indicate what the session is meant to address as part of the description of work.

If the scope of questions asked extends beyond the area of expertise of the reviewer you meet with, you may be advised to use one of the fee-for-service options, or set up a subsequent coaching meeting with a reviewer from a different subject matter group.

REQUIRED LAND USE PRE-APPLICATION

Certain Land Use Permits require that a pre- application request (PRE) be submitted prior to formal submittal of the Land Use application. The purpose of the required land use pre-application is to determine readiness for land use permit submittal.

Required Land Use pre-application requests are only routed to the Land Use group for feedback to determine readiness for land use permit submittal. If the project has already undergone a more extensive fee-for-service pre-development review, the record used as part of the fee-for- service process can continue to be used for the required land use pre-application, however it is likely that additional materials will need to be uploaded for a final check prior to formal land use permit submittal.

For large-scale projects that require extensive land use permitting, such as site-specific rezones, conditional use permits, and plats, it is advised, though not required, that a project be submitted under one of the fee-for-service options. The required land use pre-application option provides only a narrow scope of feedback related to whether or not the required materials are provided, and this free option does not provide information that could have potentially critical impacts to a project that may come from review by groups other than land use.

Planning and Development Services