City Council

City Hall City of Olympia 601 4th Avenue E Olympia, WA 98501 Information: 360.753.8447 Meeting Minutes City Council Tuesday, January 7, 2014 7:00 PM Council Chambers 1. ROLL CALL Present: 7 - Mayor Stephen H. Buxbaum, Mayor Pro Tem Nathaniel Jones, Councilmember Jim Cooper, Councilmember Julie Hankins, Councilmember Steve Langer, Councilmember Jeannine Roe and Councilmember Cheryl Selby 1.A ANNOUNCEMENTS Mayor Buxbaum noted Lacey City Attorney Ken Ahlf passed away. Mayor Buxbaum suggested moving the Swearing in of the Councilmembers before Approval of the Agenda. Council agreed. 2. SPECIAL RECOGNITION 2.A 14-0023 Swearing in of Newly Elected Councilmembers State Representative Sam Hunt administered the Oath of Office to Councilmember Jim Cooper, Position No. 7. Mr. David Hankins administered the Oath of Office to Councilmember Julie Hankins , Position No. 5. Retired Chief Justice Gerry Alexander administered the Oath of Office to Jeannine Roe, Position No. 6 and to Cheryl Selby, Position No. 4. Councilmembers thanked all who supported them and for coming to this event. Mayor Buxbaum recessed the meeting for a short reception honoring the newly elected Councilmembers. The meeting was reconvened. The recognition was received. 1.B APPROVAL OF AGENDA Councilmember Selby moved, seconded by Councilmember Langer, to approve the agenda. The motion carried by the following vote: City of Olympia Page 1 City Council Meeting Minutes January 7, 2014 Aye: 7 - Mayor Buxbaum, Mayor Pro Tem Jones, Councilmember Cooper, Councilmember Hankins, Councilmember Langer, Councilmember Roe and Councilmember Selby 3. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION Mayor Buxbaum noted item 6A on the agenda regarding the Medela rezone was discussed in 2012 and the record was closed in November, 2012. He said Council will be taking action based on the record. He said people are welcome to speak regarding this issue but new testimony will not be considered in the Council's decision. Mr. Robert Marra, 1158 Palomino Drive, asked the Council to support a resolution in support of the Olympia School District's 2014 Replacement Technology and Safety Levy. Kato Sister City Association President Allen Miller, 1617 Sylvester St SW, noted a delegation will be in town next week to celebrate Oshogatsu, the Japanese New Year. Mr. Jim Reeves spoke of an impending disaster in Washington State. Mr. Joe Hanna, 815 Chambers St SE, said the SEPA decision regarding the Medela rezone was made after the closing date of the record. He spoke against this rezone. Ms. Teresa Goen-Burgen spoke against the rezone of the Medela subdivision. Ms. Kathleen Blanchette spoke on the Medela notification process. COUNCIL RESPONSE TO PUBLIC COMMUNICATION (Optional) Mayor Buxbaum asked the City Attorney to speak to the issue of the Olympia School District's resolution. City Attorney Tom Morrill said the Council can take a position on a ballot issue after the public is given an opportunity to speak. Mayor Buxbaum said this item will be scheduled for a future Council meeting. 4. CONSENT CALENDAR Councilmember Roe asked for clarification on item 4B regarding the Downtown Ambassador Program. Community Planning & Development Deputy Director Leonard Bauer stated the $25,650 amount is for the time period of March through September, 2014. 4.A 14-0008 Approval of December 17, 2013 City Council Meeting Minutes The minutes were adopted. City of Olympia Page 2 City Council Meeting Minutes January 7, 2014 4.B 14-0017 Approval to Initiate the Process to Amend the PY2013 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Action Plan to Redirect Use of $25,650 for the Downtown Ambassador Program The decision was adopted. Councilmember Langer recused himself from voting on this item since he has been hired by the Capital Recovery Center. SECOND READINGS - None FIRST READINGS - None Approval of the Consent Agenda Councilmember Hankins moved, seconded by Councilmember Langer, to adopt the Consent Calendar. Councilmember Langer recused himself from voting on Item 4B. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 7 - Mayor Buxbaum, Mayor Pro Tem Jones, Councilmember Cooper, Councilmember Hankins, Councilmember Langer, Councilmember Roe and Councilmember Selby 5. PUBLIC HEARING - None 6. OTHER BUSINESS 6.A 14-0013 Approval of Recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners for the Medela Joint Olympia/Thurston Comprehensive Plan Amendment and Site Specific Rezone Councilmember Selby said she will abstain from voting on this item since she was not on the Council during discussions. Associate Planner Amy Buckler said this area is included in the City 's Urban Growth Area for future annexation. She said staff and the planning commissions from both the City and County meet to come up with a plan. Future developments will be under the jurisdiction of the City or the County. She reviewed the background and said the Public Hearing was held in November, 2012. She said this area includes 9.1 acres with 16 parcels, a cemetery, and a business park. She reviewed the process and analyses which led to the recommendation. Council questions and comments included the following: - Is there any mitigation by a developer on Boulevard Road? It depends on the project. - Would any houses need to be removed? Project Engineer Dave Smith said it would City of Olympia Page 3 City Council Meeting Minutes January 7, 2014 depend on the project. Seventh Avenue has only 30' of right-of-way but the City could look at a deviation request for a half-street improvement. - How long is it from Chambers to Boulevard on 9th Ave? 338 feet. - How does R18 compare to High Density Corridor (HDC) zoning? RM 18 is residential only for multi family homes, HDC is a mixed zone for both residential and commercial. HDC is more liberal. HDC does not have a minimum or maximum requirement for residential units. - What are the next steps if this is not rezoned? The recommendation will be forwarded to the County and they will have the ultimate decision. - This property is landlocked and is not on an arterial or collector so 9 th Ave would have to be reclassified. Where is the benefit to the community to outweigh this neighborhood and other neighborhoods on Boulevard Road? Zoning criteria has not been met. - Concerned about a 100-year flood area and traffic impacts. Also, the density near the freeway poses air quality concerns. - A developer will have many challenges. We need to look at what the overall land use concept for this area is. We should look to the Comprehensive Plan and what the community said about their interests in this part of Olympia. This area has the opportunity for a more compact development. - This is a recommendation only. Mayor Pro Tem Jones moved, seconded by Councilmember Cooper, to recommend to the Board of County Commissioners that the proposed area be rezoned from Residential 4-8 units per acre (R4-8) to Residential Multi-Family 18 units per acre (RM18). The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 4 - Mayor Buxbaum, Mayor Pro Tem Jones, Councilmember Cooper and Councilmember Langer Nay: 2 - Councilmember Hankins and Councilmember Roe Abstained 1 - Councilmember Selby : 6.B 14-0024 Approval of Agenda for Annual City Council Retreat After a brief discussion, Council agreed to accept the proposed agenda for the annual Council retreat. The discussion was completed. 7. CONTINUED PUBLIC COMMUNICATION 8. REPORTS AND REFERRALS 8.A COUNCIL INTERGOVERNMENTAL/COMMITTEE REPORTS AND REFERRALS Mayor Pro Tem Jones noted the King Tide on January 5 was about 2 feet lower than City of Olympia Page 4 City Council Meeting Minutes January 7, 2014 last year. He thanked the County for the meeting last night regarding drugs. Councilmember Roe said Quixote Village is open and she took a tour of it . 8.B CITY MANAGER'S REPORT AND REFERRALS City Manager Steve Hall noted the amendment to the Briggs Urban Village is tentatively scheduled for January 28. Council agreed to this date. 9. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:49 p.m. City of Olympia Page 5