17.59.030 Procedure.
A. An owner of real property within the planned community district residential low or residential medium may apply for a density credit transfer either as a donor or receiver of the density credit. A donor relinquishes density from property under the donor’s ownership to the receiver’s property. The receiver of density credits may apply the increased density to land under the receiver’s ownership, consistent with the city of Gig Harbor comprehensive plan and the city zoning code. The following process applies to the transfer and receipt of density credits:
1. The applicant must submit documentation to the city which provides the following:
a. The location, site area and specific development right(s) permitted under the comprehensive plan and zoning code which the property owner proposes to transfer, the base density, inclusive of previously transferred density, and the resultant change in density on the donor’s property.
b. The location and site area of the land to which the density credit is transferred to, including the projected density credit resulting from the transfer, the base density and the resultant change in density on the receiver’s property.
B. Upon receipt of the completed application for density credit transfer, the planning/building department shall review the density credit transfer proposal to assure that it is consistent with the planned community development district designation to which it applies and the general density as stated.
C. Upon approval of the planning department and the city attorney, the applicant/property owner shall file with the Pierce County auditor a legally sufficient document which effectively accomplishes the following:
1. A covenant on the lands affected by the density credit transfer which contains deed restrictions reflecting the transfer and its resultant conditions to private ownership and future development of the land.
2. A deed for the development rights so affected shall be assigned an assessor’s tax parcel number, including a legal description of the real property from which density credits are to be donated from and a legal description of the real property to which such density credits are to be transferred to.
A copy of the executed legal instrument, bearing the Pierce County auditor’s file number, shall be provided to the planning department and the city attorney prior to the issuance of any development permit for the affected properties.
Density credit transfers are exempt from the permit processing procedures in GHMC Title 19 and are processed simultaneous with any Type II or III permit application. (Ord. 1197 § 31, 2010; Ord. 747 § 6, 1997).