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2017-08-09 Planning Board MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS PLANNING BOARD MINUTES August 9, 2017 Chair Rubenkonig called the meeting of the Edmonds Planning Board to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, Public Safety Complex, 250 — 5 h Avenue North. BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT Carreen Rubenkonig Nathan Monroe, Vice Chair Matthew Cheung Alicia Crank Phil Lovell Daniel Robles Mike Rosen BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT Todd Cloutier READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES STAFF PRESENT Rob Chave, Planning Division Manager Jerrie Bevington, Video Recorder Karin Noyes, Recorder BOARD MEMBER LOVELL MOVED THAT THE MINUTES OF JULY 26, 2017 BE APPROVED AS CORRECTED. VICE CHAIR MONROE SECONDED THE MOTION, WHICH CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA The agenda was accepted as presented. AUDIENCE COMMENTS There was no one in the audience. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS There were no administrative reports. PRESENTATION ON COMPLETION OF SUSTAINABLE CITIES PARTNERSHIP (SCP) WITH WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY (WWU) Mr. Chave reported that the City just completed its Sustainable Cities Partnership (SCP) with Western Washington University's (WWU) Office of Sustainability and the Association of Washington Cities (AWC). The SCP was a year -long program that engaged WWU students and faculty on sustainability and livability projects chosen in collaboration with the City. The students and faculty worked through a variety of studio and service learning courses, providing students with experience tackling cities' real -world projects. He referred the Board Members to the City's website, which provides a link to summaries of the various projects that were undertaken, as well as reports of each one that were prepared by the students. Mr. Chave reviewed that City staff first learned about the SCP concept while attending an Association of Washington Cities conference. The concept had already been applied in a few states, most notably Oregon. The AWC representative in charge of the conference reported back to the AWC, and it was decided to begin a similar program in Washington State. The program is based on the idea that cities are key actors in terms of innovation and what happens in the urban environment. There are a number of issues on the table, including the U.S. Mayor's Climate Agreement, and cities are working to find ways to address them. Many cities have become quite involved in promoting and addressing sustainability and climate change. Mr. Chave advised that the AWC selected WWU to initiate the program, with its help as co-sponsor, because WWU students and faculty already had experience working with local jurisdictions to address sustainability and other issues. The intent of the program is for the students and faculty to connect with a jurisdiction to match up curriculum and programs with local problems and issues that can be studied and/or addressed throughout the course of the year. WWU provides manpower and a willingness to explore and research ideas, and the participating cities are asked to be open to trying new things. Many of the projects identified for the City's SCP were intended to address issues already on the City's radar. The program allowed the City to benefit from the resources available from the WWU faculty and students. Mr. Chave reviewed that the AWC and WWU considered a number of things when putting together the SCP. From their perspective, they felt it was important to make the program affordable for local jurisdictions to participate. It was decided that participating cities would only be charged for actual expenses, and not for overhead. The total cost to the City was expected to be about $75,000. By comparison, similar programs with the University of Washington have cost upwards of 200,000. In addition, the WWU Program has a significant focus on sustainability, and they were looking for applications that emphasized that concept. Mr. Chave pointed out that the SCP was set up to help cities in a variety of projects, including urban planning/environmental science; special analysis (GIS/GPS); marketing/financial analysis; communications/journalism/design; computer science; sociology/anthropology; and community health/recreation. He commented that the City has a history of working with university classes and students with good results, so it was an easy decision to apply for the program. In addition, the SCP's focus on "sustainability" was a good match with City priorities and needs. To prepare the application, department heads from throughout the City met to brainstorm potential projects. This was followed with consultations with WWU faculty relative to the students' capabilities. The list was winnowed down from over 40 ideas to just the 17 that were included in the final application. The projects selected were those that would provide the most value to the City, based on its limited time and funding, as well as those that matched best with WWU's curriculum. The application identified project goals, desired products, available resources and City staff liaisons. In addition, the application demonstrated the Mayor and City Council's commitment to the program and documented the City's commitment to sustainability. The City was selected to participate in the inaugural year of the program following a selective process, and an interlocal agreement between the City, WWU and the AWC formalized the partnership. Mr. Chave reviewed that the projects included in the SCP Program included cemetery GIS/online mapping, zero waste -food waste, risks associated with sea level rise, walkability assessment of commercial districts, Edmonds Marsh restoration ideas, arts corridor promotion campaign, green business programs and initiatives, and visual advertisements for the Treatment Plant that could be used when people tour the plan. He noted that the treatment plant is the largest user of energy in the City, and there is a long-standing program of doing things that save energy. The intent of the project was to make the information available to the public. Mr. Chave summarized that there was a lot of interaction between the students and City staff throughout the program, which culminated in presentations and final reports to the community. Again, he announced that the reports for each project are available on the City's website, and he encouraged Board Members to review them. He noted that the program received good press coverage from My Edmonds News, The Edmonds Beacon, and The Everett Herald, which enabled the students to maintain community enthusiasm throughout the course of the year. As an example of the value the City received from the partnership, Mr. Chave referred to the Edmonds Memorial Cemetery GIS Mapping Project. Although the cemetery has existed for a long time, there was no record of where people were buried. The mapping project had a student work with people at the cemetery to create a GIS map and digitize the information. They Planning Board Minutes August 9, 2017 Page 2 now have a registered map of the cemetery, identifying both the plots and the headstones. The intent is to put the information online so it can be used as a research tool for the community. The City had intended to do this project at some point, and it was anticipated to cost about $100,000 to hire a consultant. The anticipated cost of the entire SCP P, including the cemetery program, was estimated to cost just $77,500. It is estimated that the City saved approximately $80,000 compared to hiring a consultant to do the same project. Mr. Chave summarized that the SCP was estimated to cost $77,500, but the actual cost was just $68,000. He expressed his belief that the City was more than compensated for what the program cost. He felt the program was a success, and the intent is to continue it with other jurisdictions in the region. He noted that the SCP Coordinator was David Davidson. Board Member Lovell said he reviewed a number of the reports, of which the 4th Avenue Arts Corridor report seemed to be one of the longest. It summarized a means and calendar for various events that could be held in the City to involve the public, neighborhood and organizations in funding efforts to implement the 4`' Avenue Arts Corridor Plan. Other projects, such as improvements at the Edmonds Marsh, will also require significant funding. While the information contained in the reports will be very useful, the reports do not spell out a timing or budget for actual work to occur. Mr. Chave responded that each project was different. For example, the 4th Avenue Arts Corridor Project was intended to come up with different ideas for marketing and the intent was to "dream big." The Stella's Landing Project was more of a reconnaissance effort to determine the quality of the wetland. The Edmonds Marsh project was intended to look at different ideas to improve upon the existing condition of the marsh based upon current development. Board Member Lovell commented that many of the studies could be used as reference and/or implementation tools by the City over time. Mr. Chave agreed. In some cases, the projects were intended to explore or experiment with ideas; and in other cases, the students did basic research to build on at a later time. The focus of each project was different to take advantage of the expertise of a particular class or curriculum. Board Member Crank said she loved that the citizens of the City were able to participate in some of the projects, and she attended a handful of events to see the diversity of what the students were working on. Their work was very good. She asked if the projects were intended to be "once and done" or if the City would continue to work with the students to implement the ideas and concepts. Mr. Chave answered that the City does not intend to enter into another year -long SCP project with the university, as the intent is to spread the opportunity amongst other jurisdictions in the region. At the same time, WWU has extended an invitation, and the City has expressed interest, in an ongoing relationship for specific projects involving a specific class. He reminded the Board that the university has a history of getting their students out into the field to do hands-on projects, and the City is more than willing to match a class up with a City project, when appropriate. Mr. Chave explained that, in most cases, the projects were intended to be baseline to jumpstart a particular City project. For example, the walkability study identifies projects that could funnel into the Capital Improvement Program. Many projects have been on hold, and the reports can provide valuable information to take them forward. Board Member Crank asked if any of the reports or presentations included a "next step" component, or were they mostly conclusive. Mr. Chave answered that they were conclusive as to what they were trying to accomplish, but many indicated what additional research could be done as part of further exploration and implementation. Board Member Robles asked if there are any standards for defining what "sustainability means. Mr. Chave answered that it is based on three prongs: social, economic and environmental. Each of the projects included in the program involved one or more of the prongs, and some involved all three. For example, the 4th Avenue Arts Corridor Project is a fairly significant component of the City's social health. It also serves to link the Main Street shops to the Edmonds Arts Center, so it also serves an economic purpose. Improvements at the Edmonds Marsh are more focused on the environmental benefits, and the work done at the cemetery serves a social purpose. Board Member Robles suggested that the City should find a way to articulate the value of each project and its importance to the sustainability of the City. Board Member Robles asked if the reports would be made available online so that students who participated could reference them in applications for future employment. Mr. Chave answered that they are already available online. Board Member Robles asked if there would be a central repository for all reports generated by the SCP each year so that all municipalities could benefit from the information they provide. Mr. Chave said it would be up to the AWC to create a centralized database Planning Board Minutes August 9, 2017 Page 3 of all of the information collected. Board Member Robles said he would like to see a centralized body of research so everyone can benefit from the work done by the students. He suggested that Wikipedia would be a good option to accomplish this task. Board Member Robles asked how many engineering students were utilized in the program, and Mr. Chave said he does not recall that there were a lot of engineering students involved in the projects. Most were environmental and marketing students. Chair Rubenkonig asked how a person would access the reports via the City's website, and Mr. Chave said they are available via the link to the Sustainable Cities Partnership. Vice Chair Monroe asked what the next step would be relative to each of the reports. Mr. Chave said the reports have been forwarded to the liaisons in charge of the projects. He reminded the Board that each project was put forward by a department head as something the City was interested in doing. The next step will be different for each project. In the case of the cemetery, the project will be considered complete after the information becomes available online. The intent of the treatment plant project was to prepare educational products that could be used immediately. The information contained in the report on sea level will be helpful as the City works on future land use decisions and energy planning. The walkability study will be useful when updating the Capital Improvement Program. Chair Rubenkonig asked who the liaison was for the Green Business Project, and Mr. Chave answered that the project was put forward by the Economic Development Director who worked with the Business Improvement District and enlisted the help of several business owners to provide input and represent the local businesses. The intent was to consider how to attract green businesses to Edmonds. Board Member Lovell asked if there would be any opportunity for the City to re-engage with the students who were part of the projects at some point in the future. Mr. Chave said that will not likely be possible, since most of the students were upperclassman who have graduated or will graduate in the near future. However, there may be opportunities to re-engage with the same professionals and classes to work on a future effort. He summarized that the program established a relationship between the City and WWU, and he does not believe that WWU would be opposed to committing a class to an Edmonds project if they find a good match. Board Member Cheung asked if there are also opportunities for the City to partner with Edmonds Community College in a similar manner, and Mr. Chave answered that would be more difficult because the curriculum at the community college is very different. REVIEW OF EXTENDED AGENDA Chair Rubenkonig briefly reviewed the Board's extended agenda throughout the end of 2017 and invited Board Members to comment. It was noted that the presentation called "Taming Bigfoot," which is scheduled for September 13th, is related to the efforts of the Mayor's Committee on Climate Change. Mr. Chave advised that a member of the committee will make the presentation to the Board. He said the September 13tb meeting agenda will also include a presentation on the 2017 Comprehensive Plan amendments and a status report on the Parks Recreation and Open Space and Housing Strategy Updates. It was noted that the August 23`d meeting was cancelled. Board Member Lovell recalled that the Development Services Director recently requested that the Mayor establish a task force to study the issue of affordable housing. He asked if items on the Board's agenda related to this topic would come from the task force. Mr. Chave said the September 13t' update would be provided by the Development Services Director, but future reports and presentations may involve the task force. Board Member Crank said she spoke directly with the Mayor regarding the task force and learned that its first meeting is not scheduled to occur until September. She said she plans to attend the task force meetings from both a professional standpoint and as a representative of the Board. Chair Rubenkonig said her understanding is that the Board will be involved throughout the process and will receive regular updates. She commented that, rather than focusing on information provided by Snohomish County and the Puget Sound Regional Council relative to housing, the task force will focus its efforts specifically on affordable housing in Edmonds Board Member Robles said he is in favor of defining local data rather than countywide data. He commented that there is a growing homeless Planning Board Minutes August 9, 2017 Page 4 population in Edmonds, and they need to discuss the issue as it specifically relates to the City's situation. He suggested that it is important for the Board to take every opportunity to insert this concept into the discussion. PLANNING BOARD CHAIR COMMENTS Chair Rubenkonig did not provide any additional comments. PLANNING BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS There were no additional Board Member comments. ADJOURNMENT The Board meeting was adjourned at 8:07 p.m. Planning Board Minutes August 9, 2017 Page 5