Shoreline Planning Commission Public Hearing on Comprehensive Plan & Code Amendments - November 21, 2024

The Shoreline Planning Commission held a public hearing on November 21, 2024, starting at 7:00 PM in the Council Chamber at Shoreline City Hall, to consider the 2024 Comprehensive Plan Update (Shoreline 2044) and associated Development Code Regulations. The commission unanimously recommended approval of both the draft plan and the code amendments to the City Council after hearing public testimony and deliberating. Key topics included tree preservation, middle housing density, transit definitions, and concerns from the Sky Acres neighborhood.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the agenda as presented.
• Approved the draft minutes of the November 7, 2024 meeting as presented.

Public Comments & Testimony

Public Hearing 6(a) – Comprehensive Plan Draft:

• Jonelle Kemmerling (Shoreline resident) thanked the commission, especially Chair Mosier, for supporting tree preservation language. She cited the June 2023 Urban Tree Canopy Assessment, noting that Shoreline’s urban forest provides over $3 million in annual benefits and stores over $17 million in carbon. She urged support for Save Shoreline Trees’ amendments to protect conifers.
• Boni Biery (Shoreline resident) thanked staff and commissioners for including language that wide rights-of-way (e.g., Firlands Way) could be considered as green streets or linear parks.

Public Hearing 6(b) – Development Code Regulations:

• Paul Hammon III (Shoreline, Sky Acres resident) opposed residential zoning changes, stating that Sky Acres has a covenant restricting subdivision and is outside the ½-mile radius of the 185th Street Transit Station. He asked what NR2 and NR3 zones would mean for the neighborhood.
• Kim File (on behalf of Sky Acres) presented a neighborhood petition (15 of 18 households signed) opposing any zoning changes and asked what the city could do to override the plat restriction recorded in 1952.
• Jill Chapman (Sky Acres resident) questioned why the neighborhood was being rezoned to NR2 when it is outside the ½-mile transit buffer, and noted that the change would be detrimental to the established, unique neighborhood.
• Kathleen Russell (Shoreline, Save Shoreline Trees) argued that middle housing regulations do not require changes to the tree code, and that the city should extend the cottage housing tree code (adopted June 2023) to all residential zones. She noted the City Council recently funded a $200,000 tree code review for 2025 and asked that the existing protections remain in place until then.
• Danver Halbert (Shoreline resident) addressed map discrepancies, stating that addressing is based on the front door location. He argued that the original ½-mile radius from the 185th Street Station used the station’s entrance, but the updated map appears to shift the center point, potentially including Sky Acres properties that should be excluded.
• Corinne Mossman (online, Meridian Park resident) recommended concentrating high-density growth between Highway 99 and I-5, gradually blending middle housing into lower-density neighborhoods. She suggested creating a central park and trail system, citing Vision 2050 goals and examples from Bellevue and Redmond.

Discussion Items

• Staff Presentation (6a): Senior Planner Sierra Carson and Planning Director Andrew Bauer presented the draft Comprehensive Plan, highlighting major policy shifts in elements such as Natural Environment (environmental justice), Land Use (middle housing, new neighborhood residential designations), Housing (undoing racially disparate impacts), and Transportation (well-connected streets). The plan must accommodate growth targets of 13,330 housing units and 10,000 new jobs by 2044.
• Staff Presentation (6b): Senior Planner Steve Szafran and Sierra Carson reviewed code amendments, including administrative changes, HB 1337, SB 5290, SB 6015, HB 1220, and middle housing (HB 1110). They discussed the definition of major transit, noting that recent King County Metro route changes (Routes 333 and 348) added frequent transit. Staff recommended removing “frequent transit” from the major transit definition to preserve the density map the commission previously approved. The amendment would keep parking exemptions for both major and frequent transit but apply density bonuses only to major transit (light rail, BRT). Other clarifications included essential public facility designation and permit review timeline.
• Commission Deliberation: Commissioners asked clarifying questions about Sky Acres zoning. Director Bauer explained that NR2 areas focus on neighborhood commercial centers and that any existing plat restrictions would require a plat alteration process, needing approval from more than half of affected property owners, before redevelopment could occur. The commission discussed the density bonus and parking rules, confirming that the proposed code amendments align with the earlier land use map direction.

Key Outcomes

• Motion 1 (Comprehensive Plan): Vice Chair Brinson moved, seconded by Commissioner Fry, to recommend City Council approval of the 2024 Comprehensive Plan, including the proposed land use map and annual docket amendments (Attachments A and B), subject to staff making non-substantive formatting/editorial changes. The motion passed unanimously (5-0). Commissioners expressed appreciation for staff’s thorough work over several years.
• Motion 2 (Development Code Regulations): Commissioner Cabe moved, seconded by Vice Chair Brinson, to recommend City Council approval of the development code amendments and zoning map (Attachments A and B), including the staff-recommended changes to transit definitions. The motion passed unanimously (5-0).
• Meeting Schedule: The commission agreed to cancel the December 5, 2024 meeting, as well as the subsequent two meetings (December 19 and January 2, 2025).
• The public hearing was closed, and the meeting adjourned at 7:54 PM.