CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, January 7, 2019 Conference Room 303 - Shoreline City Hall
5:45 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT: Mayor Hall, Councilmembers McGlashan, Scully, McConnell, Chang and Roberts
ABSENT: Deputy Mayor Salomon
STAFF: Margaret King, City Attorney
At 5:45 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Mayor Hall. City Attorney Margaret King was present to remind Council that when they are in Executive Session they should only discuss the qualifications of the candidates being considered for appointment to City Council Position #6. The decision of which candidates to move forward to an in-person interview must be made in open session. She and the Council then discussed the procedural options that could be used for how to make motions to select the candidates to interview during the regular business meeting later on in the evening.
At 6:05 p.m., Mayor Hall recessed into an Executive Session for a period of 45 minutes as authorized by RCW 42.30.110(1)(h) to evaluate the qualifications of a candidate for appointment to elective office. He said Council is not expected to take final action directly following this Executive Session.
At 5:50 p.m., Mayor Hall ended the Executive Session and adjourned the meeting.
/s/Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk
CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, January 7, 2019 Council Chambers - Shoreline City Hall
7:00 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT: Mayor Hall, Councilmembers McGlashan, Scully, McConnell, Chang, and Roberts
ABSENT: Deputy Mayor Salomon
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 Deputy Mayor Salomon.
Councilmember McConnell moved to excuse Deputy Mayor Salomon for personal reasons. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Chang and passed unanimously, 6-0.
3. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER
Debbie Tarry, City Manager, provided reports and updates on various City meetings, projects and events.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
Mayor Hall shared that Debbie Tarry, City Manager, Margaret King, City Attorney, and he met with a mediator in preparation for an upcoming meeting with the Town of Woodway to work on a resolution of the long-term future of Point Wells.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
Nancy Morris, Shoreline resident, made a request that policymakers be cognizant of the power of their decisions, and she asked that environmentalism be at the forefront of Council’s awareness. She asked Councilmembers to help voters learn how to be well informed, and shared links to resources.
Meghan Peterka, Shoreline resident, addressed two points of concern. First, she said that she is was surprised to learn of the increased number of trees being removed as part of the Sound Transit Light Rail Project. She reminded Council that there are many residents concerned with tree retention and urged the City to do due diligence in making removal and retention plans known. Second, she spoke about cleanliness and safety issues she witnessed at a Shoreline construction site, and shared photographs detailing this observation.
Ghazy M. Kader, Shoreline resident, told Council he is against Proposition 1. He said he feels that the more money given to government, the more it is wasted. He shared that he believes bike lanes are an underutilized expense and that the sidewalks along Meridian Avenue are poorly maintained. He explained that the maple tree roots continue to do damage and create walking hazards and suggested Council direct funding to repair existing sidewalks before building additional ones.
Andy McRea, Shoreline resident, urged Council to pass Amendment No. 24. He said it effectively extrapolates the calculation of exempt tree removal in accordance with lot size. He described the Amendment as a fair formula that takes parcel size into account.
Naomi Hillyard, Shoreline resident, spoke as a representative of a group advocating for a more diverse City Council. She said their group has been encouraging women of color and immigrants to apply and encouraged Council to take into account the underrepresented demographics in City Council. She asked Council to look for a Councilmember with a track record of engagement and outreach, and who could serve as an inspiration for under or non-represented people.
Wes Brandon, Shoreline resident, said he feels the number of candidates for Council reflects the vitality of the City, and shared his appreciation for the thoughtful work Council was putting into the selection process. He encouraged the City to engage all candidates in City activities, regardless of whether they move forward in the process or not. He said Shoreline can be a model for community involvement and investment in citizens, environment, and infrastructure.
6. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
Upon motion by Councilmember Roberts and seconded by Councilmember McGlashan and unanimously carried, 6-0, the following Consent Calendar items were approved:
(a) Approving Minutes of Regular Meeting of October 29, 2018
Approving Minutes of Workshop Dinner Meeting of November 26, 2018
Approving Minutes of Special Meeting of December 10, 2018
(b) Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Contract Amendment with Evergreen Maintenance Landscaping LLC in the Amount of $450,220 for Parks Landscape and Maintenance Services
(f) Authorizing the City Manager to Obligate $250,000 in State of Washington Department of Ecology Stormwater Financial Assistance Program Grant Funding for the 10th Avenue NE Stormwater Improvements Project
(g) Authorizing the City Manager to Obligate $293,125 in State of Washington Department of Ecology Stormwater Financial Assistance Program Grant Funding for the NE 148th Street Infiltration Facilities Project
(h) Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a Conditional Gift Agreement for the Acceptance by Donation of the Sculpture “Honorable Men” into the City’s Portable Artworks Collection
8. ACTION ITEM
(a) Adopting Ordinance No. 850 – Amending Development Code Sections 20.20, 20.30, 20.40, 20.50, 20.70 and 20.230
Steve Szafran, Senior Planner, reminded Council that this Development Code Batch is a grouping of miscellaneous amendments collected throughout 2018 that were discussed in depth at the December 10, 2018 City Council Meeting. He was joined by Paul Cohen, Planning Manager. Mr. Szafran reviewed the details of Mayor Hall’s suggested amendments as listed in the Staff Report, and detailed Council’s separately suggested changes to the following Amendments:
· Number 2 – Removing the word ‘sanitation’ from one section of the definition of a Homeless Shelter, since the placement indicated offering sanitation facilities was optional.
· Number 15 – Remove or amend the parking requirement for homeless shelters.
· Numbers 17 and 18 - Establishing rooftop amenity stepbacks. Mr. Szafran clarified that this adjustment to Amendments 17 and 18 does not affect elevator placement. Councilmember Roberts said that ‘amenity’ is not defined in the Development Code and suggested that elevators need to be better defined. Mr. Szafran explained that the Development Code does include a definition for public amenities which separates them from mechanical equipment.
· Number 24 – Adjusting the significant tree removal exemptions based on lot size.
· Number 30 – Changing the parking requirements for professional office use.
· Number 34 – Narrowing the scope of the Amendment to only include properties zoned R-4 or R-6 on non-arterial streets.
Mr. Szafran stated that Staff recommends adoption of Ordinance No. 850 with the proposed modifications as previously discussed.
Councilmember Roberts said he appreciates the work done by the Staff and the Planning Commission and said he believes Council will find agreement for the suggested amendments.
Councilmember Roberts moved that the Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve Amendment Nos. 1, 3, 9, 10, 21, 27, 28, and 32 be rejected in its entirety and the language proposed by Mayor Hall for these Amendments be approved as set forth by Planning Staff in the January 7 Staff Report. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Chang.
Councilmember Roberts explained that his omission of Amendment No. 15 was intentional because he would like to address it individually.
Mayor Hall said that the amendments do not include substantive policy changes and are a result of his conversations with Staff in efforts to clarify the Development Code.
Councilmember Scully agreed that these changes are grammatical, not structural. He said he is opposed to some of the Amendments and that this support of the motion was to clarify intent, and Council will then later have a policy discussion on whether an Amendment is wise.
The motion passed unanimously, 6-0.
Councilmember Roberts explained that he did not include Amendment No. 15 because of his concern about the addition of language added by the Planning Commission around required identification for shelter entry. Mayor Hall explained that the intent was to detail the requirements of residency.
Councilmember Roberts moved that the Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve Amendment No. 15 be rejected in its entirety and the language proposed by Mayor Hall for this Amendments be approved as set forth by Planning Staff in the January 7, 2019 Staff Report. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Scully.
Councilmember Roberts reiterated that he questions how the word ‘entry’ will be interpreted and wondered whether it would be appropriate to clarify that the intent is to grant access to services, rather than simply permit entry into the facility. Ms. King suggested changing the word from ‘entry’ to ‘residency’ to better communicate the intent of the directive.
Councilmember Roberts moved to amend the amendment by striking the word ‘entry’ in Section D and replacing it with ‘residency’. The motion was seconded by Councilmember McConnell.
Councilmember Chang confirmed that the purpose of requiring identification was to facilitate the background checks that are used to protect the safety of people in the shelter and questioned if changing the word would support that intent. Ms. King explained that her understanding of the point of contention was concern over clarifying that prospective residents would be not be denied entry to work with staff for help in the process of applying for residency. Councilmember Scully said he agrees that the language proposed by Councilmember Roberts more clearly expresses the intent.
The motion to amend the amendment passed unanimously, 6-0.
The motion to approve Amendment No. 15 as amended passed unanimously, 6-0.
Councilmember McGlashan moved to modify the Planning Commission’s recommendation for Amendment No. 2 to strike the word “sanitation.” The motion was seconded by Councilmember McConnell.
Councilmember McGlashan explained that this suggestion was made to clarify that sanitation is a required component of a shelter. Mr. Szafran confirmed that sanitation facilities are required in all homeless shelters.
The change to Amendment No. 2 passed unanimously, 6-0.
Councilmember Roberts moved to further amend Amendment No. 15, as previously adopted by motion accepting Mayor Hall’s modifications, to strike the phrase “and at a minimum shall provide one parking space per staff or volunteer” from Section E. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Scully.
Councilmember Roberts reminded Council that the concern was that this directive would create excessive parking requirements for some sites, and that the Amendment gives site specific decision-making flexibility to the Director.
The changes to Amendment No. 15 passed unanimously, 6-0.
Councilmember Roberts asked for the definition of amenity, expressing concern that elevators would fall into this category. Mr. Cohen read the current Development Code definition, explained that an elevator is a necessity, not an amenity, and suggested adding clarification of what constitutes an amenity. Councilmember Roberts said he feels the definition is too broad and needs additional refinement to ensure elevator placement is not restricted by the code language. He said that while the language does not need to be immediately amended, he would like the Planning Commission to review it in the future.
Councilmember McGlashan suggested additional language to establish the distinction between an amenity and a necessity, and Mr. Szafran agreed that the intent was to treat the two separately. Mayor Hall concluded that it would be reasonable to either make the amendment to the language or to accept the current recommendation and ask Staff to revisit the language in the next batch of Code corrections.
Councilmember Scully moved that the Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve Amendment No. 24 be rejected in its entirety. The motion died for lack of a second.
Councilmember Roberts moved that the Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve Amendment No. 30 be modified, increasing the parking ratio for “Professional office” uses from 1 per 400 square feet to 1 per 500 square feet in SMC Table 20.50.390C – General Nonresidential Parking Standards. The motion was seconded by Mayor Hall.
Councilmember Roberts summarized that increasing the minimum parking space designation to one spot per 500 square feet would match the standard in other jurisdictions, reduce the parking space footprint, and lower costs for development. Mayor Hall said he also supports the change, explaining that the amount of parking needed varies on the type of business. He added that some businesses prefer to add parking beyond the requirement and the market will self-correct.
Councilmember McGlashan said that he is concerned that if the City requires less parking in rezoned areas where homes are being converted into small businesses, it may impact neighborhood parking. He said he prefers the usage stay at the planned amount until the future business parking impact in rezoned areas can be evaluated.
Councilmember Roberts pointed out that the Planning Commission recommendation says that a Professional Office designation would require the same amount of parking as a Retail Trade designation, which may not be a reasonable assessment.
The motion passed 4-2, with Councilmembers McGlashan and Scully voting no.
Councilmember Roberts moved that the Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve Amendment No. 34 be modified to add the phrase “of a local street adjacent to the R-4 or R-6 zones” to SMC 20.70.320(E)(3) so that it would read: “The current level of improvements in the rights-of-way of a local street adjacent to the R-4 or R-6 zones will not be changed because there is limited opportunity for additional improvements through development or redevelopment or a City project along the rights-of-way within the foreseeable future.” The motion was seconded by Councilmember McConnell.
Councilmember Roberts said the amendment clarifies that this gives discretion to the Director. Mayor Hall said he supports the modification and thanked Staff for the quick response and work on revisions to this amendment.
The changes to Amendment No. 34 passed unanimously, 6-0.
Mayor Hall commented that the speed and quality of Staff’s responses was outstanding.
The main motion to adopt Ordinance No. 850 as amended was approved unanimously, 6-0.
9. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Evaluate Council
Applicant Qualifications
RCW 42.30.110(1)(h)
At 8:00 p.m., Mayor Hall and all present Councilmembers recessed into an Executive Session for a period of 45 minutes as authorized by RCW 42.30.110(1)(h) to evaluate the qualifications of candidates for appointment to elective office. He said Council is expected to take final action directly following this Executive Session. He explained the selection process and expressed gratitude for the large number of residents who had applied for the position.
At 8:45 p.m., Mayor Hall extended the Executive Session for 15 minutes.
At 9:00 p.m., Mayor Hall ended the Executive Session and reconvened the meeting.
10. ACTION ITEMS
(a) Selecting Applicants to Interview for City Council Position #6
Councilmember Roberts moved to interview [__blank__] on January 28, 2019. The motion was seconded by Councilmember McGlashan.
Mayor Hall shared that the City Council feels fortunate to have 53 engaged and willing community applicants. He said the responses are outstanding and that it was humbling to see the high level of qualifications, the amount of care for the community, and the diversity of voices represented. He mentioned that a computer glitch delayed receipt of a few applications and apologized for the additional work the error caused those affected. He explained that Council had talked about the all the candidates and would proceed to create the finalist list in open session. Mayor Hall elaborated that narrowing down the list to a limited interview group was difficult, and said Council was paying attention to the practicalities of the planned process for interviewing finalists on January 28, 2019.
Councilmember McGlashan moved to amend the main motion to include Genevieve Arredondo on the list of applicants to interview. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Scully, and passed unanimously, 6-0.
Councilmember Scully moved to amend the main motion to include Eben Pobee on the list of applicants to interview. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Roberts, and passed unanimously, 6-0.
Councilmember McConnell moved to amend the main motion to include Jennifer Greenlee on the list of applicants to interview. The motion was seconded by Councilmember McGlashan, and passed unanimously, 6-0.
Councilmember Chang moved to amend the main motion to include Betsy Robertson on the list of applicants to interview. The motion was seconded by Councilmember McGlashan, and passed unanimously, 6-0.
Councilmember Roberts moved to amend the main motion to include Rebeca Rivera on the list of applicants to interview. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Scully, and passed unanimously, 6-0.
Councilmember Roberts moved to amend the main motion to include David Chen on the list of applicants to interview. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Chang, and passed unanimously, 6-0.
The main motion to interview all the candidates on the list passed unanimously, 6-0.
(b) Electing a Temporary Presiding Officer for the January 14, 2019 City Council Meeting
Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk, reminded Council that Mayor Hall will be absent on January 14, 2019, and Deputy Mayor Salomon will have moved on to the State Senate, creating a need for a Temporary Presiding Officer for the January 14, 2019 Council Meetings. She displayed the election rules and explained the process for electing a Temporary Presiding Officer.
Councilmember McGlashan nominated Councilmember Scully to serve as the Temporary Presiding Officer.
Councilmember Scully was elected to serve as the Temporary Presiding Officer by a unanimous vote, 6-0.
11. ADJOURNMENT
At 9:11 p.m., Mayor Hall declared the meeting adjourned.
/s/Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk