What is this “Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance” public notice I saw in the Arlington Times?
The notice is a requirement of the State Environmental Policy Act (also known as SEPA, pronounced sea-pah). SEPA is a an environmental information process, providing for public review of potential environmental impacts and providing decision makers information they need for determining whether to approve a project or not. When a new development, ordinance or comprehensive plan is proposed, State law requires the City to review it for potential impacts to the environment, housing and public facilities. The Planning Manager, acting as the SEPA Responsible Official, reviews the proposal and makes one of three possible determinations: 1. The proposal will probably not have a significant impact on the environment. In this case a “Determination of Non-Significance” (DNS) is issued and the proposal may proceed with obtaining necessary permits. 2. The proposal will probably have a significant impact on the environment that can reasonably be reduced by the proponent so that it is no longer sign
