Edmonds Planning Board Regular Meeting - July 9, 2026

The Edmonds Planning Board met in hybrid format in the Brackett Room on the 3rd floor of City Hall (121 5th Ave N, Edmonds, WA 98020) on July 9, 2026 (2026-07-09), to approve minutes, take public comment, continue the third reading of the House Bill 1757 code amendments allowing conversion of existing commercial buildings to residential use, and continue the 2026 Tree Code Update (Project AMD2026-0001). The agenda lists the meeting date as July 8, 2026, at 7:00 PM, while the meeting record timestamp is 2026-07-09 17:45 UTC; this summary follows the timestamp date. The board completed its HB 1757 recommendation to council, adopted landmark tree definitions, and deferred final tree density credit decisions back to the subcommittee.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the June 24, 2026, Planning Board meeting minutes as revised by Judy Gladstone, including a correction that Lee Hankins read the land acknowledgement instead of Stephen Lee. The motion passed with 5 ayes, no nays, and no abstentions.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Deborah Aspland, who stated she is president of the Edmonds Trees advocacy group, expressed full support for a strong tree code with retention as the first requirement, replacement trees for any deficit, and fee-in-lieu only as a last resort. She recommended the planning board subcommittee's option of 110 tree density credits per acre with the 10-point scale, noted replacement trees are only needed to meet minimum credits, suggested tailoring replacement credits to incentivize native conifers and larger mature trees, and urged adoption of a 24-inch landmark tree threshold with a landmark species list.
• John Mursky of 518 Bell Street, a former sustainability policy advisor for Ann Arbor, called the draft code excellent. He recommended a landmark DSH threshold no larger than 24 inches, lower DSH thresholds for native species that do not reach 24 inches, a tree density credit system that demonstrably achieves the citywide 35% canopy goal, extending the 1.5 credit multiplier now used for conifers to other native trees on the city's recommended tree list (noting oak supports over 400 species while ginkgo supports about five), and indexing fines and fees. He rejected takings objections, stating the city is preserving significant community assets rather than taking property.
• Pam Tower, an Edmonds resident, supported the same 110 credits per acre with the 10-point scale recommended by Deborah Aspland. She recommended a fee-in-lieu of about $1,300 to $1,500 per tree credit, noted that under the initial draft code a 10-credit landmark tree could be removed for only about $4,500, and advocated minimum tree retention requirements plus double tree density credits for replacement native conifers and other high-value species.
• Kathleen Sears, an Edmonds resident and Edmonds Trees member, said she seconded the previous comments. She supported the 24-inch landmark definition and species list, asked the board to reconsider last meeting's vote on tree species, and recommended that permit types and technical standards be written more clearly and specifically. Citing Forest Service i-Tree calculations, she said a 24-inch Douglas fir absorbs and mitigates 2,003 gallons of stormwater per year (a figure she later restated as 2,350 gallons) versus about 10 gallons for a sapling, so roughly 235 young saplings would be needed to match one mature tree's immediate infrastructure capacity; she also cited neighboring cities that use aggressive tree credit multipliers.

Discussion Items

House Bill 1757 - Commercial-to-Residential Conversions

• Dwayne Wacon, senior planner, presented the third reading of the HB 1757 code amendments. The board had previously approved the major pedestrian corridor definition; staff presented three map options for areas that could be removed from the corridor. Option 1 removed segments along Olympic View Drive, Meadow Beach Drive, and Puget Drive where the comprehensive plan indicated future study needs. Option 2 removed school-connector routes not identified as primary pedestrian corridors in the comprehensive plan. Option 3 removed routes in the Esperance area; the transcript includes an exchange clarifying that Esperance is annexed rather than unincorporated. Staff recommended the full proposed overlay to protect ground-floor commercial in the commercial waterfront zone, downtown BD designated street fronts, and the NCH ground-floor commercial overlay.
• Board discussion focused on breadth. Judy said the city was using a transportation construct to address commercial zoning and supported removing all three option areas; staff responded that the map aligns with the comprehensive plan's planned pedestrian and bicycle networks. Bristol clarified that the overlay is a preservation tool that identifies where ground-floor commercial cannot be converted and does not itself require commercial uses. Nick suggested adding the word existing to item F to clarify the prohibition applies only to existing ground-floor commercial; staff cautioned against the edit because the entire chapter applies to existing buildings. Staff also noted that a separate state bill expected next year would limit ground-floor commercial requirements to 40 percent of square footage in commercial or mixed-use zones.
• The board passed a motion to recommend that the major pedestrian corridors be the primary pedestrian corridors from comprehensive plan Figure 2.2, with the addition of the downtown BD zones; the commercial waterfront was already included in the primary routes. The vote was 6 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 abstention. A second motion to recommend the draft code language in the packet, including the previously approved definition and the map just voted on, passed 6 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 abstention.

2026 Tree Code Update - Landmark Tree Species and Definition

• The subcommittee recommended adopting the Bellevue landmark species list as a compromise. The board noted Bellevue's list protects species such as madrona and Pacific yew at 8 inches DSH rather than 12 inches, better reflecting the mature size of those species, while using less restrictive thresholds than Seattle's 6-inch values.
• A friendly amendment to remove cascara from the Bellevue list passed. The board then unanimously adopted the Bellevue landmark species list minus cascara, and 24-inch DBH as the landmark definition for all other trees.

2026 Tree Code Update - Tree Density Credits

• The subcommittee framed the central choice as Option A (110 credits per acre with a 1-to-10 existing tree value scale) versus Option B (65 credits per acre with a 1-to-5 scale adapted from Shoreline). Members noted Option A would require about 21 credits, and about 21 planted trees on a vacant 8,500-square-foot lot, while Option B would require about 13 credits and about 13 planted trees. They also discussed whether replanted trees should each count as one credit and whether credits should be tailored to reward native conifers and mature species.
• An amendment passed 6 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 abstention to remove ADUs and DADUs from the proposed 110-credit-per-acre requirement, on the grounds that these housing types work around existing buildings and should not be as restrictive.
• A subsequent motion to adopt 110 credits per acre for other low-density residential development was withdrawn after discussion raised concerns about middle housing feasibility, replanting counts, potential fee-in-lieu triggers, and the need to balance housing production with the 35% canopy goal. A motion to extend the meeting by 15 minutes failed; a 5-minute extension passed.
• No final decision on tree density credits was made. The subcommittee was directed to refine Options A and B with tiered thresholds and replanting incentive options for the next meeting.

Key Outcomes

• Recommended the HB 1757 draft code to council with the major pedestrian corridor defined as the comprehensive plan's primary pedestrian corridors plus downtown BD zones; votes were 6-0-1 and 6-0-1.
• Unanimously adopted the Bellevue landmark species list minus cascara, with 24-inch DBH as the landmark definition for all other trees.
• Approved the June 24 minutes with revisions and the corrected land acknowledgement attribution.
• Deferred a final tree density credit decision; ADUs and DADUs were exempted from the 110-credit-per-acre proposal, and the subcommittee will return with refined options.
• The board discussed the extended agenda: the next regular meeting, referenced as July 22 after initially being stated as July 27, will include a tree code hearing and the Westgate zoning map discrepancy item. No special meeting was scheduled; the chair said subcommittee time would be better spent before the next meeting.

Adjournment

• The meeting adjourned at 9:01 PM.