(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, upon the written request of the applicant submitted to the planning director, any applicable time limits may be extended for a specified period of time, but in no case may the total of all extensions exceed 245 days.

(2) Prior to expiration of the time period identified in EC 9.7915, the city council may, at a regularly scheduled meeting, extend the time period for the planning director’s decision on an Expedited Land Division application or Middle Housing Land Division application to a date certain that is no more than 120 days from the date the application was deemed complete pursuant to EC 9.7905. The city council’s decision to extend the time period in EC 9.7915 must be based on a finding that an unexpected or extraordinary increase in applications makes a decision within the time period identified in EC 9.7915 impracticable. The city shall mail notice of the meeting at which the city council will consider extending the time for the planning director’s decision on an Expedited Land Division application or Middle Housing Land Division application to the applicant at least ten days in advance of the meeting. The city council’s decision under this subsection (2) is not a land use decision or a limited land use decision.