Planning Commission

RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION CITY OF BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON THURSDAY PUBLIC MEETING / HEARING 7:00 P.M. April 23, 2015 CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER5 Video-taped www.cob.org CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Ali Taysi, Chairman of the Planning Commission. ROLL CALL: Tom Grinstad, Jeff Brown, Garrett O'Brien (VC), Ali Taysi (C), Phyllis McKee, Steve Crooks and Cerise Noah Planning Commission Members Present: Tom Grinstad, Jeff Brown, Garrett O’Brien, Ali Taysi, Phyllis McKee, Steve Crooks and Cerise Noah City Council Members Present: Daniel Hammill, Terry Borneman, Michael Lilliquist and Pinky Vargas Absent: Staff Present: Rick Sepler, Planning Director; Ted Carlson, Public Works Director; Greg Aucutt, Assistant Planning Director; Lisa Pool, Senior Planner; Chris Behee; GIS Specialist; Brent Baldwin, Development Manager; Moshe Quinn, Planner II; and Heather Aven, Recording Secretary. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - None to approve 15 MINUTE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD Barbara M. expressed concern about the process related to the inclusion of accessory dwelling units in single-family neighborhoods. She asked for assurance that the normal zoning process is followed and all property owners are notified. WORK SESSION Joint City Council Planning Committee and Planning Commission work session to discuss key issues relevant to the development of an Urban Growth Area (UGA) boundary recommendation. Additional PC meetings will be held to develop a UGA boundary recommendation. STAFF PRESENTATION Staff presented a PowerPoint that provided an overview of:  The basic update requirements to the Comprehensive Plan  Context for the Update - emphasized that this will not be an overhaul of the existing plan  Process Milestones  Public Participation thus far  Key Issues that have been identified o Population Forecast, Housing Choice, Affordable Single-Family Housing, Neighborhood Character, Urban Villages, Natural Environment, Who Pays for Growth? Final Copy - 1   Accommodating growth within the city's established boundary (15,621 new units / 19,080 new jobs): o Current Development Patterns o Urban Village Development o West Bakerview Corridor o Current / Future residential activity and the number of units that could be realized o Future commercial / industrial job creation  Accommodating growth in the Urban Growth Areas (1,557 new units / 4,865 new jobs): o Areas with some growth potential o Watershed UGA's o Pending annexations o Airport o Industrial land with wetlands o Lummi Tribe trust land o Potential Area for removal  Accommodating growth outside of the UGA o Much of the land is not developable because of the Lake Whatcom Watershed, forested foothills, wetland systems, rural areas that are suitable for rural development, and another small city boundary. o Two areas were identified as potential expansion areas, the Caitac Property and the S. Yew St. UGA Reserve. COMMISSION QUESTIONS / DISCUSSION A brief conversation occurred on the importance of transportation related to where and how the city can (or should) grow. There was a discussion regarding the population growth number and the possibility for changing that projection, including the effects of over- or under-estimating the growth. Staff shared the number of units / jobs that could be realized in the two areas identified as potential expansion areas. The group discussed the housing forms and the mix being recommended for single-family vs. multi- family development and what types of housing might be realized from the two potential expansion areas. They also talked about the possibility of placing some of the land in the potential expansion areas in a UGA reserve so that it could be developed, if necessary, in the second half of the 20-year planning period. COMMENTS FROM PUBLIC Darcy Jones expressed support for the high forecast as the City of Bellingham is the economic and cultural center of Whatcom County. He pointed out in order to protect that status, we need to reach and maintain a critical mass to make Downtown vibrant. He stated that it will take a combination of the different alternatives to achieve the necessary growth. He noted that site plans for the development of both single-family and multi-family units, as well as additional commercial opportunities, are being created for the Caitac property (northern potential expansion area). He spoke to some work that is being done on the evaluation of the cost / revenues so that their project can be developed based on that. Linda Twitchell, Building Industry Association (BIA) pointed out that the high population growth forecast is on the high-end of the Office of Financial Management (OFM) medium-range option. She stated that Bellingham has traditionally grown faster than the OFM medium projections and they feel that the Final Copy - 2 proposed range is acceptable. She noted that the BIA would like to see a broad range of housing forms be permitted outright. She stated that an increase in the percentage of renters tends to be detrimental to communities, and recommended that Bellingham set a policy that would reduce the increasing percentage of rentals in the City. She expressed concern that employers do not want to come to the City for various reasons. Perry Eskridge, Whatcom County Association of Realtors stated that this is our last best chance to get this right. He pointed out that people are leaving Whatcom County because they can't find what they are looking for. He stated the push into the rural lands is occurring, which is what we are trying to prevent. He noted that Bellingham is the driving force for planning in the rest of the County. He stated that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is counting on Bellingham to accommodate the 36,000 additional people as the County has not taken any other alternatives into consideration. He commented on the housing mix and stated that the preference is still for single-family housing. Keith Howard pointed out that, in the potential growth area to the north of Bakerview, there is no east / west connector. He suggested that the UGA be expanded further to the north (past Horton Rd.) in an effort to promote that connector. Eric Scott stated that the increase in population will continue to drive people out to the county. He commented on the demographics moving to Bellingham, and the housing types that they would prefer to live in. He pointed out that the people of Bellingham do not want more density. He suggested that the next 100 years are considered during the planning process for the next 20. He questioned whether we should grow, whether we should be more crowded, and whether more of the natural lands (in the city) should be lost. Jeff Kochman, Barkley Company stated that the Barkley area could accommodate an additional 1000 units beyond their current plan. He noted that the residential development in the Barkley Urban Village has just recently begun and they are being thoughtful in their considerations for future development. He spoke to the existing infrastructure and recent conversations with the Public Works Department. He commented on the success factors of incentives for urban village development. Clayton Petree shared some diagrams from his written comments. He commented on some of the transportation options currently in the S. Yew St (potential growth) area. He noted that Bellingham has always grown faster than the OFM medium-range number, and families that cannot find a single-family home here, go somewhere else. He suggested a more diverse housing mix would help to capture some of the population growth that we are willing to accept. Christopher Grannis expressed concern that if the mid-range projection is chosen, Bellingham would be full in 20 years, given the fact that there are no opportunities left to grow out into. He suggested that before the 20-year planning begins, the community should decide what they want the City to look like in 100 years and plan backwards from there. He suggested the low-range forecast be accepted. Cal Lenstra stated the Berk Study is wrong regarding what types of housing people want to live in. 75- 85% multi-family development won't happen. He noted that S. Yew Street is an appropriate place to develop and should be included in the UGA. He commented on some of the different statistics for growth over the past few decades, like that fact that Bellingham is taking only 28% of the growth, whereas it used to accept 60%. Issac Post suggested that the community begin focusing on discussing on what we do want versus what we do not want. Final Copy - 3 Carrie Veldman, RJ Group commented on the property that they are currently attempting to develop. She stated that the current proposal is comprised of 440 units, with a 75% single-family and a 25% multi-family housing mix. She noted that although it is a great housing mix, the forms being proposed do not currently meet the current code since the Infill Toolkit is not currently allowed in single-family zones. She pointed out that this project would reduce sprawl while achieving infill within the existing city limits. She noted the housing forms may be unique to Bellingham, but not to other jurisdictions. Louise Bjornson noted that there is an annexation coming before the City, south of Bakerview, and expressed concern about what the zoning would be. She pointed out that this area would be a great location for light-industrial. Paul Schissler commented on housing affordability. He pointed out that the wages for the jobs being created need to be considered when discussing the types of homes being planned for. He noted that the 2015 WA State Housing Needs Assessment includes data specific for Bellingham, which states that for every 100 low-income households in the community, there are only 11 homes accessible to them at affordable housing prices. He spoke to the multi-family housing forms and pointed out that the vacancy rate is near 0, which means not everyone wants to live in a single-family home. He stated that multi- family units provide vitality, a better tax break and provide housing to those citizens that cannot afford, or choose not to live in, single-family homes. Patrick McKee stated that he has often heard Bellingham has to take a high percentage of population for Whatcom County in order to protect farm land; however, it appears from the discussion that this theory has not worked out the way it was intended to. He pointed out that the way to protect farm land is to increase the money available for development rights, and downzoning. He suggested that the lowest figure that OFM offers to the City be adopted, and if necessary adjust that figure over time. Larry Horowitz spoke to tables that compare the low, medium and high growth forecasts. He pointed out that when the original population growth forecast was recommended, the Commission did not have access to all of the statistics that are available today. He stated that over the last seven years, the average growth has been 587 people per year. He provided some information that identified the population numbers back to 1968 and encouraged that the "real growth numbers" be paid attention to. Stoney Bird commented on the connection between transportation planning and land use planning. He noted the trend has been to predict something and then provide what is needed to make the prediction come true. He pointed out what really should occur is a public discussion about what kind of growth is desired and then plan accordingly. He disagrees with OFM telling the cities what to plan for, and instead would like to see the citizens having the opportunity to vote for what they would like to see their community look like. COMMISSION QUESTIONS / DISCUSSION Tom Grinstad commented on the benefits of growth and stated that if growth is planned for, it may or may not be achieved; however, if growth is not planned for and it happens there will be problems. Phyllis McKee stated that although the infrastructure may not need to be built immediately, it should be at least considered and planned for. There was a discussion about when the costs associated with the different alternatives might be available. The group also talked about how a variety of housing forms and locations will impact the cost. Final Copy - 4 Cerise Noah commented on the housing forms that the public is truly interested in purchasing. She supports the discussions that focus on what the community does want rather than what they don't want. She pointed out the importance of well-planned communities. OLD / NEW BUSINESS: Rick Sepler noted that an informal presentation on the Rental Registration program will be provided after the UGA boundary recommendation process has been completed. ADJOURNED: 9:15 p.m. NEXT MEETING: April 30, 2015 Minutes prepared by: _____________________________ Heather Aven, Recording Secretary Minutes edited by Planning Commission members and various Planning Staff. Final Copy - 5