A. Applications involving two or more permits will be consolidated, if the applicant requests consolidation, and if the permit applications are filed at the same time. Consolidation may otherwise be allowed by the city on the applicant’s request. Applications involving consolidated permit review will be processed so that city review occurs in an orderly manner.

B. When separate applications involving two or more processes are consolidated for review, the process involving the highest authority is utilized. The city council is the highest authority, followed by the hearing examiner of planning commission (as applicable), and then the department director. By way of example, if an application involves a building permit, conditional use permit, and rezone, then the process for rezone shall apply to all permits, since the city council (the highest authority) makes the final decision on rezones.

C. Where separate applications are consolidated for review, the authority to issue permits remains with the applicable department director, but an administrative appeal of a department director’s determination would be heard by the highest authority involved in any process consolidated for review. If any administrative decision is appealed, the administrative decision may be withdrawn and re-issued at a later date, in order that any appeal is allowed to be consolidated with appeals, if any, from other decisions. The appeal authority may retain experts as necessary if the matter involves technical matters. The highest authority may combine appeals with hearings. (Ord. 2071 § 1, 1996)