CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
The purpose of these minutes is to capture a high-level summary of Council’s discussion and action. This is not a verbatim transcript. Meeting video and audio is available on the City’s website.
Monday, April 11, 2022 Held Remotely via Zoom
7:00 p.m.
PRESENT: Mayor Scully, Deputy Mayor Robertson, Councilmembers McConnell, Mork, Roberts, Pobee, and Ramsdell
ABSENT: None.
1. CALL TO ORDER
At 7:00 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Mayor Scully who presided.
2. ROLL CALL
Upon roll call by the Deputy City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present.
3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.
4. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER
Debbie Tarry, City Manager, provided on various City meetings, projects, and events.
5. COUNCIL REPORTS
Councilmember Ramsdell spoke about his tour of the Oaks Enhanced Shelter and his conversation with the shelter staff about program services and challenges. He noted the key roadblocks are housing placement and mental health services and stated that there is still a long waiting list.
Councilmember Mork said she attended a meeting of the Regional Water Quality Committee where they discussed requesting a 5.75% rate increase for sewage in 2023 and channel flow monitoring systems. She announced that there are three high priority projects in Shoreline including an upgrade to the Richmond Beach Pump Station.
6. PUBLIC COMMENT
The Council heard comments from the public from approximately 7:07 p.m. to 7:32 p.m. Written comments were also submitted to Council prior to the meeting and are available on the City’s website.
Susanne Tsoming, Shoreline resident and member of the Tree Preservation Code Team, spoke about Amendment #4 that was submitted to support the maintenance of Shoreline’s tree canopy and she asked Council to keep trees abundant as development permits are issued.
Nancy Morris, Shoreline resident, shared support for Amendment #4 related to the Comprehensive Plan Amendment Docket. She said she previously suggested design changes to development projects to accommodate more trees and pointed out other cities with tree protection mandates.
Mallory Van Abbema, Shoreline resident, expressed support for the Comprehensive Plan Docket amendments proposed by Councilmember Roberts and asked Council to consider bold approaches to low-density residential zones to diversify housing options balanced with saving trees.
Kirsten Schneider, Shoreline resident, reasoned that Shoreline is only one picture in a larger housing and municipal area and to deny housing options would be promoting homelessness. She stated that rethinking around transportation is needed to fight climate change.
Doug Schneider, Shoreline resident, stated that he grew up in a single-family suburban area but can see that young people today cannot afford to buy or rent in neighborhoods with million-dollar homes, and he shared his support to increase density, provide more housing, and accommodate trees.
Tom McCormick, Shoreline resident, expressed concern that written public comments are not mentioned in meeting minutes but shared that he worked with staff to include a link to written comments in minutes moving forward. He spoke in support of the Land Use Amendment to correct the boundaries to Saltwater Park and designate the land as open space and/or tidelands.
Derek Blackwell, Shoreline resident, shared opposition to the proposed apartment on Linden Ave. North and listed several issues with the development. He said Fire Department employees as well as a U.S. Postal Service carrier agreed that proceeding with construction would be poor planning and he stated that a third vehicle entrance is needed.
Jackie Kurle, Shoreline resident, thanked Council for the update on the Enhanced Shelter and encouraged transparency on its operations and she expressed support for initiatives to save trees.
Courtney Ewing, Shoreline resident, spoke about a group she is a part of called Linden 10 that is concerned with abandoned vehicles, break-ins, and illegal dumping and other issues on Linden Ave. She thanked Councilmember Roberts, City staff, and Police Chief Ryan Abbott for responding to the group’s concerns and Mayor Scully for his comments on the public’s right to comment and transparency.
Charu Lakshmi, Shoreline resident, spoke about the development on Linden Ave. and asked for sidewalks improvements to be included in the construction to increase safety for children and advocated for the preservation of trees.
Kathy Plant, Shoreline resident and member of Richmond Highlands Neighborhood Association and Linden 10, spoke about concerns she has with the developments on Linden Ave. North and Ice Arena raising points about increased congestion, limited sidewalks, and traveling issues.
Laura Lind, Shoreline resident, thanked Mayor Scully and Councilmember Mork for their remarks on public comment and increasing public influence on permit project and she said she hopes it is not limited to tree code discussions. She shared concern for the entrance arrangements for the Modera development.
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
Upon motion by Deputy Mayor Robertson and unanimously carried 7-0, the following Consent Calendar items were approved:
(a) Approval of Minutes of Regular Meeting of March 21, 2022
(b) Approval of Expenses and Payroll as of March 25, 2022 in the Amount of $1,810,797.48
|
*Payroll and Benefits: |
||||||
|
Payroll Period |
Payment Date |
EFT Numbers (EF) |
Payroll Checks (PR) |
Benefit Checks (AP) |
Amount Paid |
|
|
2/6/22 - 2/19/22 |
2/25/2022 |
SUPP PY |
17733 |
$320.96 |
||
|
2/20/22 - 3/5/22 |
3/11/2022 |
101364-101567 |
17734-17747 |
85152-85155 |
$608,915.47 |
|
|
2/20/22 - 3/5/22 |
3/11/2022 |
WT1250-WT1251 |
$109,381.07 |
|||
|
$718,617.50 |
||||||
|
*Wire Transfers: |
||||||
|
Expense Register Dated |
Wire Transfer Number |
|
Amount Paid |
|||
|
3/23/2022 |
1252 |
$150,637.18 |
||||
|
3/25/2022 |
1253 |
$18,236.60 |
||||
|
$168,873.78 |
||||||
|
*Accounts Payable Claims: |
||||||
|
Expense Register Dated |
Check Number (Begin) |
Check Number (End) |
Amount Paid |
|||
|
3/16/2022 |
85095 |
85120 |
$156,147.50 |
|||
|
3/16/2022 |
85121 |
85151 |
$472,313.45 |
|||
|
3/22/2022 |
85156 |
85157 |
$84,859.55 |
|||
|
3/22/2022 |
85158 |
85158 |
$1,793.07 |
|||
|
3/23/2022 |
85159 |
85178 |
$117,416.73 |
|||
|
3/24/2022 |
85179 |
85201 |
$90,775.90 |
|||
|
$923,306.20 |
||||||
(c) Adoption of the 2022-2024 City Council Goals and Action Steps
8. ACTION ITEMS
(a) Action on the Final 2022 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Docket
Senior Planner, Steve Szafran, presented on the five Comprehensive Plan Amendments as follows: (1) to update the City's Transportation Master Plan, (2) to update the City’s Comprehensive Plan, (3) to amend the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map Designation from a public facility and residential zoning to Mixed-Use 1 and Mixed-Business at the King County Metro Park & Ride at 19000 Aurora Ave North, (4) to amend the Land Use Element to add a policy to maintain and increase Shoreline’s tree canopy, and (5) to address short-term rentals in the City. He stated that the Planning Commission recommended only amendments 1-4 be added to the Docket. Mr. Szafran explained that there are two amendments proposed by Councilmember Roberts and said that they would have broad implications citywide on land use and density and he added that staff have concerns with the proposed amendments due to the large workload to come with studying the impacts and modes to implement policy on top of the major land use projects staff are projected to work on. Mr. Szafran said the last amendment was initiated by the City to change the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map for a parcel near Richmond Beach Saltwater Park from Public Facility to Public Open Space.
Deputy Mayor Robertson moved to approve amendments Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the Draft 2022 Docket and add City-Initiated Potential Amendment #1 to the Final 2022 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Docket.
It was asked why the parcel ending in 9073 referred to in the City-Initiated Potential Amendment is not entirely included in the amendment and how the amendment could expand to additional parcels when only parcel #112603-9010 is mentioned and Mr. Szafran answered stating that a majority of the 9073 parcel is underwater and that staff focused on the original map submitted that pointed to specific areas along the shore and did not take a big picture look. He added that, with Council’s direction, staff would look at the entirety of Salt Water Park.
Councilmember Roberts moved to amend the main motion to include parcel #1126039073 in the City-Initiated Potential Amendment #1.
It was stated that the goal is to have the same Comprehensive Plan designation among all the parcels and the amendment would include the tideland to the north. Assistant City Attorney, Julie Ainsworth-Taylor, elaborated on the situation stating that the issue with the parcel is that it is usually inundated with water in the tide and the request to designate the location as a park is not typically done with waterways. She confirmed the parcel is owned by the City and part of the legal description of Richmond Beach Saltwater Park. Ms. Tarry clarified that the motion would initiate staff to study the item and bring it back to Council following the Planning Commission process.
The motion to amend the City-Initiated Potential Amendment #1 passed unanimously, 7-0.
Councilmember Roberts moved to amend the Planning Commission’s recommendation by adding potential docket Amendment No. 1 that he sponsored as shown on page 8 of the staff report to the Final 2022 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Docket.
Council discussed the motion and provided various arguments on whether the Comprehensive Plan should explicitly allow multi-family housing in low density residential zones. The need for more housing and affordable housing was stressed by Councilmembers, which led to a discussion over the effect the amendment would have. A majority of Councilmembers expressed support for staff to study the amendment but prompted that the concept is not yet refined and would need significant public outreach due to the potentially significant increase in density that could cause complications with City operations and services and would change the character of the neighborhoods. Ms. Tarry added that the amendment would be a substantial effort for staff to explore options and undergo the public process in addition to other ongoing projects. Councilmember Roberts said he believes the amendment will address the missing middle component and is needed to further develop regulations to achieve the desired housing appearance.
The motion to add potential docket Amendment No. 1 passed 4-3 with Deputy Mayor Robertson and Councilmembers McConnell and Mork dissenting.
When asked if the current Comprehensive Plan would need to be amended before cottage housing code is adopted, Ms. Markle replied that is something she would have to look into but confirmed that staff would need to explore removing the permitted base density for the R-6 designation.
Councilmember Roberts moved to add to the Final 2022 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Docket “explore striking or removing the permitted base density for the R-6 designation to not exceed six dwelling units per acre in Land Use Element 1.”
Ms. Markle recommended quantifying the amendment to strike the removal of permitted base density in order to avoid allowing any density to go into a low-density zone and she offered language saying that density may exceed our six dwelling units per acre to accommodate missing housing types. Councilmember Roberts responded explaining that he did not want to get into specifics of the amendment at this point and would rather the concept be explored to ensure regulations are compatible with the Comprehensive Plan.
Mayor Scully objected to the motion and argued that it gives staff tremendous discretion to report back and he said getting rid of the densities is too large of a jump and would not be a good use of staff time.
The motion to explore striking or removing the permitted base density for the R-6 designation failed 1-6, with Councilmember Roberts voting in favor.
The main motion as amended passed 7-0.
(b) Public Hearing and Discussion of the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) Update
Transportation Services Manager, Nytasha Walters, spoke about the purpose and process of updating the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) and its influence on the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and Bi-annual Budget and she explained the TIP document format that will show the details of planned projects over the next six years. She showed a map depicting funded and unfunded projects and shared updates on ongoing and upcoming projects around Shoreline and listed projects with grant priority. She then explained staff’s progress on funding the projects but pointed out there is not enough Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) to support all of the priority needs and staff is looking for additional ways to fund projects.
Mayor Scully opened the Public Hearing.
Todd Cullen, Shoreline resident, spoke in support of additional sidewalks on 10th Ave between 175th and 185th specifying safety issues for elementary students and future commuters and he added that streetlights are also needed in the area.
Seeing no additional members of the public wishing to offer testimony, Mayor Scully closed the Public Hearing.
Council asked about the goals for bike path access to the 148th Street Station and Ms. Walters described the proposed bike corridor along the 145th corridor going north and south and connecting to the 148th Street Non-Motorized Bridge. She said the segment is on the contingency list for funding and she added that the path can cross over at the interchange at the roundabouts and stated that the bike network on the eastside of I-5 has been identified as a feasibility study and will ultimately connect to the Burk Gilman Trail.
Councilmember Roberts suggested three sidewalk projects for staff to add to their list as they are routes to schools and Councilmember Mork advised that along with the large projects presented, staff should ensure resources are going to smaller improvement projects.
9. STUDY ITEMS
(a) Discussion of 2021 Year-End Financial Report
Administrative Services Director, Sara Lane, prefaced the presentation stating that the report is based on data for 2021 but is not reflective of the City’s audited financial statements due to those figures not being available until May. She compared the actual revenues and expenditures to the biennial budget and reported that the City reached 92.4% of planned revenues and 67.5% of budgeted expenditures for overall funds. She stated that when looking at general funds, revenues exceeded expectations by 4.4% and expenditures cost 91% of the budget. She discussed details related to the financial outcomes highlighting taxes and recreation operations as contributors. Last, Ms. Lane spoke about general fund reserves and said staff anticipate the ending fund balance to be around $8.5 million with a stipulation that that balance could change once budget amendments are made.
10. EXECUTIVE SESSION
At 8:57 p.m., Mayor Scully recessed into an Executive Session for a period of 20 minutes as authorized by RCW 42.30.110(l)(i) to discuss with legal counsel matters relating to agency enforcement actions or litigation and stated that the Council may potentially take final action following the Executive Session. Staff attending the Executive Session included Debbie Tarry, City Manager and Julie Ainsworth-Taylor, Assistant City Attorney. The Executive Session ended at 9:14 p.m.
At 9:15 Mayor Scully reconvened the Council Meeting following the Executive Session.
Deputy Mayor Robertson moved to authorize the City Manager to execute a voluntary compliance plan and settlement agreement setting forth a $40,000 payment and implementation of a mitigation and restoration plan.
Mayor Scully commented that the motion imposes the maximum penalty according to the code at the time of the incident and is a just result.
The motion passed unanimously, 7-0.
11. ADJOURNMENT
At 9:21 p.m., Mayor Scully declared the meeting adjourned.
/s/ Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk