Planning Commission

City Hall City of Olympia 601 4th Avenue E Olympia, WA 98501 Contact: Amy Buckler Meeting Minutes (360) 570-5847 Planning Commission Monday, July 15, 2013 6:30 PM Room 207 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. 1.A ROLL CALL Present: 9 - Chair Jerome Parker, Vice Chair Judy Bardin, Commissioner Kim Andresen, Commissioner Jessica Bateman, Commissioner Max Brown, Commissioner Darrell Hoppe, Commissioner Roger Horn, Commissioner Carole Richmond, and Commissioner Missy Watts 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The agenda was approved. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT - None 4. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Parker introduced Leonard Bauer, current Managing Director of Growth Management at Washington Department of Commerce. Mr. Bauer has accepted the position of Community Planning & Development Deputy Director with the City. His first day will be September 9, 2013. 5. INFORMATION REQUESTS The Commission requested that staff reports do a better job of describing what is being asked of the Planning Commission, including defining what the role of the Planning Commission is, to access the big picture, or to make line-by-line edits? It would be helpful if the key issues were highlighted so the Commission knows what to make a recommendations on. 6. BUSINESS ITEMS 13-0407 Public Hearing on Proposed Reclaimed Water Code Amendments Water Resources Senior Program Specialist Donna Buxton provided an overview of the proposed reclaimed water code amendments. The amendments were proposed by staff to close regulatory gaps, address fees and charges and update City of Olympia Page 1 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes July 15, 2013 terminology/streamline language. Although the number of substantive changes is small, the extent of textual changes requires a repeal and replacement of the existing code; bill-format would be unreadable. Commission Discussion & Questions: - The $200 hook-up fee could be a disincentive to hook-up; however, in relation to other associated fees this is a small amount. - The County's recommendation holds the same weight as other agency review comments. The City Council is the decision-maker on this issue. - Infiltration of ground water is usually done by basins that are relatively large and shallow. Water is infiltrated sub-surface. - Big picture, the reclaimed water distribution system is physically much like the drinking water system. - The code amendment would apply to any reclaimed water hook-ups, not just those that are currently eligible. - The City's current ordinance does not require hook-up to reclaimed water, nor does it address what the fee would be to hook-up should a developer volunteer to do so. - If LOTT decides to expand the main, the cost would be absorbed by utility fees to LOTT. - The City will consider using general facility charges for reclaimed water when the Water System Plan is updated for 2015-2020. - The City has ample water rights for potable water to meet our population projections through 2058. The use of reclaimed water is part of the agreement for those water rights. - The proposed ordinance does not include a requirement for hooking up to reclaimed water based on proximity. Early in the process, some thresholds for required hook-up, with subsidies, were explored in collaboration with the business community; however, they decided not to do this due to the associated costs (very expensive for both the City to subsidize or developers to pay for.) Chair Parker opened the public hearing at 7:25 p.m. There were no members of the public wishing to testify. Commissioners may send any written questions to staff by Monday, July 29 in order to be answered at the deliberation meeting on August 5. Any suggested language edits should be submitted by July 22, in time to be included in the final proposed code language included in the staff report for the deliberation on August 5. The public hearing was held and will come back to the Planning Commission August 5, 2013. Briefing: New Urbanist Conference and Form Based Codes Community Planning & Development Director Keith Stahley briefed the Commission on a Congress for New Urbanism (CNU) conference he attended earlier in the spring. CNU is the leading organization promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions. City of Olympia Page 2 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes July 15, 2013 Mr. Stahley passed out a book on Smart Growth and the one-page Charter for New Urbanism to each Commissioner. He also passed out a definition of form based codes. Salt Lake City has many examples of Smart Growth best practices (i.e., light rail, bike rentals, way finding). The conference program included many highlights, such as presentations on complete streets, form based codes, demographic trends, and many well-known speakers. One presentation was about "Tactical Urbanism," a concept where citizens take action into their own hands, instead of waiting for the city to do something. The City of Ventura adopted form based codes for their downtown. To provide an example, Mr. Stahley walked the Commission through their form based code document. Every community is different, so part of the process of developing form based codes is "calibrating" the regulations to the needs and characteristics of the community during a public charrette process. Mr. Stahley recommended that Commissioners send him a photo of their favorite neighborhood center. He will use these in a brief presentation for the Commission on August 19 about what makes a great neighborhood center. Developing form based codes is a big undertaking. Should the City move forward with the idea, it may be more feasible if applied only to certain areas, rather than citywide. Where it could best be used would need to be scoped. Commissioners commented that form based codes may offer a clearer vision for our downtown. Also, because the site planning is done upfront, form based codes may offer better predictability for developers. Mr. Stahley noted they often allow developers to come in and apply for a building permit, rather than having to go through the land use process first. There was concern about whether this approach is too limiting for architects, property owners or developers. On the other hand, it would be nice to have predictability about what your neighbor could potentially build next to you. There is flexibility for communities to determine how flexible or predictable they want to be with their form based codes. Another benefit is the unification of neighborhood form. No analysis was provided at the CNU conference about cost of living or property values going up or down due to form based codes. 13-0567 Final Deliberation on Proposed Landscaping and Screening Code Amendment Related to Screening of Solid Waste Receptacles (Containers) Public Works Waste ReSources Senior Program Specialist Ron Jones provided an overview of the proposed code amendment before the Commission for deliberation. The proposal is changing the requirement for waste receptacle screening from Type I (100 percent site obscuring) to Type II (partially screened). City of Olympia Page 3 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes July 15, 2013 Commission Discussion and Questions: - Containers located near the sidewalk may have an odor. This type of condition would best be addressed with staff communicating with the site occupant . - When in the downtown core, the City still uses the old style of collection because the big trucks can't reach everywhere in the core. - It is still possible for staff to collaborate with developers during site plan review to determine the best place for the dumpster. - Could we have stricter requirements for heavily trafficked areas , such as the core of downtown? Maybe a set-back from the sidewalk would help. - Triggers for requiring retrofit of dumpsters include change of use /land use permits, building permits, or requests from property owners to change the location of their dumpster. - The code language is confusing in that it is not clear that screening may be fences or other structures, rather than plants. - Some Commissioners prefer the use of plants for landscaping. The Commission asked Mr. Jones to return at a future meeting with language that clarifies the dumpsters can be screened with hard materials, rather than plants. Commissioners will submit proposed language. The recommendation was postponed until such time as language is clarified. 13-0562 Tour of Neighborhood Centers (2013 OPC Retreat Agenda) Commissioners wanted to sit outside to eat lunch, so the Fire Station is an option if that can be provided. The report was approved. 7. REPORTS Commissioner Horn briefed the Commission about the CFP Subcommittee, and how long each chapter is and who is responsible for reviewing each chapter. Responsibilities: General Facilities (Vice Chair Bardin) - 4 pages Transportation with Impact Fees (Vice Chair Bardin) - 10 pages Transportation without Impact Fees (Commissioner Horn) - 35 pages Parks (Chair Parker) - 7 pages Utility chapters (Commissioners Brown and Andresen) - 29 pages All should read the overview. Chair Parker briefed the Commission about the July 12 Leadership Team meeting. Community Renewal Area (CRA) Ad Hoc Committee members Mayor Buxbaum, Mayor Pro-Tem Jones and Councilmember Langer, were present. OPC asked staff to brief the Commission about the "unintended consequences" of the urban neighborhood addendum within the next couple months. City of Olympia Page 4 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes July 15, 2013 Vice Chair Bardin attended a recent Heritage Commission meeting, and the subject was alleys. Some people want to name the alley near the Washington Center for Performing Arts. Commissioner Hoppe briefed the Commission about the recent Design Review Board (DRB) meeting. Two projects were discussed: 1) A proposed retail and bakery on 4th Ave (former sub-way site); 2) Fern Apartments, discussion of providing residents with a connection to Decatur Park and emergency vehicle access. Commissioner Hoppe expressed concern about disconnects between what is being said at the DRB meetings, plan descriptions, and what is actually built. They are not always the same and City officials offer variances. Information about the CRA Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC), is on the web. Commissioner Horn went to Olympia Downtown Association (ODA) Economic Development Subcommittee meeting. He was asked to brief the ODA about the OPC recommendation on the Downtown Master Plan on the second Thursday of each month at 8:15 a.m.. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. City of Olympia Page 5