CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, August 3, 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.
(a) Proclaiming August 2020 as “Get to Know Your Neighbors Month”
Mayor Hall explained that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City will not be sponsoring neighborhood watch parties this year and he spoke to the importance of building relationships with neighbors.
3. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER
John Norris, Assistant City Manager, provided information on COVID-19 guidance and restrictions and requirements, as well as reports and updates on various City meetings, projects and events.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
Mayor Hall said he met with the State Auditor’s Office as part of a routine Risk Management audit of the City. He also said he has been appointed to the Urban Land Institute’s Transportation Oriented Design Product Development Council and heard a report on transit-oriented development in other cities, including ways to make it pleasing for the people who live there.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
Dean Williams, speaking on behalf of Irons Brothers Construction, expressed support for Ordinance No. 896 and suggested changes to the proposed conditions. It was recognized that he had submitted written comments that elaborated on his opinions and observations.
Ann Bates, Shoreline resident, spoke to the importance of trees and forests and shared how development impacts trees. She asked what the City of Shoreline would do to preserve trees, taking into consideration the results of the Climate Impacts and Resiliency Study.
Kathleen Russell, Shoreline resident, speaking on behalf of Save Shoreline Trees, asked for additional efforts to save tall conifers. Ms. Russell said the Climate Impacts and Resiliency Study emphasizes the need to protect the environment, and that Save Shoreline Trees hopes the City team members will study the strategies presented in the Study.
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 McConnell and unanimously carried, 7-0, the following Consent Calendar items were approved:
(a) Adopting Ordinance No. 891 - Accepting a Corrected Survey and Plat for Short Plat No-98055 as Provided in RCW 58.10.030
8. STUDY ITEMS
(a) Discussing Ordinance No. 896 - Amending Certain Sections of Shoreline Municipal Code Title 20 to Permit Professional Offices in the R-8 and R-12 Zoning Districts
Steve Szafran, Senior Planner, delivered the staff presentation. He shared background on the history of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment passaged in Ordinance No. 881, which added Professional Offices to the medium density land use category in Policy Land Use 2 (LU2). He listed the zones that Professional Offices are currently permitted and stated the use does not have indexed criteria to address impacts to adjacent residential uses. Ordinance No. 896 would implement LU2, clarify the definition of Professional Offices, define Outdoor Storage, add indexing criteria, and clarify Conditional Use Permit (CUP) procedures and requirements.
Mr. Szafran said the intent of the proposed definition ‘Professional Office’ is to ensure that professional offices are low-intensity and fit within the residential setting; and the intent of the proposed definition for ‘Outdoor Storage’ is to prohibit outdoor storage associated with a business or Professional Office. He described the proposed CUP amendments, which would create four new sections: suspension or revocation of permit, transferability, expiration, and extension. He noted the Planning Commission ultimately recommended that a CUP not be transferable or run with the land, but instead be issued to an applicant.
Mr. Szafran said Professional Offices with C-I would be added to the would be added to the R-8 and R-12 column in the Use Table, displayed the proposed indexed criteria that would mitigate the impacts of this use in R-8 and R-12 zones, and described the parcels that would potentially qualify. He said the Planning Commission determined that these proposed code amendments meet the Development Code Amendment Criteria and they recommend adoption.
Councilmember Roberts said 145th and 205th Streets are not classified in the City’s zoning map because they border other cities, but it might be important to review those areas for parcels that might be eligible, as well. He drew attention to inequities in the vehicle and signage regulations between Home Occupation and Professional Office, and asked staff to check for consistency. He explained that he wants to ensure there is no unintentional harm done to someone who might be operating a home occupation business.
Councilmember Robertson expressed support for the Ordinance and asked if there has been communication with the property owners whose parcels would qualify for a Professional Office CUP, or to any of the adjacent neighbors. Mr. Szafran said there was no direct notification to those parcels, as is typical with development code amendments, but the City has received feedback from some residents. Councilmember Robertson said proactive communication would be a way to generate awareness and potentially receive valuable input. She said these amendments feel forward-thinking, considering the repercussions of the pandemic and the manner in which a lot of people are looking for ways to live, work, and find services close to home.
Deputy Mayor Scully agreed with Councilmember Robertson’s observation that this is a timely consideration and shared some thoughts the public comment generated for him. He said he does not see these amendments as a way to allow more intense uses, but to be more flexible with the allowed uses while keeping the Shoreline neighborhood feel. The criteria are prescriptive and apply to a discreet number of parcels. While he thinks this is the right starting point, he indicated that perhaps over time some of the regulations could be relaxed, and hopes they are a first step towards evaluating the needs in other parts of the City.
Mayor Hall agreed with Councilmember Roberts’ comments, saying it is his expectation that anything currently allowed under home occupation would be allowed in Professional Office with a Conditional Use Permit, and he asked for an amendment to be prepared to reflect this. He said he is also comfortable applying this to a broader geographic area and looks forward to considering this in the future.
Councilmember Chang expressed support for the Ordinance and appreciates the detail of the indexed criteria. She said it is important to be careful with what is initially permitted.
Councilmember McGlashan expressed support for the recommendation and said he agrees with the feedback already given. If the Ordinance passes, he asked for staff to schedule a follow-up with Council to review impacts and any issues identified.
Councilmember McConnell agreed that a follow up report would provide valuable information, especially as the ramifications on the work environment from the pandemic continue to be realized. She said she is glad there are specific definitions for outdoor storage and vehicle size, because without them, abuse of the permit is more likely to happen.
Mr. Szafran said he will return with amendments to reflect the Council direction to confirm that the standards for Professional Offices align with those of home occupation.
(b) Discussing the Results of the Climate Impacts and Resiliency Study
Autumn Salamack, Environmental Services Coordinator, delivered the staff presentation. Ms. Salamack said it is important to look at both mitigation and resiliency when talking about climate change. She said the 2018 Surface Water Master Plan indicates the City is prone to flooding in some areas and recognizes the possibility of increased rainfall in the future. She added that the plan identified the current and future needs of the Surface Water Utility and suggested the City conduct a study to look at climate change impacts to ensure a sustainable surface water system that is prepared for climate change. She said while the Climate Impacts and Resiliency Study was focused on identifying the current and future needs of the surface water system, it also identified climate change impacts and areas of vulnerability for the community in general. She said the study will be used to inform and help build resiliency features into future capital projects and planning efforts. Ms. Salamack introduced project consultants Christy Shelton, Cascadia Consulting Group; and Matt Fontaine, Herrera; to present the results of the study.
Ms. Shelton reviewed the project goals and scope. She displayed a timeline of the iterative work done and described the departmental involvement in the study. She said one of the first elements of this project was development of the Climate Impact Summary documents, and she shared the key findings, which include increasing temperature, increasing precipitation, changes in the timing of stream flows, and increasing flood risks in fall, winter, and spring and lower stream flows in the summertime. She said the watershed that supplies the City’s drinking water is projected to be affected by reductions in snowpack, and sea level rise will increase the risk of coastal flooding and erosion.
Ms. Shelton described how the project defined and evaluated community vulnerabilities to the impacts and introduced the focus areas for assessment. Mr. Fontaine said the assessment focused on the areas of natural systems; built environment; public health, safety, and emergency services; and stormwater, and classified them by focus area and level of vulnerability. He said the five most vulnerable systems are low-lying areas which may flood, sensitive ecosystems, buildings and development, heat related illnesses, and air quality. He described the educational materials created and available on the City’s storymap webpage and the online climate impacts tool designed to help staff consider some of the key climate change issues and considerations when identifying, planning, and designing capital projects. He displayed examples of the functionality of the tool, which includes surface water and urban heat island modules. He said the last piece of the technical analysis was to help the City identify actions it can take to reduce climate change vulnerability and climate impacts, with the outcome being a prioritized list of climate adaptation strategies for the City to revisit and revise over time.
Ms. Shelton said the final portion of this effort involves evaluating the resiliency strategies in terms of their applicability to other master planning efforts of the City. Ms. Salamack described the work yet to be done by City staff to utilize the tools and follow up on the study recommendations.
Deputy Mayor Scully said the data is very useful. He recognized that Shoreline is fortunate to not have large point source pollutants. He looks forward to updates on the report and hopes they will focus on the nonpoint areas that are probably Shoreline’s greatest contributors. He observed that generally the climate change impacts in Shoreline will be a long slow degradation of quality of life and emphasized the importance of continuing to identify and reduce contributing actions and factors. He said he is looking forward to gaining more information on the impacts of oil heat.
Councilmember McGlashan said he thought most of the areas that had residential flooding were under control and asked if the areas identified as low lying currently have problems or are identified as likely to be vulnerable in the future. John Featherstone, Surface Water Utility Manager, said that the surface water vulnerabilities displayed on the mapping tool are areas that have been identified proactively so project managers will be aware of areas in which future capacity improvements should be considered to be better prepared for climate changes.
Councilmember Robertson said she would also like a future discussion on oil heat and potential incentives. She said the section on trees was wonderfully done, with very specific, manageable actions to take, and she hopes the City moves forward aggressively implementing the suggestions. She said the heat island overlay was fascinating, and troubling. She observed that many of the identified zones were over and around schools and asked it that information has been shared with the property owners and users of those areas. She said she would like to add some goal metrics to the Soak It Up! Rebate Program and also encourage neighborhood members to help make a difference in their community by improving the stormwater infrastructure.
Councilmember Roberts said the interactive website is intuitive and has lots of good information; agreed with Councilmember Robertson’s comments on trees; and asked for suggestions for reducing the heat island effect. Mr. Fontaine explained that the climate impacts tool the study created for staff use identifies five strategies for addressing the problem. Councilmember Roberts said he is not opposed to looking at the impacts of oil heat but added that it may be difficult for the City to find money for incentives to switch. He said he thinks it would be wise to consider the impacts of natural gas use, as well.
Mayor Hall agreed with Councilmember Roberts’ comments regarding oil and gas, and elaborated that it seems crazy to burn fossil fuels to heat a home or to install fossil fuel infrastructure in new construction. He said it is important to do everything possible to mitigate community-based greenhouse gas emissions.
Mayor Hall asked for a summary of what the next climate-based projects will be. Ms. Salamack said the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory is scheduled for updating in 2021 and will include a focus on strategies to reduce emissions. She said several activities are planned in advance of the next Climate Action Plan Update, including the current Shoreline Climate Challenge and an upcoming Climate Champions webinar series.
9. ADJOURNMENT
At 8:23 p.m., Mayor Hall declared the meeting adjourned.
/s/Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk