CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, April 10, 2023 Conference Room 303 - Shoreline City Hall
5:45 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT: Mayor Keith Scully, Deputy Mayor Betsy Robertson, and Councilmembers John Ramsdell, Laura Mork, Doris McConnell, Eben Pobee and Chris Roberts
ABSENT: None
STAFF: Bristol Ellington, City Manager
Tricia Juhnke, Public Works Director
Mary Reidy, Recreation Superintendent
Andrew Bauer, Planning Manager
Nick Borer, Parks, Fleet, and Facilities Manager
GUESTS: Shoreline School District Superintendent and Board
Dr. Susana Reyes, Superintendent
Dr. Sarah Cohen, Board President
Emily Williams, Board Vice-President
Sara Betnel, Board Member
Meghan Jernigan, Board Member
Luke Smith, Shorecrest Student Representative
Lily Fredericks, Shorecrest Student Representative
Helen Murphy, Shorewood Student Representative
Esme Harkess, Shorewood Student Representative
At 5:46 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Mayor Scully. All Councilmembers were present.
Shoreline School District Student Population
Andrew Bauer, Planning Manager, went over data from the Shoreline School District (SSD) that shows a decline in student enrollment. He stated that recent trends in housing data collected from the City’s 2021 Housing Action Plan seem to support the SSD’s analysis. With the data from SSD, City staff identified several factors impacting student enrollment including:
· Declining birth rates,
· Slow population growth,
· Declining home sales,
· Development of primarily multifamily housing in the district with studio, 1- bedroom, and 2-bedroom units,
· Shoreline’s housing stock makeup of 67% detached single-family homes,
· Decrease in the number of people per household, and
· Regional affordable housing challenges.
Mr. Bauer explained some of the strategies listed in the 2021 Housing Action Plan to address housing issues. Some of the strategies include an initiative for cottage housing, exploration of deeply affordable housing, and a mandatory affordable housing requirement in the MUR-45’ and MUR-70’ zones. Mr. Bauer also highlighted that the Comprehensive Plan update is underway with the first phase of community engagement focused on getting feedback to inform refinements to the vision statement.
A Councilmember asked if the decline in student enrollment is spread across the city or concentrated in certain areas and Dr. Susana Reyes, SSD Superintendent, stated the decline is fairly spread out. Meghan Jernigan, SSD Board Member, added that they are receiving the same number of students proportionally in terms of the Puget Sound region and all districts are experiencing enrollment declines. Sara Betnel, SSD Board Member, commented that there is growth in outlining districts such as Enumclaw and remote school is more common which could contribute to the decline in Shoreline.
Dr. Sarah Cohen, SSD Board President, asked if the City had a vision regarding a desirable age mix. Deputy Mayor Robertson responded that the goal is to be welcoming to all ages but there may not have been a conversation about intentionally bringing in young families.
Mayor Scully reiterated that shoreline should be welcoming to everyone and a place where someone can afford to live fresh out of high school. He commented that there is a challenge with affordable housing for homes with more than two beds as there is more return on investment with smaller homes for developers.
Helen Murphy, Shorewood Student Representative, asked if there is data on move-in and move-out rates in the city and Councilmember Roberts responded that Shoreline has an average rate.
Joint Use Agreement
Mary Reidy, Recreation Superintendent, stated the first Joint Use Agreement (JUA) was created in 2000 between the City and SSD to turn an old high school into a Community Center. Included in the JUA are terms for shared use of many buildings and athletic fields. Outside of the agreement there is shared use of additional facilities to maximize public benefit. The latest JUA was adopted in 2017. Nick Borer, Parks, Fleet, and Facilities Manager, said staff are working with the SSD to make several changes to the agreement to reflect recent updates.
Speaking to a question about the community pool, Councilmember Roberts stated the City is engaged in a pool feasibility study with surrounding cities but there are no development plans.
Councilmember Pobee expressed concern for the cost of facility use and stated he would like to look further into the rates. Ms. Reidy noted the JUA is facility-based and there are no joint programs, so the City pays out of pocket to use off-site school facilities such as Ridgecrest School for youth and teen summer camps. Mayor Scully commented that as separate tax entities, there are rules about what the City and SSD can fund but there is opportunity for more coordination. Dr. Cohen said it would be an exciting partnership if the city is interested in coordinating support for the elementary age after school program. Ms. Betnel added that more programming could be offered to students on the east side of the district who face challenges accessing distant programs.
Safe Routes to Schools Program
Tricia Juhnke, Public Works Director, explained the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program is a Washington State Department of Transportation Grant Program for projects within two (2) miles of K-12 schools. She stated the City has previously worked with the SSD on SRTS projects to encourage children to walk, roll and bicycle to school and make doing so safer. Of the 165 applications submitted for the SRTS 2023-2025 term, only 38 were selected. The City submitted three projects but was not selected for a grant.
Ms. Juhnke said staff use several strategies to identify projects for the SRTS Program. Staff look for funded projects on the City’s workplan to offset costs and reprioritize funds. Additionally, projects are identified from the City’s Sidewalk Prioritization Plan, requested projects from Council, and projects that align with the grant selection criteria. The grant selection criteria are weighted predominantly towards safety and followed by equity, quality deliverability, and value.
Responding to a question about funding sidewalks, Ms. Juhnke stated that sidewalk projects are primarily funded through the Sales and Use Tax Bond Measure approved by voters in 2018. Additional funding mechanisms for sidewalks include grants, real estate excise tax, transportation impact fees and the City’s general fund. Mayor Scully mentioned that developers are also required to construct sidewalks at the time a lot is developed.
Ms. Jernigan asked why developers aren't required to connect sidewalks and Mayor Scully explained that the City can only require developers to put sidewalks in front of their property. He said he would like to revisit the idea of an alternate payment that goes into a fund to complete the sidewalk. Ms. Juhnke said there were questions on the legality of the alternate payment as developers must fund their direct impacts.
Discussion of Maintaining a Focus on Equity for City and School District Programs and Initiatives
Bristol Ellington, City Manager, said the City works to incorporate equity into every aspect of City functions. He stated the City is working to provide equity training for the leadership team and Council and eventually for the entire workforce. Ms. Juhnke added that staff use equity as a criterion to prioritize projects. Mayor Scully noted that equity is defined in a variety of terms and said he does not believe the City has set equity benchmarks to reach. Some District representatives encouraged the City to look at school data when considering equity initiatives and to define equity inaccessibility needs in the city.
At 6:48 p.m., Mayor Scully declared the meeting adjourned.
/s/ Kendyl Hardy, Deputy City Clerk