CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, June 8, 2020 Held Remotely via Zoom
7:00 p.m.
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. ROLL CALL
Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present.
3. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER
Debbie Tarry, City Manager, shared a report on the peaceful protest in Shoreline honoring Black lives lost. She addressed questions posed in recent inquiries on police reform and reviewed some policies that exist in the Police Department’s General Orders Manual. In addition to a COVID-19 update, Ms. Tarry provided a report on the opening of the Shoreline Farmers’ Market.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
There were no Council reports.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
Michael Eisenberg, Shoreline resident, asked the City to add a portion of a block in Richmond Beach to the grounds maintenance services schedule. He said it does not seem proper or fair to expect a property owner to maintain a drainage ditch.
6. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
Upon motion by Deputy Mayor Scully and seconded by Councilmember McGlashan and unanimously carried, 7-0, the following Consent Calendar items were approved:
(a) Approving Minutes of Regular Meeting of March 30, 2020
(b) Approving Expenses and Payroll as of May 22, 2020 in the Amount of $4,155,119.55
|
*Payroll and Benefits: |
||||||
|
Payroll Period |
Payment Date |
EFT Numbers (EF) |
Payroll Checks (PR) |
Benefit Checks (AP) |
Amount Paid |
|
|
Test EFT-not issued |
91131 |
$0.00 |
||||
|
4/5/20-4/18/20 |
4/24/2020 |
91132-91330 |
16994 |
78945-78952 |
$972,363.45 |
|
|
4/19/20-5/2/20 |
5/8/2020 |
91331-91528 |
16995 |
79129-79134 |
$763,318.13 |
|
|
Q1 2020 L&I |
4/28/2020 |
78953 |
$43,748.22 |
|||
|
Q1 2020 ESD |
4/28/2020 |
78954 |
$18,250.51 |
|||
|
$1,797,680.31 |
||||||
|
*Wire Transfers: |
||||||
|
Expense Register Dated |
Wire Transfer Number |
|
Amount Paid |
|||
|
4/27/2020 |
1160 |
$7,341.46 |
||||
|
$7,341.46 |
||||||
|
*Accounts Payable Claims: |
||||||
|
Expense Register Dated |
Check Number (Begin) |
Check Number (End) |
Amount Paid |
|||
|
4/26/2020 |
78649 |
78660 |
$580.62 |
|||
|
4/26/2020 |
78661 |
78684 |
$1,210.27 |
|||
|
4/26/2020 |
78685 |
78709 |
$929.62 |
|||
|
4/26/2020 |
78710 |
78740 |
$1,333.07 |
|||
|
4/26/2020 |
78741 |
78761 |
$831.82 |
|||
|
4/26/2020 |
78762 |
78791 |
$1,177.85 |
|||
|
4/26/2020 |
78792 |
78827 |
$1,822.93 |
|||
|
4/26/2020 |
78828 |
78851 |
$1,043.86 |
|||
|
4/26/2020 |
78852 |
78895 |
$1,747.89 |
|||
|
4/26/2020 |
78896 |
78896 |
$5,000.00 |
|||
|
4/28/2020 |
78897 |
78918 |
$755,342.08 |
|||
|
4/28/2020 |
78919 |
78926 |
$36,628.20 |
|||
|
4/28/2020 |
78927 |
78944 |
$356,719.71 |
|||
|
5/5/2020 |
78955 |
78967 |
$104,200.54 |
|||
|
5/5/2020 |
78968 |
78971 |
$2,566.87 |
|||
|
5/5/2020 |
78972 |
78979 |
$61,668.25 |
|||
|
5/7/2020 |
78345 |
78345 |
($5,000.00) |
|||
|
5/7/2020 |
78980 |
78980 |
$5,000.00 |
|||
|
5/12/2020 |
78981 |
78995 |
$43,777.81 |
|||
|
5/12/2020 |
78996 |
79025 |
$5,223.78 |
|||
|
5/12/2020 |
79026 |
79055 |
$5,404.75 |
|||
|
5/12/2020 |
79056 |
79079 |
$27,425.50 |
|||
|
5/12/2020 |
79080 |
78083 |
$54,690.79 |
|||
|
5/12/2020 |
78084 |
79092 |
$827.31 |
|||
|
5/12/2020 |
79093 |
79094 |
$40,321.51 |
|||
|
5/12/2020 |
79095 |
79111 |
$358,932.89 |
|||
|
5/12/2020 |
79112 |
79128 |
$39,340.29 |
|||
|
5/19/2020 |
79135 |
79149 |
$275,216.93 |
|||
|
5/19/2020 |
79150 |
79158 |
$158,216.93 |
|||
|
5/19/2020 |
79159 |
79164 |
$7,915.71 |
|||
|
$2,350,097.78 |
||||||
(c) Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Five-Year Garden Service Agreement Between the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden Foundation and the City of Shoreline
8. ACTION ITEMS
(a) Adopting Public Emergency Resolution No. 460 - Establishing a Program Funding and Implementation Plan for the City’s CARES Act Relief Funds and Approving the $1,691,100 Agreement with the Washington State Department of Commerce
John Norris, Assistant City Manager, delivered the staff presentation, and said team members Nate Daum, Economic Development Program Manager; Colleen Kelly, Community Services Manager; and Bethany Wolbrecht-Dunn, Grants Manager, were available for questions. Mr. Norris shared background of the COVID response relief funding created by the Federal CARES Act and said it is a requirement for Shoreline to enter into an Interagency Agreement with the Department of Commerce to receive the funds, and must spend its allocation by October 31, 2020.
Mr. Norris described the recommended program funding and implementation plan, which encompasses direct COVID-response needs, the Small Business support program, and the Human Services support program. He said $981,000 is reserved for covering costs of City COVID-19 expenses and shared examples of qualified expenditures, which he said are being carefully tracked. Mr. Norris reviewed the Small Business Support Program funding from the City-administered grant fund, the King County funding, and the proposed $410,000 allocation of CARES Act Relief funds and gave an overview of the grant application and award process. He shared the eligibility and evaluation criteria and described the qualifying business expenses. Mr. Norris outlined the next steps if Council approves Public Emergency Resolution No. 460, from issuance of the press release about the program and culminating in grant award checks mailing in mid-July. He said the Human Services Support program consists of $300,000 allocated toward a food support program and would also include funds for reimbursing agency partners for unplanned expenses related to COVID-19.
Mr. Norris clarified that this Resolution provides a general funding program for consideration, and the resources can be shifted dependent on need. He described the proposed action for tonight, consisting of a public comment period, adoption of the Resolution, and authorizing the City Manager to enter into an interagency agreement with the Washington State Department of Commerce for Coronavirus Relief Funds.
Mayor Hall opened the Public Comment period. Seeing none, he closed the Public Comment period.
Councilmember McGlashan moved to adopt Public Emergency Resolution No. 460 as presented by staff. The motion was seconded by Councilmember McConnell.
Councilmembers McGlashan, Chang, and Robertson expressed support for the Resolution.
Councilmember McGlashan thanked Councilmember Roberts for helping clarify portions of the food support program funding. He said at this point he prioritizes providing support to brick and mortar businesses, since they are more likely to be at risk of going out of business.
Councilmember Chang asked why the food voucher program is specifically with Safeway, and Ms. Kelly replied that since Safeway already had a food voucher system in place with the City of Seattle, it was simple to follow the modeling of the existing program, which met the goals of program of establishing parameters of qualified expenditures and getting vouchers out quickly. She said that the only restricted items are alcohol, tobacco, and lottery tickets, and described the mechanics of redeeming the vouchers.
Councilmember Chang asked if franchises were eligible for the small business support. Mr. Norris said they are eligible to apply but per the evaluation criteria, more weight would be given to an independent business than to a franchise. Councilmember Chang said it is important to support Shoreline businesses that are draws for residents and other businesses.
Councilmember Robertson said she appreciates that the evaluation criteria recognizes historically marginalized businesses. She said it is important that historical institutional racism is called out in official documents like this in order to be acknowledged and addressed. She asked for details on the planned outreach to businesses, specifically to minority-owned businesses that may have language or connectivity issues. Mr. Daum said staff focused on this aspect as the program was being put together. He said since the beginning of the shutdown there has been outreach to businesses through phone calls, email notifications, and printed mail. He said he has spoken with many business owners for whom English is a second language and the City’s translation service is available when needed. He said there has been a focus on getting more subscribers into the e-notification system because it is a good way to get information out and that staff have specifically targeted securing email addresses for food and dining establishments to increase communications, since those businesses are significantly impacted, and outreach will continue to ensure access. Councilmember Robertson asked that Council be provided with a list of businesses in Shoreline that are owned by historically marginalized or underrepresented groups.
Councilmember McConnell said she agrees that the City Manager, rather than Council, should give final approval of the grants. She emphasized the importance of getting information about the available grants out to businesses that have lower connection and communication skills and that she hopes staff will make every effort to connect with them, especially in light of the compressed timeline for application. She said food vouchers are a good solution, but said she is concerned that some families may need support beyond what the vouchers offer. She thanked staff for supporting the Senior Center’s food delivery program.
Councilmember McGlashan asked what the rationale was for establishing July 2019 as the start of business date in the eligibility criteria for the small business grants. Mr. Norris said the reasoning was that if a business had just opened, they would not have been as significantly impacted by the pandemic, so the July 2019 date was a compromise and felt reasonable. Mr. Daum said the grant is intended to be a relief for existing businesses, and the City took into consideration what other neighboring cities’ criteria are and stayed within that range. He added that it is important to stay within the mainstream of what other communities are doing since the goal is to implement quickly and with great care from a legal perspective.
The motion was approved unanimously, 7-0.
9. STUDY ITEMS
(a) Discussing the Planning Commission Workplan
Rachel Markle, Planning and Community Development Director, said this joint discussion is an opportunity to review accomplishments, plan upcoming work items, and target future areas of interest. Steve Szafran, Senior Planner, reviewed the 2019 Planning and Community Development permit activity for 2019 and shared examples of some current apartment building projects. He listed the Council-directed projects and described the COVID-19 related workplan delays.
Laura Mork, Planning Commission Chair, described the Planning Commission’s accomplishments in 2019. Chair Mork said the Planning Commission is looking forward to working on the Housing Action Plan, Ground-floor Commercial Development Code Amendments, 2020 Batch of Development Code Amendments, and Floodplain Amendments. She said that the extra time at home and out and about in their neighborhoods during the pandemic inspired the Commission’s interest in planning for enhanced walkability. Chair Mork said in addition to formulating recommendations for enhanced walkability, the Planning Commission would like to work on neighborhood design planning to enhance the character of each neighborhood, and to have diversity and inclusion training to support their work.
Prior to the start of the discussion each Commissioner introduced themself and shared pertinent information about their skills, interests, and involvement in the community. The Planning Commission members are Laura Mork, Chair; Jack Malek, Vice Chair; and Commissioners Janelle Callahan, Andy Galuska, Mei-shiou Lin, Julius Rwamashongye, and Pam Sager.
Mayor Hall thanked the Planning Commission for the work they have done and said he looks forward to seeing the Commissioners in person. He reflected the updated Vision for the City, adopted in 2009 as Vision 2029, which is beginning to be visible. He commented on the large apartment buildings being built on Aurora and said some members of the public have expressed surprise at the changes in Shoreline. He said he appreciates the Commission’s interest in increasing walkability and said the Council shares their concern and gave examples of work being done toward that goal.
Councilmember Roberts suggested that instead of treating the walkability enhancements as a new project, the Commission consider a review of the pros and cons of combining additional elements incorporating walkability into existing designs. Mayor Hall observed that the current workplan projects would likely take priority over new projects. Ms. Markle listed areas in which walkability review could be incorporated into the planning process. Deputy Mayor Scully encouraged the Planning Commission to have those sort of focused discussions as they are able. He said deep dives on specific topics are very valuable.
Councilmember Robertson thanked the Planning Commission for the volunteer hours they give to serve the community. She said when she looks at their workplan she sees a lot of important tasks ahead of them, and she looks forward to hearing the results of conversations about ground floor commercial requirements, walkability, and neighborhood design plans.
Councilmember Chang added that she is excited to hear Planning Commission reports on ground floor commercial requirements, especially in the Ridgecrest and North City neighborhoods; and on the Housing Action Plan.
Councilmember McConnell welcomed the new members to the Commission and thanked them for their commitment. She said she is impressed with the diversity of backgrounds the new Commissioners bring to the group. She said this breadth of experience will be helpful in City planning.
Councilmember McGlashan welcomed the new members and said Chair Mork and Vice Chair Malek are great leaders. He recognized the workload of the Commission and said he is particularly interested in the Housing Action Plan work.
Mayor Hall addressed the upcoming development code amendments to allow Professional Office uses in R-8 and R-12 zones, and said the City Council carefully listened to and reviewed all the work the Planning Commission did on the Comprehensive Plan Docket last year. He acknowledged that although the Council took a different direction than the Planning Commission recommended, the work the Planning Commission did was appreciated. He explained that the policy decision was made to promote businesses and mixed-use areas, making the City more walkable. He said this policy direction bookends the work the Planning Commission will be doing on code amendments. He offered that the Council has been working hard to increase walkability and create thriving development in the station areas while at the same time preserving open space and access to natural beauty.
Commissioner Mork said the Commission appreciates the input from Council, saying the insight allows them to better focus their thoughts as they do their work. Mayor Hall said he looks forward to having an in person meeting in the future and reiterated the Council’s gratitude for their work.
(b) Discussing Potential Changes to Community Transit
Nora Daley-Peng, Senior Transportation Planner, introduced Community Transit representatives Emmett Heath, Chief Executive Officer; Roland Behee, Director of Planning and Development; and Christopher Silveira, BRT Program Manager.
Mr. Health said Shoreline has been a key partner in Community Transit’s transportation plan for some time and said tonight’s presentation will focus on the connection being created to bring the Blue Line south to Shoreline and east to connect with the 185th Street Light Rail Station. He shard Community Transit’s new mission and vision statements and said access to transportation that is frequent, convenient, reliable, and easy to use is good for the people that live here, good for the economy, and good for community health and vitality in general. He said the pandemic has reinforced the critical importance of public transportation in providing key lifelines in the community. Mr. Heath gave an overview of the Swift Blue Line, saying its core features are that it operates fast and frequently and is very reliable. He described the ways they used public input to develop program strategies for the project. He shared plans for upcoming expansions and new regional connections.
Mr. Behee reviewed the scoping study performed to build on the success of the existing line and accomplish the Blue Line expansion and said the goal of the study is risk mitigation for future phases. He said the primary decision point for the study was determining the route by which the existing Blue Line will connect with the Shoreline North - 185th Street Light Rail Station. He shared a map of three prospective alignment Alternatives and described specific needs and details of each one. He listed the objectives of the public outreach process and described the in-person and online ways in which feedback was solicited and received. He said the major themes identified from the outreach is that riders prioritize frequent, fast, and reliable service and easy connections. He said these themes directed the three program strategies and elaborated on each one: improving speed and reliability of service, regional connections, and local connections. He said the study resulted in proposing Alternative B as the most appropriate extension of the Swift Blue Line. Mr. Behee listed the next steps in the program and displayed a timeline though project completion in 2024.
Ms. Daley-Peng stated that staff recommends Alternative B as the proposed near-term alignment.
Deputy Mayor Scully said he appreciates that local, as well as regional, needs were considered in the project. He said Alternative B makes sense since there are not as many feeders to the North station and said if it is too hard for Light Rail riders to get to the station people will drive there instead of using other forms of transportation. He said he is worried about riders’ willingness to make two transfers.
Councilmember Roberts expressed support for Alternative B and said it is good to have connections that continue past county lines and moving the extension to North 185th Street increases the connection with Snohomish County. He asked for comment on plans to alleviate the potential chokepoints in Alternative B. Ms. Daley-Peng said Community Transit’s first step was to identify the best option, and that the next step would be to move into design and determining what is needed to provide fast and frequent service. Mr. Behee concurred, saying that as the project moves into development the necessary traffic mitigation measures will be identified to ensure reliable service. Mr. Silveira added that the turn to 185th Street from Meridian Avenue will be looked at as part of the larger rechannelization project.
Councilmember Chang said as a Shoreline rider, she prefers Alternative A, and asked why Swift riders overall favored Alternative B. Mr. Silveira said it is because Aurora Village Transit Center supports a lot of local bus connections, creating a solid network. Councilmember Chang asked what kinds of conversations Community Transit has had with Metro on this and Mr. Silveira responded that Metro Connects 2025, the long-range visioning Plan adopted by Metro, targets Aurora Village Transit Center as the focus of the local network, and RapidRide is the only thing connecting to Shoreline Park and Ride in the plan for 2025. Ms. Daley-Peng said that representatives from Metro will be presenting at an upcoming Council meeting with more information on their services. Councilmember Chang asked if the pavement on Meridian can handle an increase in bus traffic. Ms. Daley-Peng replied that Meridian had recently been repaved and offered that Community Transit will look into this as part of the design phase.
Councilmember McGlashan asked if anything had come of conversation with both transit agencies about moving the transfer spot to the Park and Ride on 192nd and Aurora. He commented that if that were to happen, Alternative B would not be the best option. Ms. Daley-Peng said they have been in close contact with King County Metro about the Blue Line extension plans and Metro recently looked at both the Park and Ride and Aurora Village Transit Center hubs, and after considering many factors, the equity need points to the Aurora Village Transit Center. Councilmember McGlashan asked where the Community Transit buses that come from Edmonds would terminate. Mr. Behee explained that the intent is to provide express service from Aurora Village Transit Center to the Light Rail station. He said that there are network plans for the routes coming from Edmonds to connect people at the Mountlake Terrace Station and the Lynnwood City Center Station.
Mayor Hall said it is his understanding that when Light Rail service begins some of the current peak services may be replaced by connections to the Light Rail station. He wondered if the parking demand at the 192nd Street Park and Ride will decrease. He said that Alternative B seems to make the most sense when considering the existing transit facilities and space, asked if a broader look has been taken at what the impact would be if a portion of the 192nd Street Park and Ride were opened up for redevelopment in exchange for gaining additional right-of-way on the east side of Aurora, making it possible to provide transit bays for both north and south bound buses. He asked if staff had considered talking to the landowner to try and conceive a compromise that could speed up services for Metro and Community Transit. Ms. Daley-Peng said Community Transit has been working with Shoreline on making connections and in the redevelopment of the Aurora Corridor, and there have been the very beginnings of ‘what-if’ conversations for future changes. Ms. Daley-Peng says she hears a willingness from Community Transit to stay open to changes in their routes when other concepts come together.
Mr. Silveira added that one of the benefits to Alternative A is that there is not a huge amount of pressure being put in place between Aurora Village Transit Center and the Link Light Rail station, affording future flexibility. He said Community Transit’s focus is on providing solid connections for riders and the community, being conscious of the fact that transfers can be burdensome on riders, and therefore Community Transit is flexible with changing opportunities as they arise. Mr. Behee added that being ready with the Extension in place on opening day of the Light Rail is the driver for the project, but they are able to remain open to future possibilities because of the inherent flexibility of the BRT mode and because there is not a lot of fixed infrastructure.
Mayor Hall concluded that there are no substantive concerns with Alternative B as presented and asked if formal commitment was needed at this time from the City. Mr. Behee said that this point, the discussion and feedback suffice, and reaffirmed Community Transit’s commitment to continued engagement throughout the duration of the process.
10. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Property Acquisition – RCW 42.30.110(1)(b)
At 9:15 p.m. Mayor Hall recessed into Executive Session for a period of 20 minutes as authorized by RCW 42.30.110(1)(b) to consider the selection of a site or the acquisition of real estate by lease or purchase and stated Council is not expected take final action following the Executive Session. Staff attending the Executive Session included Debbie Tarry, City Manager; John Norris, Assistant City Manager; Margaret King, City Attorney; Eric Friedli, Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Director; and Nathan Daum, Economic Development Program Manager. The Executive Session ended at 9:35 p.m.
11. ADJOURNMENT
At 9:37 p.m., Mayor Hall declared the meeting adjourned.
/s/Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk