CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, April 15, 2019 Council Chambers - Shoreline City Hall
7:00 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT: Mayor Hall, Deputy Mayor McConnell, Councilmembers McGlashan, Scully, Chang, Robertson, and Roberts
ABSENT: None.
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.
(a) Proclaiming Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Mayor Hall proclaimed the month of April as Sexual Assault Awareness month and recognized the importance of support and advocacy in the aftermath of trauma.
3. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER
Debbie Tarry, City Manager, provided reports and updates on various City meetings, projects and events.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
There were no Council reports.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
John McCoy, Shoreline resident, said he requests that Councilmember McGlashan recuse himself from voting on Amendment No. 1 because the Councilmember has been a recipient of campaign donations from Irons Brothers Construction.
Justin Sakounthong, Shoreline resident, said he opposes Amendment No. 1, the proposed rezone at 1510 and 1517 Northeast 170th Street, because he does not feel it is right to change the zoning in an entire neighborhood for the benefit of one person or business.
Allison Sakounthong, Shoreline resident, said she opposes the proposed rezone in her neighborhood at 1510 and 1517 Northeast 170th Street because the business has been violating the current code and not been penalized. She said she wants the neighborhood kept residential.
Kristi Rettmann, Shoreline resident, said she lives next door to one of the parcels proposed for rezoning on Northeast 170th Street. She thanked Councilmember Roberts for his proposed amendment, said she is strongly opposed to the rezone, and asked Council to vote no to Amendment No. 1.
Carter Case, Shoreline resident, spoke about the importance of proposed Amendment No. 2 to strengthen the City’s climate policy and urged Council to support the Amendment.
Annette Ademasu, Shoreline resident, said that the City has control over the sectors of building and transportation and shared recommendations for ways to make improvements.
Lee Keim, Shoreline resident, shared information on climate change and its health impacts. She said Amendment No. 2 is a critical step in committing Shoreline to stronger limits on global warming and asked that Council to approve it.
Yuna McCoy, Shoreline resident, said that safety and the wants and needs of the constituents of the neighborhood should be the focus of Council’s decision-making regarding the proposed rezone at 1510 and 1517 Northeast 170th Street.
Kaye Pethe, Lake Forest Park resident, said she is an active volunteer at the Senior Center, and thinks the Center is an asset to the community. She said she looks forward to working with Council to make sure that the Center continues to be supported.
Duana Kolouskova, Bellevue resident, spoke on behalf of Irons Brothers Construction. She said the decision regarding proposed Amendments No. 1 and 4 should be focused on determining whether it is a suitable action for the area. She reminded Council that The Growth Management Act charges them with thoroughly considering what is appropriate in an urban setting and encouraged the Council to add both Amendments to the Docket.
Dejah Leger, Shoreline resident, said she is an employee of Irons Brothers Construction. She listed the uses permitted by the existing zoning at 1510 and 1517 Northeast 170th Street and described the former uses of the properties. She said it is appropriate for the City to continue to evaluate the proposed rezoning and urged Council to consider all the elements of the proposal.
Melissa Irons, Shoreline resident and owner of 1510 and 1517 Northeast 170th Street, listed the names of those present who support Amendment No. 1. She asked Council to come to a resolution on the proposed Amendment that will serve all parties and said this will only be done by allowing it to move forward for further consideration.
Ginger Hayra Gunn, Shoreline resident, said she is in support of Amendment No. 2 and shared information on the impacts of global warming.
Joshua Tubbs, Shoreline resident, asked Council to adopt Amendment No. 1. He said allowing the application to be studied would help create a plan that would serve the interests of all parties.
Jennifer Underwood, Shoreline resident, said she is in support of Amendment No. 1.
Ray Underwood Jr., Shoreline resident, said he is in support of Amendment No. 1.
Mark Rettmann, Shoreline resident, said as part of the Save Shoreline Neighborhoods he is opposed to the rezone of 1510 and 1517 Northeast 170th Street. He said the group of over 200 members represents the community’s desire for the neighborhood zoning to be kept as it currently stands. He urged Council to reject Amendment No. 1 from the Final Comprehensive Plan Docket. He requested that Councilmember McGlashan recuse himself from voting on the proposal, citing conflict of interest.
Joseph Irons, Shoreline resident, spoke on behalf of Amendment No. 1, which was his private application for rezoning. He asked the City to heed the recommendation of the Planning Commission and continuing to study the application.
Theresa LaCroix, Shoreline resident, introduced herself as the new Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center Director and announced that their board is now a governing, rather than advisory, board. She spoke to the need for dedicated space for a Senior Center in the proposed Community and Aquatics Center.
Ginny Scantlebury, Shoreline resident and Senior Center board member, said the Seniors need, and will vote for, dedicated space in the proposed Community and Aquatics center for their multitude of activities.
John Cole, Shoreline resident, said his concern with proposed Amendment No. 1 is that the request will turn into a citywide solution, leading to encroachment of businesses in residential areas.
6. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
Upon motion by Deputy Mayor McConnell and seconded by Councilmember Chang and unanimously carried, 7-0, the following Consent Calendar items were approved:
(a) Approving Minutes of Workshop Dinner Meeting of March 25, 2019
8. ACTION ITEMS
(a) Adopting the 2019 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Docket
Councilmember McGlashan said that while he has received campaign contributions from Irons Brothers Construction, he does not let contributions sway his decision making. Margaret King, City Attorney, stated that Councilmember McGlashan has no legal obligation to recuse himself and said there is no legal conflict of interest in this legislative decision.
Councilmember Chang said she would be abstaining from the discussion and any voting on proposed Amendment No. 1 because of her personal connection with the applicant’s family.
Steve Szafran, Senior Planner, reviewed the process to date, and reminded Council that tonight they will be adopting the 2019 Comprehensive Plan Docket, which is a list of Comprehensive Plan Amendments that will be studied later this year. He reviewed the Planning Commission’s recommended 2019 Docket and summarized the potential amendments requested by Councilmembers. The Planning Commission recommendations to the 2019 Docket consisted of
Recommended Amendment No. 1, rezoning the parcels at 1510 and 1517 NE 170th Street and Recommended Amendment No. 2, clarifying the intent to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The Council-proposed Amendments consisted of removing the Recommended Amendment No. 1, adding Council-proposed Amendment No. 3 regarding the Fircrest Surplus property, and adding Council-proposed Amendment No. 4, allowing offices in Medium Density Residential and conditionally in the R-8 Zone. He stated that Staff recommends adoption of the Planning Commission’s recommendation with the addition of Council-proposed Amendment No. 3.
Councilmember Roberts moved adoption of the 2019 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Docket as recommended by the Planning Commission. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Scully.
Councilmember Robertson moved to amend the main motion to exclude Amendment No. 1 from the Docket. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Scully.
Councilmember Robertson said that Community Business Zones have no place next to Single Family Zones and elaborated that a rezone is a permanent change that would outlive any of the current uses on the property. She said responsible planning includes maintaining appropriate buffers to respect the needs and uses of everyone involved. A study will not change her belief that this zoning request should not be approved.
Councilmember Scully emphasized that the Council is constrained by what they can consider in this decision, and that the decision would be made based on the facts in the Development Code and criteria in the Comprehensive Plan policies. He said his view will not change with additional consideration and he urged Council to remove the Amendment No. 1 from the Docket.
Mayor Hall said he believes the proposed rezone deserves further study. He said the City’s Ten-Year Financial Stability Plan recognizes the importance for the City to diversify the revenue base. He pointed out the low retail and commercial property vacancy rates and said he understands the advantages to increasing the potential commercial tax base.
Deputy Mayor McConnell stated that Council should authorize staff and the Planning Commission to further research the rezone. She said the debate over it has become emotionally charged and reminded the community to treat each other with civility.
The motion on the amendment failed 2-4, with Councilmembers Robertson and Scully voting in favor, and Councilmember Chang abstaining.
Councilmember Roberts moved to amend the main motion by adding Council-proposed Amendment No. 4 to the Docket. The motion was seconded by Councilmember McGlashan.
Councilmember Roberts said that there may be a compromise that would alleviate concerns of the neighborhood while supporting businesses who have grown beyond being a home-based business and seek to be located in R-8 or R-12 zones. He explained that this amendment would potentially allow for a business with a conditional use permit to locate in an R-8 or R-12 zone.
Councilmember Scully said making a citywide change as a political compromise cuts out process safeguards that are in place.
Councilmember McGlashan said he will support the amendment because it is a compromise worthy of consideration. He said he has observed a gradual change in the makeup of 15th Avenue Northeast and said the concept of tiered designations may need to be revisited to increase business access in more areas.
Councilmember Robertson said she will support this amendment and stated that she is concerned with scope creep as the result of one-off decisions permanently modifying 15th Avenue Northeast. Councilmember Scully disagreed with the idea that there had been unintentional scope creep and asserted that he sees the neighborhood along 15th Avenue Northeast changing in accordance with current zoning.
Deputy Mayor McConnell said she supports the amendment and commented that she is aware of the changes in North City neighborhoods and said it is something Council needs to pay attention to.
Mayor Hall said he supports additional research on this issue. He stated that regionally residents are frustrated with long commutes, so cities are looking for ways to create opportunities for businesses to locate in residential zones when compatible. He said he sees a connection with these efforts and Recommended Amendment No. 2 to support efforts to limit global warming.
The motion to amend the main motion by adding Amendment No. 4 to the Docket passed 5-1, with Councilmember Scully voting no and Councilmember Chang abstaining.
Councilmember Scully moved to amend the main motion by including the Council-proposed Amendment No. 3 to the Final Comprehensive Plan Docket. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Robertson.
All Councilmembers with the exception of Councilmember Roberts said they support this Amendment.
Councilmember Scully said this amendment would enable the City to work with the State on a potential change to the Fircrest Campus property. He said proactive work is the best way to carefully study and influence the State’s proposals. He recognized the concern that the study request came from the State Legislative Delegation and that the official landowner has not yet taken action on changes to the property.
Councilmember Roberts said he will vote against the amendment for procedural reasons. He explained that it does not make sense for staff to spend any money or do any work on this process until the State tells the City what portion of the property is being divided.
Councilmember McGlashan said he feels something will happen with the property and agreed that the City needs to be prepared to act immediately if the State decides to move forward.
Councilmember Chang confirmed that no money would be spent on this project until the State communicates definitive information. Ms. Tarry replied that the City has communicated to the Legislature that the State needs to subdivide the parcels before the City will begin study on the project.
Deputy Mayor McConnell said there is a lot of Legislative support for this project and that she agrees that money should not be spent too early on this study.
Mayor Hall explained that the Fircrest property land being discussed is not part of the Residential Habilitation Center (RHC) and the property being surplused would not affect the RHC. He pointed out that there is a regional housing crisis and it is important to find a way to create additional housing for a mix of income levels. He said he prefers partnering with the State and is hopeful a portion of the land can be designated for open space and an off-leash dog park.
The motion to modify the main motion by including the Council-proposed Amendment No. 3 to the Final 2019 Comprehensive Plan Docket passed 6-1, with Councilmember Roberts voting no.
It was stated that the Council unanimously supports Amendment No. 2, so it was not brought up for discussion.
The main motion as amended passed unanimously, 7-0.
9. ADJOURNMENT
At 8:19 p.m., Mayor Hall declared the meeting adjourned.
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Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk