2023-10-11 Planning Board MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS PLANNING BOARD
Minutes of Hybrid Meeting
October 11, 2023
Vice Chair Tragus-Campbell called the hybrid meeting of the Edmonds Planning Board to order at 7:00 p.m. at
Edmonds City Hall and on Zoom. She announced she would be serving as administrator of the meeting since
Chair Gladstone was online in a different time zone and might need to drop off.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
The Land Acknowledgement was read by Board Member Mitchell.
ROLL CALL
Board Members Present
Judi Gladstone, Chair (online)
Lauren Golembiewski (online)
Richard Kuehn (online)
Susanna Martini
Nick Maxwell
Jeremy Mitchell
Beth Tragus-Campbell, Vice
Chair
Lily Distelhorst (student rep)
Board Members Absent
Emily Nutsch (altemate)(excused)
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Staff Present
Susan McLaughlin, Development Services Director
Deb Powers, Urban Forest Planner
Vice Chair Tragus-Campbell noted that Chair Gladstone had submitted amended comments to the group prior
to the meeting.
MOTION MADE BY BOARD MEMBER MITCHELL, SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER
MAXWELL, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 27, 2023 AS AMENDED. MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA
VICE CHAIR TRAGUS-CAMPBELL MOVED, CHAIR GLADSTONE SECONDED, TO ADD A
BRIEF DISCUSSION REGARDING THE TREE CODE AND SOME OF THE CONCLUSIONS THE
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October 11, 2023 Page 1 of 8
GROUP CAME TO BEFORE THE CURRENT FIRST ITEM IN UNFINISHED BUSINESS. THE
MOTION PASSED.
BOARD MEMBER MAXWELL MOVED, CHAIR GLADSTONE SECONDED, REMOVING THE
PARKS, RECREATION & HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT - 2023 Q3 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
FROM THE AGENDA IN LIEU OF BOARD MEMBERS READING THE REPORT ON THEIR
OWN AND FORWARDING QUESTIONS TO STAFF. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
THERE WAS UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS AMENDED.
AUDIENCE COMMENTS
None
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS
A. Parks, Recreation & Human Services Department - 2023 Q3 Accomplishments - REMOVED
PUBLIC HEARINGS
None
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A. Brief Tree Code Discussion
Vice Chair Tragus-Campbell explained the subcommittee discussed all the various proposals and public
comments on the tree code and submitted a document with suggested language for the code. Board
Member Maxwell didn't think it was appropriate to discuss the code language specifically, just the
summary table of the guiding principles. There was concern about discussing this at all since it was not
included in the packet.
Director McLaughlin commented that it was not an accident this item was not included on the agenda.
The project is on pause at the staff level for legal review and director review. Chair Gladstone expressed
a concern about waiting too long to discuss this and having to start over again. Vice Chair Tragus-
Campbell suggested putting it on the agenda for the next meeting so they can stay updated on the staff
review. She thinks it is important for this to stay on the agenda every meeting until they can get an
answer and move forward. Board Member Maxwell suggested that legal review would be easier if they
actually had some clear language to review. He also pointed out that there was no legal review of the
step back ordinance. Board Member Martini asked what triggered this. Director McLaughlin said she
was not able to answer that. Board Member Martini did not like the prospect of repeatedly pushing this
down the road. Board Member Golembiewski expressed the concern about delaying this too long and
ending up with a Council that proposes an emergency ordinance. She hopes they get to a point where
they stop ruling by emergency ordinance.
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October 11, 2023 Page 2 of 8
MOTION MADE BY VICE CHAIR TRAGUS-CAMPBELL, SECONDED BY BOARD
MEMBER MAXWELL, THEY HAVE A REVIEW OF THE PLANNING BOARD
SUBCOMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION MEMO AND RECEIVE AN UPDATE FROM
STAFF ABOUT STATUS OF THE REVIEWS PROCESS AT THE OCTOBER 25 MEETING.
Board Member Kuehn expressed frustration about the situation. He doesn't understand why they can't
even have a discussion about this to keep the ball moving forward.
Board Member Maxwell noted that they could continue to share the key concepts tonight. Other board
members disagreed because the public didn't have a chance to review the documentation ahead of time.
Chair Gladstone expressed concern about having any process violations on this important topic. It was
noted there would need to be continued discussion about how all of this would impact the extended
agenda.
MOTION PASSED WITH BOARD MEMBER MITCHELL ABSTAINING.
B. Planning Board Action on 2024-2029 Capital Facilities Plan (CFP) & Capital Improvement
Program (CIP)
Vice Chair Tragus-Campbell referred to a memo drafted by another subcommittee regarding the Planning
Board's recommendation. The memo states that the Board does not have sufficient information to make a clear
recommendation. Chair Gladstone added that in the memo they tried to capture the concerns raised at the last
meeting around the CIP/CFP. She explained that they had primarily tried to characterize what the concerns were
around equity. They recognized there were gaps in the information that was provided in order to make a solid
recommendation. Board Member Mitchell commented that there is a time crunch to present this to Council. It
would take significant staff work to provide that backup information in time for the Board to make a formal
decision. For that reason, they have left it open and recommended that specific questions be asked.
Vice Chair Tragus-Campbell thought the memo captured what was discussed at the last meeting and also during
the last year. Mainly, they were raising questions about how items were prioritized. The public has consistently
brought up concerns around sidewalks, and there was concern about not having any of that in the plan. She
encouraged the Council to ask questions around prioritization and how they can make some progress toward
addressing inequities in the infrastructure.
Board Member Golembiewski asked if the intent was for these priorities to be presented to Council or for this
to come back to Planning Board before making a recommendation to Council. Chair Gladstone did not think
there was time for this to come back to the Planning Board which is why the memo ends up with things the
Board thinks the Council should look at to make an informed decision.
Board Member Martini thought that providing the Council with what they collectively agree on would be useful.
Vice Chair Tragus-Campbell concurred and noted that the memo outlines that.
MOTION MADE BY BOARD MEMBER MARTINI, SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER
MITCHELL, TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION MEMO TO CITY COUNCIL
REGARDING THE CIP/CFP AS WRITTEN. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
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NEW BUSINESS
A. Landmark 99 Project Overview
Director McLaughlin made the presentation regarding the Landmark 99 project. She expressed appreciation to
Board Members Mitchell and Golembiewski for sitting on the advisory committee for this project and
representing the Planning Board. The site is located at the southern gateway of Edmonds at 24111 Highway 99.
It is ten acres, owned by one owner, and zoned General Commercial. She reviewed details about the site and
noted it is ideally situated for frequent transit by BRT and in close proximity to the upcoming light rail in
Mountlake Terrace. Burlington has a lease on the property until 2029.
Board Member Maxwell asked about the ownership of the cloverleaf. Director McLaughlin explained that is
owned by WSDOT. She added that one of the recommendations in the Community Renewal Plan is to pursue
rationalizing or removing that cloverleaf which would do a great deal to revitalize open space and perhaps
provide new parcels.
Director McLaughlin continued the presentation and explained that initially this site acquisition was led by
Parks for the purpose of seeking parks space. Parks did the zoning and massing study which shows how much
could be on that site. There has been interest from the community for years on revitalizing the southern gateway
and providing housing, open space, and community amenities. She reviewed illustrations about possibilities for
the site. She then discussed project organization, research/education, the community poll, tasks, timeline, and
co -dependencies. Staff is pursuing a master plan process on this site.
Vice Chair Tragus-Campbell asked about the possibility of this remaining greenspace. Director McLaughlin
explained that given the price tag, the location, and the fact that the City could not carry the costs alone she
doesn't anticipate that it would be a significant amount of green space. Plus, the location affords itself to
something a bit more dynamic that could absorb a lot of people on the site. However, this will be part of the
community conversation.
Board Member Golembiewski commented that it is likely that the project would not proceed if there were not
a strong private development partnership established before the decision deadline. Director McLaughlin
concurred and reviewed examples of public -private partnerships including Tukwila Village, Federal Way, and
Woodinville. She discussed poll results and noted there is strong support for a community center, recreation
facility, a police annex, park space, housing, retail, and dining.
Chair Gladstone asked if the respondents to the poll were self-selected or random. Director McLaughlin replied
they were self-selected. Chair Gladstone commented that the other category was quite large. Director
McLaughlin agreed and noted 120 of the 351 other comments said not to buy the property. Chair Gladstone
also asked if they knew where the respondents came from. Director McLaughlin said they did not. The first
broad community conversation will be held on October 21 from 10-12 at Edmonds Woodway High School.
For the October 21 public meeting, staff mailed the invitation to properties in the adjacent area and in multiple
languages. They will also be posting in the local papers, posting yard signs, running Facebook ads, etc. Vice
Chair Tragus-Campbell asked about the notification radius. She hasn't received anything in the mail but lives
very close to this. Director McLaughlin commented that since Council did not approve funding for this, they
have a very limited amount to spend. Chair Gladstone said she received an invitation in the mail.
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Board Member Golembiewski asked if it is safe to assume they would not see groundbreaking until 2029 since
Burlington has a lease through that date. Director McLaughlin thought they would probably need that much
time, and relocation prior to a lease expiration tends to be very expensive.
Board Member Martini asked about Council support for this. Board Member Mitchell explained they voted to
do the purchase agreement. Advisory committees and the team were formed to give them the best information
possible to make that decision in December. He encouraged the Planning Board to look at the project in the
context of the good it will be for the city and how it will benefit that area node. The price tag is a small thing in
his mind because he works in that area and is aware of all the tools available for cities to do that. The big part
of this is the partnership. He is excited for the potential, but he thinks there is a lot of work to do.
Chair Gladstone wondered how the location of this property compares to the geographic location of the example
properties in relation to what else is going on in their cities. Director McLaughlin explained that Tukwila is on
the northern boundary of city limits. In other ways, the consultant has indicated that both the Tukwila and
Federal Way examples are nearly identical to Edmonds.
Chair Gladstone asked if the property would be rolled into the community renewal area to take advantage of
those funding opportunities. Director McLaughlin replied that the community renewal plan affords more powers
by municipalities in the realm of land development. The City has the draft plan, which is not adopted, but if they
did adopt it, they would become a community renewal agency and would have a lot of flexible powers
associated with that. Pursuing site acquisition is not entirely relevant right now. They may want to consider
adopting it next year if they decide to exercise the purchase option. Tax increment financing (TIF) is a state tool
that is available to all municipalities. You are restricted to having two TIF areas in your jurisdiction, but the size
is not limited in area as much as it is in anticipated revenue. Federal Way created a very large TIF area, and
their project is right in the middle of it. There are a lot of opportunities with the Edmonds project as well.
Vice Chair Tragus-Campbell asked that staff provide plenty of examples to the public of how they are not just
planning on raising property taxes to come up with the $37 million. Director McLaughlin agreed.
Chair Gladstone referred to the comparisons and noted that each had a fair amount of housing associated with
it. She wondered how that related to housing goals for that area and for the rest of the city. Director McLaughlin
replied that they have consistently heard that housing, especially affordable housing, is of high demand. Right
now, it is more feasible to build housing than it is to build commercial. Board Member Mitchell clarified that
regarding meeting housing goals, all they are required to do per the GMA is to make adjustments in zoning to
provide that capacity. That parcel is already zoned for the capacity anyway, so it's already in the GMA
projections. Director McLaughlin concurred. She stressed that they are focusing on building the community and
finding the right balance of uses, not just the number of units.
Chair Gladstone asked if the repeal of Ordinance 4079 would affect this property at all. Director McLaughlin
replied that it would. SEPA is costly. It also elevates the risk for the developer because of the unknowns
associated with not only the environmental analysis, but the public process associated with an environmental
review.
Chair Gladstone said she was surprised to learn that there was Planning Board representation on the advisory
group. Director McLaughlin explained the members were recently chosen by the Mayor in collaboration with
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the Council President, and they got off to a bumpy start. They just had their first meeting two weeks ago. They
anticipate keeping the advisory group going until final decisions are made on the property. Vice Chair Tragus-
Campbell suggested adding a section to the agenda for an advisory board report out.
Board Member Maxwell said it is somewhat important to acknowledge that the success of the Civic Park
indicates that they have some talent at creating public spaces which matters. Based on other public spaces in the
City, it is very promising that it would work out well. Board Member Martini concurred and added that the
accessibility for the new Civic Park is amazing.
B. Comprehensive Plan Vision Statement Review
Vice Chair Tragus-Campbell said the City Council requested that the Planning Board review the original vision
statement and associated word cloud and make a recommendation to the Council by November 30. Director
McLaughlin provided some background on the Comprehensive Plan branding process and the six -week targeted
public outreach process. Throughout the process, 8500 comments were received and categorized. From this, a
draft vision statement was created along with a graphic illustration of the process. The statement was put through
a multilingual review process to make sure that words weren't misinterpreted or not understood by different
languages.
Draft community 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.
A survey was put in the city newsletter to see if they generally got the statement right. 51 % of those who
responded were supportive of the statement. 49% were not. Director McLaughlin reviewed how each of the
phrases correspond to the most commonly used words. She explained that Council had specific concerns about
the phrase "healthy streets". While "healthy" was not a word that was necessarily represented, staff thought it
did represent the other words used such as walkability, green, biking, pedestrian, kids, etc. She summarized the
Council resolution as previously discussed by Vice Chair Tragus-Campbell with the request that Planning Board
provide feedback and recommendations to the City Council about which of the versions to adopt ("as is" or
with suggested revisions) as soon as possible. Director McLaughlin stated she is confident in their process and
believes that the draft community vision statement is representative of the comments. She thinks if they have to
revisit the statement for an extended period of time, they risk delaying the plan itself. She pointed out that the
State does not require a vision statement to be part of the comprehensive plan for the Growth Management Act.
It was something staff wanted to use to energize people around in high level conversation. They did that and
were able to categorize key themes to be used moving forward. If the Board wishes to advance another version,
staff recommend striking the word "healthy" and just keeping it to "safe streets".
Discussion:
Board Member Mitchell pointed out that the Council wouldn't have drafted the resolution if they were happy
with it. He assumed they wanted the Board to revise it. Vice Chair Tragus-Campbell concurred. Board Member
Mitchell said he didn't like how the resolution was drafted in the first place, pinning the original draft vision
statement to the Bloom version. A more appropriate resolution would have been to send it to a steering
committee of some kind to evaluate the data, come up with two versions, and bring those two versions to the
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Planning Board. It seems like a step was missed in the process engagement by just picking Ms. Bloom's version.
He suggested making the revisions to the original statement rather than just sending one or the other back.
Board Member Maxwell thought that Director McLaughlin's approach was reasonable rather than jumping to
rewriting the vision statement.
Vice Chair Tragus Campbell asked the Board if they wanted to tackle any sort of revision or if they support
going with the staff recommendation of just moving forward.
Chair Gladstone recalled they had discussed the vision statement earlier in the year and that there was a general
feeling that it wasn't really a vision statement; instead, it was more of a statement of values. She thought that
the phrases in the vision statement were fair representations of the comments they received. In her mind, it
would be improved by voicing it as a vision statement and not a value statement, but she didn't know if this was
what Council had in mind. She thinks to go without a value statement is going to plague the process of the
comprehensive plan with various residents. She recommended spending time on this at a different meeting to
try to coalesce around a vision statement that contains most of the concepts here.
Board Member Golembiewski said she thinks this vision statement is very close to acceptable. She thinks it
accurately reflects the comments received. She thinks it could be as simple as, "Edmonds strives to be a
welcoming city ..." She agrees that the word "healthy" associated with streets is a little weird although she
understands the thought process behind it. Health is something they value as far as being an active, healthy
community that takes pride in outdoor spaces and walkability and things like that.
Board Member Kuehn agreed with Chair Gladstone that this seems more like a statement of values rather than
a vision statement. He also agreed that it was very close and could use some tweaking to voice it as a vision
statement. He would like to tweak it at a future meeting and send a recommendation to Council.
Board Member Martini expressed concern about kicking this down the road. She recommended establishing a
timeframe in which to finish this.
Student Representative Distelhorst said she was surprised they were still talking about the vision statement. She
doesn't understand why this has taken so long.
Vice Chair Tragus-Campbell recommended forming another subcommittee. Director McLaughlin commented
that staff would want to be part of that to make sure that all those statements are taken into account. The
translation issue is also very important. They do not have any consultant funding at all for this right now.
Board Member Kuehn thought that if they just tweak some of the wording to make it a vision statement, but
don't change the message, it could be good enough. It wouldn't need to be anything that changes from the word
cloud. Director McLaughlin explained it was intended to be written in the present tense as if you were already
in the future.
Board Member Golembiewski asked if they could just call it a value statement since a vision statement isn't a
required element of the comprehensive plan. Board Member Kuehn said he recommended that months ago.
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MOTION MADE BY BOARD MEMBER MARTINI TO DECLARE THIS TO BE A VALUE
STATEMENT INSTEAD OF A VISION STATEMENT AND THAT THE PLANNING BOARD
CONSTRUCT MINOR MODIFICATIONS TO IT AT THE NEXT PLANNING BOARD MEETING.
THE MOTION DIED FOR LACK OF A SECOND.
MOTION MADE BY CHAIR GLADSTONE, SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER KUEHN, THAT
THEY WORK WITH STAFF TO TWEAK THIS AND COME BACK TO THE PLANNING BOARD
NO LATER THAN TWO MEETINGS FROM NOW. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
PLANNING BOARD EXTENDED AGENDA
There will be a tree code update at the next meeting. There will also be a discussion or recommendation on the
Critical Aquifer Recharge Zone and a comprehensive plan discussion. Highway 99 community renewal
program update is being removed from the 25th. If there are any comments regarding the Parks, Recreation &
Human Services Department - 2023 Q3 Accomplishments, they should be sent to Director Feser.
PLANNING BOARD CHAIR COMMENTS
Chair Gladstone said it was nice to see Director McLaughlin at the meeting. She thanked Ms. Powers for filling
in for Mike Clugston.
PLANNING BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
Vice Chair Tragus-Campbell thanked everyone for their participation.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was adjourned at 9:17 p.m.
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