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Record of Proceedings

Shoreline Planning Commission Meeting - April 21, 2022: Cottage Housing Code Amendments Introduction

Planning Commission — Thursday, April 21, 2022
BodyShoreline, Washington
SessionPlanning Commission
DateThursday, April 21, 2022
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

2022 Planning Commission meeting.

0:02

First item on the agenda is roll call.

0:05

Ms.

0:05

Folksma, will you call roll?

0:08

Yes.

0:08

Commissioner Brinson.

0:11

Here.

0:12

Commissioner Callahan.

0:15

Here.

0:16

Commissioner Galusca.

0:20

Present.

0:22

Commissioner Mosier.

0:24

Yeah.

0:25

Chair Sager?

0:27

Here.

0:28

Vice Chair Wama Shonja.

0:30

Present.

0:31

Thank you.

0:32

And Commissioner Lynn is going to be late.

0:37

And I'll note when she enters the time in the minutes.

0:41

Okay.

0:42

Great.

0:42

Thank you.

0:44

Next item on the agenda is the approval of the agenda.

0:48

Is there any changes?

0:51

Seeing none.

0:52

Next on the agenda is approval of the minutes from the April 7th, 2022 meeting.

0:58

Does anybody have any changes they'd like to make?

1:03

All right, hearing none.

1:04

Next item on the agenda is uh general public comment.

1:08

Do we have anybody signed up for general public comment tonight?

1:13

Not this evening.

1:14

None.

1:15

Thank you.

1:16

Okay, great.

1:17

Uh that takes us to our study item, which is cottage housing development code amendments introduction.

1:28

And do we have a presentation tonight?

1:31

We do, yes.

1:32

Thank you.

1:33

Um this being um Elise Kaim's first uh presentation of the planning commission.

1:39

I just wanted to introduce her to the commission.

1:42

Elise is um an associate planner here on staff on our planning team.

1:47

And so this will be the first of many.

1:50

Many meetings to come.

1:52

Um she'll be leading the cottage housing uh development regulation amendments as they advance through.

1:59

But this evening, she'll be um introducing the topic to the commission and hopefully uh facilitating some good conversation.

2:07

So I'll turn it over to you, Elise.

2:12

Great.

2:12

Thank you so much, Andrew.

2:14

I'm going to share my screen to get the presentation started.

2:24

There's a lot of screens happening right now.

2:34

All right, that's sharing successfully.

2:39

I think it is on my end.

2:41

Okay, great.

2:42

So thank you, Andrew, for that introduction.

2:45

Again, my name is Elise Keim here to introduce uh the city's uh topic and work plan of our cottage housing amendments, uh which are just getting underway.

2:56

Before we go into cottage housing and the work plan, I did want to uh sort of set the stage about why we're here, and that's uh the cottage uh housing, or excuse me, that's the housing action plan, which was adopted in May of 2021.

3:10

The housing action plan uh looks at the city's role in meeting the housing needs for a growing and diversifying shoreline, both now and in the future.

3:19

Two important components of the housing action plan, including uh the housing needs assessment and a toolkit to meet those housing needs.

3:28

So the housing needs assessment uh has noted that in shoreline there's an overall housing shortage, and this is part of a regional lack of supply.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Housing Affordability█████████████████████████████████████████████51%
Affordable Housing█████████████15%
Procedural███████8%
Land Use Planning███████8%
Public Engagement█████6%
Tree Preservation█████6%
Transportation Safety███3%
Public Works██2%
Parking Minimums Elimination█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Shoreline Planning Commission Meeting - April 21, 2022

The Shoreline Planning Commission met to discuss cottage housing development code amendments as a study item, receive an update on recent City Council actions on development code amendments and the comprehensive plan docket, and discuss forming an affordable housing committee. The meeting began with routine approvals and no public comment.

Consent Calendar

  • Agenda approved as presented.
  • Minutes of the April 7, 2022 meeting approved without changes.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • None.

Discussion Items

Cottage Housing Development Code Amendments Introduction Elise Kaim, Associate Planner, presented the work plan for cottage housing regulations, funded by a Department of Commerce Housing Action Plan Implementation Grant. The presentation covered the Housing Action Plan background (adopted May 2021), the need for missing middle housing due to a regional housing shortage, and specific deliverables: existing conditions report (by end of spring 2022), public engagement (summer 2022), draft regulations (fall 2022), and final regulations (by June 2023). Cottage housing is defined as one- or two-story size-limited dwellings (700-1,200 sq ft) arranged around a common courtyard. Commissioners discussed:

  • Density: Current zones allow 6 units/acre; staff noted potential density bonuses based on performance metrics. Commissioner Galusca expressed pessimism, noting previous unsuccessful cottage housing codes elsewhere.
  • Affordability: Vice Chair Wama Shonja emphasized targeting specific income groups (e.g., those earning $30-40/hour) rather than just increasing supply. Commissioner Callahan raised concern about preventing “million-dollar cottages.” Commissioner Brinson noted size inherently lowers cost and offered expertise on affordable ownership housing.
  • Amenities and maintenance: Discussion on balancing required amenities (bike storage, open space) with affordability and ensuring private maintenance (e.g., HOAs) rather than city responsibility.
  • Existing conditions assessment: Commissioners requested analysis of parking, bike storage, ownership vs. rental (restricting short-term rentals), demographic data from existing cottage housing in Shoreline, and compatibility with tree preservation goals.
  • Success metrics: Commissioner Mosier suggested smaller-scale developments (e.g., two units on a lot) as an incremental approach; Commissioner Lynn emphasized blending with neighborhood character and preserving open space.

Director’s Report Steve Zaver reported on City Council actions based on previous commission recommendations on development code amendments (38 amendments considered over 7 commission meetings, 4 council meetings). Key council decisions:

  • Changed the definition of significant tree: any healthy tree ≥6 inches DBH (previously 8 inches for conifer, 12 inches for non-conifer).
  • Added additional penalties for illegal tree removal: $15,000 per tree plus land disturbance costs, plus financial guarantees for replacement.
  • Reduced tree removal permit threshold from 30 to 24 inches DBH.
  • Increased minimum tree retention from 20% to 25% (commission-recommended).
  • Granted staff flexibility to reduce site requirements (parking, landscaping, lighting, signage) for existing commercial buildings to improve tenant attraction.
  • Struck requirement that parking costs be included in residential rent (split vote).
  • Approved the 2022 Comprehensive Plan docket, including an amendment proposed by Councilmember Roberts to allow duplexes and triplexes in low-density single-family zones, which will require substantial public outreach alongside the cottage housing work.

New Business

  • Affordable Housing Committee: Chair Sager proposed forming a committee to research and report on affordable housing issues. Commissioners Callahan and Brinson expressed interest and were informally appointed to serve.

Announcements

  • Staff announced plans to transition to hybrid meetings (in-person and virtual). City Council may begin hybrid meetings in late May or June; commissions will follow with at least two weeks’ notice.
  • A group photo of commissioners was taken for the website.

Key Outcomes

  • Commission provided initial feedback on cottage housing to staff; no votes were taken. Staff will incorporate feedback into the existing conditions report and public engagement process.
  • Affordable housing committee formed with Commissioners Callahan and Brinson; they will report back periodically.
  • Next meeting scheduled for May 5, 2022: light rail station update from Senior Planner Juniper Nami.

Meeting Transcript

2022 Planning Commission meeting. First item on the agenda is roll call. Ms. Folksma, will you call roll? Yes. Commissioner Brinson. Here. Commissioner Callahan. Here. Commissioner Galusca. Present. Commissioner Mosier. Yeah. Chair Sager? Here. Vice Chair Wama Shonja. Present. Thank you. And Commissioner Lynn is going to be late. And I'll note when she enters the time in the minutes. Okay. Great. Thank you. Next item on the agenda is the approval of the agenda. Is there any changes? Seeing none. Next on the agenda is approval of the minutes from the April 7th, 2022 meeting. Does anybody have any changes they'd like to make? All right, hearing none. Next item on the agenda is uh general public comment. Do we have anybody signed up for general public comment tonight? Not this evening. None. Thank you. Okay, great. Uh that takes us to our study item, which is cottage housing development code amendments introduction. And do we have a presentation tonight? We do, yes. Thank you. Um this being um Elise Kaim's first uh presentation of the planning commission. I just wanted to introduce her to the commission. Elise is um an associate planner here on staff on our planning team. And so this will be the first of many. Many meetings to come. Um she'll be leading the cottage housing uh development regulation amendments as they advance through. But this evening, she'll be um introducing the topic to the commission and hopefully uh facilitating some good conversation. So I'll turn it over to you, Elise. Great. Thank you so much, Andrew. I'm going to share my screen to get the presentation started.

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