19780530 City Council Minutes2.3 1
• May 30, 1978
The regular meeting of the Edmonds City Council was called to order at 8:35 p.m. by Mayor. Harve
Harrison in the Council Chambers of the Edmonds Civic Center. All present joined in the flag
salute.
PRESENT STAFF PRESENT
Harve Harrison, Mayor Charles Dibble, M.A.A.
Mike Herb Leif .Larson, Public Works Director
Phil Clement John LaTourelle, Community Development Director
Katherine Allen Irene Varney Moran, City Clerk
John Nordquist Lila Crosby, Adminstrative Services Director
Ray Gould Art Housler, Finance Director
Tom Carns Jack Cooper, Fire Chief
Larry Naughten Jack Weinz., Assistant Fire Chief
John Wallace, City Attorney
Jackie Parrett, Deputy City Clerk
CONSENT AGENDA
Councilman Nordquist asked that Item (C), Authorization for Sale of Scrap Metal, be removed from
MOTION: the Consent Agenda. COUNCILMAN NAUGHTEN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN GOULD, TO APPROVE THE BALANCE
OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED. The balance of the Consent Agenda contained the following:
(A) Roll call.
(B) Approval of Minutes of May 23, 1978.
• (D) Setting date of June 27, 1978 for hearing of preliminary approval of "Wispy Willows" (PRD-1-78).
AUTHORIZATION FOR SALE OF SCRAP METAL [Item (C) on Consent Agenda]
Councilman Nordquist inquired whether the prices indicated in the report were pick-up or delivery
MOTION: prices. Administrative Services Director Lila Crosby responded that they were pick-up.. COUNCILMAN
NORDQUIST THEN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN GOULD, TO APPROVE ITEM (C) ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
MOTION CARRIED.
COUNCIL
Councilman Naughten commended the Police Department .for its fast action in apprehending those who held
up a woman on the beach. He also commended the Public. Works Department for getting the block parent
signs up so quickly.
MOTION: COUNCILMAN CARNS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN NAUGHTEN, THAT IF THE CITY AND THE SCHOOL BOARD HAVE
NOT COME TO AN AGREEMENT ON PRICE FOR THE PURCHASE OF THE EDMONDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BY JUNE 15, 1978,
THAT THE CITY ATTORNEY BE AUTHORIZED TO PROCEED WITH CONDEMNATION PROCEEDINGS. Councilman Nordquist
said the Council had had no report as to whether there had been any.communication with the School
Board. Mayor Harrison responded that there had been none. Councilman Carns felt this action would
at least spur.the School District into some action. Councilman Clement commented that in January
the School District had promised to provide the City with their new, updated quotes within six weeks,
but it was about two months before they even went back for new appraisals, and when the City followed
up og the day when they said the appraisals would be ready, they were not ready. Councilman Herb
suggested that one last contact be made with the School District prior to taking this action,'with
the forewarning that it would be taken. He said he would like to see a written report on what
communications there have been. A ROLL CALL VOTE ON THE MOTION WAS TAKEN, WITH COUNCILMEN CARNS,
NAUGHTEN, CLEMENT, AND GOULD VOTING YES, COUNCILMEN HERB AND NORDQUIST VOTING NO, AND COUNCILWOMAN
• ALLEN ABSTAINING BECAUSE OF A POSSIBLE CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND BECAUSE SHE HAD MISSED PART OF THE
DISCUSSION. MOTION CARRIED.
Councilman Carns presented to Councilman Herb a souvenir copy of Ordinance 1996 which had been
passed last week on Councilman Herb's motion. This presentation was made to commemorate the incident
of Councilman Herb's making a.motion which not only was seconded, but also was passed unanimously.
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Councilman Nordquist said he understood there would be an Executive Session after this meeting and
he woul..d like to bring up a personnel matter at that time. He also referred to a letter regarding
the condition of the Edmonds cemetery and he asked.whether a copy had been sent to Roy Baker. Mayor
Harrison said he believed that had been done, and Councilman Carns said he had called the writer of
the letter and advised her as to why the City could not do any of the upkeep of the cemetery. Council-
man'Nordquist also commented that he had been to Mukilteo where they have remodeled an old school
building and it is a beatiful endeavor.
Councilwoman Allen commented that only one section of the Policy Plan has been reviewed and nothing
MOTION: was scheduled for future review. After some discussion, COUNCILMAN GOULD MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN
CARNS, TO.REVIEW SECTIONS 204 (DRAINAGE MANAGEMENT), 205 (WATER QUALITY), 206 (WATER RESOURCES), AND
207 (WILDLIFE) OF THE POLICY PLAN AT THE JULY 11, 1978 WORK MEETING, AND SECTIONS 208 (BEAUTIFICATION
AND URBAN DESIGN) AND 209 (NOISE POLLUTION) AT THE AUGUST 29, 1978 WORK MEETING. MOTION CARRIED.
REVIEW FINDINGS OF RATING BUREAU, RECOMMENDATIONS FROM FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND DISCUSSION ON IMPROVING RATING
Fire Chief Jack Cooper had submitted a report in response to the recent grading by the Washington
Surveying and Rating Bureau. He indicated the costs of implementing the recommendations made by the
Rating Bureau would include a one-time expenditure of $157,900 and an ongoing annual expense of $180,000.
He said there are a number of low-cost items which could be accomplished in order to maintain a Class 5
rating, and there were other items that could be accomplished to reach a Class 4. With regard to savings
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May 30, 1978 - continued •
MOTION:
(Failed)
MOTION:
i(Amended)
to citizens in their insurance rates Chief Cooper said there would be about a 10% change from one class
to another. Councilman Clement noted that there probably would not be enough savings to the taxpayers
in insurance premiums to offset the costs of attaining a Class 4 rating. It was added, however, that
the requirements not requiring funds could be accomplished and during the budgeting process the Staff
could present recommendations for changes that will require funds. Councilman Herb expressed some
concern that points previously brought out as being important had not yet been accomplished. Mayor
Harrison said it had been expressed to the Rating Bureau that the City wished to maintain the Class 5
rating. It was requested that a copy of the letter which is sent to the Rating Bureau be sent to the
Council with items indicated which have been accomplished. 0
DISCUSSION OF DENSITY REVIEW COMMITTEE REPORT
Community Development Director John LaTourelle said the Density Review Committee had been charged
with studying the general question of density in the City of Edmonds, but it had restricted itself
to the study of the downtown area only. That area was defined as being bounded by Puget Sound,
Caspers St., 7th Ave., and Pine St. The question being dealt with was one of appearance --a design
problem --construction of large structures which blocked views and looked different from the image
most people have of Edmonds. Mr. LaTourelle displayed a map of the BC, RML, and RMH zones of the
downtown area which reflected very few vacant parcels of land so zoned, so any changes would have to
be to change RS units to multi -units. The recommendations of the Committee, as modified by the
Planning Commission, were to limit the number of dwelling units to four per building, to reduce the
height of multiple buildings from 35' to 30',. to establish a minimum 1,800 sq. ft. of land per unit,
and to provide for a total of 45' in setbacks to be distributed, at the developer's discretion,.
between front, side and rear yards, provided no building is closer than 10' to another building and
that there is a minimum setback of 5' from side and rear property lines. John McGibbon, Planning
Commission Chairman and member of the Density Review Committee, said the key item in the recommenda-
tions was that of limiting multiple residences to four units. He noted that the Comprehensive Plan
recommends that Edmonds maintain a low profile, homelike appearance in its multiple residences and
recommends 4-10 units, but the Committee felt 10 was too many. He said that in terms of a rezone,
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if you did not alter the density requirements which control RML and RMH in the downtown area --with
perhaps the only limitation being 4 units per building, you could do it without a rezone. City
Attorney John Wallace said the only way you could limit it to the downtown area would be to create
a special classification; otherwise, a proposed amendment would have to be effective city-wide.
Keith LaBelle, a member of the Committee and of the Planning Commission, said the intent in bringing
this to the Council was to see if they were "in the ballpark" as they had spent a lot of time in
committee. He said if they found they were "in the ballpark" they would go back through the hearing
process. He said they had concentrated on the downtown area primarily because there was not a
strong concern from anybody regarding any other part of the City. He said they were concerned with
overdevelopment in the BC zone. Chris VanDriel, a member of the Committee, said the ADB should not
be in complete control of the appearance of the building, as there are certain rights as long as
the building is constructed within certain height limitations, setbacks, etc. Mr. LaTourelle said
the ADB had not reduced the number of units --that that would be too much of a burden on them. Mayor
Harrison noted that each of the recent changes had created a panic situation and had triggered
building permits, causing the boom in Edmonds so people would not lose values in their properties.
He said this recent study also had triggered many permits. He felt the matter should be left to
rest as there are only 10 pieces of property left to be developed --and he thought this discussion
probably would trigger permits on them. Councilman Clement, however, felt that it would have to be
dealt with at some point in time. He noted that there is the tear down and rebuild possibility.
COUNCILMAN CARNS MOVED TO DIRECT THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO STUDY THE DOWNTOWN COMMERCIAL ZONE AS
OUTLINED ON THE MAP AND TO CONDUCT A HEARING ON THE QUESTION OF WHETHER A NEW ZONE SHOULD BE CREATED.
IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA WITH THE THOUGHT IN MIND OF LIMITING MULTIPLE FAMILY DEVELOPMENTS TO 3-4 UNITS.
MOTION FAILED FOR LACK OF A SECOND. Mark Knudson, a Committee member, said one of the strongest
concerns when they dealt with the problem started out to be what impact does the economics of multiple
family dwellings have on what a person who wants to build a business can do with land in downtown
Edmonds. He said they felt the economic pressure would damage the downtown area and that is why
they tried to reduce the scale. Mr. LaTourelle commented that there presently is almost no encroach-
ment of multiple dwellings in the BC zone, only two instances of which he could think. But it was
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noted that at least one of those is a very substantial building. Councilman Herb said he would like
to see more input on some of the issues. He asked what are the facts to support the theory that
the trend is developed. And he asked where are the young people going to live in this City, and
the older people without high incomes. He asked if there is an adequate selection of housing in
the City. Chris VanDriel, who is in the real estate business, said the multiple dwellings that are
going up are out of the price range for elderly or young people. She said the market value of ].and
in Edmonds is so high that builders cannot afford to construct such units. Councilman Naughten said
he was in favor of the four recommendations made, but he thought it should apply to all of the City.
He felt there are some appropriate places for multiple dwellings in some of the BC zones. Council-
man Clement agreed. He said the bulk and dimensional requirements as they relate to all multiple,
and maybe even commercial, ought to be looked at and not just downtown. Councilman Gould agreed
that it should be city-wide. But he preferred the original recommendations of the Committee before
they were amended by the Planning Commission. He said he did not think the problem will go away
if something is not done about it, and if there is one thing the people in this City are talking
about, that is it. Councilman Carns also agreed. Discussion followed regarding asking the Planning
Commission to make a study of this matter, and possibly at the same time declaring a moratorium on
construction of multi -family dwellings during the period of such a study. It was noted that an answer
may not be had in a finite period of time. Mr. LaTourelle was asked whether the Staff felt six
months or one year would bring a resolution of the problem. He responded that the Staff does not
have the capability to do such a study, that they could do a study on the visual impact and what the
total numbers of persons would be on saturation. But he said they do not have the capability of
undertaking a detailed study to give the answers sought. COUNCILMAN CLEMENT THEN MOVED, SECONDED BY
COUNCILMAN GOULD, THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE DENSITY REVIEW COM-
MITTEE BE REMANDED TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR EVALUATION AND RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL
IN TERMS OF APPROPRIATENESS OF THEIR APPLICATION TO ALL ZONES ALLOWING MULTIPLE HOUSING IN THE CITY
OF EDMONDS, AND SPECIFICALLY THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION EVALUATE THESE IN LIGHT OF THE SEVEN
REQUIREMENTS FOR REZONE AND IN LIGHT OF ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS SUCH AS ACCESSIBILITY OF
LIGHT, AND POPULATION DENSITY AND ITS DESIRABILITY IN EDMONDS, AND THAT THEY COMPLETE THEIR
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• May 30, 1978 - continued
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Amendment' DELIBERATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE END OF CALENDAR YEAR 1978. COUNCILMAN CARNS MOVED TO AMEND
THE MOTION, SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN GOULD, THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATIONS BE READY
PRIOR TO, AND THAT A HEARING DATE BE SET FOR OCTOBER 17, 1978. THE MOTION TO AMEND CARRIED.. THE
MAIN MOTION, AS AMENDED, THEN CARRIED. Councilman Naughten commended the Density Review Committee
MOTION: on a fine piece of work. COUNCILMAN CARNS THEN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN GOULD, THAT THE CITY
ATTORNEY BE INSTRUCTED TO DRAFT A RESOLUTION AND THAT A PUBLIC HEARING BE SET FOR JUNE-20, 1978,
ON THE QUESTION OF.WHETHER THERE SHOULD BE A BUILDING MORATORIUM ON THE ISSUANCE OF BUILDING PERMITS
FOR RML AND RMH CONSTRUCTION IN THE CITY OF EDMONDS THROUGH OCTOBER 1978. A ROLL CALL VOTE WAS
TAKEN ON THE MOTION, WITH ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS VOTING YES EXCEPT COUNCILMAN HERB WHO VOTED NO.
MOTION CARRIED.
There was no further busines to come before the Council and the meeting adjourned to Executive
Session at 10:50 p.m.
IRENE VARNEY MORAN, Y CLERK
June 6, 1978
c
HARVE H. HARRISON, MAYOR
The.regular meeting of the Edmonds City Council was called to order at 7:35 p.m. by Mayor Harve
Harrison in the Council Chambers of the Edmonds Civic Center. All present joined'in-,.the flag salute.
PRESENT
Harve Harrison, Mayor
Mike Herb
Phil Clement
Katherine Allen
John Nordquist
Ray Gould
Tom Carns
Larry Naughten
CONSENT AGENDA
STAFF PRESENT
Charles Dibble, M.A.A.
Leif Larson, Public Works Director
John LaTourelle, Community Development Director
Irene Varney Moran, City Clerk
Lila Crosby, Administrative Services Director
Art Housler, Finance Director
Jack Cooper, Fire Chief
John Wallace, City Attorney
Jackie Parrett, Deputy City Clerk
Councilman Nordquist asked that Items (D) and (E) be removed from the Consent Agenda, and Councilman
MOTION:. Gould asked that Item (C) be removed. COUNCILMAN CARNS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN NAUGHTEN,:TO
APPROVE THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED, WITH COUNCILMAN CLEMENT ABSTAINING AS HE
ARRIVED AS THE VOTE WAS BEING TAKEN. The balance -,of the Consent Agenda contained the following:
(A) Roll call.
(B) Approval of Minutes of May 30, 1978.
(F) Report on bids opened May 30 for Pavement Marking Demonstration Grant Project.
(G) Report on bids opened June 1 for sale of 9th and Main St. Tank Site.
(H) Authorization to set bid opening date of June 20 for LID 203, Sanitary Sewers - Cherry Hill
area (vicinity 180th & 72nd).
AUTHORIZATION FOR MAYOR TO EXECUTE AGREEMENT FOR WATER SUPPLY FROM ALDERWOOD WATER DISTRICT
[Item (C) on Consent Agenda]
Councilman Gould inquired about the depreciation rates for the various water main pipes, which was
explained by Public Works Director Leif Larson. Councilman Gould also inquired about the eight
"Master Meters" mentioned on page 6 of the agreement. Mr. Larson explained that it was one 8" "Master
MOTION: Meter," the inch designation having been omitted in the text. COUNCILMAN GOULD THEN MOVED, SECONDED
BY COUNCILMAN CARNS, TO APPROVE ITEM (C) ON THE.CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED.
REPORT ON BIDS OPENED MAY 16 FOR PURCHASE OF COMPRESSOR Item (D) on Consent Agenda]
Councilman
packet but
Nordquist noted that a
it had been blank, and
copy of the complete bid document had been included
he suggested it would have been interesting to see
in
the
the Council
bid, itself.
Councilman
Gould asked Mr. Larson
if he.was sure
he wanted a rotary type compressor.
Mr.
Larson re-
sponded that after analyzing the
bid differential
he decided that for the difference
the
rotary would
MOTION: be better.
COUNCILMAN NORDQUIST
MOVED, SECONDED
BY COUNCILMAN CARNS, TO APPROVE ITEM
(D)
ON THE
CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED.
REPORT ON BIDS OPENED MAY 23 FOR PHASE IV, SCHEDULE F, WATER MAIN IMPROVEMENTS Item (E) on Consent Agenda]
Councilman Nordquist noted that in this report the Public Works Director was recommending a reduction
in the scope of the bid, and he asked whether Buno Construction Company was aware of this. Mr. Larson