City Council Committee Agendas

City of Mount Vernon Economic Development Committee January 20, 2016 Chairperson Joe Lindquist called the meeting to order. Council members Bob Fiedler, Dale Ragan, Gary Molenaar, Ken Quam, Mary Hudson and Mayor Jill Boudreau were in attendance. Staff members Bob Hyde, Rebecca Lowell, Ana Chesterfield, Kevin Rogerson, Tom Wenzel, Jerry Dodd and James Weppler were also present. Council member Mark Hulst was absent. Minutes: Mr. Ragan moved, second By Mr. Fiedler, to approve the minutes from November 18, 2015. Motion carried. 2015 Review: Mr. Hyde provided a review of the departments activities during 2015. These included new business, new construction and re-development; outreach meetings for the comprehensive plan, developer forums, engineering standards and the west Mount Vernon community. Metrics: A presentation was given illustrating the increased activity for the past 2 years. Among the activities highlighted were land use, engineering, residential and commercial building permits. Retail sales have also improved. Figures for home prices, traffic and sewer impact fees were also shared. CAC/Housing Task Force Meeting: Members of the Citizens Advisory Committee and Affordable Housing Task Force met on January 11th. This group would like increased density in existing multi-family zones and more multi-family zoning created. Mr. Hyde provided several affordable housing options within the city that currently exist. Among these are multi-family units allowed in six of the zoning districts within in the city, accessory dwelling units and rooms that are rented in single family neighborhoods. There are also several agencies that fund affordable housing. Skagit Transit Bus Shelters: Mrs. Chesterfield requested the 2012 right of way agreement with Skagit Transit be amended to add another five bus stop shelters. This will bring the total to six. Staff was directed to present the agreement at this evening’s City Council meeting for action. New Development: Staff has implemented real time review. While not applicable for every project it has expedited plan review for some projects by meeting in real time with the applicant. Construction of the Riverwalk public restroom facility is progressing and requests for proposals for a vendor to occupy a portion of the building have gone out. The Brunet remodel is nearing completion and the tenant improvement for the distillery and tasting room is in progress. Foundation work for the new County jail has also started. Washington Tractor Supply and Goodwill have been permitted for large tenant improvements in existing buildings. The former Tokyo Stop and Master Insulation are planned for new construction. Page 1 of 2 Mr. Hyde also reported several preliminary plats have applied for extension of preliminary plat or application for final. Discussion on deferring impact fees will be addressed soon. There being no further business the meeting adjourned. Page 2 of 2