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Record of Proceedings

Shoreline Planning Commission Regular Meeting – January 4, 2024: Draft 2024 Comprehensive Plan Docket Review and Vote

Planning Commission — Thursday, January 4, 2024
BodyShoreline, Washington
SessionPlanning Commission
DateThursday, January 4, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:01:01

Transcript — Verbatim
0:06

Recording in progress.

0:09

All right, good evening and happy new year.

0:12

I'd like to call to order the Planning Commission regular meeting for Thursday, January 4th, 2024.

0:19

First up is roll call.

0:22

Ms.

0:22

Hooks.

0:28

Commissioner Brinson.

0:30

Here.

0:30

Commissioner Callahan.

0:32

Here.

0:33

Commissioner Len.

0:35

Here.

0:36

Commissioner Mosier.

0:37

Yeah.

0:38

Thank you.

0:38

Vice Chair Wama Shante.

0:40

Present.

0:41

Thank you.

0:42

Chair Sager.

0:43

Here.

0:43

And Commissioner Galusca is absent with notice.

0:48

Thank you.

0:49

Next up is the approval of the agenda.

0:52

Does anybody have any changes to the agenda?

0:55

All right, agenda is approved.

0:57

Approval of meeting minutes from November 16th, 2023.

1:03

Anybody have any changes?

1:05

Those are also approved.

1:07

All right, that brings us to public comment.

1:10

Ms.

1:10

Hoxman, is there anybody signed up for public comment tonight?

1:19

I have no one for general public comment.

1:22

I have a couple for the agenda item.

1:26

So after presentation.

1:28

Yeah.

1:28

Okay.

1:29

Thank you.

1:30

All right, that brings us to our study item, the draft 2024 comprehensive plan docket.

1:38

Thank you, Chair and Commission.

1:41

Steve Safron with the planning department.

1:45

So we are here to discuss the 2024 docket.

1:51

The docket, it's an annual process, which is mandated by the State Growth Management Act, which would limits the review of the comprehensive plan amendments to no more than once a year to ensure that the public and the city can consider these amendments within a citywide context.

2:16

The um the state mandates a city creates a docket, which is just really a list of potential uh amendments to review in the year.

2:29

The docket again is a list.

2:32

Um these have been submitted by members of the public and the city staff items on the docket have not been reviewed or analyzed for uh a recommendation.

2:45

Uh once the final docket is set or that final list is created, uh those specific items will come back to the planning commission and council for study and adoption by the end of the year.

2:58

Um as you know, this year is the major update of the comprehensive plan.

3:04

You've probably heard a little bit about it.

3:06

We've been here to discuss.

3:09

Um just kind of midway through the process, it's winter 24, and we're getting to the point where we're finalizing a vision statement based on the uh commission's recommendation and council's direction.

3:25

Um you'll be seeing that at your next meeting.

3:28

Um, and then we'll be going through kind of more of a um finer schedule of when uh generally when actual plan elements and goals and policies will be before you.

3:40

So um kind of kicking off kind of the meat of the update here coming um coming very soon to the commission.

3:49

Um so with that, um I'll just go through the amendments that we have um gotten so far.

3:56

Amendment number one.

3:57

So the first three amendments are staff um coming from the staff, the city staff.

4:02

Uh again, amendment number one is uh we are mandated to update the uh major update of the comprehensive plan by the end of this year.

4:11

So that is item number one.

4:13

Uh part of that is amending the uh parks, recreation, open space, and uh arts element of the plan.

4:21

Um at the same time, the parks department will be working on the um plan itself.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use Planning█████████████████████████████████████████████54%
Procedural███████████████████23%
Transportation Safety█████████11%
Active Transportation█████6%
Parks and Recreation███3%
Personnel Matters██2%
Tree Preservation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Shoreline Planning Commission Regular Meeting – January 4, 2024

The Shoreline Planning Commission met on Thursday, January 4, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber at Shoreline City Hall. The primary agenda item was the consideration of the Draft 2024 Comprehensive Plan Docket, which included staff-initiated and privately-proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Plan. After receiving public testimony and deliberation, the Commission voted to forward a modified docket to the City Council.

Meeting Administration

  • The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chair Pam Sager.
  • Roll call: Present: Chair Sager, Vice Chair Julius Rwamashongye, Commissioners Leslie Brinson, Janelle Callahan, Mei-shiou Lin, and Christopher Mosier. Absent: Commissioner Andy Galuska (excused).
  • The agenda and the minutes of the November 16, 2023, regular meeting were approved without changes.

Public Comments & Testimony

No general public comments were made. Three individuals provided oral testimony during the study item on the Draft Comprehensive Plan Docket, all speaking in support of privately-initiated Amendment #14 (proposing a bicycle/pedestrian bridge over SR 104 to connect the Interurban Trail):

  • Gordon Black, an Edmonds resident and member of the Edmonds Bicycle Advocacy Group, described the barrier that SR 104 poses to the Interurban Trail and urged the Commission to support Amendment #14 as a separate docket item.
  • Margaret Elwood, also an Edmonds resident and member of the Edmonds Bicycle Advocacy Group, shared personal experiences of dangerous crossings at SR 104 and strongly supported studying a bridge for safe pedestrian and bicycle passage.
  • Tom McCormick, a Shoreline resident and sponsor of Amendment #14, argued that the City Council intended to allow individually-docketed items and that the amendment is flexible; he urged the Commission to include it as a standalone item on the docket rather than rolling it into the major Comprehensive Plan update.

Discussion Items

Draft 2024 Comprehensive Plan Docket Senior Planner Steve Szafran presented the proposed amendments:

  • Staff-Initiated:
    • #1: Adopt the Major Update of the 2024 Comprehensive Plan.
    • #2: Amend the Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Arts Element.
    • #3: Change the land use designation of the DNR-owned portion of the Fircrest Campus from Campus to Mixed-Use 2.
  • Privately-Initiated:
    • #4: Add a new policy for “Green Streets” on residential rights-of-way over 60 feet.
    • #5: Correct an error on the Existing Sidewalks map (Figure 7).
    • #6–#8: Revise maps in the Transportation Element (staff recommended against these as the maps are accurate for future plans).
    • #9–#13: Multiple amendments related to scenic views and solar access (staff recommended not adding to the docket).
    • #14: Add a policy to study a shared bicycle/pedestrian bridge over N. 205th Street (SR 104) connecting the Interurban Trail between Shoreline and Edmonds.

Staff recommended:

  • Include #1–#3 on the docket as individual items.
  • Incorporate #4, #5, and #14 into the major Comprehensive Plan update (Amendment #1) rather than as standalone docket items.
  • Not add #6–#13 to the docket.

Commissioners discussed several amendments:

  • On Amendment #3, Commissioner Brinson noted that specifying “Mixed-Use 2” might be too limiting and suggested the language should be more open to study. Acting Planning Director Andrew Bauer agreed that the designation could be reconsidered during the study.
  • On Amendment #14, Commissioner Callahan asked why it should be rolled into the major update rather than listed separately. Senior Planner Szafran explained that it would duplicate effort and could be addressed within the overall Comprehensive Plan update and Environmental Impact Statement. Vice Chair Rwamashongye noted that inclusion in the Comprehensive Plan would make it a long-term goal and support future capital projects. Commissioner Brinson synthesized that putting it in the major update made sense for environmental review and still demonstrated a commitment to study the issue. Commissioner Lin suggested broader language to address multiple trail connections.

Key Outcomes

  • The Commission voted unanimously to amend the main motion to revise Amendment #3 to read: “Amend the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map Designation of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) owned portion of the Fircrest Campus from Campus to another designation as appropriate when studied.” (Motion by Commissioner Brinson, seconded by Commissioner Callahan; passed 6–0.)
  • The main motion, as amended, passed unanimously (6–0) to forward the draft Comprehensive Plan Docket to the City Council as recommended by staff in the January 4, 2024, staff report. This means Amendments #1–#3 will be placed on the docket as individual items; Amendments #4, #5, and #14 will be incorporated into the major Comprehensive Plan update; and Amendments #6–#13 will not be added to the docket.

Reports and Announcements

  • Commissioners Callahan, Rwamashongye, and Sager each announced they would not be reapplying for their positions on the Planning Commission, expressing gratitude and appreciation for their service.
  • Acting Planning Director Bauer announced that the application deadline for Planning Commission recruitment would be extended to January 19, 2024, to allow for more applicants.
  • The next meeting is scheduled for January 18, 2024, to discuss the Comprehensive Plan update.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:01 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Recording in progress. All right, good evening and happy new year. I'd like to call to order the Planning Commission regular meeting for Thursday, January 4th, 2024. First up is roll call. Ms. Hooks. Commissioner Brinson. Here. Commissioner Callahan. Here. Commissioner Len. Here. Commissioner Mosier. Yeah. Thank you. Vice Chair Wama Shante. Present. Thank you. Chair Sager. Here. And Commissioner Galusca is absent with notice. Thank you. Next up is the approval of the agenda. Does anybody have any changes to the agenda? All right, agenda is approved. Approval of meeting minutes from November 16th, 2023. Anybody have any changes? Those are also approved. All right, that brings us to public comment. Ms. Hoxman, is there anybody signed up for public comment tonight? I have no one for general public comment. I have a couple for the agenda item. So after presentation. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. All right, that brings us to our study item, the draft 2024 comprehensive plan docket. Thank you, Chair and Commission. Steve Safron with the planning department. So we are here to discuss the 2024 docket. The docket, it's an annual process, which is mandated by the State Growth Management Act, which would limits the review of the comprehensive plan amendments to no more than once a year to ensure that the public and the city can consider these amendments within a citywide context. The um the state mandates a city creates a docket, which is just really a list of potential uh amendments to review in the year. The docket again is a list. Um these have been submitted by members of the public and the city staff items on the docket have not been reviewed or analyzed for uh a recommendation. Uh once the final docket is set or that final list is created, uh those specific items will come back to the planning commission and council for study and adoption by the end of the year. Um as you know, this year is the major update of the comprehensive plan. You've probably heard a little bit about it. We've been here to discuss. Um just kind of midway through the process, it's winter 24, and we're getting to the point where we're finalizing a vision statement based on the uh commission's recommendation and council's direction.

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