City Planning Commission

PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2025 HELD VIA ZOOM & IN PERSON AT CITY HALL Planning Commission Members Present: Joe Mann, Tom Sahlberg, Jim Baumker, DG Garcia, Charlie Jencks, Dale Robbins, and Phil Folyer were in person. Adjunct Member(s) Present: Troy Mullenix Staff Present: Lisa Key, Amy Mullerleile, Lance Mueller, and Kathy Cummings Call to Order: Meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. Roll Call: A quorum of members was present. Absences: A motion to excuse Commissioner Heuschel was made by Commissioner Mann and seconded by Commissioner Jencks. The motion carried unanimously. Commissioner Mann asked that we stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Review of Agenda & Approval of Minutes: Commissioner Jencks motioned to approve the meeting agenda, seconded by Commissioner Folyer. The motion was approved unanimously. Commissioner Jencks motioned to approve the January 8th meeting minutes, seconded by Commissioner Sahlberg. The motion was approved unanimously. Workshops: Recap of the Land Capacity Analysis: As requested from the January 8th Planning Commission meeting, Director Key provided a summary of the draft Land Capacity Analysis (LCA) for the commissioners not in attendance at the last meeting. Questions were asked and discussed. Director Key again stated that the recommendation for approval is for planning purposes only and that the LCA will be presented to City Council on February 4, 2025. Once approved for planning purposes, it will be distributed to partner agencies and consultants. Commissioner Mann asked whether demographics would play a role in this process and Director Key stated that it will play a role in other parts of the Comprehensive Plan development process. Critical Area Review: After reviewing both the city’s Critical Areas Ordinance and the Critical Areas checklist received from WA State Department of Commerce, it was recommended by the City’s planning consultant that we update our current critical area definitions. Director Key discussed the updated definitions that align with the best available science principle and state regulations. The update to the Development Code will delete the outdated Priority Habitats and Species Designation (PHS) table but will provide reference to the WA State Department of Fish & Wildlife Priority Habitat Species website for current information. Commissioner Baumker asked about the Critical Aquifer Recharge Area as a critical area and how it is monitored. Director Key referenced the stormwater regulations currently in place and Spokane County’s aquifer protection area. Discussion on possible future enforcement of aquifer Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Page 1|2 January 22, 2025 protection measures continued with consideration of potential funding challenges as the county’s monitoring program nears expiration in 2026. A motion was made by Commissioner Folyer to recommend approval of Article 10-1C Definitions and Article 10-6B Critical Areas, seconded by Commissioner Jencks. The motion passed unanimously. Schedule for Housing Element: The schedule is fast paced. Housing policy workshops will be held at the next two Planning Commission meetings scheduled for February 12th and 26th. At the beginning of April, there will be a review of the Housing and Community Service element. This is the next big piece with many legislative changes. The city has obtained a consultant for this section and the city is hoping that a six-month extension will be granted by the Department of Commerce. Citizens Comments: None Jeremy Jenkins, not a citizen of Liberty Lake but the Environmental Manager for the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District, requested to speak on behalf of the Critical Areas section of the City’s Development Code. He expressed support for existing critical area regulations. He emphasized the importance of long-term aquifer monitoring as he is also president of the Spokane Aquifer Joint Board. The Board is currently investigating how to mitigate the potential loss of the county’s robust aquifer monitoring program with the potential sunset of the aquifer protection area in 2026. Aquifer monitoring to be maintained because of the importance of the long-term dataset. He also stated the importance of the city maintaining a record of Critical & Hazardous Materials stored throughout the city. Secretary’s Report: Director Key reported that the next upcoming Planning Commission meetings in February will include Housing Policy workshops and will possibly require a few additional sessions beyond. At the next meeting, we should have an update on Parks and Recreation’s Open Space plan and the City’s Master Facilities Plan. The February 26th meeting is planned for Sign Code and will invite the Community Engagement committee to attend. Commissioner Reports: None Adjournment: Commissioner Jencks motioned to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Commissioner Garcia. The motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 4:49 p.m. Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Page 2|2 January 22, 2025