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Record of Proceedings

Shoreline Planning Commission Meeting: Housing Action Plan Hearing and Development Code Amendments - March 4, 2021

Planning Commission — Thursday, March 4, 2021
BodyShoreline, Washington
SessionPlanning Commission
DateThursday, March 4, 2021
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:06:04

Original source
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0:08

I'd like to call to order the March 4th 2021 Planning Commission meeting.

0:14

The first order on the agenda is the roll call.

0:18

Could you help us with that, Ms.

0:19

Oakfra?

0:21

Thank you.

0:22

Sam Mark.

0:24

Present.

0:30

He indicated present.

0:32

Can you want to Commissioner Wanasonia?

0:40

Commissioner Sega?

0:44

Commissioner Delista.

0:46

Listen.

0:47

Commissioner Lynn?

0:51

Here.

0:52

And Commissioner Callahan.

0:54

Yes, thank you.

1:02

Good.

1:03

Thank you.

1:04

The next order is the approval of the agenda.

1:06

Are there any alterations that anybody would like to make?

1:11

Yes.

1:13

Okay.

1:14

I want to request the correction on Ms.

1:20

Name the salutation is in the type of order on the salutation.

1:29

She's the central MISPA and I want to put it, please.

1:36

That was kind of you to do so.

1:39

This is about the agenda, so I appreciate the kind of limits for the no, we're we're getting an NSS.

1:49

No changes to the agenda in the minutes.

1:51

There we go.

1:51

Thank you, uh Commissioner Wama Sonjay.

1:55

Are there any other changes to the minutes of either February 4th or February 18th?

2:04

That's the things on the subdate second paragraph.

2:12

Thank you.

2:15

Now we're at general public comment.

2:19

Is there any general public comment?

2:24

I have none for tonight.

2:28

I'm sorry, none?

2:30

None for no general public comment.

2:32

Okay, perfect.

2:34

The next item is the housing action plan, and we're going to have a public hearing tonight regarding this.

2:42

The purpose of this hearing is to obtain public testimony and for the commission to develop a recommendation to forward to the city council on this topic.

2:51

The process for the public hearing is as follows.

2:58

The commission will be given an opportunity to ask clarifying questions.

3:04

Individuals will be given an opportunity to testify.

3:08

After all the testimony has been received, the commission will begin deliberations and may ask questions of the staff.

3:16

The commission will then vote and close the public hearing.

3:28

Good evening, everyone.

3:43

Okay, so we're here to talk about Shoreline's housing action plan.

3:55

Anyway, so we've been working on this housing action plan over the past year, and we're um getting to the really interesting part where we've uh talked about it, we've looked at um each of the different pieces, and now what's before you tonight is the whole sort of package that's rolled up together.

4:15

And there's An it was a sort of a long document, and I appreciate all of your your patience in reading through that.

4:22

Um just wanted to kind of briefly outline um why we were doing this, the process that we went through in developing this plan, and then talk about the next steps and how to move forward.

4:35

So the overall goals of this housing action plan were to really understand where Shoreline was in terms of um what types of housing we had, where we need the housing, um, what housing types the market is going to provide on its own.

4:52

Um, understanding uh what our community, what kinds of challenges our community is facing in terms of housing?

5:00

Thinking about where and how we can put additional housing in Shoreline because we all know our area is growing and there's a housing shortage.

5:08

So how can we do that in a way that works best for Shoreline that's within our local control?

5:14

Looking at all the types of things that we're already doing around housing, identifying any gaps or opportunities to optimize those, and then also thinking about new ideas.

5:26

Are there the things that other cities or other parts of the country are doing that maybe are a good model for things that would address shoreline's needs?

5:36

So, as I mentioned, the housing action plan, it's comprised of a number of pieces, and we've been bringing those pieces to you as they were ready and working through them.

5:43

But the housing plan kind of rolls them all together into one kind of coordinated package that really sets the direction and gives the why and the how and the goals for the future.

5:56

So the first piece was this housing needs assessment, and it's really talking about our demographics and our housing stock.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Housing Affordability█████████████████████████25%
Parking Minimums Elimination████████████12%
Procedural███████████11%
Affordable Housing██████████10%
Land Use Planning█████████9%
Homeowner Assistance Programs████████8%
Short Term Rentals████4%
Public Transportation████4%
Community Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Shoreline Planning Commission Meeting: Housing Action Plan Hearing and Development Code Amendments - March 4, 2021

The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the Housing Action Plan (HAP), which included staff presentation, public testimony, and commission deliberation, followed by a discussion on proposed development code amendments. The commission voted to recommend the HAP to the City Council with amendments related to missing middle housing, weatherization, tree preservation, and short-term rental data.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Ryan Donahue (Advocacy City Policy Director, Congregate Seattle King County) expressed support for the HAP but urged using the term "permanently affordable homeownership" instead of "community land trusts" to include more organizations serving the 60-80% AMI population. He also recommended elevating missing middle zoning as a priority and including homeownership in the multifamily tax exemption (MFTE) program, and raising funding caps to 80% AMI.
  • Gary Hyde (Shoreline resident) supported the proposed density bonus for large single-family lots and advocated for a standard size restriction on ADUs (e.g., 1,000 sq ft) to address inequitable impact fees.
  • Mallory Van Alstine (Shoreline resident and Policy/Advocacy Manager, Housing Development Consortium) expressed pride in the city's work, supported all recommended tools, but urged going further by prioritizing missing middle zoning (Action 1.1). She also advocated for using city-owned surplus properties for affordable housing and highlighted the need for revenue tools (e.g., linkage fees, real estate excise tax) to fund affordable housing.

Discussion Items

  • Housing Action Plan (HAP) Review and Amendments: Staff presented the HAP, which was developed over the past year and includes a housing needs assessment, community outreach (online open house), and a toolkit of actions. Key statistics: Shoreline is about two-thirds single-family homeowners (higher income) and one-third lower-income renters; of the units built in the last three years, two-thirds are studio/one-bedroom rentals; 75% of renters surveyed reported always/sometimes struggling to pay for housing. Prioritized actions include updating the deep green incentive program, creating cottage housing regulations, and developing standards for small-lot single-family. Commissioner amendments included increasing the priority of missing middle housing (Action 1.1), adding weatherization and tree preservation services to the homeowner stability program (Action 4.1), and acknowledging the unknown magnitude of the short-term rental market (Action 4.3). Discussion also focused on the difference between community land trusts and permanently affordable homeownership, ensuring no exclusion of organizations like Habitat for Humanity, and the need for socioeconomic integration to avoid creating isolated low-income areas.
  • 2021 Development Code Amendment Batch #1 (Part 1): Staff presented 14 proposed amendments including housekeeping updates, allowing public agencies to apply for permits before property acquisition, reducing front yard setbacks in MUR-70 zones, clarifying parking area uses, and updating deep green incentive expedited permit fees. Discussion centered on parking reductions near light rail stations (Amendment 11) and flexibility for landscaping alternatives (Amendment 4). Commissioners expressed interest in making parking reduction automatic rather than discretionary and ensuring landscaping quality. No vote was taken; staff will bring back recommendations at the public hearing.

Key Outcomes

  • The commission approved a main motion to forward the Housing Action Plan to the City Council with the following amendments by roll call vote (all present in favor):
    • Amendment 1: Increase the priority of missing middle housing (Action 1.1) by adding it to the list of highest priority items, addressing zoning integration and neighborhood compatibility.
    • Amendment 2: Modify Action 4.1 (Homeowner Stability Program / Home Rehabilitation Assistance) to include weatherization and tree preservation services after "critical repairs."
    • Amendment 3: Modify Action 4.3 (Short-term Rental Regulations) to add the sentence: "The magnitude of the short-term rental market in Shoreline is currently unknown" at the end of the first paragraph.
  • The final vote on the main motion (HAP as amended) was unanimous, with all commissioners voting aye.
  • The commission discussed but took no action on the development code amendments; staff will return with proposed language and recommendations for the public hearing.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call to order the March 4th 2021 Planning Commission meeting. The first order on the agenda is the roll call. Could you help us with that, Ms. Oakfra? Thank you. Sam Mark. Present. He indicated present. Can you want to Commissioner Wanasonia? Commissioner Sega? Commissioner Delista. Listen. Commissioner Lynn? Here. And Commissioner Callahan. Yes, thank you. Good. Thank you. The next order is the approval of the agenda. Are there any alterations that anybody would like to make? Yes. Okay. I want to request the correction on Ms. Name the salutation is in the type of order on the salutation. She's the central MISPA and I want to put it, please. That was kind of you to do so. This is about the agenda, so I appreciate the kind of limits for the no, we're we're getting an NSS. No changes to the agenda in the minutes. There we go. Thank you, uh Commissioner Wama Sonjay. Are there any other changes to the minutes of either February 4th or February 18th? That's the things on the subdate second paragraph. Thank you. Now we're at general public comment. Is there any general public comment? I have none for tonight. I'm sorry, none? None for no general public comment. Okay, perfect. The next item is the housing action plan, and we're going to have a public hearing tonight regarding this. The purpose of this hearing is to obtain public testimony and for the commission to develop a recommendation to forward to the city council on this topic. The process for the public hearing is as follows. The commission will be given an opportunity to ask clarifying questions. Individuals will be given an opportunity to testify. After all the testimony has been received, the commission will begin deliberations and may ask questions of the staff. The commission will then vote and close the public hearing. Good evening, everyone. Okay, so we're here to talk about Shoreline's housing action plan. Anyway, so we've been working on this housing action plan over the past year, and we're um getting to the really interesting part where we've uh talked about it, we've looked at um each of the different pieces, and now what's before you tonight is the whole sort of package that's rolled up together. And there's An it was a sort of a long document, and I appreciate all of your your patience in reading through that.

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