City Council - Regular Meeting

City of Bellingham City Council Regular Meeting Minutes 04/07/2014, 7:00 PM Mayor Kelli Linville Contact: (360) 778-8200, ccmail@cob.org Council Members Jack Weiss, Gene www.cob.org/council Knutson, Cathy Lehman, Pinky Vargas, All meetings are held in the City Hall Council Terry Bornemann, Michael Lilliquist and Chambers at 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, Roxanne Murphy WA unless otherwise noted. Call to Order Announcements & Upcoming Meetings: None. Bellingham City Council meets all requirements of the State of Washington Open Meetings Act. Pledge of Allegiance Led by Council President Lehman. Roll Call All present. 15-Minute Public Comment Period Ric Ghirardini said the city has been responsive to neighborhoods in need. He hopes the city will respond accordingly to problems in the Roosevelt Neighborhood. Yoshé Revelle shared a poem entitled Some Thoughts. Kate Blystone, Program Director, ReSources, is concerned that the population allocation [AB 20371] is too high but said there will be opportunities to adjust those between now and 2016. She asked the council to share priorities with the planners and let them get to work. Public Hearing 20369 1. An ordinance and Public Hearing to consider a text amendment to remove a special requirement under BMC 20.00.100 for Area 8 of the Lettered Streets Neighborhood  "AN ORDINANCE AMENDING BELLINGHAM MUNICIPAL CODE (BMC) 20.00.100 LETTERED STREETS NEIGHBORHOOD TABLE OF ZONING REGULATIONS FOR AREA 8, REMOVING THE SPECIAL REGULATION LANGUAGE." Jeff Thomas, Director, Planning & Community Development explained the amendment and Ryan Nelson, Project Planner, described the subject location and history. Staff and the Planning & Development Commission recommend approval. Council President Lehman opened the public hearing. Devon Gilliland is looking forward to working with staff to create a positive infill project. There being no further comments, the public hearing was closed. Terry Bornemann / Gene Knutson moved to approve for first and second reading. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 20370 2. A resolution and Public Hearing on the Alabama Corridor Safety Improvements "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON APPROVING THE MULTI-AGENCY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ALABAMA STREET CORRIDOR." Ted Carlson, Public Works Director, reviewed process to date and an overview of the grant received by Washington State Department of Transportation Target Zero Safety Program. Chris Comeau, Transportation Planner, described the projects, the Multi-Agency efforts involved and the public process to date. Mr. Comeau reviewed the alternatives analyzed, which included the concept of a Road Diet. All analysis was based on reducing vehicle collisions and improving safety for other transportation users along the Alabama Street corridor. The recommended safety improvements for Alabama Street are consistent with the Transportation Element of the Bellingham Comprehensive Plan, Bellingham Pedestrian Master Plan, the Draft Bellingham Bicycle Master Plan and have been endorsed by the Bellingham Transportation Commission, Whatcom Transportation Authority, Whatcom Council of Governments and Bellingham Police, Fire and Public Works Departments. A hybrid 4-to-3-lane “Road Diet” on parts of the corridor, where feasible, with access management and “C-curb” median on other parts is recommended. On the West end there would be the traditional 4-to-3-lanes with bike lanes. On the East end the proposal is to extend the existing lane configuration from St. Clair to Superior. Other recommendations include: City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting 2 of 10 April 7, 2014   Install High Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) signals from I-5 east at Moore, Undine and Michigan, as recommended in the 2012 Pedestrian Master Plan.  Accommodation of parallel and intersection "Bike Boulevards" as recommended in the 2014 Bicycle Master Plan.  Strategic relocation and consolidation of Whatcom Transit Authority (WTA) bus stops at pedestrian crossings. Council President Lehman opened the public hearing. Richard Pickard lives on one of the many dead-end side streets off Alabama. He will only be able to turn one way onto his street. To turn left from Alabama, he will have to drive past his street and come back to it. Please consider the negative impacts for the many citizens that live on these side streets who will have to drive around the block to get to their street as well as the increased traffic on the side streets. Jeffrey Sather said the C-curb is in conflict with the City of Bellingham neighborhood master plan. It will prevent residents from getting on to their streets without going onto other streets. This will force residents on to unimproved streets that are not equipped to handle the volume of traffic and will compromise the safety on those side streets. He said, "Get rid of the C-curb and all that goes away…" "…it is a very detrimental thing and it is punitive to our neighborhood." Kurt Ingram, Vice President, Roosevelt Neighborhood Association. The neighborhood struggles with unity and this plan creates a highway that separates the neighborhood right down the middle. The C-curb limits access and does not help this become more of a neighborhood street. This would push traffic into streets that are densely populated and unimproved and will further cut off one side of the neighborhood from the other. The Association asks you to bring to bear the values of our city, the neighborhood and community and do what is best for the Roosevelt Neighborhood. Teri Hall is concerned about the impacts of the C-curb which will divert cars onto unimproved side streets and put a little freeway through the neighborhood. Cars could be rerouted to other primary arterials that currently exist. She cited safety, convenience and property value issues and urged the city to re-think the C-curb. Theresa Quinn expressed concern for the safety of school children. She noted that school buses drop kids at Texas Street six times a day. Ana Sheppard, Assistant Director, Kids Corner at Undine Street. She said the C-curb will directly affect her business and hinder the families turning left onto Undine Street. The proposed crosswalks are great and rather than the C-curb she suggested more traffic lights and a lower speed limit. Charles Storrs spoke in opposition to the C-curb on Alabama and said this is not a comprehensive solution. There will still be a huge number of accidents and this will be cutting off traffic to downtown Bellingham. There needs to be an alternate route for the bikes so they are off Alabama. On this plan, the bike routes don't connect as they end a block short of Cornwall and a block short of James. This needs more planning. City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting 3 of 10 April 7, 2014  Frank Black is one of the residents who may lose some of his front yard with this plan. He welcomes the pedestrian crossings but the C-curb is an eyesore. He urged the Council to oppose this project. Donna Gawron submitted a petition signed by well over 100 residents of the Roosevelt Neighborhood opposing the C-curb, which states: "The residents of Roosevelt Neighborhood strongly object to the raised median c-curb proposed as a safety solution for central Alabama Street (from King Street to Woburn Street)." She recognized the efforts the Planning team has put into making Alabama Street safer. The residents are overwhelmingly in approval of the 4-3 Lane Road Diet approved for the Sunnyland end of the street but overwhelmingly in opposition to the C-curb that is planned for the section between Pacific and Woburn. The safety on this section of Alabama Street cannot be considered in isolation from neighborhood safety. The C-curb diverts local resident traffic onto side streets that are not equipped for it. Nothing in the plan addresses the safety of the neighborhood. Her concerns include: lack of buffer between pedestrians and traffic; and the 24/7 impediment to residents making left turns into or out of side streets. Ms. Gawron suggested the following alternatives: 1. Improve Woburn from Illinois to Iowa to encourage a north/south decision earlier. 2. Extend Crestline to Barkley Boulevard to give Alabama hill residents traveling west or north a more convenient exit from their neighborhood. 3. Rethink the entrance to I-5 South at Iowa. 4. Block back lane accesses to Alabama. 5. Eliminate the traffic light at Pacific Street and re-route northbound traffic on Pacific. She called on the council to: 1. Recommend a modification of the plan to eliminate the C-curb proposal. 2. Extend the 4-3 Lane Road Diet to our section of Alabama. 3. Pursue appropriate long term solutions that improve the safety and the liveability of the neighborhood overall. David Dopps, President, Roosevelt Neighborhood Association. The C-curb component of this plan is the part that residents in the central part of the neighborhood disagree with. The unimproved side streets that would absorb this traffic are not adequately prepared to deal with it. The C-curb, which is typically done in a commercial zone, would radically change the character of the neighborhood. Rick Nicholson, Director of Service Development, Whatcom Transit Authority (WTA) appreciated city staff and the excellent working relationship they have with WTA. Route 331, which runs along Alabama, has the highest ridership in their system and is a route that is struggling to stay on time in the afternoons. The additional crosswalks and the light on St. Paul are going to slow the buses down but WTA has calculated that this will be okay, as safety trumps running time and bus riders in the neighborhood need to get across the street safely. He did caution city council that if the speed limit is reduced, it will affect the buses staying on schedule. Scott Watling also opposes the C-curb because of the inconvenience and the safety issues. He feels the C-curb will increase the speed of cars especially in off-peak hours. City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting 4 of 10 April 7, 2014  This is a high speed corridor and he feels the C-curb will encourage the higher speeds and the crosswalks will be less respected. Additionally, the sidewalk is very close to the road. The road diet would be preferable and increase safety. Don Ernest opposes the C-curb and prefers the 4-3 Lane Road Diet. He said, avoid bicycle lanes on Alabama and use the extra space for bus turnouts. Bicyclists should use greenways and side streets and avoid the problem of obstructing motorized traffic. He added that it would help to synchronize traffic lights throughout the Alabama Street corridor. Patrick McKee, supports the Road Diet proposed for the west end of Alabama in the Sunnyland Neighborhood. He would like to see the speed limit lowered. He recognizes the concerns of the residents of the Roosevelt Neighborhood and does not support the solutions proposed for the east end of Alabama. Cindy Pearson reiterated concerns about the C-curb and said a center turn lane will give residents easy access to their streets and eliminate the need to flood this traffic out into areas that are not viable. Leslie McDaniel supports a Road Diet; no bike lanes; improve the railroad bike route to give bicyclists a safer route; put in the extra crosswalks (HAWKS); reduce speed to 30 and widen Woburn from Illinois down to Alabama. Susan Ettiger-Bloom has concerns about the C-curb affecting people circling around trying to get to their homes as well as first responders. She suggested first, lowering the speed limit and waiting to see how that goes and then going forward with other developments. Morgan Dewey feels the proposed C-curb will deter young families from purchasing in this area with an "Alabama Freeway". She said, please don't penalize the community with this proposal. Joseph Brown observed that commuters coming down Woburn turn right and "zoom" around the corner onto Alabama. The bus stop is too close to the corner and people loading and unloading are in danger from people speeding around the corner who don't have enough reaction time. The speed limit needs reduced and the bus stop needs to be moved. Caitlin Walsh opposes the C-curb and feels Alabama would be safer with speed limits and crosswalks. Lena Bennehof lives on Undine Street and there is no other access other than Alabama. The C-curb would be hindrance and safety issue. Kelly Peterson reiterated that safety for the surrounding streets is the greatest concern, with convenience a secondary concern. She noted with regard to public process that each presentation over the past two years suggested several possible solutions for the corridor but it wasn't until March 5 that there was a proposal and the C-curb was introduced with that proposal. She is concerned about property values. Ms. Peterson does not want to see East North Street put through as a street but before the C-curb is City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting 5 of 10 April 7, 2014  put in the city should open up that street so she is not driving on Maryland, St. Paul, Illinois and Texas Streets instead of simply turning left off Alabama. Cheryl Smith noted that there are six school bus stop times on a small section of St. Paul. It is a narrow street and there currently is not room for a bus and car to pass. Extra cars on that street during rush hour, which is the same time the buses are there, would not be safe. How does the school fit in with this plan with regard to the children and bus stops? Kirk Roberts said to listen to the neighbors and take their comments into consideration. Heather [no last name] stressed that people will get hit by cars if the cars are forced on to the side streets. There being no further comments, the public hearing was closed. The written record will remain open until a final decision, per Resolution #2013-09. Ted Carlson, Public Works Director briefly discussed the challenges going from 4-3 lanes in this section. As staff looked at the alternatives, access management is a proven technique in eliminating the conflict. Widening the entire corridor to 5 lanes with a 2-way turn lane has challenges as well, with costs, impact on adjacent properties on Alabama and the city would likely need additional right-of-way causing additional access issues. The opportunity for additional connectivity to the north through the unopened East North right-of-way has not been discussed with the neighborhood. It would warrant a lot of discussion with the neighborhood if the city were to consider opening this unopened right-of-way. Staff has considered that East North would be part of a broader discussion as part of the Comprehensive Plan update. If a worksession is scheduled for April 21st, he said he would like to focus on the access management portion, as that is the biggest concern from the neighborhood, along with the speed limit and impacts on the side streets. Gene Knutson / Jack Weiss moved to refer to the Public Works/Public Safety Committee worksession on April 21, 2014. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. Council Standing Committee Meetings: Committee Of The Whole 20371 1. A multi-jurisdictional resolution regarding 2036 population and employment allocations Terry Bornemann / Jack Weiss moved final approval of Resolution #2014-11. MOTION CARRIED 6-1. Opposed: Michael Lilliquist Jack Weiss / Roxanne Murphy moved to direct the administration to bring forward a resolution to call on the county to work with the City of Bellingham and small cities, to demonstrate mechanisms to reduce rural growth and to discuss traffic impact fees. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting 6 of 10 April 7, 2014  20372 2. A presentation on the participation of the City of Bellingham in the Lean Academy Presentation during committee. Information only. 20373 3. A Presentation by Sustainable Connections Presentation during committee. Information only. 4. Approval of Minutes Approval of 3/24/14 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes Terry Bornemann/Michael Lilliquist moved approval of the March 24, 2014 minutes as submitted. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 5. Old/New Business None presented. Executive Session 1. Potential Litigation: Staff provided information on a potential litigation matter. Direction given. No action taken. 2. Potential Property Acquisition: Association of Bellingham Merchants and Citizens ("Association") v. City of Bellingham, Catholic Housing Services, and Catholic Community Services, Whatcom County Superior Court No. 14-2-00268-4: Staff provided an update on this lawsuit challenging Catholic Housing Services' proposal to construct 42 apartment units for low income tenants and 4,200 sq. ft. of office space at 1122 Cornwall Avenue. Michael Lilliquist / Terry Bornemann moved to authorize the Mayor to execute a settlement agreement with the following terms: 1. 1) The Association will dismiss its lawsuit and allow Catholic Housing Services to proceed with its project; and 2. 2) Catholic Community Services agrees to sell the portion of the property not needed for the project to a member of the Association at fair market value. M MOTION CARRIED 7-0. City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting 7 of 10 April 7, 2014  3. Potential Property Acquisition: Staff provided information on a potential property acquisition. Direction given. No action taken. 4. Potential Property Acquisition: Staff provided information on a potential property acquisition. Direction given. No action taken. 5. Potential Property Acquisition: Staff provided information on a potential property acquisition. Direction given. No action taken. 6. Potential Property Acquisition: Staff provided information on a potential property acquisition. Direction given. No action taken. 7. Potential Property Acquisition: Staff provided information on a potential property acquisition. Direction given. No action taken. 8. Potential Property Acquisition: Staff provided information on a potential property acquisition. Direction given. No action taken. 9. Potential Property Acquisition: Staff provided information on a potential property acquisition. Direction given. No action taken. Mayor's Report 20374 1. Mayor's appointment of Andrea Antrim to the Bellingham Sister Cities Advisory Board (Council Information) Information only. Mayor Linville addressed several items. She noted several issues that will be coming before Council: B&O tax for non- profit health care providers; PEG recommendations; Downtown Plan and Parking. She asked the Council to communicate their goals to staff with regard to what they would like to achieve in the Comprehensive Plan. Mayor Linville would like the Council to express their goals for the budget now and include things the Council would like the administration to work on, and achieve, in the next two years - projects, policies, and a work plan. The budget is in a stable pattern but caution is still needed. She encouraged council members to foster their good relationships with their peers on the County Council and observed that peer to peer discussions are helpful in creating understanding on issues. City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting 8 of 10 April 7, 2014  Consent Agenda All matters listed on the Consent Agenda are considered routine and/or non-controversial items and may be approved in a single motion. A member of the Council may ask that an item be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered separately. 20375 1. Close the Local Improvement Fund, District No. 1106 (Bakerview LID) 20376 2. Authorization of Payroll labor cost payments March 11-25, 2014 20378 3. Authorization of checks issued, A/P, March 7-13, 2014 20377 4. Authorization of checks issued, A/P March 14-20, 2014 20379 5. Authorization of checks issued, A/P, March 21-27, 2014 Gene Knutson / Pinky Vargas moved approval of the Consent Agenda in its entirety. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. Final Consideration of Ordinances 20353 1. AN ORDINANCE ADJUSTING ESTIMATED 2014 BUDGETED BEGINNING RESERVES BY $42,697,985 TO EQUAL ACTUAL BEGINNING RESERVE BALANCES Terry Bornemann / Gene Knutson moved approval for third and final reading. Upon motion, said bill was placed on final passage and approved by the following roll call vote: AYES: BORNEMANN, KNUTSON, LEHMAN, LILLIQUIST, MURPHY, VARGAS, WEISS NAYS: EXCUSED: MOTION CARRIED 7-0 and was thereafter named Ordinance #2014-04-017 20354 2. AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING $14,833,288.86 IN REAPPROPRIATIONS FOR GOODS AND SERVICES ORDERED IN 2013, BUT UNPAID AT YEAR END Terry Bornemann / Roxanne Murphy moved approval for third and final reading. Upon motion, said bill was placed on final passage and approved by the following roll call vote: City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting 9 of 10 April 7, 2014 AYES: BORNEMANN, KNUTSON, LEHMAN, LILLIQUIST, MURPHY, VARGAS, WEISS NAYS: EXCUSED: MOTION CARRIED 7-0 and was thereafter named Ordinance #2014-04-018 20355 3. AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING $46,147,495.87 IN REAPPROPRIATIONS FOR GOODS AND SERVICES BUDGETED IN 2013, BUT UNENCUMBERED AT YEAR END Terry Bornemann / Roxanne Murphy moved approval for third and final reading. Upon motion, said bill was placed on final passage and approved by the following roll call vote: AYES: BORNEMANN, KNUTSON, LEHMAN, LILLIQUIST, MURPHY, VARGAS, WEISS NAYS: EXCUSED: MOTION CARRIED 7-0 and was thereafter named Ordinance #2014-04-019 20348 4. ORDINANCE AMENDING BELLINGHAM MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 4.82.060 REGARDING AMBULANCE SERVICE RATES Gene Knutson / Terry Bornemann moved approval for third and final reading. Upon motion, said bill was placed on final passage and approved by the following roll call vote: AYES: BORNEMANN, KNUTSON, LEHMAN, LILLIQUIST, MURPHY, VARGAS, WEISS NAYS: EXCUSED: MOTION CARRIED 7-0 and was thereafter named Ordinance #2014-04-020 Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:30 P.M. _______________________________ Cathy Lehman, Council President _______________________________ ATTEST: Linda D. Anderson City Clerk Representative APPROVED: April 21, 2014 City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting 10 of 10 April 7, 2014