2023-11-08 Planning Board MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS PLANNING BOARD
Minutes of Hybrid Meeting
November 8, 2023
Chair Gladstone called the joint hybrid meeting of the Edmonds Planning Board and the Economic
Development Commission to order at 7:00 p.m. at Edmonds City Hall and on Zoom.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
The Land Acknowledgement was read by Board Member Mitchell.
Board Members Present
Judi Gladstone, Chair
Lauren Golembiewski
Richard Kuehn (online)
Nick Maxwell
Jeremy Mitchell
Emily Nutsch
Board Members Absent
Susanna Martini (excused)
Beth Tragus-Campbell, Vice Chair (excused)
Lily Distelhorst (student rep.) (excused)
Staff Present
Susan McLaughlin, Devt. Services Director
Mike Clugston, Senior Planner
Economic Development Commission Members/Representatives:
Todd Tatum, Community Culture and Economic Development Director, staff liaison
Nicole Hughes, Chair
Kevin Harris, Vice Chair
Natalie Seitz, Commissioner
Jay Hoag, Commissioner
Darrol Haug, Commissioner
Matt Cox, Commissioner
Nick Perrault, Commissioner
Kevin Smith, Commissioner
Allan Townsend, Commissioner
David Preston, Port Commissioner, ex-ofcio
READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MOTION MADE BY BOARD MEMBER GOLEMBIEWSKI, SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER
MAXWELL, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF OCTOBER 25 AS PRESENTED. MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
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November 8, 2023 Page 1 of 7
ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA
THERE WAS UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED.
AUDIENCE COMMENTS
Roger Pence, former Planning Board member/chair, gave some background on the Board's work on the vision
statement which was crafted as a value statement. He thinks Joan Bloom's version of the vision statement is the
most useful. He also noted there is an "information fire hose" on the agenda tonight with a 73-slide presentation.
He hopes it does not then go into radio silence if the historical pattern of receiving big briefings and then not
hearing more about the topics continues. He said he wished staff could figure out a way to keep the information
flowing on a more rational basis.
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS
None
NEW BUSINESS
A. Joint Discussion with Economic Development Commission regarding existing conditions for
Comprehensive Plan Update
Director McLaughlin introduced the consultant team from VIA: Kate Howe, Dan Kennedy, Shreya Malu, and
Brian Vanneman as well as Paul Sharman from Transpo who is working closely with the team. Director
McLaughlin began the presentation with an overview of the Comprehensive Plan and what was heard from
community conversations. Brian Vanneman discussed economic development including commuting patterns
and employment data. He also presented goals from the 2020 Comprehensive Plan and solicited feedback on
the goals.
A. Foster a healthy business community
B. Revitalize and enhance the city's business districts
C. Diversify and grow the City's make-up
D. Support and enhance the community's quality of life
E. Expand and enhance the tourism sector
Comments/questions on the goals:
(B) Equity is a big thing that is missing. There is a disparate pattern going on right now where there are
a lot of businesses and services in areas without a lot of nearby population and population growth areas
that aren't necessarily close to those amenities and services. There should be more of a focus on equity
in implementing the Growth Management Act (GMA) so that investments are consistent with the
growth of the area.
(D) Economic development in some cases, especially along Highway 99, has real health consequences
especially regarding air quality. Is the City making investments to mitigate those impacts? There needs
to be a focus on public health and infrastructure to support development.
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• (E) Tourism is mainly felt in downtown Edmonds, but the actual amount of sales tax derived from
downtown Edmonds in comparison to other areas of the city is quite low. The current economic
development section doesn't ever really mention what the primary retail driver is which is the cars.
There should be a more intentional focus on where they currently get their money from and where are
they investing.
• (C) Maybe expand C to point out the different business districts with the intention of the goal to grow
those districts to the extent that residents want them grown in those areas.
• There needs to be current numbers. He commented that the bowl produces more property tax than the
homes on Highway 99. Additionally, car sales have plummeted during Covid. Also, working from
home has changed tremendously. Additionally, the Amazon sales tax factor has spread throughout the
city since 2020.
• Are we talking about revenue from commercial development or property tax? This is an important
distinction.
• What kind of measurements are typical to help understand how well things are working?
• Council has repealed the ordinance adopting the Highway 99 planned action. This was referred to in
some of the background slides. What they have seen is much more residential than commercial
development so far in that corridor. From the community renewal plan they have seen a lot of business
concern about displacement. There should be some goals around understanding displacement pressures
and trying to understand what the repeal of the ordinance now means. Is that whole corridor now going
to be housing?
• (B) should be the highest priority. Business districts are geographically dispersed very nicely. We should
focus on growing and enhancing those districts which would resolve a lot of the other issues.
• How can we look at the work -from -home change to make sure the business districts are meeting the
needs and creating economic vibrancy for the work -from -home world.
• Light rail is opening up in Lynnwood next year. It isn't directly touching Edmonds, but it is close and
opens up opportunities to attract more people. How can we make Edmonds a place for people to go?
How can we use that to improve the quality of life for people in Edmonds?
• In terms of quality of life, a priority should be to create high -paying jobs in Edmonds so that the people
that work here can also afford to live here. We should make sure we have the infrastructure to support
professional services.
• There should be a goal to come up with a cost-effective way to pay for fire services for all of Edmonds.
There is a direct tie to economic development with this because there are two complexes on Highway
99 that are or have been burned out.
Mr. Vanneman invited participants to email any further thoughts on this. Kate Howe continued to discuss
existing land use, the future land use map, what is equitable land use policy, equitable housing policy, current
Edmonds population, housing types, applying the Equity & Social Justice Framework, engaging with
Community Champions, Climate Action planning, PROS (Parks Recreation Open Space) Plan.
Paul Sharman from Transpo Group gave an overview of the state of the transportation system. He reviewed the
pedestrian network, bike network, existing multiuse trail network, existing transit network, vehicular level of
service (LOS) standards, transportation safety, Transportation Element next steps, and transportation
concurrency.
Comments/Questions:
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• Will specific recommendations from the SR 99 EIS and the Community Renewal Plan be considered
for the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Sharman replied they would.
• Intended purpose and design of roads aren't necessarily indicative of actual use, especially in areas
where there has been a lot of growth. Is this being considered? Mr. Sharman acknowledged this and
replied they have a lot more information about this. The roadway design will be reflective of the goals
of the City and how the roads are actually being used.
• Was LOS analysis only done on intersections where there were letters on the map? Mr. Sharman replied
that it was; 30 intersections were selected by the City.
• Sidewalks are important in considering transportation. Kids have to walk to school if they live within a
mile. Old people have to use the sidewalks near their homes and downtown. When they talk about
mobility, they need to consider the demographics of the people that are doing these things. Mr. Sharman
replied that sidewalks are a big focus as they are the primary means of pedestrians getting around the
city. He expects there will be a lot of sidewalk construction projects on the project list. He noted that
one of the big focuses in transportation design recently has been on the term "all ages and all abilities"
meaning the infrastructure should be designed to be used by everybody. They definitely want kids to be
able to walk to school safely. There is some state funding available to help with this.
• When they are talking about bike planning, they need to make sure they are considering the changes
that are happening with the increase in e-bikes. This includes safety concerns as well as opening the
door to bicycling for a lot of people that couldn't do it previously.
• The transit map shows local transit options, but if 95% of people are commuting elsewhere, they need
to put a heavy emphasis on the regional network with Sound Transit.
• There was so much emphasis on the intersections of Highway 99 that there was no evaluation of the
traffic impact on the surrounding area as a result of what growth was supposed to be in that area. There
needs to be some balance around where the major arterials are and impacts to the neighborhoods.
• How do they systematically take all of the information presented in the other plans and consider
downstream ripple effects and unintended consequences? Director McLaughlin explained that they
need to balance honoring past planning documents that were adopted by elected officials. To do due
diligence they will layer all of the planning documents to consider gaps, obsolete items, and
opportunities.
Dan Kennedy explained they would be working closely with Transpo to align transportation and land use
approaches. He discussed existing capacity, meeting 2044 growth targets, affordable housing targets, and state
level single-family zone housing actions (HB 1110 and HB 1337). Ms. Howe summarized that they need to
accommodate more housing in the city as well as some more jobs. This is a great chance to rethink the
transportation network and activity centers. She proposed some topics for imagining economic growth such as:
building on Edmonds' unique strengths; enhancing core areas of stability like established job clusters; grabbing
the opportunity for placemaking and revitalization around Downtown and Waterfront given cancellation of
Edmonds Crossing project; connecting the downtown and waterfront economic centers; and positioning the
Highway 99 medical district for success. The listening sessions will be an opportunity to listen to people's ideas
about their vision for Edmonds on topics such as equity and environmental sustainability; livability and housing;
building on Edmonds' assets (arts, healthcare, strategy, and innovation); and integrating the Highway 99 Plan,
15-minute city ideas, and neighborhood centers and hubs.
Questions/Comments:
• 500 jobs need to be created. Does this need to be a certain type of job?
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• Prior to the 2017 up zone, the Census Tract 509 was already designated as an area with a moderate risk
of displacement. It is a historically disadvantaged community which has gotten worse in terms of what
people are making versus what it costs to live there. The bubbles overlying the transit places to up zone
are the exact same locations that would trigger the other part of that House Bill around anti -displacement
strategies. How are the anti -displacement strategies for that community going to be developed. Director
McLaughlin replied this is something that is high on their radar but it is too early to be able to answer
it.
The group recessed for five minutes from 8:53 to 8:57 p.m. while the Economic Development Commission
members left the meeting.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A. Comprehensive Plan Vision Statement Review
Director McLaughlin thanked the subcommittee for taking a look at this. She commented that they honored the
commonly used words while modifying it modestly so it is still consistent with community feedback. She spoke
to the importance of acknowledging Student Representative Distelhort's concerns. Chair Gladstone explained
that unfortunately Student Rep. Distelhorst was not able to participate in the discussion. In order to do this in a
timely fashion they had to do it via email. She presented a draft to the group which attempts to convert this from
a part vision/part value statement to a vision statement. She thinks that a vision statement is important for the
Comprehensive Plan because the community is expecting it and because it sets the stage for policy to come. A
vision statement should be forward thinking and aspirational. She reviewed the process taken to convert the
statement to a vision statement encompassing the responses from the engagement survey. She invited discussion
regarding Student Representative Distelhort's concerns about "small town feel" conjuring up something of the
past and not of the future. Chair Gladstone explained that "small town feel" was included because it had 211
hits in the community responses. There was also a comment from Ron Eber mentioning access to natural beauty,
and not just the fact that it exists.
Board Member Maxwell said he thought he understood what people meant by "small town feel" but Student
Representative Distelhorst's comment made it clear that there are other interpretations. She is concerned that a
small town could become synonymous with suburban. To him it is related to grid streets, easy walkability, and
short buildings not more than three stories tall.
Board Member Golembiewski agreed but noted that it is hyper -focused on the bowl. Using it to describe
Edmonds as a whole, and so early in the vision statement, re-emphasizes that the bowl is where they are focusing
their priorities. She thought it would be inaccurate to list "small town" in the vision statement for Edmonds as
a whole.
Chair Gladstone said she felt comfortable having it in there because it relates to the walkability, the
interconnectedness, and the shorter buildings. She lives near Highway 99 and isn't sure that having 75-foot
buildings everywhere is what they want to aim for either. She was fine with striking it but noted that if they tried
to put something else in there, they would be moving away from reflecting some of the language in the
responses.
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Board Member Kuehn expressed appreciation for Board Member Distelhorst's comments. He noted that "small
town feel" was something that was continuously brought up in the responses. He thinks this is more a character
of the city itself and a lot of the neighborhoods or communities. A lot of areas within the city have characteristics
of their own that have that kind of feel. Also, a lot of people are drawn to Edmonds because of that small town
feel within it. He doesn't want to get away from that characteristic because it is one of the things they
consistently heard from the respondents.
Board Member Mitchell commented that from an urban planning perspective, they could still plan from that
term. It could mean things like smaller streets, larger public realms, etc. You can still have a small town feel in
a densified area.
Director McLaughlin commented that the phrase might be challenging for non-English speakers. She also
thought that the fact that people need to explain what they mean by it also raises some concerns.
Board Member Nutsch commented that what it seemed like they were trying to get at is that Edmonds is a place
you want to live and where you want to be, not just where you have your address.
Chair Gladstone asked if there was any other word they would want to include if they drop that phrase. There
was agreement to strike the phrase, "that has a small town feel".
Chair Gladstone asked for feedback about the suggestion to include "access to" the natural beauty of the
community. There was general agreement to include this.
She read the revised proposed vision statement as follows:
Edmonds is a welcoming city offering outstanding quality of life for all with vibrant and diverse
neighborhoods, safe streets, parks, and a thriving art scene, shaped in a way to promote healthy
lifestyles, climate resiliency, and access to the natural beauty of our community.
MOTION MADE BY BOARD MEMBER MITCHELL, SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER
MAXWELL, TO RECOMMEND THE ALTERNATIVE VISION STATEMENT AS READ TO THE
CITY COUNCIL. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
PLANNING BOARD EXTENDED AGENDA
• November 29 meeting - Private property tree code recommendations from the work group, CARA
public hearing, and introduction of detached ADUs.
• The December 5 City Council meeting report will be pushed out to January because of the City Council
schedule.
• December 13 meeting — Detached Accessory Dwelling Units.
• Some adjustments will need to be made to the extended agenda for everything beyond November 29.
• Chair Gladstone requested more specificity as they move forward on which elements of the Comp Plan
will be addressed and when they will be addressed. Director McLaughlin agreed.
• Commissioner Maxwell asked about the process of making land use changes that are reflected in the
Comprehensive Plan. Director Mclaughlin explained that the Comprehensive Plan is first adopted and
that leads code development. Subsequent to adoption of the Comprehensive Plan, staff will work to
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November 8, 2023 Page 6 of 7
make sure that the zoning code is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. Some zoning changes may
be done concurrently.
PLANNING BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
Board Member Golembiewski said she was happy to see the Landmark project still alive. Chair Gladstone
agreed and added that they need to make room on the extended agenda for reports. Director McLaughlin noted
that November 18 will be the second community meeting on that.
Board Member Kuehn said he didn't see anything on the calendar for the November 29 meeting. He enjoyed
tonight's meeting.
PLANNING BOARD CHAIR COMMENTS
Chair Gladstone said she really enjoyed meeting with the Economic Development Commission. She reported
that it looks like she will be winning the position for the Commissioner for Olympic View Water and Sewer
District. She also stated that the Transportation Advisory Committee has selected Board Member Martini to be
their representative on their committee.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m.
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