2023-01-25 Planning Board MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS PLANNING BOARD
Minutes of Meeting
January 25, 2023
CALL TO ORDER
Acting Chair Gladstone called the meeting of the Edmonds Planning Board to order at 7:02 p.m. There was
consensus to move introductions up in the agenda. Introductions were made of staff and board members.
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
Judi Gladstone, Acting Chair'
Lauren Golembiewski
Jeremy Mitchell
Susanna Martini
Beth Tragus-Campbe112
Nick Maxwell (alternate)
Lily Distelhorst (student rep)
Board Members Absent
Todd Cloutier
Richard Kuehn
Staff Present
Mike Clugston, Senior Planner
David Levitan, Planning Manager
READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES
None
ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA
THERE WAS UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS AMENDED.
1 Judi Gladstone was elected Chair towards the end of the meeting. Up to that point she is referred to as Acting Chair.
2 Beth Tragus-Campbell was elected Vice Chair towards the end of the meeting. Up to that point she is referred to as Board Member
Campbell.
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AUDIENCE COMMENTS
Roger Pence, past chair of the Planning Board, welcomed and encouraged new board members. He stated he
still cares passionately about the Board and that he is open to meeting with any board members who are
interested.
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS
A. Parks, Recreation & Human Services Q4 Accomplishments
The report by Director Feser was included in the packet. Comments and questions were invited.
Board Member Campbell commented that she was glad to see that they started an asset inventory. This is
important for efficiency in maintaining equipment.
Acting Chair Gladstone was also glad to see the asset inventory. She asked if there will be an asset planning
process once the inventory is done. Planning Manager Levitan indicated they would ask Director Feser. Acting
Chair Gladstone also wondered if moving the cultural programs out of the Parks department has balanced their
load.
Board Member Campbell noted that the reinstallation of the viewing scopes at Brackett's Landing North at the
marsh had been mentioned. Are there any systems being used to monitor or prevent additional vandalization?
The Board expressed appreciation to Director Feser for the good report.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Public Hearing on Proposed Amendment for Minor Code Changes in ECDC 20.80 (AMD2022- 0005)
The public hearing was opened at 7:19 p.m. Senior Planner Clugston gave an overview of this topic regarding
creating a new streamlined process for making minor development code amendments. The proposed process
would involve staff creating a list of minor code amendments on a semi-annual basis to be presented to Council
on their consent agenda. He highlighted the draft code in the packet.
Board Member Maxwell asked about the Planning Board's involvement in the minor code amendment process.
Mr. Clugston explained the minor code amendments would go right to Council. Major code amendments would
come to the Planning Board as part of the process. Board Member Maxwell asked what they would do if
something got amended that was later determined to be major. Mr. Clugston stated that was not the intent, but
if they realized after the fact that something had been changed inadvertently, they could go back and change it
if needed. Board Member Maxwell asked if staff could send this to the Board at the same time it is sent to
Council so they could make comments if needed. Mr. Clugston thought that might be a possibility. Planning
Manager Levitan explained that the intent of this is to avoid the need for a Planning Board official meeting or
public hearing on minor code amendments. He emphasized that anything tied to actual development code and
zoning code would still go through the Planning Board. Acting Chair Gladstone urged caution in how comments
are made at Council meetings. She noted that if the Planning Board does not deliberate on something then
comments made to Council could only be on behalf of the individual making the comments, not the Board.
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Planning Manager Levitan noted that the Board could be included on the distribution list of those items. Board
Member Campbell asked that the Board be included in the distribution list for anything related to planning.
Public Comment:
Roger Pence suggested not taking the Planning Board out of the loop entirely. He agreed that the Planning
Board should have a chance to look at the list of proposed changes to make sure there are not red flags hidden
in there.
The public hearing was closed at 7:39 p.m.
Discussion:
Board Member Campbell referred to section 20.80.015, the phrasing for the minor development code map
amendments, section A, and suggested changing the language from "little to no policy study" to "no policy
study" because little is a subjective term. Acting Chair Gladstone concurred because it eliminates any ambiguity
about what the intent is.
Board Member Mitchell asked if there any projects that are being held up because of this. Mr. Clugston replied
that there is nothing pending that would be impacted by this.
Board Member Campbell generally spoke in support of the proposed amendments from a workload standpoint
as long as the lists of proposed minor code amendments are provided to the Board when they are provided to
the City Council.
Board Member Golembiewski referred to 20.180.015(c) regarding the review process and asked if they want to
define "periodically" in the code. She thought it made more sense to have the list come to the Planning Board
as a review item (not a public hearing) before going to the City Council. There was discussion about options.
Acting Chair Gladstone stated she is very comfortable with this not coming to the Planning Board and having
some trust in the planning staff to do their job right and the Council to notice when something is not minor.
Board Member Martini spoke in support of this for the sake of streamlining the process and freeing staff and
the Board up to do bigger and better things.
Board Member Golembiewski said she was having a hard time with the idea that the Planning Board would be
given notice but not have a chance to discuss the list before it goes to the Council. She wasn't comfortable with
the only action available to them being to speak at the Council meeting rather than as a unified group if the code
says the Planning Board is notified of the proposed amendments.
MOTION MADE BY BOARD MEMBER CAMPBELL, SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER
GOLEMBIEWSKI, THAT THE PLANNING BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT THE CITY
COUNCIL ADOPT AN AMENDED PROPOSED CODE AMENDMENT TO CHAPTER 20.80 ECDC
TO CREATE A MINOR DEVELOPMENT CODE AMENDMENT PROCESS. THE TEXT
AMENDMENT WOULD BE IN SECTION 20.80.015, MINOR DEVELOPMENT CODE AND MAP
AMENDMENT, TO SAY, "IT IS A STREAMLINED PROCESS USED FOR PROPOSED CHANGES
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WHICH NEED NO POLICY STUDY." THIS PROCESS WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR THE CITY
TO MAKE SMALL CODE CHANGES TO PROMOTE CLARITY, ELIMINATE REDUNDANCY,
STREAMLINE PROCESSES, AND CORRECT INCONSISTENCIES. MOTION PASSED
UNANIMOUSLY.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A. Draft Handbook Discussion and Possible Finalization
Mr. Clugston referred to the draft handbook in the Board's packet and solicited comments.
Board Member Campbell recommended that they add a section under Officer Positions saying that if Chair
position becomes vacant, the Vice Chair automatically becomes Chair. If the Vice Chair position becomes
vacant, the new Vice Chair will be elected at the next regular board meeting. Also, under Officer Positions, she
recommended adding that the Board may establish committees of three members or fewer as needed to conduct
business as defined by the Board at the time of the committee establishment. Acting Chair Gladstone stated this
reflects what they have done in the past which has worked well. She was in support of including this in the
handbook. There was discussion about adding a general reference to state regulations regarding planning
boards/commissions for clarity.
Board Member Maxwell had the following comments/questions:
• He asked about the rules of order they are functioning under. Mr. Clugston replied it is Robert's Rules,
and that can be added in here. Board Member Maxwell also requested they identify which version of
Robert's Rules they are using.
• He referred to packet page 23, section 7.A.a., regarding Outside Communication and asked if the
contacts are Planning Manager Levitan and Senior Planner Clugston. Planning Manager Levitan stated
that historically the Planning Manager has been the main contact and liaison for the Planning Board.
This will be updated. There was a recommendation to have titles instead of names so it doesn't have to
be updated each time there is a staffing change.
• He referred to upcoming training with the city attorney and requested some basic information about
essential things they need to know in the meantime. Planning Manager Levitan referred to the bottom
of page 20 in the packet and noted that OPMA is the main thing they need to be aware of. He discussed
general guidelines to keep in mind.
Acting Chair Gladstone had the following comments/questions:
• She clarified that OPMA does not preclude board members from having conversations outside of
meetings. She thought the language needs to be respectful of the non -rolling meetings but allowing for
productive conversations. Board Member Mitchell concurred.
• She suggested addressing absences in the code in order to deal with high numbers of absences that
previously hampered the business of the Planning Board when they did not have a quorum. Planning
Manager Levitan referred to the 70% threshold. There was some confusion about whether this included
excused absences. Mr. Levitan commented that it would be difficult to create handbook language that
conflicted with the city code, but they could clarify what the city code says about attendance and
absences. Acting Chair Gladstone suggested asking the City Attorney about including a statement along
the lines of, "If a Planning Board member finds they are having a hard time meeting the minimum
meeting requirement, they might want to consider if they are able to make the time commitment that is
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needed for the Planning Board." Mr. Levitan thought that was reasonable. He pointed out that the way
it is codified, the Chair has the final say as far as excusing absences.
• She referred to the Meeting Notes section on packet page 22 and expressed concern about the word
"transcribe" because verbatim transcription is not what they have now and not what she wants them to
have going forward. She recommended language such as "meeting notes" instead of "transcription".
• She also requested some clarity around the document storage section and asked what this applies to. Is
it okay if she takes her personal notes on her laptop? Mr. Levitan indicated they could check with the
city attorney.
• She suggested having protocols for dealing with outside issues so they can feel comfortable being both
a citizen of Edmonds and a Planning Board member. Other board members concurred.
• She suggested adding language to the attendance section that says board members should notify staff as
soon as they know they will not be able to attend a meeting.
Board Member Martini asked about getting the agendas in a Word format for accessibility. Mr. Levitan said
they could look into that.
Acting Chair Gladstone requested that any other comments be sent to Mr. Clugston who can then distribute it
to the rest of the Board. She expressed appreciation to staff for the work on the handbook.
B. New Member Introduction and Orientation — This was done at the beginning of the meeting and
throughout the meeting as questions came up.
NEW BUSINESS
A. Election of Officers
Board Member Campbell nominated Judi Gladstone to transition from Acting Chair to Chair. The motion was
seconded by Board Member Golembiewski. There were no other nominations.
JUDI GLADSTONE WAS UNANIMOUSLY ELECTED CHAIR.
Chair Gladstone nominated Beth Tragus-Campbell as Vice Chair. The motion was seconded by Board Member
Maxwell. There were no other nominations.
BOARD MEMBER CAMPBELL WAS UNANIMOUSLY ELECTED VICE CHAIR.
PLANNING BOARD EXTENDED AGENDA
Mr. Clugston gave an overview of the extended agenda. The Comprehensive Plan update will be a main work
item over the next year along with various code items and other reports.
Chair Gladstone recommended putting a retreat planning discussion on the next meeting agenda. She
commented that the rest of the agenda may need to be modified so they aren't overbooked.
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Vice Chair Campbell referred to the Comp Plan update and suggested having more actionable items for the
Planning Board. They have received a lot of presentations but haven't had many items they can provide valuable
feedback on. Planning Manager Levitan stated they can solicit some early feedback from the Planning Board.
Chair Gladstone requested a Comp Plan update roadmap from staff at the next meeting so the Board can have
an idea about how/when to provide input.
PLANNING BOARD CHAIR COMMENTS
Chair Gladstone said she was very happy with the full group and is looking forward to working with everybody.
She appreciates the new members' participation today.
PLANNING BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
• Student Representative Distelhorst echoed Chair Gladstone's comments and added that she is excited
to see what will happen in the legislative session especially related to housing.
• Board Member Martini thanked everyone for the welcome.
• Board Member Maxwell concurred.
• Vice Chair Campbell welcomed new Planning Board members and new Planning Manager Levitan.
Thanks to Senior Planner Clugston for all the extra support in the interim.
• Board Member Mitchell said he is excited to be on the Board and to work collaboratively with the other
members, staff, and public.
• Board Member Golembiewski said she also is excited to be here and to see all that is on the agenda. She
appreciates the help and patience from the existing members and staff.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:01 p.m.
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