Severance sets 30-day restart window for paused land-use applications

The Severance Town Council approved an ordinance Oct. 27 that will void pending land-use applications on hold at applicants’ request unless they are restarted in writing within 30 days after it takes effect. The ordinance takes effect 30 days after publication.

The rule covers applications under the town’s land-use code already on hold at an applicant’s request that have not become void. Even if restarted, they will count as having used their one allowed suspension and cannot be suspended again. The town manager or designee must notify each affected applicant in writing within 10 days after publication, but missed notice does not extend the 30-day deadline. Once an application becomes void, the town need not process it further; the applicant must submit a new application and pay all applicable development review fees to pursue the proposal.

Staff said three applications were on hold, including one about three years old and another a couple of years old. A third predated the staff member’s almost three and a half years with the town. A council member said the aim was to prevent holds from preserving the development standards in place when applicants applied. The ordinance’s findings say clearer rules would give applicants flexibility to address financing, market and engineering issues while maintaining reasonable processing timeframes.

Applications meeting any of the new inactivity conditions automatically become void and withdrawn without notice or a hearing. Failure to pay all or part of required development review fees within 45 days after notification that a fee is ready to be paid is one trigger. Another is failing to act or request an extension within six months after staff notifies the applicant that responses to referral comments, resubmittals or other materials are required to continue processing a complete application.

The town manager or designee may grant one suspension, for six months or a year, on an applicant’s written request. During a suspension, the town will not advance the application. If the applicant does not request resumed processing within 30 days after staff notifies the applicant that the suspension has expired, the application becomes void. The manager or designee may grant up to two extensions of inactivity deadlines, each no longer than six months, on timely written requests showing good cause; extensions are not guaranteed.