2022-11-09 Planning Board MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS PLANNING BOARD
Minutes of Meeting
November 9, 2022
Chair Pence called the meeting of the Edmonds Planning Board to order at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers. He
noted it was the first time they have met in person in 32 months.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
Board Member Kuehn read the Land Acknowledgement.
Board Members Present Staff Present
Roger Pence, Chair Mike Clugston, Senior Planner
Richard Kuehn Angie Feser, Parks, Recreation, & Human Services Director
Mike Rosen
Beth Tragus-Campbell
Lily Distelhorst (student rep)'
Board Members Absent
Judi Gladstone, Vice Chair (excused)
Todd Cloutier (excused)
Mr. Clugston reported that Matt Cheung had resigned and that Board Members Gladstone, Cloutier, and
Distelhorst had indicated they would not be attending.
READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MOTION MADE BY BOARD MEMBER ROSEN, SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER
CAMPBELL, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 26 MEETING AS PRESENTED.
MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY WITH BOARD MEMBER KUEHN ABSTAINING.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA
THERE WAS UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED.
AUDIENCE COMMENTS
Dan O'Brien stated he lives directly east of Civic Park on 7'h Avenue. He thanked the City for the park; he
thinks it will be great when it is done. He emphasized that the park is very unique with the noise of the pickleball
and the skate park. He expressed concern about the noise, especially after hours. He brought up concerns about
1 Student Representative Distelhorst arrived at approximately 7:17 p.m
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the dawn -to -dusk hours and about allowing wheeled sports. He thinks the lighting will be subtle enough so he
doesn't have concerns about that. He is fine with it being on during open hours. He hopes they can continue the
conversation after the park has been open for a while.
Jim Ogonowski, Edmonds resident, spoke regarding the visioning statement. He thanked Director McLaughlin
for the input she did with the community to gain input. He attended many of the chat sessions for each of the
elements. There were a lot of good comments and modest participation from the community at each of those
events. He applauded her for going out to various areas of the community. He expressed disappointment in the
draft vision statement and stated he thinks it should be much more forward -looking than it is. He thinks the draft
is looking more at the present and the past, as opposed to looking at the future. It is more of a values statement
than a vision statement. He referred to what he thinks are well -written examples of vision statements such as
Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech and President Kennedy's vision to the nation for achieving
the goal before the decade was out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth. Each of
these lay out clear ideas, goals, timelines, and reasons for their achievement which are the foundational elements
of a good vision statement. A vision statement should be inspirational, forward -looking, and reflect our core
values. He referred to the Land Acknowledgement read at the beginning of the meeting for other inspirational
ideas to include in the vision statement. He urged the City to take another look at the draft vision statement.
Tara Ashton, resident, stated she lives near the old tennis courts at the park. She also expressed concern about
the noise from the pickleball courts. They have always been able to hear the sound from the tennis courts, and
she is sure they will be able to hear the noise from the pickleball courts. She did a search for pickleball noise
issues online and found many results of problems people are having with the noise. The noise has driven people
to putting up fences as sound barriers and requirements for players to use sound -reducing paddles and balls.
Other areas have reduced the hours that people can play from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. She noted that the neighbors
near Civic Park have already had problems with the dawn -to -dusk park usage hours. They also know that
pickleball noise complaints are a big issue in the United States. She would like to see signage to give people
guidance about the hours and make them aware of the noise concerns and ways to dampen the sounds.
Barry Ehrlich, 628 Daley, stated that his residence of 20 years overlooks the park. He also is concerned about
the evening hours, especially in the summertime. There are a few people who abuse the hours, and the neighbors
have to listen to the wheels on the concrete and the loud, offensive language at night. He supports having limited,
specified hours, not dawn -to -dusk. He hopes they will read Pat Woodall's letters to the Parks Department and
to Chair Pence and seriously consider putting in specific hours for the Civic Center Playfield.
NEW BUSINESS
C. Civic Center Playfield / Civic Center Playfield Rules Request
Parks, Recreation, & Human Services Director Angie Feser discussed the rules request that had been submitted.
She stated she was bringing it forward to the Planning Board in the form of a recommendation for City Council.
She noted that Civic Park is a very important park for the community, and there are some challenges with its
use. She reviewed the Master Plan and PROS Plan goals and Edmonds City Code sections regarding park hours.
She discussed the project background, construction timeline, and project design.
The rules request by park neighbors is as follows:
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1. Change the "Dawn to Dusk" hours to fixed hours of operation including the general park hours being 6
a.m. to 9 p.m. and restricted hours of use for the skate park, tennis/pickleball court, basketball, soccer
(multipurpose lighted athletic fields) and exercise stations to 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
2. Prohibit wheeled sports on the walkways and promenade.
3. Limit hours of lighting of the east -west promenade to posted hours of use.
Director Feser discussed her recommendations in response to the rules request:
1. Park Hours:
• Park Hours — Dawn to Dusk (Sunrise to Sunset)
• Skate Park — 9 a.m. to Dusk (previous rules)
• Tennis/pickleball court, basketball — Dawn to Dusk
• Multipurpose athletic fields — lighted to 10:15 p.m.
• Exercise stations — Dawn to Dusk
2. Wheeled Sports: Director Feser recommended not prohibiting the use of wheeled sports within the park
other than the possible restriction of some types of wheels activity which could damage the rubberized
track. The wide sidewalks and paved paths provide for multiple uses including bicycles, tricycles, strider
bikes, scooters, rollerblades, and the like. Currently, there are no prohibitions of wheeled sports in any
City of Edmonds parks nor any city code that allows prohibition of this use.
3. Promenade Lighting Hours: Director Feser recommended allowing for pedestrian lighting after dusk.
City practice is to have pedestrian lighting through dark hours for safety and expanded opportunity of
use by park users especially in the fall and winter months (Hickman Park). Edmonds Police Department
supports the lighting. This enables pedestrian movement through the park rather than alleyways. There
will be limited lighting within the park, with most of it being the east -west promenade, one side of the
concrete path, and a 30' lighting radius.
Director Feser recommended allowing a year of usage before making any significant changes. She reviewed
enforcement challenges. She requested consideration of a recommendation to Council by the Planning Board.
Board Member Kuehn agreed that a lot of thoughtfulness has been put into the park, and it is hard to make a
recommendation to change when they don't really know how it will work out. As of right now he is comfortable
with her recommendations.
Board Member Rosen asked about exceptions beyond the dawn -to -dusk limits. Director Feser explained that
4t' of July is an example of one of those times. Exceptions are developed with conditions surrounding special
events agreements. Board Member Rosen noted that the pickleball demand is very high. He is wondering if
there might be some public -private partnership opportunities that could relieve some of the burden from the
Parks Department while meeting the need. He also asked if they have explored any of the noise -mitigating
technology associated with the sport. Director Feser acknowledged there are ways to go about requiring
equipment that can help with the noise — both the paddle and the ball. There are also sound -reducing baffling
walls that can be put up in the courts to help absorb the sound. This is staff s least favorite method because of
the lack of visibility in and out of the courts as well as the expense and maintenance required. Staff is more
supportive of using the noise -mitigating equipment and controlling the hours around using the court. She stated
she would support looking at reduced hours for the pickleball on the tennis court because of the noise.
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Board Member Campbell echoed comments thanking the audience members for their comments and letters.
She thanked Director Feser for putting together information, especially regarding the lighting. In general, she is
supportive with moving forward with this. She agrees with the audience comment that says we need to re-
evaluate this. She is also supportive of coming back to this in a year after they have had some time to see how
it works out.
Board Member Campbell provided more detailed feedback on staff s recommendations:
• She asked about putting up something on the west side of the skate park which might absorb sound
rather than reflect it. Director Feser noted this is a possibility they could explore. There is an existing
Boys and Girls Club and possibly a new Boys and Girls Club in the future. This could be something
they consider as they look at plans for the new building. Board Member Campbell encouraged this.
• She asked about the circumstances surrounding having playfields lit until 10:15. Director Feser
explained the lights are turned on in conjunction with scheduled activities. This could be city
programs or other users. The irrigation and lighting are all handled remotely. If there is something
scheduled, the playfield lights will go off at 10:15. If there is nothing scheduled, the lights never go
on. Board Member Campbell asked about historical complaints about the lighting use at the
playfields in the past. Director Feser explained she didn't have any history with that because she
started with the City in April of 2020. The use of Civic Park was prior to that. Also, prior to
construction of the Civic Park programming was diminished significantly because of COVID. She
noted she could check with staff about complaints they had received. She commented that
discussions with night police staff revealed that there had not been many serious issues with the
fields. There have been some calls about skaters after dark, but the police are right across the street.
She added that the field lighting is much improved to the old lighting. The new lights are very
precise on the field without a lot of spillover.
• She is in support of the dawn -to -dusk park hours because of the clarity of this; however, she agrees
with the concerns about the pickleball courts. She agreed with the recommendation about trying to
do some signage and education about respectful use of the areas. She did not recommend changing
the ending time until they have more information about how the space if being used. She thought
the previous skate park rules of 9 am to dusk seemed acceptable. She doesn't feel like early morning
use of the exercise stations is going to cause any sort of noise issues. She did not feel like the
playfield lighting would be a problem as long as the lights are oriented as described with the new
lighting.
• She agreed with the City's recommendation to not limit wheeled sports on the promenade but
stressed that people need to know and use the rules of the road.
• Regarding promenade lighting, she thanked the City for the light orientation consideration. She
agreed with the Police Department that the lighting should be on during dark hours for safety
reasons. She requested that they do not put in any overhead lighting at the skate park as this would
encourage nighttime use.
Student Representative Distelhorst agreed with staff recommendations. She was in support of allowing wheeled
sports inside the park because this the park is a great resource for everyone in the city to use. She thinks the
10:15 playfield light turnoff time makes sense for athletes. She agreed that lighting on the walkway at night is
very important for safety.
Chair Pence asked about the recommendation for dawn -to -dusk park hours except for areas that are lighted. He
asked how this would get communicated and noted it could be confusing for users. Director Feser suggested
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signage that would explain that the park is closed at dusk, but the promenade is still available to walk through
the park. Chair Pence noted there is a fabric material that has great sound absorbing qualities and is frequently
applied to fences along highways. This may be something to explore for the pickleball area even though it would
block some views. He agreed with the recommendation to have a minimum set of clear rules to start with and
give it a year to see how they are working before making changes.
Board Member Rosen also thought that waiting a year was good unless something important comes up sooner.
He was a little troubled by the lack of ordinance on wheeled sports. He suggested isolating that issue and getting
a recommendation from staff at some point in the future.
Board Member Campbell agreed that the promenade through the park needs to have careful signage to avoid
confusion. She supported using Authority of the Resource type signage.
Director Feser thanked the Planning Board and the members of the public for their input. She indicated staff
would make some changes and bring this back.
A. Debrief. November 1 st Joint Meeting with City Council
Chair Pence reviewed the topics of the joint meeting held with the City Council on November 1. At the meeting
he had reviewed the rules that guide the Planning Board and the main substantive issues that they are addressing
(Comprehensive Plan Update and the Development Code revision). He stated that Mike Clugston will be the
lead person for the Development code rewrite. He commented that there was a lot of emphasis by council
members at the meeting about issues on Highway 99 such as the infrastructure improvements and a planning
study the City has undertaken. This was emphasized as an area of priority by the Council.
Board Member Rosen agreed and stated that the Board has been given direction by the Council's priorities as
stated at the meeting.
Board Member Campbell noted that there was mention of a certain Planning Board's member's attendance at
other meetings in the city. She would like help in knowing what events are coming up so she and others have
an opportunity to participate in that way.
Student Representative Distelhorst commented that when people talk about housing and development in
Edmonds, they also talk about keeping the "charm" of Edmonds. She thinks they are referring to single-family
residential housing, but she stressed that they can keep a charming city while focusing on other things like bike
lanes, transit, and multifamily housing.
Board Member Kuehn agreed it would be nice to have a simple reminder about events that board members
might want to attend.
Chair Pence commented that the Planning Board made a formal request to Council, sponsored by
Councilmember Teitzel, for a budget amendment to support hybrid meetings by the Planning Board as is done
by the Council. He indicated he would investigate providing some sort of calendar of events for the Board.
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Board Member Campbell said she went to the City of Edmonds website to search for a calendar of events. She
got one, but it appears to be blank. Chair Pence acknowledged that this is an issue, and he will add this to his
topics to address with staff.
B. Review Draft: Comprehensive Plan Vision Statement
Chair Pence noted that at least three board members were present for the unveiling of the vision statement at
Porchfest over the weekend. He solicited feedback on the vision statement by Board.
The City of Edmonds Vision Statement. Edmonds is a welcoming city offering outstanding quality of
life for all. We value environmental stewardship, vibrant and diverse neighborhoods, safe and healthy
streets, and a thriving arts scene. We are engaged residents who take pride in shaping our resilient
future.
Chair Pence commented that this seems more like a values statement than a statement pointing the planning
process one way or another. He feels like it is too broad to be useful in planning.
Board Member Campbell agreed with Chair Pence. It is a values statement and reflects values the City has, but
there is no action. It needs to be distilled into additional direction in order to help guide.
Board Member Kuehn agreed that this is a statement of values. This is not necessarily bad, but he is not sure if
it does what it is intended to do.
Board Member Rosen said he is a big fan of vision statements. He applauds the City for heading in that direction.
He wondered about the process for evaluating whether this truly encapsulates what they heard from the
community outreach. He also wondered how this will be used. If it is used appropriately, it should be the filter
through which all other things must pass. He agrees that it is more of a values statement. Vision statements
should be inspirational and aspirational and invoke emotion. This does not do that. He thinks the City needs to
make sure that everybody understands what a vision statement is in the same way. Having a common language
would help. In his opinion a vision statement states the desired destination — where they are going. It would also
be helpful for the community to be aware of the schedule for developing this. He noted that a high priority in
the community outreach was housing, and this does not mention that. Should it? He also expressed concern that
this does not even nod at the business community.
Student Representative Distelhorst agreed that it doesn't address multifamily residences or businesses, but she
felt it was inspiring and evoked positive images of how they want the City to be. She thinks it is a great vision
statement.
Chair Pence asked about next steps. Mr. Clugston was not sure. Board Member Rosen suggested asking the
Council how they would like the Planning Board to be involved. Chair Pence concurred and indicated he would
bring it up.
D. Discuss Attendance Policies for Planning Board
Chair Pence brought up concerns about low attendance in the past few months. He noted that the alternate
position has been advertised. There is now another member vacancy upon the resignation of Matt Cheung. Chair
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Pence brought up concerns about the way this had played out and stated that Mr. Cheung was offended by the
process. Mr. Clugston explained that there had been a misunderstanding, and it was an unfortunate situation,
but there was no intent to offend Mr. Cheung.
Board Member Rosen reviewed the existing attendance rules. He wondered if they have been overly gracious
in the way they have/have not been enforced. Chair Pence agreed.
Board Member Campbell recommended going through the rules with new board members to make sure
everyone understands. She also cautioned against being overly strict because of the challenges they are having
finding people to fill the positions. Chair Pence concurred. He stated he prefers to handle this in a casual,
personal way.
Chair Pence asked staff about the status of a Planning Board member manual that Kemen Lien had discussed.
Mr. Clugston said he didn't know but indicated he would look into it. He noted that Director McLaughlin
wanted to have one of these for each board. He will try to bring something to the Board next month.
PLANNING BOARD EXTENDED AGENDA
Mr. Clugston reviewed the extended agenda. There were comments and questions about the schedule.
PLANNING BOARD CHAIR COMMENTS
None
PLANNING BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
Board Member Kuehn said he would be sending an email to City Council to request a speedy adoption of the
budget amendment to allow for hybrid meetings. He encouraged other board members to do the same.
Board Member Rosen thanked Matt Cheung for his service and stated he was sorry to see him go. He was
disappointed about the way this was handled and noted it didn't seem to be unique to this board. He encouraged
better protocols by staff. He recommended that in the recruitment process they follow up with people who have
applied for other boards and commissions to see if they are interested. He also recommended very specific
training about roles and responsibilities with board members. It would also be nice to thank and recognize
people when they leave.
Student Representative Distelhorst said she really enjoyed the announcement of the vision statement at
Porchfest. It was a great opportunity to see a lot of people in the city who were interested in the Comprehensive
Plan and to talk to fellow Planning Board members, the Council, the Mayor, and staff. She hopes to see more
events like this where they can interact with people with other positions in the City.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was adjourned at 9:07 p.m.
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