Council MIN 02-20-2016 Annual RetreatCIT
Federal Y OF Way
2016 City Council Annual Retreat Minutes*
Retreat Date: Saturday February 20, 2016, 8:30 AM — 3:15 PM
Retreat Location: Dumas Bay Retreat Center
Facilitator: James Falconer Reid, The Falconer Group
CITY COUNCIL
33325 8th Avenue South
Federal Way, WA 98003 -6325
253 835 -2402
www.cityoffederalway.com
*Clerks Note: Attached to this summary is Facilitator Jim Reid's Minutes as EXHIBIT A.
Mayor Ferrell called the meeting to order at 9:02 a.m.
City officials in attendance: Mayor Jim Ferrell, Deputy Mayor Jeanne Burbidge, Councilmember Lydia
Assefa- Dawson, Councilmember Kelly Maloney, Councilmember Susan Honda, Councilmember Mark
Koppang, Councilmember Martin Moore, and Councilmember Dini Duclos.
City staff in attendance: Chief of Staff Brian Wilson, City Attorney Amy Jo Pearsall, and City Clerk
Stephanie Courtney.
Mayor Ferrell reported the proposed Methanol plant project in the Port of Tacoma is on hold at this
time. He thanked Councilmember Maloney and Councilmember Honda and thanked the staff for the
information and turn around on this issue. He also thanked the city leadership for the quick work on that
issue; and he will continue to monitor.
Deputy Mayor thanked everyone for coming and noted the beautiful area and the Sound. We have a city
that works so hard with limited resources. The city has accomplished so much and so much more to do
and working on the projects and goals from last year.
Mayor Ferrell introduced facilitator Jim Reid.
Public Comment
Liz Drake, proud resident of Federal Way and very committed to the success of the city. She
spoke to the strong connection needed between the city and the school district.
Judy Zurligren, spoke in concern over illegal dumping near and in Lakota Creek and Joes Creek.
She encouraged Councilmembers to visit her property and view. She is concerned with the
habitat.
Lynn Long, thanked the council for listening to the Camp Kilworth supporters at the last
meeting. February 28th is the 80th birthday of the camp. She is concerned about Pacific Council
Federal Way City Council Retreat Minutes Page 1 of 3
February 16, 2016
obtaining permits to cut trees on the properties. She asked Council to please halt any permits
and give the camp time to develop the 501(c)(3).
Mary Ehlis, also speaking on behalf of Camp Kilworth, lives in the neighborhood and supports
the property use as -is. She is also concerned with the historic buildings on the property and the
logging of the trees.
Update on Major City Initiatives
• Economic Development — Discussion led by Economic Development Director Tim
Johnson
• IRG purchase of Weyerhaeuser campus — Discussion led by Chief of Staff Brian Wilson
regarding the next steps in the IRG purchase of the Weyerhaeuser property
• Town Center - Discussion led by Economic Development Director Tim Johnson.
• Downtown Design Guidelines, process & timelines — Discussion led by Community
Development Director Michael Morales
• Image /Rebranding, public input process — discussion led by Chief of Staff Brian Wilson
• University Initiative Update — discussion led by Chief of Staff Brian Wilson
Camp Kilworth
Chief of Staff Brian Wilson and City Attorney Amy Jo Pearsall spoke to the history and options regarding
the property. Community Development Director Michael Morales also answered questions regarding
the current zoning for the property.
Council Rules of Procedure
City Attorney Amy Jo Pearsall reviewed various portions of the Council Rules where Councilmembers
have made suggestions to modify. The following sections were discussed:
• Section 3.5 When Agendas are Published and How
• Section 16 Council Travel & Expenses
• Section 17 Public Records
• Section 19 Process for Selecting Commission Members
• Section 19.10 Interviews of Alternates prior to appointment as Voting Member
• Section 20.7 Alternates to Committees
• Section 20.8 Role of Deputy Mayor as Ex Officio Member of Council Committees
At 12:32 p.m. Mr. Reid recessed the meeting to break for lunch.
Mr. Reid called the meeting back to order at 1:13 p.m.
Multi - Family Housing Inventory
Community Development Director Morales led a discussion on the current Multi - Family Housing
Inventory.
Federal Way City Council Retreat Minutes Page 2 of 3
February 16, 2016
Homelessness
Community Development Director Morales also led a discussion on Homelessness. Topics included the
One Night Count — Federal Way; Children /Young Adult Homelessness; and Partnerships Development to
Address Homelessness.
OpenGov Council Discussion
Finance Director Ade Ariwoola led the discussion on the OpenGov Financial Software.
Dumas Bay Retreat Centre
Parks Director John Hutton and Dumas Bay Centre Manager Rob Ettinger led the discussion on the
facility and the vision for the future of the property.
This item was not discussed further, as it was announced the project is currently on hold.
Public Comment
Betty Taylor, spoke about applying to a Commission and being appointed as an alternate and
not a voting member. She was pleased it was brought to the attention of the Council and is
grateful for them looking at this issue.
Betty Simpson, thought it was a good retreat and a lot of things were discussed. She would like
to see Federal Way Days brought back and would like to see a deck added to the facility.
Mayor Ferrell and Deputy Mayor Ferrell thanked everyone who attended and participated in the retreat.
There being nothing further on the agenda, Mayor Ferrell adjourned the meeting at 3:52 p.m.
Attest:
Stephanie D. Courtney, CMC
City Clerk
Approved by Council: 0345; l
Federal Way City Council Retreat Minutes Page 3 of 3
February 16, 2016
CITY OF FEDERAL WAY CITY COUNCIL
ANNEAL STRATEGIC PLANNING RETREAT
Saturday, 20 February 2016
EXHIBITA
Dumas Bay Retreat Centre 9:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
SUMMARY
OF THE MEETING'S KEY DISCUSSIONS, DECISIONS AND AGREEMENTS
REVISED ON I MARCH 2®91 PER THE CO NUTS OF DEPUTY AYOR
JEANNE 3 RO K GE AND CITY ATTORNEY AMY JO I EARSALL
THE COUNCIL'S DISCUSSIONS, DECISIONS, AND AGREEMENTS
Here are the highlights of the discussions and agreements during the Federal Way City
Council's 2016 Annual Strategic Planning Retreat.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Following Economic Development Manager Tim Johnson's briefing, Councilmembers
stated that they are interested in the City: 1) proactively retaining existing businesses and
recruiting new ones; and 2) learning what other cities across the nation have done to
stimulate job creation and expansion. The Council suggested that one strategy to
achieve these interests is for the City of Federal Way to build or strengthen partnerships
with business organizations, such as the Chamber of Commerce, and institutions of
higher education. Mayor Ferrell provided an illustration of the City's partnerships with
businesses. The City closely monitored the purchase of the Weyerhaeuser property by
the Industrial Realty Group (IRG). IRG's CEO flew to town to meet with the Mayor, and
the City and IRG pledged to continue to coordinate and communicate as IRG
determines the building's future and recruits new tenants.
Tim suggested that the Council could play a key role in helping to promote Federal Way.
He also asked Councilmembers share their extensive knowledge of the community with
staff.
A theme of Tim's briefing was that Federal Way's economic climate is "positive and
improving." Stronger tenants are interested in the Commons Mall and City Center Plaza,
while Macy's and Wal- Mart's Federal Way stores are doing well. Three former grocery
stores are being repurposed and, given their locations, are likely to attract good tenants.
The National Special Olympics is coming to Seattle in July 2018; swimming events may be
held at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center. And the Seattle Sports
Commission is applying to host the U.S. Diving Team Trials at the Center in 2018 or 2019.
Tim cited a big challenge to economic growth in the community: sustaining small
businesses. The City is trying to meet that challenge by assisting "mom and pop" shops
and small entrepreneurs in applying for loans under the federal Community Reinvestment
Act.
TOWN CENTER AND DOWNTOWN DESIGN GUIDELINES
The primary outcome of this discussion was that all Councilmembers expressed interest in
providing leadership on the future of Town Center and the development of design
guidelines. They want to be partners with the Administration in ensuring that: 1)
downtown Federal Way has a "sense of place;" 2) Town Center is an attractive, vibrant
downtown that stimulates economic growth throughout the community; and 3)
businesses that locate to Town Center enhance the Performing Arts and Events Center
(PAEC). Councilmembers also want the City to influence the design of Sound Transit's
new station to ensure its architecture is consistent with the design of Town Center. Finally,
the Council stated its interest in involving the public and business community in the
development of Town Center and its design guidelines.
To launch this conversation, Tim briefed the Council on progress implementing the vision
for Town Center. With the PAEC expected to open in 2017, the City is working to locate
an "upper mid - scale" hotel adjacent to it. Tim expects the City to receive three to five
proposals from hoteliers by the 15 April deadline. This could mean that the Council
approves one of the proposals in June or July.
The City is also issuing a "Letter of Intent" to solicit businesses to propose projects on the
site of the former Target store. He acknowledged that the Mayor and Council have
previously suggested that this site as a "perfect fit" for a branch campus of WSU or the
UW, and the City has had discussions with representatives of the two universities about
locating in Federal Way. Tim asked Councilmembers to suggest to him businesses that
they believe might be appropriate candidates for this property, and to share with the
Administration what they hear from constituents about the development and design of
Town Center. Tim believes the City could select a business or entity to develop the former
Target site in early 2017.
He also commented that the City and Chamber of Commerce have worked together to
develop a "relocation guide" to attract new businesses to Federal Way.
Councilmembers requested frequent communication with and regularly scheduled
briefings from the Administration about Town Center and the design guidelines so that
they can be "out front" on these issues and work closely with the Mayor and his staff.
They were enthusiastic about using the City's website and other social media to get the
word out to the community and "tap into what the community is talking about."
IMAGE AND REBRANDING THE CITY
The City is working with Rusty George Creative of Tacoma on the rebranding of Federal
Way. A community survey is being developed. Councilmember Maloney asked if the
Council could see it before it goes out; the Mayor's Chief of Staff, Brian Wilson, said he
would work to accommodate that request. Brian stated that a "social media blast" will
help fuel citizen interest in participating in the survey, and the Council will be briefed on
the results on 14 March.
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THE UNIVERSITY INITIATIVE
The City is interested in attracting a branch campus of WSU or UW to Federal Way, with
the site of the former Target store a prime candidate. MGT America is doing a "needs
assessment" at the City's request. The City has received the Chamber of Commerce's
support in pursuing a university branch campus. One Councilmember suggested that
the City confer with businesses throughout the region about the attraction of placing a
branch campus in Federal Way and how specifically it might enhance Federal Way's
attraction to businesses.
CAMP KILWORTH
From the discussion of the Boy Scout Camp Kilworth emerged a consensus among the
Council that the camp is a huge asset to the quality of life in Federal Way and should be
maintained as a camp and open space. Mayor Ferrell and the Council agreed that the
City should assist the parties —the Boy Scouts and the Kilworth Foundation —in reaching
agreement to preserve the camp.
To achieve the City's interest, the Mayor and Council agreed to: 1) get clarity from the
Boy Scouts and Kilworth Foundation about their intentions for the camp; 2) express the
City's interests in preserving the camp and assisting the parties in helping maintain the
status quo; and 3) ask for clarity about a 1 March deadline for determining the camp's
future (is the deadline "hard and fast ? ").
The Council and Mayor also agreed to prepare to explore other options for preserving
the camp. For example, the City is already developing a historic preservation ordinance
that could confer "protected status" on the property. But the Mayor and Council
reiterated that there are "too many unknowns and we need clarity" on what the Boy
Scouts and Kilworth Foundation are considering for the camp's future.
Two of the four citizens who spoke at the start of the retreat, Lynne Long and Mary Ehlis,
commented about the future of Camp Kilworth. They asked the City to help preserve the
camp, including the big trees on the property.
COUNCIL RULES
City Attorney Amy Jo Pearsall guided the Council through a discussion of some of its
Rules of Procedure. Here are the Council's agreements on changes to the rules:
1. Council RUIC 3.5: This rule will be changed to require that the final agenda for City
Council meetings will be delivered to Councilmembers by 5 p.m. the previous
Thursday. Amy Jo will draft the proposed changes to Rule 3.5 and submit them
to the Council
2. COMM Rule 16: Amy Jo will have staff investigate the practices of other
municipalities for allowing travel by Councilmembers to conferences and
seminars where they would officially represent the City, and for reimbursing the
members for such travel costs. Council is interested in a specified process for
determining appropriate travel and reimbursement. Amy Jo will present the
findings of staff's research to the Finance, Economic Development, and
Regional Affairs Committee (FEDRAC), and will work with the Council to draft
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proposed updates to Rule 16 based on that research. The Councilmembers
stated that they expect this issue to be raised again during the adoption of the
City's budget, which will include a budget for the operations of the City Council.
3. Council Rule 17: The Council decided to make no changes to how the City deals
with Public Records requests. Amy Jo told the Council that the City "casts a
wide" net in terms of responding to such requests, and informs everyone whose
emails and other communications are provided as part of the requests.
4. CODUCII Rule 19.10: Councilmembers expressed an interest in ensuring that the
members of City Commissions are vibrant and engaged. To that end, Council
agreed to change Rule 19.10 so that incumbents on City Commissions are not
automatically reappointed. Instead, when a term expires, the City will publish
that fact and solicit applications. The most qualified candidates will then be
interviewed. Assuming that the applicants are impressive, the number of
alternates may be increased to provide more people with the opportunity to
participate and to increase the pool of potential candidates for the
Commissions when there are vacancies or when terms expire.
When there is a mid -term vacancy on the Commission, alternates may be
interviewed as part of the process of filling it, but only if they have not recently
been interviewed. Council will have further discussion about how long that
timeframe will be. Some suggestions were six months or one year.
Amy Jo will draft the proposed changes to Rule 19.10 and submit them to the
Council.
5. Council Rule 20.8: Council agreed to change this rule so that the Deputy Mayor can
become a voting member of a Council Committee when a quorum of the
Committee cannot be achieved. This new rule will create an opportunity to
create a quorum and allow the meeting to proceed. When a Councilmember is
late and the Deputy Mayor has participated in the discussions and is prepared
to vote, she /he will still be allowed to do so even as the permanent Committee
member joins the proceedings.
Councilmembers also agreed that it is at the discretion of the Committee Chair
to decide how long to wait for a Committee member who is late. Ten minutes
appeared to be the reasonable amount of time to delay convening the
meeting, based on the sentiments that Councilmembers expressed during this
discussion.
MULTI- FAMILY HOUSING INVENTORY
During this discussion, the Council reflected concerns in the community that the three
new large multi - family housing developments being constructed in Federal Way are all
Section 8 or low- income housing. Councilmembers are interested in addressing the
needs of low- income people while balancing the stock of multi - family housing to serve
people of all income levels. No matter whom the new housing serves, the City would like
to raise standards so that multi - family housing developments fit in the neighborhoods,
including Town Center, and contribute to improving Federal Way's image. The Council
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also expressed an interest in working closely with the Federal Way School District to
ensure that the schools can plan for and handle the influx of new students.
Community Development Director Michael Morales listed a number of potential code
changes that might raise the standards of multi - family housing in the community. The
following code changes could be adopted for multi - family developments of twenty or
more units:
• Require structured parking.
• Require commercial on the ground floor in all zones (CC -C, CC -F, BC, BN, and
MF)
• Prohibit concentration of three, four, and five bedroom units in one area.
• For larger projects, require laundry rooms, storage areas, and common areas for
social gathering.
■ Provide multiple small parking lots in lieu of one large lot.
• Amend the zoning code to not allow private yards, patios, and balconies, as well
as common areas such as recreation rooms, rooftop terraces, pools, active
lobbies, and atriums to be credited to open space requirements.
• Provide each household with some form of useful private open space, such as a
patio, porch, deck, balcony, yard, or shared entry porches or balconies.
• Minimize the bulk and massive appearance of large structures through the use of
varied sloping rooflines, varying roof heights, and directions and shapes of the
roofline to visually breakup a large structure.
• Minimize bulk of buildings by restricting the number of units in each building.
• Increase setbacks with height.
The Council proposed that the City take stock of existing multi - family housing before
adding more. And to help achieve the economic development goal of attracting high -
end jobs to Federal Way, the City should encourage mixed use developments and the
higher quality multi - family housing that the above potential code changes could
produce.
Other strategies that various Councilmembers suggested were: 1) Educate the public
about the need for a diverse housing stock to accommodate a diverse population; 2)
Assist the School District in identifying appropriate sites for new schools; 3) Coordinate
with the other cities in King County to ensure that cities on the eastside of the County are
accepting their fair share of affordable and low- income housing; 4) Coordinate with
such entities as the King County Housing Authority to obtain the latest, most accurate
data on housing needs, affordability, and availability; 5) Prevent illegal conversions
(where more people live in a home, apartment, or condo than the law allows); and 6)
Improve the existing stock of multi- family housing.
HOMELESSNESS
As Michael Morales illustrated, the City of Federal Way is doing quite a lot to address the
needs of homeless people within the community. The City is also participating in regional
efforts, particularly in South King County, to address the increasing number of homeless
people. Yet the 29 January 2016 overnight homeless count indicated a 150% increase in
the number of homeless people in Federal Way since January 2015.
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To build upon existing initiatives, the Councilmembers suggested that the City: 1) work
with King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer to address homelessness
regionally; 2) balance the needs of homeless people and surrounding neighborhoods; 3)
get the word "out on the street" that Federal Way is not a mecca for homeless people
and that the City will not tolerate lawlessness; and 4) hire homeless people to give them
the income that will enable them to move into permanent housing.
OPENGOV SOFTWARE
As a result of the discussion about the OpenGov software, the Council agreed that
financial information the City posts on its website, including the City's budget, needs to
be more understandable, accessible, and interactive.
The Mayor's Chief of Staff Brian Wilson told the Council he will ask Rusty George if it
possible to insert into the community survey a question or two about how the public gets
its information about the City's finances and what forms would be most appealing and
understandable. The Council directed the Mayor to work with the departments to try to
use graphics, such as "pie charts," to more clearly, easily, and engagingly present the
City's finances and budget on its website.
The Mayor and Council also expressed enthusiasm for the idea of putting programmatic
budgeting on public affairs Channel 21. They suggested that the public be encouraged
to submit questions that would be addressed by the program.
DUMAS BAY RETREAT CENTRE
As a result of the briefing by Parks and Recreation Department Director John Hutton and
Dumas Bay Retreat Centre manager Rob Ettinger, the Council agreed that it should hold
a special study session to discuss a long -term vision for the Centre. Councilmembers
would like information about what the seven items on Rob's "wish list" would cost, and
how the Administration would prioritize them. They also agreed that a long -term capital
plan is needed. Although the City has spent approximately $300,000 in the last few years
to maintain the facility, Rob estimated that a capital plan could reveal the need for
improvements in the range of half a million dollars. With other worthwhile projects facing
the City, the Council strongly supported having a vision and plan to guide future
decisions regarding the City's investment in the Centre.
CONCLUSION
At the beginning and end of the retreat, Federal Way residents offered their thoughts
and ideas to the Mayor and Council. Liz Drake of the Federal Way School Board
distributed the Board's 2016 State Legislative Platform and invited the City to "add your
voice to ours" in advancing it in Olympia. Judy Zurilgen asked the City for stronger
enforcement of the code to prevent the dumping of garbage along Lakota Creek.
Lynne Long and Mary Ehlis provided testimony about the need to preserve the Boy Scout
camp and open space at Camp Kilworth, which they cited as a neighborhood and
community asset. Betty Taylor described her experience serving as an alternate on a
Commission and supported changes the Council discussed earlier to the process of
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elevating alternates to voting members. Bette Simpson asked the Council to bring back
Federal Way Days.
Mayor Ferrell and Deputy Mayor Jeanne Burbidge thanked the public for attending, the
staff for organizing the retreat and presenting materials to guide the discussions, and the
other Councilmembers for a "very good day of discussions and exploration."
The retreat adjourned at 3:45 p.m.
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