CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, January 14, 2019 Conference Room 303 - Shoreline City Hall
5:45 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT: Temporary Presiding Officer Scully and Councilmembers McGlashan, McConnell, Chang, and Roberts
ABSENT: Mayor Hall
STAFF: Debbie Tarry, City Manager; John Norris, Assistant City Manager; and Allison Taylor, Deputy City Clerk
GUESTS: Brian Murphy, BERK Consulting
At 5:50 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Temporary Presiding Officer Scully.
John Norris, Assistant City Manager, welcomed Brian Murphy, a Principal at Berk Consulting, and explained that Mr. Murphy will act as the facilitator for the Council Strategic Planning Workshop on March 1 and 2, 2019. Mr. Murphy said he has enjoyed participating in shaping the agenda for the workshop and looks forward to helping Council meet their planning goals.
Mr. Norris reviewed the draft agenda and said the Leadership Team is still in the process of building the study packet for the workshop. It was agreed that with the upcoming onboarding of a new Councilmember there may be a need to allocate additional time for overview and review. Debbie Tarry, City Manager, said she will spend time prior to the workshop helping the new Councilmember get up to speed, and Mr. Murphy assured Council he would pay close attention to supporting the new Councilmember. He suggested that a Role and Goal overview and reminder would serve the process well.
Mr. Norris said that the Vision 2029/Framework Goal Review would provide a good informational foundation for the new Councilmember. Councilmember Chang offered that she felt comfortable at the workshop last year as the new member because she had opportunity to study the resources beforehand and the group was supportive in answering the questions she posed.
Mr. Norris shared that Staff are still working on finalizing a guest speaker, potentially with a focus on economic development, and that this year the intent is to invite a single participant rather than build a panel. Temporary Presiding Officer Scully reflected that the past several years had featured guests from the real estate sector and said he would appreciate a speaker with a broader perspective this year.
Ms. Tarry said the hope was that by March the Council would have had the opportunity to coalesce their decision on whether they would be moving forward with the 2019 potential ballot measure for the Community Aquatic Center. She said that it was unlikely that there would be new information about the Fircrest Surplus Property, and it was decided that since a study session on that topic is planned for February, it could be removed from the Strategic Planning Workshop schedule and the time could be reallocated.
Councilmember Chang suggested setting aside time to discuss tree retention within the Development Code. Councilmember Roberts asked if there could be a presentation covering where the Code started, where it is headed, and an explanation of the current Development Code and process. Temporary Presiding Officer Scully said he was not sure the workshop would be the appropriate time for this, and Ms. Tarry added that Staff would need time to create a robust presentation on the Development Code associated with tree removal and preservation. She said she would work with Staff on creating a high-level summary, including context and history. Ms. Tarry mentioned it might be prudent to schedule time to consider vegetation management plan guidelines, which would require Development Code amendments.
Councilmember Roberts said he had recently attended a National League of Cities workshop on how to attract the film industry to the City, and he wondered if Council was interested in asking Staff to work on a model Code for Film for Shoreline. Ms. Tarry said Staff have this topic on their long-term to-do list. Mr. Murphy said that if the Fircrest discussion was removed from the agenda there would be time to add two new 20-minute conversations, which would be enough time for surface-level discussion. Council agreed that if time allows, the topic of attracting the Film industry would be a valuable discussion.
Councilmember McConnell reminded Council that the workshop should be focused on conversation and information instead of on problem-solving, saying the workshop is the Council’s opportunity for high level discussion.
Mr. Norris reviewed the Parks, Recreation, and Community Service/Tree Board recruitment and appointment process. It was confirmed that at least one current Board Member does not plan to apply for reappointment. Council agreed that an Interview Subcommittee of Councilmembers will be formed in February for the March interviews.
Ms. Tarry informed Council that the list of draft interview questions for the new Councilmember had been sent to them via email and asked that all feedback be submitted to Staff by Friday, January 18, 2019. It was agreed that each Councilmember would ask one question of each candidate. Ms. Tarry reviewed the Council Rules of Procedure and the logistics pertaining to the interviews were discussed.
Councilmember McGlashan asked if the name of the Aquatic Center could be reconsidered. He said he feels the name of the facility implies a different scope than is intended. Ms. Tarry recommended renewing discussion of the Aquatics Center after the Funding Advisory Committee has concluded their research.
At 6:40 p.m. the meeting adjourned.
/s/Allison Taylor, Deputy City Clerk
CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, January 14, 2019 Council Chambers - Shoreline City Hall
7:00 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT: Temporary Presiding Officer Scully, Councilmembers McGlashan, McConnell, Chang, and Roberts
ABSENT: Mayor Hall
1. CALL TO ORDER
At 7:00 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Temporary Presiding Officer Scully.
2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL
Temporary Presiding Officer Scully led the flag salute. Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present with the exception of Mayor Hall.
Councilmember McGlashan moved to excuse Mayor Hall for personal reasons. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Chang and passed unanimously, 5-0.
(a) Proclamation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Temporary Presiding Officer Scully read a proclamation declaring January 21, 2019 as Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the City of Shoreline. Stephanie Johnson-Toliver, J. Paul Blake, and Carol Peoples-Procter from the Black Heritage Society of Washington State accepted the proclamation. Ms. Johnson-Toliver said that 2019 marks the 33rd year that Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has been celebrated by the Nation with reflection, remembrance, cause, and a call to action. She said it is important to remember the legacies of those who fought, and still fight, for promised and protected rights. She shared that the Black Heritage Society aspires to expand the view of history and inspire a new generation of advocates.
David Francis, Public Art Coordinator, described the City’s upcoming Visual Art Exhibition, “Living the Dream, Dreaming the Life”, in partnership with the Black Heritage Society of Washington. He explained that the exhibition features work inspired by Edwin Pratt asked artists to draw inspiration from items from the Pratt Family Archive.
3. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER
Debbie Tarry, City Manager, provided reports and updates on various City meetings, projects and events.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
Councilmember McConnell said the recent SeaShore Transportation Forum meeting included an update from Washington State Department of Transportation. She offered that her main take-away was learning that adding more lane miles is not the solution to traffic congestion; instead more creative uses of public transportation are needed.
Councilmember McGlashan said he had attended the Elected Leadership Group meeting for Sound Transit. He reported that Sound Transit is still trying to reduce the scope of some projects and noted all involved cities are impacted in some way but the project that will affect Shoreline the most is the 145th Corridor project. He reported that the next step for the project revision is to go to the Sound Transit Board in preparation for moving to Phase Two. Councilmember McGlashan praised Staff’s work on recommendations to Sound Transit for traffic management solutions to alleviate congestion and pedestrian issues along the 145th Street Corridor and said it is his understanding that Sound Transit is continuing to evaluate the suggestions.
Councilmember Roberts said that he attended the Sound Cities Association Public Issues Committee meeting, and topics of discussion were the King County Parks Levy and the King County Charter Review Commission’s progress on proposal evaluation. He said that he and Councilmember McConnell attended the Multicultural Elected Officials meeting and learned about the upcoming first annual African American Male Wellness Walk.
Temporary Presiding Officer Scully reported that he participated in an All Home Advisory Board meeting. He said this Board is the Regional Advisory Body on homelessness issues, with a goal to create a central agency in King County to coordinate homelessness response.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
Robin McClelland, Shoreline resident, asked Council to consider adding dedicated space with a commercial kitchen for senior programs in the proposed community center, saying the space would enhance the lives of Shoreline’s seniors, who in turn add value to the civic life of the community.
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, 5-0, the following Consent Calendar items were approved:
(a) Approving Minutes of Regular Meeting of November 5, 2018
(b) Approving Expenses and Payroll as of December 28, 2018 in the Amount of $6,901,108.52
|
*Payroll and Benefits: |
||||||
|
Payroll Period |
Payment Date |
EFT Numbers (EF) |
Payroll Checks (PR) |
Benefit Checks (AP) |
Amount Paid |
|
|
11/4/18-11/17/18 |
11/23/2018 |
81625-81870 |
15998-16022 |
72376-72383 |
$854,904.12 |
|
|
11/18/18-12/1/18 |
12/7/2018 |
81871-82117 |
16023-16041 |
72492-72497 |
$677,842.51 |
|
|
12/2/18-12/15/18 |
12/21/2018 |
82118-82367 |
16042-16060 |
72626-72633 |
$865,407.91 |
|
|
$2,398,154.54 |
||||||
|
*Wire Transfers: |
||||||
|
Expense Register Dated |
Wire Transfer Number |
|
Amount Paid |
|||
|
11/26/2018 |
1140 |
$31,262.07 |
||||
|
12/26/2018 |
1141 |
$11,730.87 |
||||
|
$42,992.94 |
||||||
|
*Accounts Payable Claims: |
||||||
|
Expense Register Dated |
Check Number (Begin) |
Check Number (End) |
Amount Paid |
|||
|
11/27/2018 |
72300 |
72303 |
$525.00 |
|||
|
11/27/2018 |
72304 |
72312 |
$24,264.14 |
|||
|
11/27/2018 |
72313 |
72327 |
$1,098,310.66 |
|||
|
11/27/2018 |
72328 |
72332 |
$1,169.13 |
|||
|
11/27/2018 |
72333 |
72353 |
$288,943.02 |
|||
|
11/27/2018 |
72354 |
72375 |
$114,338.59 |
|||
|
12/5/2018 |
72384 |
72399 |
$348,722.15 |
|||
|
12/5/2018 |
72400 |
72414 |
$66,198.37 |
|||
|
12/5/2018 |
72415 |
72426 |
$2,656.24 |
|||
|
12/5/2018 |
72427 |
72439 |
$30,786.72 |
|||
|
12/5/2018 |
72440 |
72451 |
$118,410.21 |
|||
|
12/5/2018 |
72452 |
72458 |
$2,526.92 |
|||
|
12/13/2018 |
72459 |
72473 |
$126,786.90 |
|||
|
12/13/2018 |
72474 |
72476 |
$461.20 |
|||
|
12/13/2018 |
72477 |
72485 |
$59,118.59 |
|||
|
12/13/2018 |
72486 |
72490 |
$850.66 |
|||
|
12/13/2018 |
72491 |
72491 |
$7,042.36 |
|||
|
12/14/2018 |
72498 |
72499 |
$62,940.09 |
|||
|
12/19/2018 |
72456 |
72456 |
($77.25) |
|||
|
12/19/2018 |
72500 |
72521 |
$141,721.78 |
|||
|
12/19/2018 |
72522 |
72543 |
$102,853.44 |
|||
|
12/20/2018 |
72544 |
72551 |
$1,830.00 |
|||
|
12/20/2018 |
72552 |
72573 |
$48,267.58 |
|||
|
12/20/2018 |
72574 |
72594 |
$1,057,684.40 |
|||
|
12/20/2018 |
72595 |
72617 |
$171,129.60 |
|||
|
12/20/2018 |
72618 |
72624 |
$276,919.26 |
|||
|
12/20/2018 |
72625 |
72625 |
$3,694.53 |
|||
|
12/27/2018 |
72634 |
72649 |
$164,681.26 |
|||
|
12/27/2018 |
72650 |
72664 |
$53,938.73 |
|||
|
12/27/2018 |
72665 |
72669 |
$766.00 |
|||
|
12/27/2018 |
72670 |
72682 |
$51,766.13 |
|||
|
12/27/2018 |
72683 |
72695 |
$30,734.63 |
|||
|
$4,459,961.04 |
||||||
(c) Authorizing the City Manager to Obligate $3,616,471 in Washington State Transportation Improvement Board Grant Funding for the Westminster Way N and N 155th Street Intersection Improvement
(d) Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a Contract with KPFF Consulting Engineers in the Amount of $72,444 for the 160th and Greenwood/Innis Arden Intersection Project
(e) Authorizing the City Manager to Amend the Intergovernmental Agreement with the King Conservation District for Performance of Conservation Services Program
(f) Authorizing the City Manager to Purchase a Backhoe Loader in the Amount of $120,753.38
8. ACTION ITEM
Nate Daum, Economic Development Manager, delivered the staff presentation. Mr. Daum explained that authorizing the lease of the property will allow the 198th and Aurora Affordable Housing Project to move into the financing phase. He provided an overview of the timeline of the City’s research and progress on the project and its associated partnerships. He said the next step is for the potential lessee, Community Psychiatric Clinic, to apply for low-income tax credits, which, if obtained, will allow construction to begin in October 2019. Mr. Daum reviewed the lease terms, value of the property, and investment partnerships.
Councilmember McGlashan moved to authorize the City Manager to award option to lease City-owned parcels at 198th and Aurora to Community Psychiatric Clinic for the purposes of developing and operating affordable housing and supportive services. Councilmember Chang seconded the motion.
Councilmember McGlashan reflected that Council agreed the property will best be used to provide affordable and supportive housing, and said it is an exciting step for Shoreline.
The motion passed unanimously, 5-0.
9. STUDY ITEMS
(a) Discussing Ordinance No. 839 – Amending the Shoreline Municipal Code to Expand the Deep Green Incentive Program
Miranda Redinger, Senior Planner, provided the staff presentation. She began with recapping the history of the Climate Action Plan adopted in 2013 and the green building mandate adopted in 2015 for Mixed-Use Residential Zones, currently located only in Light Rail Station areas. She reminded Council of the details of the multi-tiered Deep Green Incentive Program adopted in 2017 and the Priority Recommendations to implement the Climate Action Plan for 2018-2020. She reviewed the discussion process of the green building mandate and the Deep Green Incentive Program and the subsequent recommendation to Council. She explained the certification options of Built Green, Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED), and Passive House. She displayed the proposed adjustments recommended by the Planning Commission to the Potential Deep Green Incentive Program.
Ms. Redinger explained the process behind the comparative analysis and the conversations held with market rate developers, green building certification agencies, and King County. She said the City used the Shoreline Apartments project, currently under construction following the 2015 Energy Code, as a baseline project, so comparisons were run with the certification options being explored. She said that both hard and soft costs were considered in the comparisons and reviewed the toolkit adjustments needed for each of the certifications and their priorities. She shared the environmental performance differences and the cost comparisons for the three options.
Ms. Redinger listed the Development Code sections requiring revision, emphasizing the main area identified for change as parking reductions. She explained the tiered parking reductions and the amendments that would be necessary to make the reductions cumulative. She shared examples from the different certifications based on the theoretical baseline development project and explained the strategies applied to create attractive incentives.
Ms. Redinger said in 2018 there were 168 Built Green Projects, which is testimony to how well the Mandate is working. She shared statistics on the positive environment impact of Built Green projects and reminded Council that the Ordinance would return for potential adoption on February 4, 2019.
Councilmember Chang said she liked the idea of expanding incentives versus continuing the mandate. She expressed concern over the extent of the parking reduction incentives being suggested and the neighborhood parking spillover it might create. She suggested adjusting the tiered parking reduction to smaller increments to lessen impact and said it might be prudent to create a parking management plan to protect neighboring areas. Councilmember Chang asked for the rationale for moving from performance measures to a modeling approach. She questioned if one of the reasons the City is getting such good results is because builders know they will be measured. If measurements are no longer required, she asked if there will still be an incentive to do quality work during construction. Ms. Redinger replied that the system of using performance measures versus modeling depends on the certification program being used. She clarified that the main difference is how long it takes to certify the project, which affects the permit processing timeline. She described the internal flowchart that tracks milestones of the process and said the City has established regulations around compliance with the minimum standards that allow appropriate time for performance evaluations.
Councilmember McGlashan said he supports the rationale behind the code amendments and agreed that incentives are preferable to mandates. He added that parking requirements must be well managed and said permitting Director discretion for judgement on requirements would be helpful. He agreed that a review of the tier structure might be prudent.
Councilmember Roberts said he also agrees with the Planning Commission recommendation, stating he feels there is a better chance of getting greener buildings with incentives than with the mandate. He said the City wants and needs green buildings, and he recognized that parking reductions are an appealing incentive. He reminded Council that Metro and Sound Transit have made commitments to increase the frequency of transit in the region, which may increase ridership.
Councilmember McConnell said she appreciates the balance of the very obtainable first tier parking reduction. She said she believes incentives are better than mandates, and that by definition, any green building will likely be an improvement over previous standards.
Councilmember Chang offered that new construction will likely be significantly different from existing buildings and reflected that current building code requirements are one level of improvements, and Light Rail Station Areas have additional requirements, so incentives become a third highest level of green building. Ms. Redinger responded that the change includes offering a lower, more accessible, tier of incentives. She confirmed that the Energy Code keeps getting more efficient, requiring agencies to also adjust their requirements, and said a green building program is a holistic approach to support many of Council’s environmental goals.
Councilmember Chang asked for the data that indicates affordable housing equates to fewer cars per unit. Ms. Redinger said that Affordable Housing Providers often tout how their populations tend to have a lower rate of car ownership. Mr. Daum offered that there is data that states that as income increases, car ownership goes up. He said that 20 percent of people in the lowest income bracket do not have cars, and that Western Washington is the only place in the United States where transit ridership has increased in the past few years.
Councilmember Roberts confirmed that although the terms are changing, the City is still requiring use of the Deep Green Incentive Program in the Light Rail Station Areas and remarked that green building would therefore be incentivized deeper within the Station Areas. Ms. Redinger expanded, saying potentially the program incentivizes greener building and more affordable housing by allowing incentive benefits to be cumulative.
Councilmember Chang suggested it would be wise to take more time to evaluate current incentive use, and asked why the City felt it was time to increase incentives, since the program is still new and development has not begun in the MUR 70’ areas around the stations. She expressed concern that reducing parking in new development may create resentment in these neighborhoods when the density increases. Ms. Redinger said the original Council goal was to get commercial buildings to be greener and Built Green 4-Star is an accessible way to encourage this change.
Ms. Redinger summarized that her understanding is that Council would like more data on rates of car ownerships, and to hear more assessment of parking reduction options as they consider the addition of a more obtainable tier of green building, as recommended by the Planning Commission. She reminded Council that both residential and commercial buildings would be able to take advantage of benefits of the Incentive Program.
Councilmember Chang asked how the parking issues that happened with Polaris would be avoided, and Ms. Redinger explained that parking is now required to be bundled with rent, which was not the case when Polaris opened, so residents were opting out of paying for parking in the apartment garage and instead took up all the street parking. She reminded Council that not all developers would want parking reductions, and that car ownership is decreasing with younger generations. Ms. Redinger reminded Council that the City’s carbon footprint from transportation had significantly decreased and that this Mandate has reduced building emissions. She stated the goal is to keep building on this success in a way that is palatable for established neighborhoods.
Councilmember McGlashan said he recommends that Staff move forward and present the Planning Commission recommendation for adoption, and that Council could make amendments from there, if needed. He said he feels that while Shoreline is still auto-dependent, as transportation options expand the City will see an increase in car sharing and car rental usage, and a decrease in ownership.
Temporary Presiding Officer Scully said he would like to consider options that are not purely parking-dependent. He continued that he worries that the City has not had problems yet because capacity still exceeds demand, but that will change quickly as multifamily housing is built. He said he recognizes that those adjustments are a major rework with a small toolbox. He asked for Staff to provide statistics on 60-100% Area Median Income car usage, saying he agrees with Councilmember Chang’s estimation that residents in that financial demographic are more car-dependent than those with higher incomes. Ms. Redinger reminded Council that the Incentive Program is a robust package apart from parking reductions, and that requiring parking does not conflict with certification. Temporary Presiding Officer Scully said that making the incentive changes less parking-dependent and non-cumulative or non-tiered, may be a good option.
Ms. Tarry asked for confirmation that Council would like the Ordinance as proposed to return to Council for adoption. Councilmember McConnell said that she agrees with Councilmember McGlashan’s suggestion to start with the Planning Commission recommendations, and revise from there. Councilmember Chang offered that she is not comfortable with the cumulative aspects of the parking, so therefore does not support the recommendation as it stands. Ms. Redinger responded that the emphasis of the Ordinance is in adding a fourth tier, and that parking reductions were a very small portion of it. Ms. Tarry asked if Council would like an amendment in the Staff Report to remove the cumulative parking reductions.
Councilmember Roberts said that he would support bringing the Planning Commission’s recommendation back to Council but thinks perhaps it would be appropriate to postpone action on the adoption until the full Council, including new Councilmember, could be amply prepared for the discussion.
Temporary Presiding Officer Scully said he shares Councilmember Chang’s concerns with the cumulative parking incentive and that he would not be able to support the Planning Commission’s recommendation as written. The Council agreed with Councilmember Roberts’ suggestion to postpone discussion to allow Staff time to research alternatives to cumulative parking reductions and to give the new Councilmember time to become familiar with the topic. Ms. Tarry said it is not a time-critical topic and it would be possible to move to March as an Action Item to meet these needs.
(b) Discussing Resolution No. 433 - Revising the Employee Handbook
John Norris, Assistant City Manager, delivered the staff presentation. He shared that the City’s new Human Resources Director, Don Moritz, started work today and may bring additional revisions to Council later in the year. He summarized that all of the updates relate to the consolidation of the Code Enforcement and Customer Response Team and said that the existing Standby and Callback Policies were not sustainable. He stated that the updated Standby and Callback Policy, as adopted by the City Manager, expands the number of employees assigned to the standby/callback rotation, adds an answering service, and transitions from pagers to cell phones for Standby employees. He displayed the changes, which add a definition to “fit for duty”, update standby procedures, and increase minimum callback hours from two to three. He reminded Council that this Resolution will be brought back to Council for adoption on January 28, 2019.
Councilmember Roberts commented that this is a good policy and asked how the time requirements for reporting for duty for Standby employees would be handled in a natural disaster. Mr. Norris replied that first responders would handle any true emergencies, and that the City’s Standby service is a proactive stance for more commonplace urgent situations. He said in a major emergency all staff would be called in to support the first responders. He explained that the increased window for arrival time is an acknowledgement that it may take up to 90 minutes transit time in response from a Standby employee. Councilmember Roberts pointed out a gender reference in the Policy, and Mr. Norris said he would update it for this section and schedule a global review to remove gender references in the Employee Handbook.
Councilmember McGlashan confirmed that the Standby and Callback responsibilities were outside of business hours and that the employee did not have to be physically at City Offices during the week-long Standby shift. Mr. Norris said that currently all employees assigned to the Standby team live close enough to be able to respond within an hour, but in future hiring the class specification for employees whose duties would include being on the Standby team would state that a job requirement is living less than 90 minutes away from City Hall.
10. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Litigation – RCW 42.30.110(1)(i)
At 8:40 p.m., Temporary Presiding Officer Scully recessed into Executive Session for a period of 30 minutes as authorized by RCW 42.30.110(l)(i) to discuss with legal counsel matters relating to agency enforcement actions, or litigation, and stated Council is not expected to take final action following the Executive Session. Staff attending the Executive Session included Debbie Tarry, City Manager; John Norris, Assistant City Manager; and Margaret King, City Attorney. At 9:09 p.m. Temporary Presiding Officer Scully emerged and announced a 15-minute extension to the Executive Session. The Executive Session ended at 9:25 p.m.
11. ADJOURNMENT
At 9:25 p.m., Temporary Presiding Officer Scully declared the meeting adjourned.
/s/Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk