CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, March 16, 2020 Council Chambers - Shoreline City Hall
7:00 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT: Mayor Hall, Deputy Mayor Scully, Councilmembers McConnell, McGlashan, 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. Councilmembers McGlashan, McConnell, and Roberts participated via videoconference.
On behalf of the City, Mayor Hall conveyed condolences to those who have lost family members due to COVID-19 and wished a full recovery to those who are ill. Gratitude was expressed for the healthcare workers and first responders. Mayor Hall said it is important to stay informed in this rapidly changing situation and shared resources to do so. He urged everyone to help slow the spread of the virus and emphasized the importance of social distancing. He concluded by outlining the adjustments put in place for Council meetings.
3. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER
Debbie Tarry, City Manager, provided reports and updates on the City’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including information on Recreation program registration changes, facility closures, event cancellations, and the COVID-19 recovery location being built in Shoreline.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
Deputy Mayor Scully said he and several other Councilmembers attended the National League of Cities (NLC) convention in Washington, DC. He said they met with senior staff from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and had the opportunity to relay concerns about aircraft noise. He shared the FAA’s response to the issue.
Councilmember Roberts said at the NLC convention he participated in the Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee work and attended several Race, Equity, and Leadership Council events as well as a panel on legal issues faced by those experiencing homelessness.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
Julien Loh, Local Government Affairs Manager for Puget Sound Energy (PSE), shared details through remote participation on how PSE is supporting customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kathleen Russell, Shoreline resident and member of Save Shoreline Trees, through remote participation spoke on behalf of the 133 trees at risk as part of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) project. She encouraged WSDOT and the City to consider a gravel or asphalt sidewalk for Dayton Avenue North to protect the trees on that stretch, and asked the Council to encourage the implementation of options to save the trees. When asked for a status update, Ms. Tarry said based on adjustments made to the WSDOT plan design, the number of trees anticipated to be removed on Dayton Avenue has been reduced to four.
6. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
Upon motion by Councilmember Scully and seconded by Councilmember Chang and unanimously carried, 7-0, the following Consent Calendar items were approved:
(a) Approving Minutes of Regular Meeting of January 27, 2020
Approving Minutes of Workshop Dinner Meeting of February 24, 2020
(b) Adopting Ordinance No. 875 - Vacation of a Portion of the Rights-of-Way on 7th Avenue NE
(c) Adopting Resolution No. 453 - Intergovernmental Transfer of Property at 7th Avenue NE and NE 185th Street to Sound Transit for the Purpose of Light Rail Station and System Construction
(d) Adoption of Resolution No. 454 - Ratifying the City Manager's Local Declaration of Public Health Emergency in Response to COVID-19
(e) Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Professional Services Contract with Landau Associates, Inc. in the Amount of $63,200 to Provide Noise Mitigation Construction Services for the Lynnwood Link Light Rail Extension Project
(f) Authorizing the City Manager to Execute the Washington State Department of Transportation Release of Deed Restriction and City Covenant to Obtain Fair Market Value or Equivalent Land for Road Purposes
(g) Authorizing the City Manager to Enter Into the Second Wastewater Utility Operating Services Agreement Between the City of Shoreline and Ronald Wastewater District
8. ACTION ITEMS
(a) Adopting the 2020 Comprehensive Plan Docket
Rachael Markle, Planning and Community Development Director, delivered the staff presentation. She explained that this Comprehensive Plan Docket is a list of proposed amendments collected during 2019, and tonight Council will direct staff as to which proposed items should be studied in 2020. She reviewed the three proposed amendments: Amendment 1 (City sponsored), modifying Table 6.6 of the PROS Plan to acquire park and open space; Amendment 2 (City sponsored), amending the Point Wells Subarea Plan to be consistent with the Interlocal Agreement with the Town of Woodway; and Amendment 3 (privately sponsored), amending the Land Use Element to require commercial uses in the City’s commercial and mixed-use zones. She stated that after discussion, some Councilmembers were concerned that adding proposed Amendment 3 to the Docket would cause unnecessary delays in implementing a commercial use requirement in these zones.
Ms. Markle continued that it was suggested that Amendment 3 may not be needed since the current Comprehensive Plan already has the policies to support moving forward with requiring commercial uses in the City’s commercial and mixed-use zones. She elaborated that if Council chooses to remove Amendment 3 from the Docket and direct staff to begin working on implementing Development Code amendments, staff has suggested a two-phase approach. She described Phase One as focusing on Development Code amendments in the North City and Ridgecrest neighborhoods. Staff believes these amendments can be drafted and brought forward for adoption in six months for North City, and an additional month to include Ridgecrest. This timeframe would include drafting the code language, preparing the required public noticing, outreach efforts, environmental review, going to Planning Commission for study and Public Hearing, then returning to Council for discussion and adoption. She outlined the suggested Phase Two, which would include areas that are not in Phase One; including Shoreline Place, the 145th and 185th Street Station Subareas, and Richmond Beach. She provided amendment language if Council elected to proceed with this option, and staff could begin implementing these goals and policies as early as this year.
Ms. Markle stated that the Planning Commission recommended including all three Amendments on the Final 2020 Docket and staff recommends including Amendments 1 and 2 on the Final 2020 Docket.
Deputy Mayor Scully moved to adopt a Final 2020 Comprehensive Plan Docket including all three amendments. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Chang.
Deputy Mayor Scully clarified that he included all three amendments to open discussion.
Councilmember Chang said she likes the idea of acting quickly with amendments to development code regulations. She asked what the process and timeframe would be for Phase 2 of the approach outlined by staff. Ms. Markle stated that the process could begin with a discussion on priorities. She said the timeline would depend on the areas identified, since the research and solutions will be unique for each area and she estimated six to seven months per area.
Mayor Hall recalled there is broad consensus among Councilmembers that a requirement for ground floor commercial should be piloted in the areas where the community strongly supports it. He said other areas may have stakeholders with other views. Mayor Hall suggested a minor adjustment to the proposed amendment language, should the motion be made to direct staff to review the development regulations.
Mayor Hall commended the members of the public who brought forward and supported proposed Amendment 3 and said he prefers the pilot approach proposed by staff.
Councilmember McGlashan moved to remove Amendment 3 from the proposed 2020 Final Comprehensive Plan Docket. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Chang.
Councilmember McGlashan said going through the Development Code revision process would be more efficient, and Deputy Mayor Scully voiced agreement.
When audio interference was noted during part of the staff presentation, Ms. Markle clarified that the effect of removing proposed Amendment 3 would be that staff, if directed, would immediately begin working on proposing code amendments to put a requirement for ground floor commercial in place.
Deputy Mayor Scully said he supports this amendment conditioned on the additional amendment he anticipates being forthcoming. He reflected on the original intent of the current requirements, which have not brought the mixed-uses that were hoped for.
Councilmember Robertson echoed the general thanks for the member of the community who brought the proposed amendment forward and recognized that the intention of the request is visible in the phased approach Council is considering.
The motion passed unanimously, 7-0.
Councilmember Chang moved to direct staff to review the City’s Development Regulations to explore the creation of ground floor commercial requirements and incentives within the non-residential zones and mixed-use residential zones located in the North City and Ridgecrest areas. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Robertson.
Councilmember Chang thanked Mr. Atkinson for his work bringing this change forward and said she is excited to begin the work on this pilot project and to identify additional priority areas.
The motion passed unanimously, 7-0.
Councilmember Roberts said it is good to be moving forward on this and while he supports the amendments to the Final 2020 Comprehensive Plan Docket, he feels the review of commercial zones should take priority over the two Docket items. Mayor Hall agreed with Councilmember Roberts as far as the priority and added that he is optimistic that the two Docket items will move forward without delaying work on the pilot project and asked staff for updates on progress.
The main motion as amended passed unanimously, 7-0
9. STUDY ITEMS
(a) Discussion of Evaluating Undergrounding Overhead Utilities for a Variety of Capital Projects and Confirmation of Potential Undergrounding on All or a Portion of the 145th Street Corridor Improvement Project Between Aurora Avenue and Interstate-5
Randy Witt, Public Works Director, delivered the staff presentation. He displayed a picture of the 145th Street corridor and described the overhead cables visible. He provided background on the City’s undergrounding policies, and summarized that staff is encouraged to consider undergrounding whenever physically and financially feasible. He said there is good general guidance on undergrounding in the Shoreline Municipal Code (SMC), but there is not direction on when to underground. He reviewed the Seattle City Light (SCL) Franchise undergrounding policies and noted the costs of undergrounding were worked back into utility bills. He recapped previous undergrounding projects and the associated surcharges.
Mr. Witt listed the following evaluation criteria and shared the rationale for the staff recommendations for consideration:
· Does the project meet City Code requirements?
· Is the project eligible for use of the SCL franchise undergrounding section?
· Is the project of sufficient size to warrant undergrounding?
· What is the estimated cost to Shoreline residents to underground the overhead utilities?
· Does undergrounding support redevelopment?
· Are there other reasons that support, or preclude, undergrounding on a project?
Mr. Witt shared the details of an evaluation of 145th Street, including the significant features to consider when considering undergrounding. He reviewed the two phases for the 145th Street Corridor and reminded Council that 145th Street and the existing overhead utilities are not within the City limits, and, therefore, are not eligible for funding through the SCL Franchise Undergrounding Agreement. Mr. Witt displayed a map of the 145th Street segments and outlined the phasing stage and land use patterns for each segment. He highlighted a color-coded table depicting the undergrounding criteria as applied specifically to the 145th Street Corridor and shared staff’s assessment of how well the project meets each aspect of the criteria. He stated that the overall takeaways are that the project meets the overall City requirements but is not eligible to use the City’s SCL Franchise, so the cost would need to be covered by the City. He noted that the electrical power lines are on the south side of the street and any undergrounding of the overhead power would benefit development on the Seattle side, not the Shoreline side. Undergrounding the cable and telecommunications lines on the north side would better facilitate use of the sidewalk and amenity zones and there is possibility for cost sharing for these expenses. He said the east and west gateway segments of the corridor receive the strongest support for undergrounding.
Mr. Witt stated that, based on the estimated cost to SCL ratepayers for undergrounding, staff does not recommend undergrounding the electrical power lines along the corridor; however, staff does recommend undergrounding the overhead telecommunication lines and other utilities on the north side of the street in identified Phases 1 and 2 if negotiations with utilities and property owners reduce city costs. He asked for Council recommendation on whether staff should continue to utilize the evaluation criteria presented today for future study sessions. Mr. Witt said the guidelines, would become part of the Development Manual, but the intent is that staff would use them as a tool in capital project design as projects arise that meet the thresholds for undergrounding as stated in the SMC prior to Council discussion and action.
Councilmember Robertson said the criteria looked good to her. She confirmed that Shoreline has been in conversation with Seattle regarding the 145th Street Corridor project. Mr. Witt added that Seattle has said they would allow Shoreline to make improvements on the south side of the street but they would not financially support the project. Councilmember Robertson asked if both Seattle and Shoreline residents were served by the utilities on the north side of the street and Mr. Witt replied yes.
Councilmember McGlashan said he likes the criteria but suggested moving the MUR-45 zones on arterials into the stronger category for qualifying for undergrounding. He said he is disappointed that Seattle does not want to make a financial commitment to the project, and asked what, if any, improvements are planned by Shoreline for the south side of the road. Mr. Witt said there will be some signal and ADA improvements on the south side.
Councilmember Roberts asked for clarification of the example Mr. Witt gave of the surcharges that would be reflected on the SCL bill. Mr. Witt said that while the surcharge is not applicable for the 145th Street project, the example was meant to be illustrative of how the City would calculate and show the electrical surcharge in future projects.
Councilmember Roberts commented that undergrounding is a good idea. However, he said it is unfortunate that the City of Seattle is requiring Shoreline residents to pay for undergrounding projects. He said until there is fairness as to which ratepayers are paying for projects, he cannot support moving forward with undergrounding.
Councilmember Chang asked where the money would come from for undergrounding. Mr. Witt replied it would be part of the overall project costs and added that the City would work with developers and utility companies to try to share the costs.
Mayor Hall said he understands that undergrounding is not practical to do site-by-site, but asked if the City would be able to require undergrounding as a frontage improvement for a large development. Mr. Witt said there is a possibility for this in the MUR-70 zone, and that developers sometimes have their own interests in undergrounding. Mayor Hall asked if latecomer cost sharing agreements could be established to ensure the City could recoup some of the costs from future development. Mr. Witt said there has been conversation about how to do this. Councilmember Chang expressed support for this idea.
Mayor Hall agreed that Shoreline ratepayers and taxpayers should not pay to underground power lines on the Seattle side of 145th Street. He said he does see value in undergrounding on the north side of the street, but he is on the fence with undergrounding on 145th Street because of the expense. He said he likes the criteria and said it would be helpful to know cost per street length when evaluating projects.
Councilmember Chang asked when Shoreline last spoke with Seattle and wondered if things have changed since the new Light Rail Station at 130th has been approved. Mayor Hall said after conversation with Seattle City Councilmember Debora Juarez, his understanding is that she recommended taking up the conversation with the Mayor’s office, and Shoreline staff have been in contact with Seattle staff.
Deputy Mayor Scully said he likes the criteria chart because it helps focus the discussion while still giving staff and Council flexibility in weighting the criteria. He said he is in favor of undergrounding on the north side of the street, since the benefit may encourage the desired development, which could ultimately end up repaying some of the investment.
Councilmember McConnell said she likes the visual change of undergrounding but does not like Seattle’s lack of participation in this project. She says she supports undergrounding as recommended by staff.
Mayor Hall asked how a new building would get power on the north side of the street. Mr. Witt said the City would trench in conduits as part of the project in anticipation of future development.
Mayor Hall summarized that a majority of Councilmembers are in favor of undergrounding; there is support for funding the project through Latecomer Agreements; staff should continue to work with Seattle for funding; and Council should consider changing the criteria to indicate the MUR-45 zones as a high priority.
10. ADJOURNMENT
At 8:39 p.m., Mayor Hall declared the meeting adjourned.
/s/Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk