Monday, June 10, 2002, 6:00 p.m.

Shoreline Conference Center, Highlander Room

The meeting convened at 6:30 p.m. All Councilmembers were present. Councilmembers, Planning Commissioners and staff introduced themselves.

Tim Stewart, Planning and Development Services Director, distributed the 2002-2003 Planning Commission Work Program and reviewed the items on the plan: 1) annual review of Comprehensive Plan; 2) Development Code amendments; 3) possible permit applications; 4) training and information sharing; and 5) the major update to the Comprehensive Plan that will occur in 2003.

Mr. Stewart also provided an outline of the legislation requiring local communities to provide Secure Community Transition Facilities (SCTF) for convicted sex offenders who have served their criminal sentence and are civilly committed and conditionally released. For Shoreline, these would be offenders leaving McNeil Island. He also identified the three options available for responding to the legislation’s September deadline: 1) doing nothing; 2) amending the Essential Facilities Elements of the Comprehensive Plan and Development Code; or 3) amend the Development Code Use Table.

He explained that amending the Development Code would involve defining Essential Public Facility either generically or specifically by type to the Permitted Use Table as either permitted, permitted with index, conditional use, or special. Then the SCTF could be allowed only in Regional Business and Industrial zones. This approach could be moved forward and completed by September so that the establishment of the process is not pre-empted by the State. Mr. Stewart mentioned that one consideration for the State is the cost of the land, which could be an issue.

Moving on, Police Chief Denise Pentony was asked to describe how such a facility would look. She said it would appear much like a maximum security facility, including razor wire and armed guards. A SCTF would house approximately 14 individuals. Each county is required to provide an SCTF facility to house the sex offenders released from prison who are from that county. The number for King County is approximately 14.

Mayor Jepsen mentioned that Shoreline is a city that already has many group homes. Although many of these are invisible, some companies that buy homes and operate them as group homes for sex offenders have targeted Shoreline. This means Shoreline is already getting more than its "fair share" of these facilities.

Chief Pentony defined a "civil commitment". She said the State designates certain sexual offenders who have served their sentences but are considered too dangerous to be released into the community. This determination is based on their likelihood of re-offending. These people are committed in a civil process under the Involuntary Treatment Act.

Councilmembers and Commissioners discussed how unfortunate this legislation is and how little sense it makes not to consolidate this type of facility instead of setting them up in each county that has sex offenders about to be released.

Mr. Stewart concluded that staff will proceed to prepare options for Councilmembers to consider at a workshop.

The last issue for discussion was Planning Commission representation at City Council meetings. Mayor Jepsen outlined that Council’s desire to have the Planning Commission Chair present at Council meetings to convey Planning Commission recommendations to the Council.

Councilmember Ransom suggested that if a vote on an issue were 5 – 4 at the Planning Commission, it might be wise to have majority/minority reports.

Mayor Jepsen thanked the Commissioners for their hard work and declared the meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.

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Joyce Nichols, Community and Government Relations Manager