CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, September 24, 2018 Conference Room 303 - Shoreline City Hall
5:45 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT: Mayor Hall, Deputy Mayor Salomon, Councilmembers McGlashan, Scully, Chang and Roberts
ABSENT: Councilmember McConnell
STAFF: John Norris, Assistant City Manager; Jim Hammond, Intergovernmental Relations Manager; Shawn Ledford, Police Chief, and Allison Taylor, Deputy City Clerk
GUESTS: Mark Ellerbrook, Regional Housing and Community Development Manager, King County Department of Community and Human Services; Doug Crandall, Chief Executive Officer, Community Psychiatric Clinic; Rob Van Tassell, Vice President of Housing and Community Development, Catholic Housing Services of Western Washington; Chris Jowell, Director of Agency Operations, Catholic Housing Services of Western Washington
At 5:45 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Mayor Hall.
Council and staff welcomed representatives from the project partners for the 198th Street Affordable Housing Project. Mr. Hammond explained that the team was built intentionally after a competitive selection process. The recent meetings with the Echo Lake Board and Community Association showed a great willingness for collaboration and communication by all project and neighborhood partners.
Mr. Ellerbrook explained that King County will manage the formal processes and modular construction techniques around this new model for a supportive environment of systems-connected housing. Mr. Van Tassell announced that an architect had been picked and they are looking forward to working with the City and community throughout the design process, recognizing the priorities of tree retention, sidewalks, lighting, etc. Councilmember Scully advised that historically Shoreline residents have been most concerned about trees and setbacks when adding high density housing.
Mr. Crandall shared Community Psychiatric Clinic’s history as treatment professionals. He said that they would act as owners, not managers, of the project. CPC will run a clinic in the ground floor commercial space, offering psychiatric services to both tenants and the community at large. He anticipates their clientele would consist mainly of people on public assistance.
Mr. Hammond explained that approximately fifty percent of the projected 80-100 units would have tenants being aggressively managed by treatment professionals. Predominantly single tenant dwellings, the facility will provide permanent homes for adults chosen through a careful screening process.
The team said that with two well-trained staff on site at all times, a coordinated entrance system, exterior and interior common area cameras, and enhanced lighting, the facility is well-prepared to support the success of the high-needs population. Mr. Jowell reminded Council that statistically when safe and stable housing is provided less emergency response is needed. While management adheres to landlord/tenant laws, their approach includes being active community partners, and the facility includes a meeting space that would be available for non-resident use.
Council expressed interest in details about the savings incurred by providing housing. Mr. Ellerbrook and Mr. Hammond offered to follow up with reports on specifics and said the cost of housing is significantly less than the cost of incarceration.
Mr. Van Tassell shared his gratitude for the warm reception and well-run processes from Shoreline. He reminded Council that Catholic Housing Services has made a 50 year commitment to the services, but funding is still needed. The most vulnerable budget areas are operations and services. Financing plays an important part of determining unit count, both for construction and management. Since the fixed costs remain the same, Council agreed to consider the feasibility of a 100 unit target size, recognizing that code and zoning regulations may need to be reassessed. King County staff said they were incentivized to maximize the site usage. With a general sense of support for the project, City staff indicated that they would work with the project team to identify quickly and early any issues raised by current development standards that would impede development of the site to maximum occupancy.
Mayor Hall concluded the conversation by saying he was proud of the community support for this project and Mr. Hammond reiterated the commitment to transparency and conversation with the adjacent neighborhoods.
At 6:43 p.m. the meeting adjourned.
/s/Allison Taylor, Deputy City Clerk
CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, September 24, 2018 Council Chambers - Shoreline City Hall
7:00 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT: Mayor Hall, Deputy Mayor Salomon, Councilmembers McGlashan, Scully, Chang, and Roberts
ABSENT: Councilmember McConnell
1. CALL TO ORDER
At 7:00 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Mayor Hall who presided.
2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL
Mayor Hall led the flag salute. Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present with the exception of Councilmember McConnell.
Deputy Mayor Salomon moved to excuse Councilmember McConnell for personal reasons. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Scully and passed unanimously, 6-0.
3. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER
John Norris, Acting City Manager, provided reports and updates on various City meetings, projects and events.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
Councilmember Chang said she attended the PSRC Regional Transit-Oriented Development Advisory Committee Meeting at which two major topics were addressed. The first issue was discussing plans for accommodating the anticipated 1.8 million new people moving to the area by 2050, and setting goals in establishing a percentage to try to fit near high capacity transit. The second topic focused on parking solutions for high density areas.
Councilmember McGlashan stated he attended the Lake Forest Park Sound Transit Community meeting on the 522/523 BRT expansion from Woodinville to Shoreline. He encouraged attendance at the Shoreline meeting on October 17th for those interested in the project.
Councilmember Scully reported that the EMS Levy Task Force concluded their work with a unanimous recommendation to put a 1.1 Billion dollar comprehensive levy on the ballot.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment.
6. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
Upon motion by Deputy Mayor Salomon and seconded by Councilmember Roberts and unanimously carried, 6-0, the following Consent Calendar items were approved:
(a)
Approving Minutes of Regular
Meeting of July 30, 2018
(b)
Approving Minutes of Workshop
Dinner Meeting of August 6, 2018
(c)
Approving Expenses and Payroll as
of September 7, 2018 in the Amount of $2,185,213.10
(d) Authorizing the City Manager to Execute the Second Amendment to the Expedited Permitting and Reimbursement Agreement with Sound Transit for the Lynnwood Link Extension Project
8. ACTION ITEMS
(a) Adopting Ordinance No.836 - Rezone at 922 N 200th Street
Miranda Redinger, Senior Planner, reviewed the project description, site and vicinity maps, the zoning and Comprehensive Plan designations, the process history, and the criteria to be used in decision making. She stated the Hearing Examiner recommends approval of the rezone, and Staff recommends adoption of Ordinance No. 836.
Prior to discussion, Mayor Hall reminded Council of the Appearance of Fairness Law, and asked if any Councilmember had any ex parte communications. No Councilmember indicated they had any to disclose.
Councilmember Roberts moved adoption of Ordinance No. 836 as proposed by Staff. The motion was seconded by Deputy Mayor Salomon.
Councilmember Scully stated the five criteria have been carefully reviewed, and the proposed rezone meets all the requirements for approval.
The motion passed unanimously 6-0.
(b) Adopting Ordinance No. 837 - Rezone at 17127 and 17201 15th Avenue NE and 17414 and 17062 12th Avenue NE
Miranda Redinger, Senior Planner, reviewed the project description, site and vicinity maps, and the zoning and Comprehensive Plan designations. She reported that Staff was unable to determine the exact date of the Comprehensive Plan designation, but it was put in place by King County prior to 1994. She listed all Council questions submitted from the dais during the September 10th meeting and provided a response. She compared R-24 dimensional standards with those of Community Business (CB), and clarified the distinctions in transition standards between the two. She stated if the property remains R-24, the abutting neighbors would have 5’ less side and rear yard set-back, with no required fencing or landscaping, and the structure could be 5’ taller at the set-back line than the CB transition requirements impose. She also noted the front yard set-back in R-24 is 10’, but is 15’ in CB that is directly across street rights-of-way from R-4, R-6, or R-8 zones. The CB designation also includes step-back requirements.
Ms. Redinger explained that traffic engineering is typically analyzed at a project level to specifically address the mitigations inherent with the unit type and count. She reported that with a goal of determining a balance of safety vs. congestion, traffic planning takes many approaches. Referencing the upcoming NE 175th Street Pavement Preservation Project meeting, she shared options for mitigation, including 3-lane roadways, which offer less risk and exposure.
Ms. Redinger displayed the decision criteria and said the Hearing Examiner recommends approval of the rezone, and Staff recommends adoption of Ordinance No. 837.
Prior to discussion, Mayor Hall reminded Council of the Appearance of Fairness Law, and asked if any Councilmember had any ex parte communications. Councilmember Roberts said he saw yard signs pertaining to the proposal but did not believe it would affect his decision-making. Councilmember Scully disclosed he saw Facebook posts on the topic and has a long-standing professional relationship with the attorney for the developer, but did not feel either would affect his decision-making. No Councilmembers objected to their participation.
Councilmember Scully moved adoption of Ordinance No. 837 as proposed by Staff. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Roberts.
Deputy Mayor Salomon expressed hesitancy to adopt the Ordinance because of the lack of specificity of traffic mitigation plans and the potential for increasing congestion. He recalled the property owners had indicated they would not be selling their parcels to the applicant, and he asked if they have a preference in the decision, if their taxes would increase, and why not limit the rezone to the two southernmost parcels intended for development. Ms. Redinger answered that all owners supported the rezone. She affirmed that the City is looking closely at alternatives for traffic mitigation, but it was premature to establish a development plan at this point in the process. She referenced the section of the Staff Report that pertained to determining priorities for pedestrian safety.
Councilmember Roberts clarified that by law, all owners of a property have to agree to apply for a quasi-judicial rezone. He directed Council back to the five criteria to be used in decision-making. He recognized that set-backs are greater with the proposed rezone, which will create more separation for the nearby R-6 properties. He stated his support of the Hearing Examiner’s recommendation.
Councilmember Chang admitted continued concern for the abrupt transition from R-6 to CB. Ms. Redinger answered that while there would be taller buildings next to residences, the required set-backs and step-backs would offset the visual impression.
Councilmember Scully recognized that while this type of mid-block transition is not preferable, the Comprehensive Plan designation was inherited from King County. He expressed that it is his belief that rezoning would act as a net gain and lessen the impact on, and provide distance for, neighboring homes.
Mayor Hall thanked Staff for their continued work on this project, and said transition regulations have been adjusted over the years for exactly the concerns Council put forth. He said there is intentional work in situations like this to maximize the use of commercial/high density space while respecting neighbors, and stated that he would be supporting the Ordinance.
Councilmember McGlashan stated his opinion that step-backs successfully buffer the magnitude of buildings.
The motion carried 4-2, with Deputy Mayor Salomon and Councilmember Chang voting no.
9. ADJOURNMENT
At 7:35 p.m., Mayor Hall declared the meeting adjourned.
/s/Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk