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Record of Proceedings

Kirkland Planning Commission Special Meeting on SCE Element Update - October 25, 2023

Planning Commission — Wednesday, October 25, 2023

BodyKirkland, Washington

SessionPlanning Commission

DateWednesday, October 25, 2023

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:15:20

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Okay.

0:01

I think we're ready to start the meeting.

0:03

I'm going to call to order the October 25th Planning Commission meeting.

0:11

On tonight's agenda, we have an update for the comp plan on sustainability.

0:19

And I would like to call role.

0:24

Scott Rooser?

0:26

Here.

0:26

Rodney Rutherford.

0:28

Here.

0:29

Angela Rosman.

0:31

Here.

0:32

John Tim Chisholm?

0:33

Here.

0:34

Katya Allen.

0:38

I believe Katcha is still here.

0:40

Isn't she online?

0:43

She is not.

0:44

She has not joined yet.

0:45

Okay.

0:47

She may uh Katcha is in Spain and may not be attending on this one.

0:54

Sandy Singal.

0:56

Still here.

0:56

And Bria Heiser.

1:01

Great.

1:04

So before we start our meeting, is there anybody from the audience who would like to speak tonight?

1:14

So is there anyone online?

1:17

No, there's not.

1:18

Okay, great.

1:21

On the agenda tonight is a study session for sustainability, climate, and environmental element of the comp plant update.

1:29

So I will uh defer to staff.

1:34

Thank you.

1:54

Great.

1:55

My name is David Barnes, senior planner here at City of Kirkland, and I'm gonna be giving you a little bit of briefing since the last time we visited back in May on the sustainability climate and environment element.

2:11

Yes, make sure you have screen sharing over soon.

2:51

Great.

2:52

I think we're we're all there now.

2:54

Thanks.

3:01

Okay.

3:02

So tonight I'm just gonna briefly recap our previous meeting, um, very briefly.

3:08

Um we're also gonna go over um the SCE element, um, which is sustainability climate and environment element.

3:14

Um like to use that acronym um tonight, just so I don't have to say it over and over again.

3:19

Um, and talk about the required policies um that we're needing to adopt and also what let how legislation is affecting the policies that we're adopting.

3:29

Um and the real meat and potatoes of the meeting tonight is the discussion points and getting your feedback about um some policies that I've um brought forward.

3:46

So um you might remember from our last meeting, May 11th, um, 2023.

3:50

We discussed um, you know, focus group um questions about having a policy that leads to natural gas hookup ban in Kirkland.

3:58

Um I took your feedback, and generally um some of the members of the planning commission did not support a ban on um natural gas hookups.

4:09

Um and there were concerns about costs, impacts to businesses, ability of the electric grid to handle increased demand.

4:18

Um however, um probably you've seen from the packet, um, several east side cities and um have drafted and intend to incorporate policies into their comprehensive plans, incorporating um or transitioning away from fossil fuels.

4:35

Um and this slide here is just talking about some of the themes that um occurred from meeting with the working group on the SCE element and also through um a survey that was conducted.

4:48

Seventy-five percent of the respondents were really kind of concerned about the impacts of climate change.

5:00

And they were wanting us to provide information about education about programming that prioritizes equal access to solutions that reduce the impacts of climate change.

5:11

And so I just thought it'd be a good idea for you to see this again, what the community was saying they're promoting or asking us to do more electrification to move away from the dependence on fossil fuels in general, and they want us to report out on our efforts.

5:32

So as with all of the elements that the staff is working on, you know, what we have to do is we have to determine consistency with state, multi-county, or PSRC's vision 2050, King County Countywide Planning Policies.

5:49

I've gone through and taken the whole element and actually done that.

5:53

And we are consistent with the PSRCs or the multi-county, and we are consistent with King County's countywide planning policies.

6:01

I will say that we've gone from about 52 policies to about 75.

6:07

And I really haven't got a chance to really get into the legislation that I'm going to talk about a little bit later that's requiring us to do more climate action policies.

6:46

So we've got a little catch-up to do, and we we hope to have policies that are supportive of our functional plans.

7:03

So I've gone through the policies and looked there to make sure I'm consistent with that.

7:11

And then also the Econ Northwest equity equity review has lots of suggestions about proper language to use.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Climate Change█████████████████████████████████████████41%

Sustainability Initiatives██████████████████████████26%

Affordable Housing██████████████14%

Housing████4%

Public Engagement████4%

Meeting Schedules████4%

Comprehensive Planning███3%

Procedural██2%

Energy Efficiency██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Kirkland Planning Commission Special Meeting: Sustainability – Climate and Environment (SCE) Element Update

On October 25, 2023, the Kirkland Planning Commission held a special study session from 8:00 PM to 9:15 PM to discuss the Sustainability, Climate, and Environment (SCE) Element of the Comprehensive Plan update. The meeting focused on fossil fuel policy options, sustainability components from the NE 85th Street Station Area Plan, and potential citywide application. Commissioners provided input to guide staff in drafting policies, but no formal motions were adopted.

Public Comments & Testimony

No public comments were made during the meeting.

Discussion Items

Fossil Fuel Policy Options (Options A, B, C): Senior Planner David Barnes presented three policy options for reducing fossil fuel reliance and meeting emission reduction targets (50% by 2030, 75% by 2040, 95% by 2050). Commissioners discussed feasibility, the importance of focusing on emissions reductions rather than specific fuels, the need for annual progress evaluation, and the role of housing and transportation in achieving targets. Commissioner Angela Rozmyn emphasized urgency and the need for measurable annual progress. Commissioner John Tymczyszyn made a motion to adopt Option B, which was seconded, but Deputy Planning Director Allison Zike clarified that no formal action was needed. The motion was withdrawn. The commission provided guiding principles: avoid focusing on natural gas, emphasize emissions reductions, measure progress frequently, and consider warming effect vs. carbon tonnage.
NE 85th Street Station Area Plan Sustainability Components: Mr. Barnes reviewed the plan's high-performing building standards and green factor requirements. Commissioners discussed whether to consider citywide application, the speed of implementation, and qualifying project sizes. Concerns were raised about increasing development costs and deterring housing construction, especially given high interest rates. Commissioners favored studying the issue further before adopting requirements, with some suggesting developer outreach. Commissioner Bria Heiser opposed requiring these standards for low-density or small projects. Commissioner Angela Rozmyn urged setting a target date (e.g., 18 months) for enforceable policies, while others emphasized balancing green building with affordable housing priorities.
Calendar Updates: Deputy Planning Director Allison Zike announced the cancellation of the October 26 and November 23 meetings. Commissioners agreed to cancel the December 28 meeting. Upcoming meetings will focus on comprehensive plan work.

Key Outcomes

The Planning Commission did not adopt any policy or motion. Staff will use the commissioners' input—including emphasis on annual progress evaluation, emissions-focused language, and caution on citywide mandates—to draft a revised fossil fuel policy and evaluate the NE 85th Street sustainability components for future study.
Staff will target returning with a draft SCE element for commission review in January 2024, pending guidance from the Washington State Department of Commerce.
The next public hearing is scheduled for November 9, 2023, on the annual comprehensive plan amendment.

Meeting Transcript

Okay. I think we're ready to start the meeting. I'm going to call to order the October 25th Planning Commission meeting. On tonight's agenda, we have an update for the comp plan on sustainability. And I would like to call role. Scott Rooser? Here. Rodney Rutherford. Here. Angela Rosman. Here. John Tim Chisholm? Here. Katya Allen. I believe Katcha is still here. Isn't she online? She is not. She has not joined yet. Okay. She may uh Katcha is in Spain and may not be attending on this one. Sandy Singal. Still here. And Bria Heiser. Great. So before we start our meeting, is there anybody from the audience who would like to speak tonight? So is there anyone online? No, there's not. Okay, great. On the agenda tonight is a study session for sustainability, climate, and environmental element of the comp plant update. So I will uh defer to staff. Thank you. Great. My name is David Barnes, senior planner here at City of Kirkland, and I'm gonna be giving you a little bit of briefing since the last time we visited back in May on the sustainability climate and environment element. Yes, make sure you have screen sharing over soon. Great. I think we're we're all there now. Thanks. Okay. So tonight I'm just gonna briefly recap our previous meeting, um, very briefly. Um we're also gonna go over um the SCE element, um, which is sustainability climate and environment element. Um like to use that acronym um tonight, just so I don't have to say it over and over again. Um, and talk about the required policies um that we're needing to adopt and also what let how legislation is affecting the policies that we're adopting. Um and the real meat and potatoes of the meeting tonight is the discussion points and getting your feedback about um some policies that I've um brought forward. So um you might remember from our last meeting, May 11th, um, 2023. We discussed um, you know, focus group um questions about having a policy that leads to natural gas hookup ban in Kirkland. Um I took your feedback, and generally um some of the members of the planning commission did not support a ban on um natural gas hookups. Um and there were concerns about costs, impacts to businesses, ability of the electric grid to handle increased demand. Um however, um probably you've seen from the packet, um, several east side cities and um have drafted and intend to incorporate policies into their comprehensive plans, incorporating um or transitioning away from fossil fuels. Um and this slide here is just talking about some of the themes that um occurred from meeting with the working group on the SCE element and also through um a survey that was conducted. Seventy-five percent of the respondents were really kind of concerned about the impacts of climate change.

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