Shoreline Planning Commission Recommends Six Amendments to 2026 Comprehensive Plan Docket on January 15, 2026
Shoreline Planning Commission Regular Meeting – January 15, 2026
The Shoreline Planning Commission met on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall. Chair Leslie Brinson called the meeting to order, with Commissioners Bradley Cabe, Lauren Hadley, Mei-shiou Lin, Julie Povick, and Colt Fry present; Vice Chair Christopher Mosier was excused. The main agenda item was a discussion on the proposed 2026 Comprehensive Plan Docket, which included six potential amendments. After public testimony and deliberation, the Commission voted unanimously to recommend all six amendments to the City Council for further study.
Public Comments & Testimony
Seven members of the public spoke, and 44 written comments were submitted.
- Milena Mast (Shoreline, 11th Avenue NW) expressed support for Amendment 5 (density reduction), citing safety concerns from narrow streets, lack of parking, proximity to a seasonal stream, and pedestrian hazards on 190th Street. She urged the Commission to lower the allowed density.
- Neal Woods (Shoreline, 11th Avenue NW) supported Amendment 5 and proposed moving the NR2/NR3 boundary to 10th Avenue NW to make the entire street uniformly zoned. He presented a visual showing a potential 23-unit development on a neighboring lot, arguing it would overwhelm the narrow dead-end street.
- Kathleen Russell (Shoreline) asked for clarification on the process and timeline for Amendment 6 (Neighborhood Greenways Program) if approved by Council, including funding and next steps.
- David Stygstra (Shoreline) urged the Commission to add Amendment 6 to the docket, noting that he regularly uses greenways in North Seattle for biking and walking, and a similar network in Shoreline would be a valuable asset.
- Darren Chang (Shoreline, architect with 18 years of experience) expressed concern about the new development code's fenestration requirements (30% on primary facades, 15% on others), arguing they create privacy challenges and increase construction costs. He urged the Commission to lower those requirements in future code amendments.
- Peter Schmitz (Shoreline, 11th Avenue NW) echoed concerns about proposed zoning changes, emphasizing the family-oriented character of the street and the risk that increased density could undermine the neighborhood's quality of life.
- Todd Greenwood (Shoreline) supported lower density on their street, asking for thoughtful planning to maintain neighborhood integrity.
Discussion Items
Senior Planner Steve Szafran presented the six proposed amendments:
- Adopt the Surface Water Master Plan.
- Update the Town Center Subarea Plan.
- Update the 145th Street Station Subarea Plan for multimodal connectivity.
- Update the 185th Street Station Subarea Plan for connectivity and non-residential land use flexibility.
- Change the land use designation of an area on 11th Avenue NW from Neighborhood Residential 2 (NR2) to Neighborhood Residential 3 (NR3).
- Add a new Neighborhood Greenways Program to the Transportation Element.
Staff recommended Amendments 1–4 for inclusion on the docket and asked the Commission to discuss Amendments 5 and 6. Chair Brinson requested a procedural overview; Senior Planner Szafran and Transportation Manager Kendra Dedinsky explained that the docket is a list of potential amendments to be studied, and that inclusion does not guarantee funding or adoption.
Amendment 5 (11th Avenue NW zoning change): Commissioner Fry acknowledged residents' concerns but expressed confidence in existing regulations (stream buffers, steep slopes) and supported further study. Chair Brinson raised equity concerns, noting that singling out one block could overlook other neighborhoods, especially after the citywide Comprehensive Plan process. Commissioner Povick agreed and suggested a broader study, including a mockup of a street built to maximum capacity to visualize impacts. Commissioner Cabe asked how a broader study would affect timing. Director Andrew Bauer cautioned that expanding to a citywide study could take multiple years and strain staff capacity, given the three subarea plan updates already underway. The Commission generally agreed that the issue was complex but worthy of further analysis within the proposed specific area.
Amendment 6 (Neighborhood Greenways): Commissioner Cabe asked about existing greenways; Dedinsky explained that 17th Avenue NE was a surface water project with traffic calming features, and other streets have chicanes, speed humps, or signed bike routes. She noted the term
Meeting Transcript
As always, I missed my cue. Good evening. I would like to welcome everyone to the Shoreline Planning Commission regular meeting for Thursday, January 15th, 2026. So I will call to order. And Haley, will you please do a roll call? Yes. Commissioner Povick. Here. Commissioner Lynn. Here. Commissioner Fry. Here. Commissioner Hadley is not here. We are expecting her, but she's not here right now. Commissioner Cabe. Here. Chair Brinson. Here. And Commissioner Vice Chair Mosier is excused with notice. Excellent. Thank you. All right, moving to approval of the agenda. Thumbs up. Approval of the meeting minutes from December 4th, which feels like a lifetime ago. Also thumbs up. And now, do we have anyone signed up for public comment? We do. We have seven people signed up for public comment. Great. And so we will start with Milena Mast. If you could please come to the podium and state your name and city of residence. Hello, I'm Melena Maston. I live in Shortline. Should I start? Yeah. Okay. Um I'm going to start by saying that I do not like to public speak, and so forgive me for my nerves, but this issue is really, really important to me, so that's why I'm going out of my comfort zone to talk tonight. I'm in support of amendment number five. I live on 11th Avenue Northwest, and under the new zoning, our street has the potential to blow up in density. A blanketed approach was taken with a new zoning, and unique and specific characteristics of each area were not considered. So having the current level of density on our street places our families at risk. What if there is an emergency and the emergency vehicle couldn't access our house? Is this a level of risk the city wants to be accountable for or is comfortable with? Because we are not. So it's also within 200 feet of a seasonal stream, which goes against the shoreline's recommendations. I know they're updating that right now. To get to the shopping area up the street, which is losing stores to senior housing, you have to walk up a giant hill, 190th Street. Even though even though a sign on the top says no through way, cars fly down the street to take the shortcut from 8th Avenue to Richmond Beach Road. There are no sidewalks on that road, and there's barely a shoulder. We have met multiple times with the city to share concerns about safety and traffic on 190, especially for pedestrians as kids walk up that hill to go to school.
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