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, April 14, 2014 6:30 PM Council Chambers Joint Meeting with Coalition of Neighborhood Associations 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Brown called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Present: 7 - Commissioner Roger Horn, Chair Max Brown, Vice Chair Kim Andresen, Commissioner Judy Bardin, Commissioner Darrell Hoppe, Commissioner Jerome Parker, and Commissioner Carole Richmond Excused: 2 - Commissioner Jessica Bateman, and Commissioner Missy Watts 3. OTHERS PRESENT Coalition of Neighborhood Associations Chair Bob Jones (Goldcrest), Vice Chair Phil Schulte (Hidden Creek), Councilmembers Julie Hankins (Indian Creek), Jeannine Roe and Cheryl Selby, Mayor Pro-Tem Nathaniel Jones, Community Planning and Development Deputy Director Leonard Bauer, Associate Planners Amy Buckler and Michelle Sadlier, Public Works Director Andy Haub, Project Engineer Eric Christensen, Senior Planner Laura Keehan, South Capitol Neighborhood Association Melanie Reynolds, Carlyon/North Neighborhood Association Carl See, Wildwood Neighborhood Association Janae Huber, Eastside Neighborhood Association Nathan Allan and Whitney Bowerman, Bigelow Highlands Neighborhood Association Melissa Allen, Upper Eastside Neighborhood Association Ethan Sattelberg, Northeast Neighborhood Association Peter Guttchen, Cooper Crest Homeowners Association Neighborhood Association Sal Munoz. 7. REPORTS Councilmember Hankins gave an update from City Council on the Comprehensive Plan. Councilmember Selby, the Council liaison for the Utilities Advisory Committee (UAC), spoke about what she's learning in that role. Mayor Pro-Tem Jones addressed the importance of the relationship between the Planning Commission (PC), the Neighborhoods Associations, and Council. Mr. Bauer stressed the accessibility and availability of staff for questions and concerns, and urged the public to contact staff to share their perspective and to query clarifying or accurate information. Ms. Keehan gave a presentation on the Storm and Surface Water Plan. She outlined City of Olympia Page 1 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes April 14, 2014 programs, reported on strategies employed by Utilities, and discussed low impact development. Discussion: - Low income development - Water pond maintenance - Combined flow pipes percentage - Incentives for rain gardens - Storm water end of pipe treatment - Problems with the early retention ponds - Resources for guidance for neighborhoods to address storm water problems - Programs similar to Go Green - Citizen scientist programs - Goldcrest Neighborhood tree planting program - Impervious paving - Significant changes to codes due to ecology mandates - Native vegetation retention - Rebuilding existing storm water ponds 5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA 14-0348 Agenda Developed by the Coalition of Neighborhood Associations The agenda was approved. 6. BUSINESS ITEMS 14-0349 Briefing and Discussion about Olympia’s Neighborhood Centers Ms. Buckler gave a briefing on Neighborhood Centers. She referred to an article "Creating Walkable Neighborhood Business Districts" included in the meeting packet. She described the public process during the Imagine Olympia project, and the regional planning effort, Sustainable Thurston, both of which support small-scale, vibrant, mixed-use destinations within walking distance of neighborhoods. She discussed Comprehensive Plan (CP) regulations, policies, and why neighborhood centers have not been achieved as envisioned in the (CP). Chair Brown stressed the importance of neighborhood feedback about what is desirable in each neighborhood to enable the Planning Commission (PC) to come to informed decisions on codes to make those desires a possibility. Discussion: - Eastside neighborhood density limits. - Clarifying the characteristics of language for different zoning definitions to reduce uncertainty. - Ralph's as an example of an area built around arterials, which functions like a node. - Neighborhood center as embedded into neighborhoods, rather than along urban City of Olympia Page 2 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes April 14, 2014 corridors. - Impact of lower rents for existing commercial properties with appropriate zoning supporting the "organic" development of the Wildwood center. - Role of the PC in supporting neighborhoods to succeed. - Challenges of doing neighborhood outreach. - Clarity around engagement process with the City and development of an action plan. - Realistic goals considering the disengagement of neighborhoods to the CP. - Co-op Market and Sage Cafe area as a Westside neighborhood example . - Concern about corridor width and need for a clearer definitions of terms. The report was received. 7. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m. City of Olympia Page 3