Shoreline Planning Commission Regular Meeting - March 7, 2024

The Shoreline Planning Commission held a regular meeting on March 7, 2024, at 7:00 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting focused on the 2024 Comprehensive Plan Update, including an introduction to the Transportation Element and a discussion of the Natural Environment and Shoreline Master Program elements. The Commission also heard public comments, approved the agenda and minutes, and received farewell remarks from outgoing commissioners. The meeting was adjourned at 7:57 PM.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of the agenda: Accepted as presented.
• Approval of the regular meeting minutes of February 1, 2024: Accepted as presented.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Christine Gildow, Shoreline resident, expressed appreciation for staff assistance and reiterated the importance of preserving views of west-facing mountains and water from public places (e.g., Richmond Beach Saltwater Park). She also provided a handout on issues related to closing park gates and potential solutions.
• Suzanne Tsoming, Shoreline resident on behalf of Save Shoreline Trees, spoke during the Natural Environment discussion. She proposed three incentives for tree preservation on private property: (1) reduce stormwater fees for property owners maintaining significant trees, or apply a fee based on impervious surface percentage; (2) continue and expand Shoreline's community tree program, comparing it with Seattle's Trees for Neighborhoods; (3) subsidize hiring licensed ISA-certified arborists by private property owners. She also proposed a definition of "established trees" as those growing in the same place for five years or more with healthy annual growth.

Discussion Items

• 2024 Comprehensive Plan Update – Introduction of Transportation Element: Staff reviewed the Transportation Element's purpose, regulatory requirements (Growth Management Act, concurrency, multi-county policies), data sources (demographics, travel demand modeling), existing public outreach (2022 adoption), and docket requests (green streets, bicycle/pedestrian bridge, map revisions). The Commission was asked to review the goals and policies via a spreadsheet from March 8–17, with comments due by March 17. Staff will consolidate feedback for the April 7 meeting. Commissioner Rwamashongye suggested writing the Comp Plan to align with FEMA and FTA funding requirements to facilitate grant access.
• 2024 Comprehensive Plan Update – Discussion of Natural Environment and Shoreline Master Program (SMP): Staff presented a summary of feedback received from the Commission and Save Shoreline Trees. Key points included support for draft goals/policies, requests to promote equity, resilience, and best available science, and suggestions for new content: urban heat island reduction, reducing auto-dependent development patterns, waste reduction, tree-utility conflicts, privately owned tree programs, and terminology changes (e.g., "established trees"). The Commission discussed street tree policies (Commissioner Galuska advocated for phased replacement rather than mass removal; Commissioner Mosier asked about flexible siting of street trees; Chair Sager suggested planting trees in right-of-way without sidewalks). The SMP discussion covered landslide hazards, sea level rise alignment with HB 1181, and coordination with Army Corps regulations. Staff confirmed that docket requests were incorporated and that the next full draft of the Comp Plan will be presented in late summer.

Key Outcomes

• The Commission expressed general support for staff's analysis of docket items and proposed language for both the Natural Environment and SMP elements.
• Staff will coordinate with Public Works, Environmental Services, and other departments on the suggested new content (e.g., urban heat islands, waste reduction, street trees) and will incorporate feedback into the next draft.
• The March 21, 2024 Planning Commission meeting was cancelled due to lack of agenda items.
• The Commission received updates on the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) code amendment: City Council tabled the recommendation to explore financial incentives (e.g., LCLIP, tax increment financing).
• Outgoing Commissioners (Callahan, Rwamashongye, Lin, Galuska) and Chair Sager thanked staff and fellow commissioners for their service. Staff and Planning Director Bauer expressed appreciation for the commissioners' contributions.