CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
SUMMARY MINUTES OF WORKSHOP MEETING
Monday, April 2, 2001
6:30 p.m.
Shoreline Conference Center
Mt. Rainier Room
PRESENT: Mayor Jepsen, Deputy Mayor Hansen, Councilmembers Grossman, Gustafson, Lee and Ransom
ABSENT: Councilmember Montgomery
1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 6:34 p.m. by Mayor Jepsen, who presided.
2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL
Mayor Jepsen led the flag salute. Upon roll by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present, with the exceptions of Councilmember Gustafson, who arrived shortly thereafter, and Councilmember Montgomery.
Councilmember Lee moved to excuse Councilmember Montgomery. Deputy Mayor Hansen seconded the motion, which carried unanimously.
3. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT AND FUTURE AGENDAS
Health and Human Services Manager Rob Beem reviewed a memorandum regarding 2000 Census figures for Shoreline.
Councilmember Gustafson arrived at 6:38 p.m.
Interim Assistant City Manager Kristoff Bauer discussed the recent announcement of the seven candidate sites for the BrightWater treatment facility and the consideration of sites for the marine outfall. He noted that Pt. Wells is one of these sites.
Planning and Development Services Director Tim Stewart introduced Jeff Thomas, Code Enforcement Officer, who reviewed recent abatement activities at 14929 Westminster Way.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
Councilmember Gustafson mentioned his participation in the March 22 Briarcrest Neighborhood Association anniversary party at Briarcrest Elementary School. He noted his attendance at a recent meeting of the Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) Eight Steering Committee.
Councilmember Grossman mentioned his participation in a recent meeting of the Seashore Transportation Forum.
Councilmember Ransom noted his participation on the Human Development Policy Committee during the National League of Cities Conference.
Mayor Jepsen mentioned his attendance at the Shoreline Foundation Breakfast March 29.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
(a) Joe Ferris, 16739 Linden Avenue N, complained about vehicles parked at a neighboring property.
(b) Marc Chomos, 1406 NW Richmond Beach Road #2, said Shoreline Police mailed a traffic citation to him long after the incident for which he was cited.
Mr. Stewart discussed the City three-strike code enforcement program. He said staff will follow up with Mr. Ferris.
Interim City Manager Larry Bauman said he will ask the Shoreline Police Department to respond to Mr. Chomos about its procedures and the citation he received.
6. WORKSHOP ITEMS
(a) Stakeholder Briefing on the Shoreline Park and Ride Transit Oriented Development Project
Planning Manager Kirk McKinley introduced the following participating stakeholders in addition to City Council: King County Councilmember Maggi Fimia; Maureen Sullivan, Northwest Region Administrator, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT); State Representative Carolyn Edmonds; and Ron Posthuma, Assistant Director, King County Department of Transportation.
Mr. McKinley described the preliminary constraints analysis, the updated market analysis, the transit needs report and community outreach. While the preliminary constraints analysis identified no major regulatory issues, Mr. McKinley acknowledged the constraints of State ownership of the Shoreline Park and Ride. The updated market analysis, which ERA performed, identified the following "supported uses": 250-350 apartments; auxiliary office as part of larger anchor; small scale retail as part of larger anchor; Puget Sound Learning Center (PSLC), YMCA, and Civic Center. The transit needs report, which Metro staff prepared, identifies four scenarios for transit operations at the site:
Regarding community outreach, Mr. McKinley mentioned presentations and public comments at: the October 4 Council of Neighborhoods meeting; the December 12 Hillwood Neighborhood Association meeting; the March 6 joint meeting of the Hillwood and Echo Lake Neighborhood Associations; and the March 20 Echo Lake Neighborhood Association.
Mr. Posthuma reviewed the three phases of the Shoreline Park and Ride Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Project process:
Ms. Sullivan briefly addressed WSDOT involvement and interest in TOD in general and at the Shoreline Park and Ride.
Mr. Posthuma discussed the "bookends concept" currently under consideration to the development of the Shoreline Park and Ride site:
County Councilmember Fimia praised the progress of the project during recent months. She supported the proposed process outline. She noted the involvement of three jurisdictions (the State, County and City), the proximity to a transit center and the adjacent neighborhoods. She advocated that the elected officials and staffs of the stakeholder organizations sign a letter of agreement regarding the Shoreline Park and Ride TOD Project. She acknowledged that the City will become the lead agency after development of a master plan for the project.
Mayor Jepsen invited public comment.
(1) Walt Hagen, 711 N 193rd Street, questioned the impetus for the project. He asserted a lack of citizen support for changes to the Shoreline Park and Ride. He asserted that development of 200 to 300 apartments will result in vandalism at the site and the surrounding neighborhoods. He suggested a public referendum on the project.
(2) Marc Chomos, 1406 NW Richmond Beach Road #2, said an expansion of parking at the Shoreline Park and Ride would encourage additional transit ridership.
Mayor Jepsen said consideration of a TOD at the Shoreline Park and Ride is still exploratory. He noted the need to determine whether State, County and City policies will allow the project. He commented that the lack of a market study and of information from Metro on service levels makes it difficult to assess potential development at the site.
County Councilmember Fimia said the Shoreline Community College search for a technology center site was the original impetus for the Shoreline Park and Ride TOD Project. She mentioned subsequent discussions regarding a YMCA site and City Civic Center site. She explained that housing and retail uses would support such other uses.
Councilmember Grossman explained that he has supported development at the Shoreline Park and Ride as a future site of good-paying local jobs for Shoreline residents. He said the site is "horrendously underutilized." He said the change in grade could accommodate development designed to have minimal impact on the adjacent neighborhood. He advised that developers should be included in Phase II of the project process. Noting that parking at the Shoreline Park and Ride already spills over to neighboring side streets, he advocated increased parking at the site.
Councilmember Lee noted the difficulty of commuting and the lack of office facilities in Shoreline. She asserted the value of a large office space at which a corporation could locate part of its operations. She expressed strong support for siting a technology center in Shoreline. She advocated more detailed concepts of possible development at the site to enable citizens to visualize the possibilities.
Councilmember Ransom noted the concerns of residents neighboring the site about the proposed project. However, he identified the Shoreline Park and Ride TOD Project as "a unique opportunity for development in Shoreline." He agreed with Councilmember Grossman that additional parking is needed there. He said traffic engineering will address concerns about potential increases in cut-through traffic in adjacent neighborhoods. He mentioned that the Shoreline Park and Ride TOD Project could encourage other needed development in Shoreline.
State Representative Edmonds provided a Statewide policy perspective on the proposed project. She noted the expectation that housing growth targets for cities such as Shoreline will increase. She pointed to high-density housing development as a means of accommodating such growth without decreasing lot sizes. She mentioned the need for more senior housing in particular (the fastest-growing population in the State is that over age 65). She said the availability of jobs in nearby communities makes Shoreline ineligible for benefits under State economic development legislation, but the Growth Management Act (GMA) forces development to occur in "edge cities." She asserted that Shoreline must take advantage of such requirements to create its own economic development. She described State policy supporting technology education and jobs. She asserted that the Shoreline Park and Ride TOD Project takes advantage of State growth, economic development and education policy and that it serves the residents of Shoreline.
Mr. McKinley explained that market analysis of the site is available. He noted the next step of convening a team of consultants (including market analysts, architects and traffic engineers) to address its potential. He said staff will then prepare materials for stakeholder review in June and subsequent submission to the State.
Mayor Jepsen identified mixed-use development and shared parking as commonly-supported policies for the project. He noted that the project is meant to include housing and commercial development and increased transit service. He asked whether the TODs the County has already created have received increased transit service. He asked how to include Metro service plans in the planning for the Shoreline Park and Ride TOD.
Mr. Posthuma noted TODs under construction in Redmond and Renton. He said both are focuses of expanded transit service.
State Representative Edmonds said both the Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation and the Legislature strongly support "one third for choices." She mentioned discussion of dedicating more than "one third for choices" (e.g., 40 percent) in the Puget Sound region. She indicated the likelihood of future State funding for transit given such support.
County Councilmember Fimia noted an emerging emphasis in the County Six-Year Transit Development Plan on those areas in the County with greater population density and traffic. She said Shoreline receives, and is likely to receive more, transit service because of the Aurora Corridor. She also mentioned the Metropolitan Transportation Plan, which indicates that the $50-100 billion to be invested throughout four counties during the next 30 years will achieve only a six-percent mode split. She asserted the need to price single-occupancy-vehicle transportation to reflect its cost.
Continuing, County Councilmember Fimia recommended a focus on basic principles, rather than "bookends." She identified the following basic principles for the project: net enhancement for the community; mixed-use; additional parking; public space inside and out; attractive design; open process for tenants; and long-term viability.
Mayor Jepsen supported all of the basic principles that County Councilmember Fimia listed, except "additional parking." He advocated careful consideration of the need for additional parking.
Councilmember Gustafson asserted the need for an anchor tenant. He said the potential for locating the PSLC at the site "got him excited about this project."
In response to Councilmember Gustafson, Mr. McKinley said the PSLC lease at its current site in Canyon Park expires in 2003. The PSLC intends to consider permanent sites in the Shoreline area. He said the PSLC has reduced estimates of its initial size from 30,000-35,000 square feet to 15,000 square feet.
Councilmember Grossman said PSLC officials have "shifted their thinking" from a large, central facility to a smaller central facility and distributed services. He said the limited availability and high price of large pieces of land has caused YMCA officials to shift from "an open field, flat, one-story approach" to an urban approach of two to three stories and, possibly, structured parking.
Councilmember Gustafson asked if the listing of Puget Sound salmon species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) will affect the project. Mr. Posthuma indicated that the project is likely to improve water quality from the site.
Councilmember Ransom noted residents' concerns about the affordability of the housing proposed for the project. Mayor Jepsen commented that the State, County and City can prescribe terms for the housing, but that more government prescriptions will necessitate more government funding for the project. He said it is premature to make assumptions about housing as part of the project.
County Councilmember Fimia advocated:
County Councilmember Fimia distributed and discussed a draft letter of agreement concerning the process for the Shoreline Park and Ride TOD Project.
Mayor Jepsen suggested that the staff designated to sign the proposed draft review it. County Councilmember Fimia advocated that the elected officials of the stakeholder organizations also sign the letter of agreement. State Representative Edmonds said she has no authority to bind WSDOT.
Mayor Jepsen advocated that staff develop and add a statement of the specific roles and responsibilities of the stakeholder organizations (i.e., "who is going to do what by when").
County Councilmember Fimia suggested that the letter of agreement indicate that a statement of specific roles and responsibilities will be drafted.
Mayor Jepsen said Council previously expressed disinterest in signing a letter of agreement, although it supported a letter of agreement signed by staff. Deputy Mayor Hansen said he does not need to sign a letter of agreement "in order to have a feeling of ownership for the project."
County Councilmember Fimia asserted that "formal material needs to reflect that the stakeholder organizations are entering into a collaborative process."
Councilmember Lee said she would support a separate letter of affirmation of the elected officials of the stakeholder organizations to work together to address citizens' concerns.
Councilmember Gustafson said he did not feel a need to sign the letter of agreement.
Councilmember Grossman expressed his willingness to sign a document in support of a process to consider alternatives for the Shoreline Park and Ride.
Councilmember Ransom asserted that progress toward its objective is sufficient for Council. He questioned whether Councilmembers' signatures would have any real legal value. He asserted the sufficiency of Councilmembers' public statements of their positions.
In response to County Councilmember Fimia, Councilmembers Gustafson and Lee and State Representative Edmonds expressed their willingness to sign a second letter recognizing the involvement of the three stakeholder organizations through the master planning process. Mayor Jepsen noted the need to review the wording of such a letter.
City Attorney Pro Tem Bruce Disend advised that individual Councilmembers have no authority to bind the City legally. He pointed out that the proposed document is intended as a formal statement of intent of the parties, and that Councilmembers are free to sign it.
Mayor Jepsen reiterated Council support for a statement and schedule of the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholder organizations. He noted the next stakeholder briefing scheduled for June.
In response to County Councilmember Fimia, Mayor Jepsen suggested the inclusion of "active recruitment of potential tenants" on the list of roles and responsibilities.
(b) Presentation of Updated Information Services Strategic Plan for 2001 - 2003
Finance Director Debbie Tarry provided background on the 1997 Council adoption of the Five-Year Technology Plan. She said the updated plan will cost $2,052,700 between 2001 and 2003. This amount is within the original $4.28 million allocated for the 1997 plan.
Tho Dao, Information Services (IS) Manager, explained the updating and reprioritization of the plan to address current City goals and objectives. He pointed out that additional staff and consultant resources are proposed to assist IS staff in plan implementation. He recapped the status of the 29 projects in the original plan: nine were completed; seven were moved to the operating budget or cancelled; 16 projects remain in the updated plan.
Tom Krippeahne of Moss Adams Advisory Services explained the process for the update and outlined the five layers of the plan: hardware, operating systems, databases, applications, and enterprise tools (comprehensive Citywide capabilities such as the web, Internet, document management, etc.). He said the City "has come a long way" addressing hardware, operating systems and database issues. He noted the current focus on the application layer. He said the enterprise tools are yet to be fully developed. He concluded by outlining the 16 projects listed in the staff report. He explained that more projects were considered, but those on the list were considered to be of the highest priority. Then the list itself was prioritized into high, medium and low.
Responding to Councilmember Lee’s question about the deliverables that can be expected for the e-government allocation, Mr. Dao said Shoreline participates in an e-government alliance of many Puget Sound municipalities. This group focuses on leveraging resources. The City is currently in the process of developing its own e-government strategic plan. It will deal with applications suitable for the intra/internet. Staff will bring the details and specific deliverables back to Council at a future date. He confirmed that the budgeted amount is both for planning and implementation.
Councilmember Grossman commented that it is impossible to know the components of e-government that will be available in another year. So he was glad to see that the process will be iterative, rather than "fixed in stone." He commented on the prioritization of item #13 (strengthen IS staff) and #16 (skills development). He pointed out that the plan envisions completion of twice as much work as the past two years. He questioned whether this can be accomplished without spending a significant amount of money on internal staff development and strengthening IS staff. He felt that it is better to have a staff whose responsibility is managing IS projects, as opposed to being IS staff. He acknowledged that such well-trained staff are highly compensated, but he said it would be a good investment because of the operational savings they could facilitate.
Ms. Tarry agreed, noting a request will be coming forward for enhanced IS staffing for the project management area.
Councilmember Grossman concluded that #13 and #16 should be high priorities.
Mr. Dao said the City is mindful of the need to retain and develop internal staff to take on the role of matching the understanding of the business process with the appropriate technology. The plan is to hire consultants as appropriate and then develop internal staff competencies to allow them to manage projects. Mr. Krippeahne added that quite a bit of training is already going on. He said the IS Steering Committee struggled with the prioritization of the projects but recognized that everything cannot be undertaken at the same time.
Councilmember Grossman thanked the Council for supporting the 1997 Technology Plan that set the foundation for the current work.
Councilmember Gustafson supported an annual review of the plan. He supported #10 (enhanced security) as a high priority.
Deputy Mayor Hansen complimented the Finance Department and the IS staff on its implementation of the plan so far. He highlighted items #14 (e-government) and #15 (integrating existing systems), which represent $650,00. He noted these two were not on the original task list. He assumed from the update that the City is running more efficiently than expected. He wondered if these two items represent "placeholders" to make sure the funding does not disappear. He also raised the issue of specific deliverables for these two items. He did not oppose these being in the plan, but he felt that much more specificity would be required before he would approve the spending for these items.
Ms. Tarry assured him that these are not placeholders. The dollar amounts represent the experience of Moss Adams as to what it really costs to pursue these items. She said each will be defined in greater detail as time passes.
Mr. Krippeahne added that one of the biggest differences between the 1997 plan and the update is the City’s "change of architecture" in moving from building Oracle-based systems to purchasing already-built software applications. Many of these are not programmed to integrate at a very detailed level. Once the software suites are implemented, work must be done to integrate all of them at a data level.
Ms. Tarry commented that the real challenge is that there is not a single vendor that provides software applications for all the various components of City business.
Mayor Jepsen expressed the general consensus in support of the proposed Technology Plan update. He reiterated the request for additional details on #14 and #15 and Councilmember Grossman’s comment that staff training should be a high priority. He also asked to see the long-term staffing implications of the Technology Plan.
Councilmember Lee recommended that staff always keep in mind the question, "What is the tangible, measurable value that each of these projects brings to the City?"
(c) Status Report on the Channelization Plan for the Aurora Corridor Project
Bill Conner, Public Works Director, introduced Anne Tonella-Howe, Aurora Corridor Project Manager. Ms. Tonella-Howe described the changes to the Aurora Corridor Pre-Design Study cross-section as a result of the WSDOT requirement for wider Business Access and Transit (BAT) lanes. The new cross-section remains at 110 feet and provides for 13-foot BAT lanes by reducing the median to 14 feet. She described how the cross-section is modified at intersections, still allowing it to remain at 110 feet. Where opportunities exist, staff will approach willing sellers to negotiate the purchase of additional property in order to retain 12-foot sidewalks. The channelization plan incorporating the reduced cross-section has received initial approval from WSDOT, and an approved channelization plan is expected.
Continuing, Ms. Tonella-Howe described the upcoming steps for completing the first phase of the Aurora Corridor Project (145th Street to 165th Street). This includes completion of the environmental review and the appraisal/negotiation process to acquire right-of-way. A community meeting is planned in late May to gather public input on the changes to the plan. Following this meeting, staff will return to Council.
Another checkpoint with WSDOT is submittal of the right-of-way plan in order to receive authorization to start the appraisal process. As property acquisition proceeds, staff will work on the final construction plans. The project should be ready to go to bid in December. She emphasized the many approval processes, many of which are beyond Shoreline’s control. She acknowledged that the schedule "has slid a bit," but she said this is not detrimental to the project because a contractor would "winter over" anyway.
Mayor Jepsen called for public comment.
(1) Marc Chomos, 1406 NW Richmond Beach Road #2, asked if the City will do Aurora Corridor projects outside Shoreline. He also asked about traffic impacts.
(2) Clark Elster, 1720 NE 177th Street, said the intersection cross-section that staff is using as an illustration is not a major intersection with two left-turns. Such intersections will require more right-of-way. He also pointed out that the wider road will take more time to cross, so the pedestrian islands must be wide enough for people to stand on safely.
(3) Walt Hagen, 711 193rd St., expressed concern about the impacts on the neighborhoods and on other streets, such as Meridian Avenue, 5th Avenue, 10th Avenue, and 15th Avenue. He said the plan for 15th Avenue to go from four lanes to three will impact Aurora Avenue. He commented that the City will need a Categorical Exclusion (CE) when the Environmental Assessment is submitted. He asked when this document would be available for public review.
Mayor Jepsen noted that Shoreline is coordinating its plans for Aurora Avenue with the jurisdictions to the north and south.
Mr. Conner explained that staff is working on a construction plan to determine where the contractor will place equipment. One approach is to dedicate a section of the right-of-way (e.g., the center turn lane or the sidewalk) to the contractor as a staging area. This would change as construction progresses. He also pointed out that the City is considering environmental impacts to the neighborhoods by planning for the entire City while looking at the individual areas. Traffic considerations have been taken into account as part of the design of the North City Plan.
Ms. Tonella-Howe agreed there are a number of intersections not represented in the packet where dual left-turn lanes already exist. She said the necessary width already exists in many instances, and it is just a matter of adding the curb and sidewalks to complete the entire cross-section.
With regard to pedestrian islands, Mayor Jepsen said the goal is to balance the desire to make Aurora Avenue a more useful transportation corridor with providing a safer pedestrian environment.
Responding to Mayor Jepsen, Mr. Conner said a four-foot pedestrian island is the smallest, narrowest island that would be safe. He noted that WSDOT prefers pedestrian islands of eight feet.
Mayor Jepsen pointed out that the intersections will be viewed on a case-by-case basis. Where there are opportunities to go beyond four feet, this will be considered.
Ms. Tonella-Howe said the CE is being completed this week. Once it is submitted, copies will be available for public review.
Responding to Councilmember Lee, Ms. Tonella-Howe said approximately 30 percent of the design has been completed. The next step is to complete the preliminary engineering. The next engineering milestone will be the completion of the construction plans, which will occur as the environmental documents are working their way through the approval process. The final design for this section should be completed by October, in order to bid the project in December.
Councilmember Lee wished to ensure that a four-foot pedestrian island is adequate for mothers with strollers or people in wheelchairs.
Mr. Conner clarified that the project will be designed so that the slowest possible user of the intersection will be able to get all the way across the street on one cycle of the traffic signal.
Deputy Mayor Hansen suggested that much of the construction could take place at night in order to allow partial use of the roadway during the day. He also noted that the intersections beyond 175th Street may require more study, but those are in the next phase.
Councilmember Lee supported staying within the 110-foot cross-section rather than the expanded option mentioned in the staff report. Deputy Mayor Hansen concurred.
Councilmember Ransom said he has received comments from the public that the traffic light at 185th Street is too short for the old and infirm. He said a four-foot island is not sufficient for an older person, considering the suction of large trucks passing by.
MEETING EXTENSION
At 9:56 p.m., Deputy Mayor Hansen moved to extend the meeting for 20 minutes. Councilmember Ransom seconded the motion, which carried 6 – 0.
Mr. Bauman noted that most of the accidents on Aurora Avenue have occurred in the middle of blocks, where there are no pedestrian islands or traffic lights to regulate traffic.
Ms. Tonella-Howe assured Councilmember Gustafson that WSDOT is expected to approve the revised channelization plan.
Councilmember Gustafson commented on the reduction of the turning radius for U-turns, noting that this will make U-turns impossible for certain vehicles. Ms. Tonella-Howe said this design accommodates passenger cars.
Councilmember Gustafson concurred with Councilmember Ransom that wider pedestrian islands would be preferable.
Mayor Jepsen wished to confirm that although trees are not shown in the cross-sections in the Council packet, they have not been eliminated from the plan. Ms. Tonella-Howe assured him that the medians will still have street trees and that the pedestrian islands will have ground cover or small shrubs.
Responding to Mayor Jepsen, Ms. Tonella-Howe said the goal is to bid the project in December. However, there is also a desire to underground utilities. The schedule for this is yet to be determined. There have already been discussions with Seattle City Light (SCL); however, other utilities must also be taken into consideration. Staff is working to bring all of these on board with the schedule. SCL will design their facility improvements and submit them to the consultant team for incorporation in the construction plans. She noted the hope that all other utilities will make an effort to do the same.
Mayor Jepsen emphasized the importance of having milestones that are attainable and knowing what the City must do to help ensure that they will be met. He then articulated Council concurrence to proceed, making adjustments to the cross-sections where there is more right-of-way. He emphasized the importance of keeping the project on schedule.
Councilmember Ransom concluded by noting that some businesses are concerned about truck access to their businesses. On the other hand, residents are concerned about trucks cutting through their neighborhoods.
Mayor Jepsen said that a lot of engineering work will occur between May and October and that businesses and residents will have this time to provide input on how the proposal affects them.
Ms. Tonella-Howe said this issue has not come up in the meetings she has conducted so far. She said staff will talk continually with property owners to work through the design.
Mayor Jepsen pointed out that these concerns will probably come up more in the next phase than during this first one.
(d) Addressing Single Family design through the regulation of bulk, scale and impervious surface
There was Council concurrence to postpone this item until the workshop of April 16, 2001.
7. ADJOURNMENT
At 10:09 p.m. Mayor Jepsen adjourned the meeting.
_______________________
Sharon Mattioli, CMC
City Clerk