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Record of Proceedings

Shoreline Planning Commission Meeting - March 16, 2023

Planning Commission — Thursday, March 16, 2023
BodyShoreline, Washington
SessionPlanning Commission
DateThursday, March 16, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:17

Recording in progress.

0:20

Good evening.

0:21

I'd like to call to order the Thursday, March 16th, 2023 Planning Commission meeting.

0:28

Let's start with roll call.

0:30

Ms.

0:30

Hoaxma, please.

0:35

Commissioner Brinson.

0:39

I have heard from her.

0:40

She will be joining us shortly.

0:42

Commissioner McCallahan.

0:45

Here.

0:46

Commissioner Goluska.

0:48

Present.

0:49

Commissioner Lynn.

0:50

Here.

0:51

Commissioner Mosier.

0:53

Here.

0:54

Chair Sager?

0:56

Here.

0:56

And Vice Chair Wama Shonche is not present at the moment.

1:01

Thank you.

1:03

Thank you.

1:04

Next item is approval of the agenda.

1:08

Does everybody approve of the agenda?

1:11

Great.

1:12

Approval of the minutes from February 16th, 2023.

1:16

Anyone have any changes?

1:20

All right.

1:21

That brings us to general public comment.

1:24

Ms.

1:24

Hoxma, is there anybody signed up for general public comment tonight?

1:30

I have no one for general public.

1:32

Yeah.

1:33

Okay.

1:33

Thank you.

1:35

All right, moving right along, then that brings us to our study item, which is cottage housing development code amendments.

1:43

Ms.

1:43

Kime, are you presenting?

1:45

Yes, good evening, everyone.

1:46

Thank you.

1:48

Yes, let us now turn our attention to cottage housing amendments.

1:53

A revised draft code has been prepared for your review and consideration.

1:58

Tonight, I'll be going through the recent changes to the codes, not rehashing anything that we've already talked about, but talking about what's new and different.

2:10

But first, a brief recap of what cottage housing is.

2:13

If anyone's in the audience, this might be their first time attending.

2:16

Cottage housing generally allows for one or two story homes.

2:21

They may be attached or detached from one another.

2:23

Houses are small with a maximum floor area and height, and they're arranged around a common interior courtyard.

2:31

The city council identified cottage housing as the first priority for implementation of the housing action plan, which was adopted in May of 2021.

2:42

The city received a Washington State Department of Commerce grant to assist in preparation of cottage housing development code amendments.

2:50

Work on the amendments has been ongoing in recent months with the completion of an initial and now revised draft code.

3:01

So our topic area tonight, again, it's going to be about what's changed from the initial draft that we're going to be discussing.

3:09

These are really about updated content.

3:12

We did some updates to organization, but not going to get into that in a in a presentation.

3:17

We're more going to be talking about content.

3:32

And before I talk about our first uh topic of density, I'm going to speak briefly about the comprehensive plan, as it is certain language in the comprehensive plan that's really driving a shift in the approach to cottage density.

3:47

The city's current comprehensive plan was adopted a little over a decade ago, December 10th of 2012.

3:55

And the city adopted the comprehensive plan goals and policies to align with the Growth Management Act and to try to meet Shoreline's diverse housing needs by providing for a range of housing types.

4:07

Shown on the screen are some examples of housing goals and policies from the 2012 plan, one of which policy H6 specifically calls out regulations that would allow for cottage housing.

4:19

So we were thinking about this a decade ago.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Housing Affordability███████████████████████████27%
Affordable Housing████████████████████████24%
Land Use Planning████████████████████20%
Parking Minimums Elimination██████6%
Procedural█████5%
Public Transportation████4%
Public Engagement████4%
Tree Preservation███3%
Building Codes███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Shoreline Planning Commission Meeting - March 16, 2023

The Shoreline Planning Commission convened on Thursday, March 16, 2023, at approximately 7:00 PM for a regular meeting. The primary focus was a study item on cottage housing development code amendments, including a discussion of density bonuses, affordability, and fee-in-lieu options. The commission also heard public comment, received a director's report on state legislation and development activity, and scheduled a public hearing for April 6, 2023.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the agenda without changes.
  • Approved the minutes from February 16, 2023, with no corrections.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Suzanne Soming (Shoreline resident and board member of Safe Shoreline Trees) commented on the proposed cottage housing code. She noted that the Washington State Department of Commerce's middle housing bill (HB 1110) may require cities to allow at least six of nine middle housing types, including cottage housing. She asked how the city's proposed tree preservation incentives — particularly those for trees over 24 inches DBH — would interact with the bill's prohibition on standards more restrictive than those for single-family residences.

Discussion Items

  • Cottage Housing Code Amendments (Study Item)
    • Staff planner Kime presented a revised draft of the cottage housing code. Key changes from the initial draft include:
      • A new explicit density bonus program tailored to cottages, offering bonuses for green building (25–50%), proximity to transit (25–50%), and affordability levels. Bonuses can be stacked up to double the base density of the underlying zone.
      • Increased building coverage and hardscape allowances by 10% in R4 and R6 zones for cottage developments.
      • Adoption of aggregate setbacks, allowing flexibility in meeting total linear setback requirements with a minimum of five feet.
      • Additional tree preservation incentives tied to reductions in common open space, height limitations, floor area, and parking requirements.
    • The commission discussed the fee-in-lieu option for the affordability density bonus. Opinions were divided: some commissioners supported fee-in-lieu as a practical interim measure, while others opposed it, arguing it could result in no affordable units being built. Staff clarified that the fee-in-lieu would be used for a housing trust fund to subsidize deeper affordability. The commission reached a consensus to include fee-in-lieu with a sunset provision: it would be available only until the city establishes a formal affordable homeownership program, at which point the option would expire.
    • Other discussion topics included:
      • The definition and counting of covered porches (counted as building area).
      • Parking lot landscape requirements and flexibility for tree placement.
      • The potential need to revisit the code in light of pending state legislation (HB 1110).
    • Staff confirmed that the draft code could be brought back for a public hearing at the April 6, 2023 meeting.
  • Director's Report
    • Planning Director provided an update on state legislative activity:
      • House Bill 1110 (middle housing): passed the House, moving to Senate; would allow up to 4-6 units per lot in low-density zones.
      • Senate Bill 5466 (transit-oriented development): in the House; would prohibit bans on multifamily uses in residential zones near transit and remove parking minimums.
      • House Bill 1245 (lot splitting): would allow splitting of lots 2,000 sq ft or larger.
    • Update on current development activity:
      • In 2022, the city issued over 2,200 building/development permits and processed over 3,400 applications.
      • Construction valuation on permit applications exceeded $700 million.
      • 38 pre-application meetings held since September (average 2 per week).
      • Major projects highlighted: Modera Shoreline (399 units), Brea multifamily (189+197 units), Shoreline Place redevelopment (first phase under construction), Connect at Shoreline (240 units, under construction), Alexon (219 units, under review), and several others at 185th and 145th station areas. Also, Alta at North City (228 units) and FurCrest master development plan (skilled nursing and behavioral health facilities).
    • Upcoming community events: Home improvement workshops at City Hall (three dates); urban forestry strategic plan open house (April 13); comprehensive plan online open house (early April).
  • New Business
    • Commissioner requested data on ADU trends in Shoreline, noting that Seattle is now building more ADUs than single-family homes. Staff agreed to provide the data via email.

Key Outcomes

  • The commission directed staff to move the cottage housing code amendments forward to a public hearing on April 6, 2023, with the inclusion of fee-in-lieu language that includes a sunset provision contingent on the establishment of an affordable homeownership program.
  • Commissioners will receive a data report on accessory dwelling unit trends.
  • The next meeting (April 6) will also include election of chair and vice chair for the upcoming term.

Meeting Transcript

Recording in progress. Good evening. I'd like to call to order the Thursday, March 16th, 2023 Planning Commission meeting. Let's start with roll call. Ms. Hoaxma, please. Commissioner Brinson. I have heard from her. She will be joining us shortly. Commissioner McCallahan. Here. Commissioner Goluska. Present. Commissioner Lynn. Here. Commissioner Mosier. Here. Chair Sager? Here. And Vice Chair Wama Shonche is not present at the moment. Thank you. Thank you. Next item is approval of the agenda. Does everybody approve of the agenda? Great. Approval of the minutes from February 16th, 2023. Anyone have any changes? All right. That brings us to general public comment. Ms. Hoxma, is there anybody signed up for general public comment tonight? I have no one for general public. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. All right, moving right along, then that brings us to our study item, which is cottage housing development code amendments. Ms. Kime, are you presenting? Yes, good evening, everyone. Thank you. Yes, let us now turn our attention to cottage housing amendments. A revised draft code has been prepared for your review and consideration. Tonight, I'll be going through the recent changes to the codes, not rehashing anything that we've already talked about, but talking about what's new and different. But first, a brief recap of what cottage housing is. If anyone's in the audience, this might be their first time attending. Cottage housing generally allows for one or two story homes. They may be attached or detached from one another. Houses are small with a maximum floor area and height, and they're arranged around a common interior courtyard. The city council identified cottage housing as the first priority for implementation of the housing action plan, which was adopted in May of 2021. The city received a Washington State Department of Commerce grant to assist in preparation of cottage housing development code amendments.

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