734-051-3040 Private Approach Permit Application Review, Approvals and Timelines (1) Complete Application Required. The department shall not process an application for state highway approach that is incomplete or contains insufficient information for the department to find that it meets the submittal requirements of OAR 734-051-3030. (2) Notice of Completeness Determination. Upon receiving an application for state highway approach, the department shall determine and provide written notification about whether the application is complete within thirty (30) days of its receipt of the application. Where the department determines that an application for state highway approach is not complete, (a) through (e) apply: (a) The 120-day timeline under OAR 734-051-3040(4) does not begin until the application is deemed complete as defined in OAR 734-051-1070(18); (b) The department shall notify the applicant in writing when an application is incomplete within the timeframes required by this rule; (c) The department notice shall provide specific information on what is needed to make the application complete; (d) The department notice shall indicate that the application must be made complete within sixty (60) days of the date of the department notice, at which time the application expires unless the department and applicant agree to an extension; and (e) Where an application is deemed incomplete because no right of access exists at the proposed approach location, the department notice shall provide information on how to apply for a grant of access or an indenture of access, as applicable. (3) On-Site Reviews. The department in reviewing an application for completeness may conduct an on-site review to determine the need for supplemental documentation in accordance with (a) through (c) as follows: (a) The on-site review area includes both sides of the highway in the vicinity of the proposed approach, including the site frontage, existing connections, and public intersections; (b) The department may notify the applicant of an on-site review to be conducted, and may invite the applicant to meet on-site to answer questions and discuss the review; and (c) Any on-site meeting between department representatives and the applicant shall be limited to clarifying the applicant’s proposal and identifying any supplemental documentation needed to meet application requirements. (4) Decision Timeline and Final Decision Within 120-Days of Complete Application. Except as provided in section (7), the department shall make its final decision, including resolution of all internal appeals, to grant or deny an approach permit within one hundred twenty (120) days of the date the department deems an application for state highway approach complete. The 120-day timeline breaks down as follows: (a) The department shall make its decision to approve, approve with mitigation, or deny an application within thirty (30) days of the date that the department determines the application to be complete, where the proposal meets the applicable spacing, channelization and sight distance standards of OAR 734-051-4020; or (b) The department shall make its decision to approve, approve with mitigation, or deny an application within sixty (60) days of the date that the department determines the application to be complete for all other applications. (c) The final sixty (60) days of the one hundred twenty (120) days are reserved for the contested case hearing procedures of OAR 734-051-3110, except where the timeline is extended pursuant to section (7) of this rule. (5) General Directives Applicable to Approach Permit Decisions. The directives in (a) through (e), as follows, apply to the department’s review of all applications for state highway approach: (a) Except for highways classified as interstate highways and highways designated as expressways by the commission, and except as provided by subsection (b) of this section, the department may not use the presence of alternate access to a property abutting a highway as a basis for denying an application for state highway approach. (b) In rural areas, the department shall consider the presence of alternative access in determining whether to approve or deny a second or subsequent application for state highway approach. (c) Mobility standards, established by the department, are not applicable to turning movements from private approaches during the department’s review of an approach permit application, except when the ratio of volume to capacity on the proposed private approach is (one-point-zero) 1.0 or greater. (d) The department shall utilize a professional engineer with relevant experience to review and respond to evidence from a qualified expert that is submitted by the applicant. (e) The city or county, and persons that own property adjacent to the proposed approach, shall be allowed to express concerns about the application prior to the issuance of the permit. (f) Where the development includes multiple parcels, the development is evaluated in its entirety, regardless of the number of individual parcels or ownership contained within the development, and applications will not be processed for individual parcels or ownership. (6) Notice of Pending Denial or Approval with Mitigation. When the department proposes to deny an approach or approve an approach with mitigation, it shall notify the applicant of its intent and offer the applicant a pre-decision collaborative process, pursuant to OAR 734-051-3060, to discuss the department’s and the applicant’s positions. Upon conclusion of this collaborative process or if the applicant declines the offer of this collaborative process, the department shall issue its decision in writing, including sufficient specificity regarding the access management standards and/or safety or operations concerns upon which the department’s decision is based. (7) Extension of Timelines. The timelines of division 51 may be extended pursuant to (a) through (c) below: (a) Submittal of an application for a grant of access or application for an indenture of access suspends the 30 or 60-day timeline identified in subsection (4)(a) or (4)(b) of this rule. (b) Submittal of a written request for the post-decision collaborative discussion under OAR 734-051-3090 or dispute review board review under 734-051-3100 suspends the 120-day timeline in section (4) of this rule. (c) The timelines in division 51 may be extended where the applicant and the department agree to an extension in writing before the applicable deadline, as specified in these rules. Any agreement to extend a timeline shall include a new deadline date and shall state the reason for the extension. Applications for which an extension of time has been issued will expire on the deadline date specified in the extension letter if no new extension has been agreed to and the activities for which the deadline was extended have not been completed. (8) Pending Land Use Approvals. If a land use action is pending, including an appeal of a final land use decision or a limited land use decision, for a property for which an application has been submitted, the application may be processed and: (a) Approval will be conditioned on the department receiving notice of approval of the land use action shown on the application; and (b) The department may issue a construction permit while the local land use action is pending. A deposit may be required, to be determined in the manner used for a temporary approach in OAR 734-051-4040 to ensure that the approach will be removed if the land use is not approved; and (c) The department shall not issue a Permit to Operate until the applicant provides the department with written proof of final land use decision. (9) Notice of Decision and Findings. The department shall document with written findings the decision to approve, approve with mitigation or deny an approach, and shall provide written notice of its final decision to the applicant as follows: (a) The notice shall describe the applicant’s appeal rights, as set forth in OAR 734-051-3080 through 734-051-3110; and (b) Written findings shall be provided to the applicant upon request. (10) Form of the Record. The record shall include the following, as applicable: (a) Completed application pursuant to OAR 734-051-3030(3); (b) Documents or other information received or considered; (c) Written stipulations; (d) Meeting notes; and (e) Findings and final decision. (11) Appeals. An appeal of a department decision to approve with mitigation or deny an application for an approach permit can be made pursuant to OAR 734-051-3080 through 734-051-3110. (12) Expired Applications. Except as provided by OAR 734-051-3040(7), an application for an approach shall expire after one hundred twenty (120) days of inactivity on the part of the applicant if the department sends a reminder letter to notify the applicant that ninety (90) days have passed with no activity, and advising that the application will expire in thirty (30) days if the application continues to be inactive. After an application for state highway approach has expired, a new application is required. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 184.616, 184.619, 374.310–374.314, 374.345 & 374.355 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 374.300–374.360, §27, ch. 330 & OL 2011 History: HWD 7-2014, f. & cert. ef. 7-9-14 HWD 2-2014, f. 6-25-14, cert. ef. 6-30-14 HWD 8-2012, f. 6-27-12, cert. ef. 6-29-12 HWD 16-2011(Temp), f. 12-22-11, cert. ef. 1-1-12 thru 6-29-12