CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, November 29, 2021 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. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.
4. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER
John Norris, Assistant City Manager, provided an update on COVID-19 and reported on various City meetings, projects, and events.
5. COUNCIL REPORTS
Mayor Hall congratulated Councilmember Roberts on his election to the National League of Cities Board of Directors.
6. PUBLIC COMMENT
Jackie Kurle, Shoreline resident, encouraged continued transparency of the Enhanced Shelter operations and expressed support for the cause.
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
Upon motion by Deputy Mayor Scully and seconded by Councilmember Robertson and unanimously carried, 7-0, the following Consent Calendar items were approved:
(a) Approval of Minutes of Regular Meeting of October 25, 2021
Approval of Minutes of Regular Meeting of November 1, 2021
8. ACTION ITEMS
(a) Public Hearing and Discussion on Ordinance No. 951 - Extension of Interim Regulations to Allow for Additional Extensions of Application and Permit Deadlines Beyond Those Provided for in the Shoreline Municipal Code Due to COVID-19 Impacts
Rachael Markle, Planning and Community Development Director, delivered the staff presentation. Ms. Markle reviewed the history of the interim regulations, stating that they have been extended twice and will expire on December 29, 2021. She said that although a State of Emergency is still in effect for Washington, the level of emergency has decreased, and Council may no longer feel that the level of emergency warrants the continuation of the interim regulations. She said the regulations could be renewed for up to six months and may subsequently be extended by Council Action. She summarized that Ordinance No. 951 extends authorization of one additional extension for application and permit deadlines, for a total possible extension period of 360 calendar days.
Mayor Hall opened the Public Hearing. Seeing no members of the public wishing to offer testimony, he closed the Public Hearing.
Councilmember Chang understands the need for this extension but recommended discussion prior to any additional extensions and asked how many permits would be eligible for this extension. Ms. Markle said she does not have an exact number of permits that are in the extension period. Deputy Mayor Scully said that based on the supply chain problems he supports the extension.
It was agreed that Ordinance No. 951 would return as a Consent Item.
(b) Public Hearing and Discussion on Ordinance No. 952 – Extension of the Interim Regulations Authorizing Outdoor Seating on Private Property and Within Approved Public Rights-of-Way Due to COVID-19 Impacts
Andrew Bauer, Planning Manager, delivered the staff presentation. Mr. Bauer reviewed the history of the interim regulations, stating that they have been extended twice and will expire on December 29, 2021. He said the interim regulations establish a no-fee registration process for outdoor seating areas on private property and an expedited permit review for areas within the City Right-Of-Way. Five businesses have utilized the process for outdoor seating on private property, and none for seating areas within the Right-of-Way. He added that staff is in the preliminary stages of scoping permanent development regulations for outdoor seating with the goal of bringing amendments forward for consideration in 2022.
Mayor Hall opened the Public Hearing. Seeing no members of the public wishing to offer testimony, he closed the Public Hearing.
Councilmembers Roberts and McGlashan expressed support for the Ordinance. Councilmember Roberts asked if there is a plan to establish ongoing regulations. Mr. Bauer confirmed that there is a goal of bringing forward proposed permanent developments amendments to allow for more flexible ability for outdoor seating. There was discussion on the timeline for the adoption of permanent regulations. Councilmember Roberts said his hope is that this could be resolved for the summer months. Councilmember McGlashan asked if there is continued outreach to businesses to communicate that this Ordinance is still in place and Ms. Tarry shared information on the efforts made.
It was agreed that Ordinance No. 952 would return as a Consent Item.
9. STUDY ITEMS
(a) Discussion of the Light Rail Station Subareas Parking Study 2021 Update
Kendra Dedinsky, City Traffic Engineer, delivered the staff presentation. Ms. Dedinsky said this is the third data update to the study of parking utilization in the Light Rail Subareas, utilizing funded allocated to gain baseline data to inform Light Rail mitigation efforts and track demand issues related to growth. She summarized the information gathered in this data cycle and noted that during this data cycle COVID-19 impacts were in full swing and there was not a huge change in on-street parking utilization. She said the supply was decreased in both subareas, reviewed the target occupancy goals, and displayed maps of the areas in which high demand periods were identified. She displayed a graph of parking demand projections by year and rate of car ownership, results of which indicate that the City is not in need of establishing more dynamic parking management strategies within the next five years. She said that in preparation for the Light Rail Stations opening, staff evaluated the geographic areas that might meet the Restricted Parking Zone (RPZ) criteria currently, as well as the areas within 15-minute walksheds of the Station Areas and that the results provide a good baseline for quality control as they move into Sound Transit mitigation efforts.
In review of the action on the near-term recommendations, Ms. Dedinsky summarized that staff have completed an analysis and adoption of a monetary penalty schedule for parking violations specific to City of Shoreline and to update RPZ policies, procedures, and fees to prepare for anticipated new RPZ’s surrounding Light Rail Station Areas. She described the recommendations on which there is ongoing work being done and listed the near-term considerations of funding a position dedicated to parking management and enforcement, updating the Transportation Master Plan parking policies, and grouping subarea parking utilization reporting into smaller analysis zones. She gave an overview of the mid-term recommendations, which include evaluating the need for special use zones, establishing basic real time parking information technology, and performing a feasibility analysis of metered parking in key locations. Looking ahead to the long-term recommendations, Ms. Dedinsky said it is likely metered parking will need to be implemented in key locations, as well as remaining open to expanding parking technologies and management strategies and resources.
There was clarification of the walkshed assumptions used in the study, and it was noted that they need to be reconciled with earlier data.
When asked if similar RPZ studies are being done outside of the Station subareas, Ms. Dedinsky said supplemental funding was provided for this study, but as a rule of thumb, the studies are driven by community requests. She shared information on current mitigation and parking management planning for larger scale developments in the City.
Councilmember McGlashan expressed support for the timelines, and said he likes the approach of resolving parking issues in a nonthreatening way.
Councilmember Roberts asked for information on how the smaller areas for RPZ consideration were identified within the larger subareas. Ms. Dedinsky said she wanted to home in on smaller geographic areas to capture the pockets of higher utilization. Councilmember Roberts said the two parking-related issues to be considered are the increased need due to development and the potential growth from people trying to access the Stations. He wants to be able to focus on distinct areas because of the growth in the Station Areas and asked if a 15-minute walkshed is realistic. He commented that sidewalks and land use will make a difference in parking availability and demand and said it is important to craft strategies that make sense for specific areas. Ms. Dedinsky said the study starts broadly with the 15-minute walkshed for the purposes of Sound Transit mitigation efforts, explaining that Sound Transit is required to implement an RPZ study and cover the costs of the start up of the program, and the City would hold the responsibility for ongoing management.
It was recognized that the demand for certain types of vehicles and amenities may change over time and Councilmember Chang suggested it would be valuable to forecast what these could be. Ms. Dedinsky said micro mobility will be a major component and is being evaluated as part of the Transportation Master Plan updates.
Deputy Mayor Scully put in a plug for early parking enforcement because of pent up demand throughout the City.
Councilmember Robertson said she is interested in having a RPZ study done in neighborhoods like hers and asked what the costs would be for parking permits. Ms. Dedinsky said the fee schedule is yet to be established.
There was discussion on how RPZ studies determine if the vehicles originate from the study area, and how study results are communicated to residents. Ms. Dedinsky explained the criteria considered and clarified that while metering supports a denser environment with commercial uses, RPZs are oriented toward preserving residential on-street parking.
Mayor Hall said he appreciates how staff and Council are taking this approach to parking mitigation.
10. ADJOURNMENT
At 8:04 p.m., Mayor Hall declared the meeting adjourned.
/s/ Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk