Edmonds Planning Board Regular Meeting – October 15, 2026

The Edmonds Planning Board met in hybrid format in the Brackett Room at Edmonds City Hall, 121 5th Ave N, and via Zoom. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. and adjourned at approximately 8:24 p.m. Members present were Lee Hankin, Stephen Lee, Judy Gladstone, Nick Maxwell, Lauren Golobuski, and student representative Danielle Dakota; Bristol and John Milky were excused. The meeting opened with a land acknowledgment honoring the Sdohobsh (Snohomish) people and the Tulalip Tribes. Note: The agenda and transcript label the meeting as October 14, 2026; per meeting-date metadata, this summary uses October 15, 2026.

Consent Calendar / Approval of Minutes

• The board approved the September 23, 2026 meeting minutes, as edited. The motion was made by Lee Hankin, seconded by Judy Gladstone, and passed unanimously with no nays or abstentions.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No audience comments were offered in person or online.

Discussion Items

Tree Code Update and Next Steps

• City Administrator Stephanie Lucash and staff member Deb Powers presented an updated schedule after the City Council voted to extend the tree code timeline. They thanked the Planning Board for completing its tree code work in about eight months after the city compressed the overall process to roughly ten months, compared with a typical 18–24 month process in surveyed jurisdictions.
• Planning Board members agreed to co-present with staff at the City Council study session on November 12, 2026, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Board representatives will explain the Planning Board’s recommendations and reasoning. Staff said no further Planning Board engagement is currently scheduled after November 12 unless Council refers additional questions back to the board.
• Board members cautioned that the tree code recommendations are interconnected and that picking apart individual provisions without context could create risks. They also discussed an unresolved proposal that could merge the tree board into a parks board; no change has been adopted.
• Staff said the extension allows broader public engagement and more legal oversight. Key Council direction meetings are planned for December 1, 2026, January 12, 2027, and January 26, 2027, with the extension expiring in April 2027.

2027–2032 Capital Facilities Plan (CFP) and Capital Improvement Program (CIP)

• The board reviewed the draft Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations (FCR) for the 2027–2032 CFP/CIP.
• Members discussed whether the FCR format captured the board’s voice. Several members expressed concern that the backlog of deferred replacement and upgrades has grown and creates future financial risk. Staff clarified that CIP focuses on capital replacements and upgrades rather than routine maintenance.
• The board approved the FCR after adding a fifth conclusion: “After review of the CIP/CFP, the planning board continues to have concerns about deferred replacement and upgrades of important city infrastructure that increases the risk of rising financial obligations in the future.”

Lot Splits and Subdivision Code Updates Introduction

• Staff introduced HB 1096 residential lot splits as the first of a series of updates to Edmonds’ subdivision code. A lot split allows one parent lot to be divided into no more than two lots and cannot be repeated on the same property. Eligibility requires the parent lot to be at least twice the minimum parcel area (for example, 12,000 sq ft where the zone minimum is 6,000 sq ft), residential zoning, available utility/service connections, and no prior lot split.
• Unlike short plats and unit lot subdivisions, a lot split with no associated building permit would be a type one administrative review, with no public hearing and no final review. The board was told planning review would take about 65 days. A lot split with a building permit would run concurrently with the building permit process. By comparison, the existing short plat/subdivision process has roughly 221+ days of maximum review time and often takes much longer in practice.
• Staff recommended using modified minimum zone standards, modeled on conservation subdivision standards, to encourage housing production through lot splits. Several board members questioned this approach, with some preferring parent-lot standards to reduce impacts on neighbors and others questioning why lot splits should receive reduced setbacks without conservation protections. No decision was made.
• Board members asked staff to research how flag lots would be treated under parent-lot standards. They also discussed that an ADU could become a single-family home on its own lot through a lot split, but the original property cannot be lot-split again.
• Staff said future subdivision code updates will be introduced separately and then combined into one package for deliberation and public hearing.

Planning Board Extended Agenda / Upcoming Meetings

• The board canceled the October 28, 2026 meeting and moved the Planning Board handbook update to November 18, 2026.
• The December 9, 2026 meeting is expected to include the 2027 annual docket, the Planning Board handbook, and election of officers.
• A vacant Planning Board position remains unfilled; no update was available. Board members were encouraged to volunteer for or seek nominations for officer positions.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the September 23, 2026 meeting minutes as amended.
• Approved the 2027–2032 CFP/CIP FCR with the added conclusion about deferred replacement and upgrades and future financial obligations.
• Agreed to have Planning Board representatives co-present at the November 12, 2026 City Council study session on the tree code.
• Canceled the October 28, 2026 Planning Board meeting and moved the handbook discussion to November 18, 2026.
• Took no action on lot splits; the item was an introduction only, with further research requested on flag lots and ADU/lot split interactions.