A. Suggested amendments to the comprehensive plan, subarea plan or development regulations shall be considered at least once each calendar year, but the comprehensive plan shall be amended no more often than once each calendar year, except that amendments may be considered more frequently for the initial adoption of a subarea plan, the adoption of a shoreline master program, in cases of emergency, or to resolve an appeal of an adopted comprehensive plan filed with a Growth Management Board or with the court. The city council shall initiate consideration of suggested amendments by motion requesting the planning agency to prepare a recommendation.

B. Suggested amendments shall generally be considered by the planning agency in the order received, although suggestions which concern the same property, group of properties, subarea, or land use topic may be combined. All the recommendations of the planning agency shall be considered concurrently by the city council. Beginning with items proposed for city council action in 2000, the annual deadlines for submitting suggested plan amendments shall be October 31st, and suggested development regulation amendments shall be April 30th, unless otherwise stated by the city council.

C. The planning agency and city council shall endeavor to consider suggested plan amendments between January and June and suggested development regulations between July and December of each year. Where amendments to both a plan and development regulations are suggested, or where an amendment to the comprehensive plan would be implemented by an amendment to the development regulations, such amendments may be considered concurrently.

D. As appropriate, where an amendment of the comprehensive plan is granted by the city council and a subsequent rezone or amendment to development regulations is required, the planning agency may consider them and make recommendations to the city council for consideration concurrent with the final approval of the comprehensive plan.