Shoreline City Council Regular Meeting - August 4, 2025
Shoreline City Council Regular Meeting - August 4, 2025
The Shoreline City Council met on Monday, August 4, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the Council Chamber. Mayor Chris Roberts was excused; Deputy Mayor Laura Mork presided. All other councilmembers were present. The meeting included a proclamation, city manager and council reports, public comment, and discussions on the King County Solid Waste Division's 2026 rates and Ordinance No. 1043 to eliminate parking minimums citywide. The meeting adjourned at 8:14 PM.
Proclamation
- Deputy Mayor Mork proclaimed August 5, 2025 as "National Night Out for Community" in Shoreline. Kate Ledbetter of the Parkwood Neighborhood Association accepted the proclamation.
Consent Calendar
- Approved unanimously (6-0): Approval of June 23, 2025 meeting minutes; authorization of a construction contract with Interwest Construction, Inc. for $1,871,995 for the 8th Avenue NW Sidewalk Project; authorization of professional services agreements with Atwell, LLC, David Evans and Associates, Inc., and KBA, Inc. for a combined total not to exceed $3,625,000 for construction management on-call services.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Matthew DeAngelis (Meridian Park resident) urged removal of parking minimums, stating that removing mandates does not eliminate parking but allows property owners to decide. He argued that change will be slow due to permitting and construction timelines.
- Tom Lang (Parkwood resident) strongly supported eliminating parking minimums, calling them a relic of a bygone era. He urged the council to stay the course.
- Gabriel Sneed (Meridian Park resident) advocated for immediate removal of all parking minimums, emphasizing that it encourages housing development and reduces car-dedicated space.
Discussion Items
A. King County Solid Waste Division 2026 Rates (20 minutes)
- Paige Scheid (Environmental Services Program Manager), Sarah Bruemmer (Environmental Sustainability Coordinator), and representatives from King County's Solid Waste Division (Rebecca Singer, Director; Dave Pierce, Enterprise Services Section Manager) presented the 2026 rate proposal.
- Total system-wide estimated bill increase: 71 cents/month; Shoreline-specific increase: 79 cents/month for a 32-gallon can.
- Yard waste and self-haul rates will rise 12.5% to align revenue with costs (yard waste collection costs 2% of revenue but brings in only 1%).
- Commercial tipping fees will increase 8% in 2026; fixed annual charge for commercial customers held steady until 2030.
- Capital expenditures projected to rise from $34 million to $99 million by 2031, driven by development of Area 9 at Cedar Hills landfill and other projects.
- Landfill reserve fund target: $350 million for closure and post-closure maintenance of Cedar Hills (estimated closure ~2040, but may shift due to disaster planning).
- Councilmembers expressed: support for education and enforcement to increase recycling, concern about the yard waste increase, and interest in mandating multifamily organics and rewarding waste sorting.
B. Ordinance No. 1043 - Development Code Amendments to Eliminate Parking Minimums Citywide and Revise Bicycle Parking Requirements (40 minutes)
- Steve Szafran (Senior Planner) and Elise Keim (Planning Manager) presented. The amendments: eliminate minimum parking ratios for all uses; retain design standards for parking; increase bicycle parking requirements; and add design standards for bicycle parking.
- The Planning Commission recommended approval.
- Councilmember John Ramsdell supported eliminating minimums, asked about bike requirements for older buildings (staff confirmed triggered by new development or major improvements).
- Councilmember Keith Scully supported but wanted to retain ability to regulate excessive vehicles on a lot (staff confirmed levers remain).
- Councilmember Annette Ademasu supported, noting benefits for ADUs. She asked about ADA requirements (staff clarified ADA applies only if parking is provided) and loading zone thresholds (staff explained 60 dwelling units selected for consistency with SEPA).
- Councilmember Betsy Robertson supported, hoping it allows tree preservation.
- Deputy Mayor Mork noted the city's parking enforcement program; City Manager Bristol Ellington said businesses needing parking will provide it, and the city will address illegal parking.
- Council consensus: strong support; next step is a final vote at a future meeting with a short staff report and public comment opportunity.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken on the study items.
- The King County Solid Waste 2026 rate proposal was discussed; no council action required at this time.
- Council directed staff to bring Ordinance No. 1043 back for a final vote after providing a brief staff report and allowing public comment. All councilmembers expressed support for eliminating parking minimums.
- The scheduled executive session was postponed and will be rescheduled.
Meeting Transcript
I would now like to call assurances. There we go. I would now like to call to order the Shoreline City Council regular meeting for Monday, August 4th, 2025. Will you please join me in the flag salute? Thank you. Would the clerk please call the roll call? Mayor Roberts. Deputy Mayor Mark. Present. Councilmember Ramsdale. Present. Councilmember Scully. Present. Councilmember Automasio. Present. Councilmember Povey. Here. Councilmember Robertson. Here. Is there a motion? I moved to excuse the mayor. Second it. Thank you. Moved and seconded. So excused. I would like to proclaim August 5th, 2025 as national night out for the community in the city of Shoreline and encourage residents to join their neighbors at for an evening of food, fun, and connection at one of the neighborhood block parties being held tomorrow evening. I would like to invite Kate Ledbetter, Parkwood Neighborhood Association Board Member and National Night Out Block Party host up to the podium to accept the proclamation. Thank you. Whereas National Night Out for Community is observed annually on the first Tuesday of August. And whereas the City of Shoreline recognizes the critical roles neighbors play in each other's lives and throughout the community. And whereas the City of Shoreline encourages residents to continue building stronger relationships with their neighbors to enhance community responsiveness, resilience, and safety. Now I therefore talking as Mayor Laura Mork for Mayor Christopher Roberts, Mayor of City of Shoreline, on behalf of the Shoreline City Council, do hereby proclaim August 5th, 2025 as national night out for the community in the city of Shoreline and encourage residents to join their neighbors for an evening of fun food and connection at one of the neighborhood block parties being held. Thank you. If there are no objections or comments, the amended agenda agenda is adopted by unanimous consent. Is there a motion? Or no, this is one of the excuse me. Report of the city manager. Good evening, council. Join us tomorrow for the last karaoke in the park of the summer. Come to Cromwell Park from 5 30 to 8 p.m. and sing your hearts out. This is a family-friendly event. Karaoke is free and open to everyone. Shoreline will celebrate National Night Out for community tomorrow, August 5th. There are over 70 block parties scheduled to happen throughout the week city from 4 to 10:30 p.m. This is a great opportunity to connect with your neighbors and public officials at parties in your neighborhood. We hope that everyone has fun conversing with neighbors and building meaningful community connections. Please note that there will be 51 street closures tomorrow afternoon and into the evening. So you may see many close roads signs. Plan ahead, join in and have fun.
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