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2022-01-26 Planning Board MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS PLANNING BOARD Minutes of Webinar Meeting January 26, 2022 Chair Crank called the virtual meeting of the Edmonds Planning Board to order at 7:00 p.m. LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, the Sdohobsh (Snohomish) people and their successors the Tulalip Tribes, who since time immemorial have hunted, fished, gathered, and taken care of these lands. We respect their sovereignty, their right to self-determination, and we honor their sacred spiritual connection with the land and water. Board Members Present Staff Present Alicia Crank, Chair Susan McLaughlin, Development Services Director Roger Pence, Vice Chair Angie Feser, Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Director Judi Gladstone Shannon Burley, Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Dep. Director Richard Kuehn Eric Engmann, Senior Planner Lily Distelhorst (student rep) Steve Duh, Conservation Technix (Consultant for Parks) Board Members Absent Matt Cheung (excused) Todd Cloutier (excused) Mike Rosen (excused) READING/ ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA Chair Crank read the agenda and proposed moving the Chair's Comments to after the Board Member Comments. Vice Chair Pence noted the minutes were not listed on the agenda, presumably because they were not ready in time. He suggested that there be a note on the agenda when that happens. It was noted the Board had previously requested the item be removed from the agenda if the minutes are not available. THERE WAS UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS AMENDED. AUDIENCE COMMENTS Natalie Seitz stated she has two open records requests which she hoped would shed light on the draft PROS (Parks, Recreation, & Open Space) Plan. At least one of which has exceeded the 5-business-day RCW requirement for a response. She will be unable to provide feedback on several items tonight because she does Planning Board Meeting Minutes January 26, 2022 Pagel of 4 not have that information. She will not be able to comment on why the acreage for Mathay-Ballinger Park more than tripled in size from the 2016 to this Draft PROS Plan. She will also be unable to provide feedback on the $26,500 for canopy shade trees identified for Pine Street Park. She stated that the effect of the City's existing tree ordinance would be for money to be harvested from the removal of privately maintained trees in areas outside of downtown to pay for publicly maintained trees in the downtown area. Pine Street Park is in the downtown area and will likely get publicly maintained trees. She is still waiting for the list of properties that have paid into the tree fund in order to demonstrate this. She agrees that publicly maintained trees should be a city priority to address climate change; however, she is concerned about the Washington environmental health disparities and stormwater quality in south Edmonds and SR 99 areas and the fact that those resources are likely being taken from these areas to be provided elsewhere. She would also be unable to provide feedback to the Planning Board on how the $3.89 million of proposed investments in the SR 99 area compares to the Park impact fees that were paid by GRE Apartments, 192 residential units, or fees that may be paid by the pending developments in the SR 99 corridor that have residential densities that exceed zoning. How much of the $3.89 million is actually investment above growth? She believes these are relevant concerns that could inform the PROS process, and she is sorry the City did not respond in time for her to provide feedback on these items during the public hearing. She thanked the Board for their time and consideration of these topics. Jim Trask commented that it seems the Edmonds Underwater Park is referred to as the park that nobody sees. He thinks this image should be improved. He also noted he did not see the Special Use Parks, especially the Edmonds Underwater Park, on any of the 11x17 pages in the packet. Herb Alban commented that the Edmonds Underwater Park is an under -appreciated resource. Anybody is welcome to take a tour. He highlighted that the park is listed on the Pacific Coast in the same category as Channel Islands and Monterrey. He stressed that the incredible biodiversity of the park which has been enhanced by volunteers over the past 30 years or so has attracted a lot of other users, including divers, swimmers, walkers, and birdwatchers. Annie Crawley echoed the comments regarding the Underwater Park. She offered her services to help the City understand what a destination park the Edmonds Underwater Park is, as well as the Bruce Higgins Trail which connects the Underwater Park to Brackett's Landing North and to the waterfront all the way to the dog park. This area is used by visitors from all over the region, the nation, and the world. She also believes the Underwater Park is under -represented in the PROS Plan. She spoke on behalf of Terry Keffler, the owner of Edmonds Underwater Sports, and other dive centers in the region. She stated that the positive economic impact of this one area of the city parks does not seem to have been considered. Logan Warren expressed his appreciation for the Underwater Park for picnicking, paddleboarding, and scuba diving. He commented on how it is a major draw for out-of-town people who also spend money at local businesses when they are in town. He also noted how he has frequently witnessed locals picking up litter from the beach to maintain it. He spoke to the importance of maintaining and supporting this area for enviromnental reasons, as well as people's mental health. He encouraged the preservation and funding of the Underwater Park. Monica, a resident of Utah, stated she comes to Washington to scuba dive. She has travelled to Edmonds every year for the past five years because of the Underwater Park. She spoke to the incredible biodiversity of the park and the world class diving available there. Planning Board Meeting Minutes January 26, 2022 Page 2 of 4 Curtis Johnson, Bellevue, is also a diver and agrees with previous comments. He added he is a surveyor for some non-profit organizations which seek to track abundance of various marine organisms and marine life. He noted that they depend on regular citizen divers taking marine surveys. There are only a few places in Washington State where regular citizens enjoy going and doing the dives to get the survey information. He spoke to the importance of protecting the critically important preserves of the Underwater Park, appreciating the active diving community, and encouraging access to the water. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS A. Development Services Director Introduction and Discussion with Planning Board Development Services Director Susan McLaughlin introduced herself and discussed some of the key priorities she sees for Development Services. These include filling the Planning Manager vacancy; setting up an equitable engagement framework; Highway 99 corridor; the Comprehensive Plan update — especially housing solutions; climate action; and a creating a new vision for public space (a shared initiative with Public Works to look at street space by taking a holistic approach to right-of-way allocation). Comments and Questions: Chair Crank reported that she and Vice Chair Pence had a brief meeting with Ms. McLaughlin, Parks Director Feser, and other members of the Development staff to get to know each other and get a better understanding of what everyone's roles are. She found this meeting very informative and has requested that it be duplicated at the upcoming Planning Board retreat with the entire Planning Board so they all have the information. Board Member Kuehn welcomed Ms. McLaughlin. Board Member Gladstone welcomed Ms. McLaughlin. She asked where she sees the value of the Planning Board. Ms. McLaughlin explained that the alignment of the Comprehensive Plan with growth targets to 2044 will be a primary focus. She sees the Planning Board as being the firsthand resource as they work through thinking and channeling ideas to the City Council. She expects the Planning Board will also provide input and support for ways to move the equitable engagement framework forward. Chair Crank asked Ms. Feser about her value of the Planning Board. Ms. Feser commented that she would like to be more involved with the Planning Board. She intends to be in front of the Planning Board more frequently with a smaller scope of work in the future. In other roles she has had, she has used groups like the Parks Board to provide input related to policy development, park development, and programming. She wants to develop a stronger relationship with the Board and utilize that as much as possible. She is looking forward to outlining this more at the retreat in March. Vice Chair Pence expressed appreciation for both directors being at the meeting. He commented that historically the Planning Board's purpose was limited to ruling on Comprehensive Plan changes, code changes, and zoning map changes. He thinks that the scope should be broader. He then referred to Ms. McLaughlin's desire to map communities. He recommended that the census data be put on maps to get a better sense of what the geographic distribution is of people, ethnicity, income level, housing situation, etc. Ms. McLaughlin agreed with Vice Chair Pence's comments. Planning Board Meeting Minutes January 26, 2022 Page 3 of 4 Student Representative Distelhorst commented on the lack of multifamily housing in Edmonds and asked how the City can move towards more multifamily housing. Ms. McLaughlin commented that the combination of high land value and low height restrictions does not lend itself to yielding good multifamily outcomes, except in some select areas in the city which are zoned for higher height limits such as Westgate and the Highway 99 corridor. Those places are appropriate for higher density and multifamily; however, what is really needed, if they want to focus multifamily in those areas, is to also make those areas livable, connected, green, and safe for all mobility options. The Comprehensive Plan will be the place to really get into this topic through the lens of equity. Board Member Gladstone began to comment on the relationship between the Planning Board and some of the Parks work. ** Recording stopped at 42:31 due to technical issues with Zoom recording** Planning Board Meeting Minutes January 26, 2022 Page 4 of 4