CITY OF SHORELINE

 

SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL

SUMMARY MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING

 

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 17, 2023                                                  Council Chambers - Shoreline City Hall

7:00 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

 

1.         CALL TO ORDER

 

At 7:00 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Mayor Scully who presided.

 

2.         FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL

 

Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present.

 

(a) Proclamation of 2023 National Volunteer Week

 

Mayor Scully announced April 6 through 22, 2023 as Volunteer Appreciation Week in the City of Shoreline.

 

(b) Proclamation of Earth Day 2023

 

Mayor Scully announced April 22, 2023 as Earth Day in the City of Shoreline and invited Kimberly Travis, Property Manager of Ballinger Commons, to accept the proclamation. He commended the Ballinger Commons apartment community for improving their recycling, building a community garden, starting a bee keeping program, and offering compost service for residents.

 

3.

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

 

The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.

 

4.

REPORT OF THE CITY MANAGER

 

Bristol Ellington, City Manager, reported on various City meetings, projects, and events.

 

5.

COUNCIL REPORTS


Deputy Mayor Robertson shared that she attended the North King County Coalition on Homelessness where they received an update on activities at The Oaks. She noted there is a waitlist of three to four months for rooms to open, which speaks to the need for these types of facilities.

 

Mayor Scully reported on the Washington State Legislature’s progress on committing funding to the 148th Street Non-Motorized Bridge Project.

  

6.

PUBLIC COMMENT


The Council heard comments from the public from approximately 7:12 p.m. to 7:14 p.m. Written comments were also submitted to Council prior to the meeting and are available on the City’s website.

 

Tyler Weber spoke about the unsafe and illegal activities occurring at the Aurora Village Transit Center and stated his belief that the county’s policies has have enabled this type of activity to occur.

 

7.

CONSENT CALENDAR  


Upon motion by Deputy Mayor Robertson, seconded, and unanimously carried, the following Consent Calendar items were approved:

 

(a) Adoption of the 2023-2025 City Council Goals and Work Plan

 

(b) Authorize the City Manager to Execute a Construction Contract with Rodarte Construction, Inc. in the Amount of $1,238,800 for the 2023 Stormwater Pipe Repair and Small Drainage Projects

 

(c) Authorize the City Manager to Execute a JZ Account Agreement with the Washington State Department of Transportation for the 148th Street Non-Motorized Bridge Project

 

(d) Approval of a Multi-Family Tax Exemption (MFTE) Contract with WZL Enterprises LLC for Paramount Apartments Phase Two Located at 305 NE 152nd Street

 

(e) Authorizing the City Manager to Execute Supplement No. 4 to Contract 8463 with H.W. Lochner, Inc. in the Amount of $1,522,872 for Design, Right-of-Way, and Environmental Services for the SR-523 (N/NE 145th Street) & Interstate-5 Interchange Project

 

8.

ACTION ITEMS

 

(a) Approval of the Purchase of Real Property Located at 19512 Echo Lake Place N, Identified as King County Tax Parcel No. 223250-0100, and Authorizing the City Manager to Take the Necessary Steps to Complete the Property Purchase

 

Nathan Daum, Economic Development Program Manager, explained the purchase of 19512 Echo Lake Place N will help the City keep pace with increasing park land needs based on the population projection. He said the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan calls for five acres of new park land by 2023 and staff identified an additional ninety-five acres of land is needed to support the future population. There is also a need to secure sustainable funding which was partially achieved through the adoption of park impact fees.

 

Mr. Daum stated the property is a 13,000-square-foot waterfront lot on the west side of Echo Lake. Public uses identified by staff include waterfront open space/habitat, natural walking trail, launch/access for handheld watercraft, fishing, natural area view, with nearby high-density residences. If not purchased for public use, the parcel’s highest and best use is private residential development.

 

Mr. Daum explained the total purchase cost for the parcel is $1,045,000 to initially be financed with park impact fee funds. He explained staff are working to earn a grant from the Conservation Futures Tax program which would fully fund the acquisition if awarded and allow reimbursement of the park impact fee funds.

 

Mayor Scully opened the public comment period.

 

Bettelinn Brown, Shoreline resident, highly recommends the purchase of the land and attempt to save it.

 

Seeing no additional members of the public wishing to offer comment, Mayor Scully closed the public comment period.

 

Councilmember McConnell moved to approve the purchase of real property located at 19512 Echo Lake Place N, identified as King County Tax Parcel No. 223250-0100, and authorize the City Manager to take the necessary steps to complete the property purchase. The motion was seconded.

 

Councilmember McConnell expressed support for the purchase of park land to keep pace with the growing population.

 

Deputy Mayor Robertson recognized letters of support for the park land purchase and asked the community for patience as the land develops into a fully actualized park.

 

The motion passed unanimously, 7-0.

 

9.

STUDY ITEMS

 

(a) Discussion of Resolution No. 508 - Approving the Relocation Plan and City Manager Property Acquisition Authority, and Ordinance No. 983 -Authorizing the Use of Eminent Domain for Acquisition of Certain Real Properties to Construct the 148th Non-Motorized Bridge Project 

 

Constance Perenyi, Neighborhoods Coordinator, stated the first assessment of the Neighborhoods Program was conducted last year to understand how structures in place support Neighborhood Associations (NA) and serve the larger community. She reviewed that NAs were established in 1996 and have created opportunities for engagement through events, activities, and neighborhood improvement projects. Staff worked with a consultant to survey NAs and evaluate equitable access in the City of Shoreline. Through this survey, it was found that NAs are currently:

·         Struggling to maintain their incorporated status

·         Experiencing low membership and involvement

·         Carrying little sense of direction or purpose

·         Seen by many as exclusionary with pre-determined goals

·         Not seen as trying to engage multiethnic, youth, and immigrant communities

 

Ms. Perenyi explained the Neighborhood Mini-Grant Program awards up to $5,000 per year for projects or events. She stated the challenge in the program is that only high-capacity NAs apply and there is little or no collaboration amongst NAs. Staff aim to create more community connections with NAs, enhance NA sustainability, and create more equitable NA funding opportunities. To do this, staff recommend prioritizing funding for collaborative events by moving to a new Mini-Grant model based on collaboration and offering NAs the option of being unincorporated or incorporated. Unincorporated NAs can apply for Love Your Community Grants and receive support in working towards full Incorporation. Incorporated NAs can apply for Partnership Mini-Grants and receive support for events and mailings.

 

A Councilmember asked why only incorporated NAs get mailers as a benefit and Ms. Perenyi clarified that all NAs could have mailers but only the highest capacity NAs with events request them. She said in the next year, they will be reviewing the effectiveness of mailers as the practice is expensive. Staff would look into options for promoting events for unincorporated NAs as needed. Councilmember Roberts commented that geographic based organizations are valuable and he does not want this to get lost. A question was asked about what constitutes a community group that would be eligible for the Love Your Community Grant, and Ms. Perenyi said it has not yet been defined but a W-9 and a clear community benefit is required. While NAs may operate under unincorporated status, the Love Your Community Grant was intended to focus on cultural groups that have historically not had access to City resources.

 

Ms. Perenyi stated the Council of Neighborhoods (CON) is a small group made up of two representatives from each neighborhood. She noted there is limited participation on the CON and membership is not representative of Shoreline demographics. Moving forward, staff aim to broaden opportunities for the community to learn about the City and support CON in becoming more inclusive. This is proposed to be done through community CityLearn sessions, an annual CON summit, provided space for ongoing CON meetings, and at least one annual training focused on equity and inclusion. It was asked how CityWise will integrate with CON, and Ms. Perenyi said she would love to see participants take a role in integration and working with them to see how the program can progress.

 

Deputy Mayor Robertson and Councilmember Mork expressed support for the work proposed to be done for the community and NAs. It was asked what the future of CON may look like, and Ms. Perenyi stated they would be encouraged to join CityWise and hold regular meetings. Ms. Perenyi explained that the proposed CON summit would be done with a steering committee made up of NA participants. And Programs like CityLearn will be advertised in Currents and NAs will be encouraged to open their events to the whole city. Councilmember McConnell acknowledged the population increase in the City and encouraged staff to request expanded Currents or other notifications to keep community members informed.

 

A Councilmember asked how to get more people to participate in NAs and make them more inclusive. Ms. Perenyi answered that the Love your Community Grant was created to increase participation, but the program was disrupted due to the pandemic. Staff plan to revamp the program as the funds are still available. She added that staff will soon host workshops to help NAs define their purpose and make sure inclusion is a value. Bethany Wolbrecht-Dunn, Community Services Manager, stated a goal of CityLearn is to connect with community leaders and provide them with City information to pass on to their networks.

 

It was asked if unincorporated NAs would have access to City liability insurance for events such as the Neighborhood Night Out Against Crime. Ms. Perenyi said the City insurance is currently under review by the City Attorney but the Neighborhood Night Out Against Crime is considered a City event and would not be required to have insurance.

 

Mayor Scully noted that participation on CON is invite-only and advised that it be open to the greater community with various meeting locations around the City. He asked that meeting attendance be monitored, and CON members encouraged to reach out to others. Mayor Scully commented that the incorporated/unincorporated status may backfire resulting in unincorporated NAs to be disadvantaged. He suggested getting rid of NA specific grants in favor of resources for eligible community groups. Mayor Scully brought up the importance of placemaking and how grants have supported this, i.e. funding murals. He said he does not want to see that lost by requiring the collaborative component.

 

(c) Discussion of Ordinance No. 985 - Amending Chapter 3.70 of the Shoreline Municipal Code to Modify the System Improvements Eligible for Park Impact Fees

 

Katrina Steinley, Senior Management Analyst, stated Ordinance No. 985 would expand the geographic area for park impact fees to be used to include projects in the area around Echo Lake. The park impact fee policy allows funds to be used on projects that contribute to the growth of the park system and details a list of projects eligible to use the funds. Ms. Steinley noted that development in the Echo Lake corridor is progressing more quickly than anticipated, which makes park projects in the area a larger priority. She said the Echo Lake neighborhood has been below the City’s level of service standard for park and open space land and the level of service will continue to fall as the population grows. She stated the park impact fee eligible projects will be updated along with project priorities and investments through the Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Arts Plan update in progress.

 

Mayor Scully and Councilmembers Ramsdell and Roberts expressed support for the ordinance. Councilmembers Ramsdell shared concern that the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan practices industry standard equity metrics and asked staff to investigate equity issues and opportunities specific to Shoreline.

 

10.

ADJOURNMENT  

 

At 8:30 p.m., Mayor Scully declared the meeting adjourned.

 

 

_____________________________

Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk