Permitting

Kittitas County purchased a 50-acre site for a solid waste transfer station in August 2018. Land use permitting, including the Site Development Permit for the roadway and utilities, was complete in March 2021.

Land use and environmental permits and studies submitted:

• Boundary & topographic survey – to support site layout and development
• Critical Area Report – includes discussion of wetlands and floodplains for floodplain development permit, Section 401 (Water Quality Certification), Section 404 (Wetlands) and Critical Area Ordinance permits
  • Critical Area Approval with Conditions decision
• Traffic Impact Analysis – considers impacts to US Hwy 97 (it found no spillback onto the public right-of-way) and calculates the traffic impact fees
• State Environmental Policy Act Environmental (SEPA) Checklist – includes a Wetlands Delineation Report, Cultural Resources Report and the Department of Archeological and Historic Preservation confirmation of no effect on cultural resources
  • Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance decision
• Land Use Permits – Kittitas County received approval to site an Essential Public Facility on property zoned Light Industrial. It was found compliant with the Comprehensive Plan and zoning code.
  • Essential Public Facilities (EPF) Land Use Application
  • City Council EPF Resolution of Approval
  • Height Variance Application
  • Height Variance Approval
• Short Plat – divides the northern portion of the parcel for a future Public Works facility and establishes a right-of-way for a future city road on the southern boundary of the parcel.
  • Conditional Short Plat decision
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Joint Aquatic Resources Permit Application (JARPA) – to discuss the wetlands buffer and support adjustments to the floodplain
  • No Effect determination letter for endangered species
  • Nationwide Permit 39 authorized
• Site Development Permit Application – provides detailed roadway and utility installation design for the first phase of construction
  • Site Development Permit

Other approvals to be obtained from the City of Ellensburg during the final design phase include:

• Utilities Plan
• Water & Sewer Plan
• Site Development Permit for the transfer station
• Building Permits
• Erosion and Sediment Control Plans
• Solid Waste Facility Permit from the Kittitas County Public Health Department and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology)
• National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit from the Ecology and Environmental Protection Agency
• Compost Facility Air Emissions Permit from Ecology
• Right-of-Way access to US Hwy 97 from Washington Department of Transportation