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Planning Commission MINS 06-05-2019CITY OF FEDERAL WAY PLANNING COMMISSION June 5, 2019 City Hall 6:30 p.m. City Council Chambers MEETING MINUTES Commissioners present: Wayne Carlson, Lawson Bronson, Dawn Meader McCausland, Tim O'Neil, Diana Noble-Gulliford, Eric Olsen, and Dale Couture. Commissioners absent: Tom Medhurst and Hope Elder (ex). City Staff present: Planning Manager Robert "Doc" Hansen, Principal Planner Margaret Clark, Senior Planner Ryan Medlen, and Deputy City Attorney Mark Orthmann. CALL TO ORDER Chair Carlson called the meeting to order at 6:30�P.M.� APPROVAL OF MINUTES The May 1, 2019, minutes were approved as presented. AUDIENCE COMMENT None ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT - Planning Manager Hansen informed the Commission that the amendments for the Shoreline Master Program went before LUTC and was approved for First Reading before the City Council. COMMISSION BUSINESS DISCUSSION: Upcoming Items Before Council for Docket— Kitts Corner and Belmore Principal Planner Clark delivered a short presentation. City staff has started the 2019 comprehensive plan amendment process. As part of that process, the City Council makes a determination of what, if any, proposals will go through the process (the selection process). Staff prepares a preliminary report with a preliminary analysis (per the criteria in the Federal Way Revised Code [FWRC]) and the Mayor's recommendation based on those criteria. Once the Council makes the selection of what will be included in that year's update, staff prepares a more substantial analysis (again per the FWRC). After environmental review, that report and updated Mayor's recommendation will go through the Planning Commission (for a public hearing), LUTC, and Council (for final approval). These two requests have been reviewed by the LUTC, are now before the Commission for briefing purposes, and will go to the Council for the final decision to select them for further analysis or not. The Kitts Corner (Federal Way Village) is a request for a rezone from Community Business with Conditions, to just Community Business (no conditions). The site is 20.61 acres located west of Pacific Planning Commission Minutes Page 1 ,lune 5, 2019 Highway South and south of South 336"' Street. The existing use is vacant land with an office and automobile shop. The Mayor recommends this proposal moves forward for further review. The LUTC concurs with the Mayor's recommendation. \ The Belmore request is for a rezone from Multi -Family (RM 3600) to City Center -Core (CC -C). The site is 62.74 acres located south of South 324"' Street and west of I-5. The existing use is the Belmore Mobile Home Park. The Mayor recommends this proposal moves forward for further review. The LUTC concurs with the Mayor's recommendation. Commissioner O'Neil regarding the Kitt's Corner proposal, he recalls there was a proposal about 2011, what happened to that? Planner Clark replied that the problem is that the owner (and the city) receives proposed plans and ideas, but no one has moved forward with them. The property will likely develop if the city removes the conditions, including the requirement to prepare a master plan. The proposal in question is currently extended to April 2020. Commissioner Noble-Gulliford asked why the conditions were applied in the first place. Planner Clark replied that the Council at the time wanted to be assured any development would be more substantial, not simply a gas station and convenience store, strip development, etc. They wanted to see something like'the Kent's Commons. Commissioner Noble- Gulliford asked if the conditions that would be removed include conditions for the roads. Planner Clark replied that any conditions regarding the roads will remain. It is just the zoning conditions they are asking be removed. Commissioner Meader McCausland asked if staff would consider new conditions under this proposal. Planner Clark replied that staff has not analyzed possible additional conditions, but likely will not propose any additional conditions. Commissioner Meader McCausland asked if commercial design standards have changed to the point that not requiring the conditions will likely lead to the type of development the former Council wanted to see. Planner Clark replied that the standards have not changed. Commissioner Noble-Gulliford asked why the properties to the west of Belmor are not being considered as part of this proposal. Planner Clark responded that the city currently has a developer who is proposing senior housing on one of the parcels. The city has not received any interest from the owners of the other parcel. Commissioner Noble-Gulliford expressed concern that since it is the owner of the mobile home park who received notice of this meeting, the individual owners of the mobile homes may not be aware. Manager Hanson commented that the owner of the mobile home park is the'applicant and that efforts have been made to make the residents aware of this process. He noted that staff will include comments from residents in any further research. Planner Clark stated that at the environmental review stage (SEPA) the city will post the site with notice boards, so the residents will be made aware of the proposal this way if they haven't already heard. It will also be posted prior to the Commission's public hearing. Commissioner Noble-Gulliford asked if Sound Transit has been notified. Manager Hansen replied that Sound Transit has been involved. Commissioner Noble-Gulliford asked how the proposed three years of back rent compare with the current Landlord/Tenant law. Planner Clark replied she does not know at this timer Staff will consider this during further research. Commissioner Bronson expressed concern regarding a possible extension of South 324`" over I-5. Planner Clark replied that the city (just today) received the report of three possible alternatives for the extension of South 324th. Since the reportjust arrived, staff will plan for an update to the Commission on a later date. Chair Carlson asked how much analysis has staff done on these proposals. Planner Clark replied that staff has only analyzed them regarding if they meet the FWRC criteria. Staff is waiting on some studies from the applicant. Chair Carlson asked if the city has received statistics of population increase that would support such an up -zone in this area. Planner Clark replied the city works closely with the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) on this issue. The city's current population target will have to be increased to accommodate this increase in units. Staff has talked to PSRC and they don't foresee any problems with an increase. It can be included in PSRC's update to the 2050 Vision, which they have started. Planning Commission Minutes 4 Page 2 June 5, 2019 Commissioner Meader McCausland asked if the applicant has considered phasing their proposed development. Planner Clark replied that the city has not gotten to that level of detail as yet. The applicant intends to submit a "vision statement" for the proposal before the end of the month. Commissioner Meader McCausland asked in regards to the Kitt's Corner proposal, would housing be allowed. Planner Clark replied that senior housing is allowed in the Community Business zone outright, general apartments must have some sort of commercial on the first floor; so it would'be mixed-use. Commissioner Meader McCausland asked if there are conditions on multi -family when it abuts single-family housing. Planner Clark replied there are no conditions, but in this case, there will be a large,buffer because there is a wetland on each side. DISCUSSION: Housekeeping Amendments Planned Within the Next.Two Months Manager Hansen informed the Commission about what housekeeping amendments are planned for the next two months. They are the first 12 items on the Commission's work program. He expects to bring them before the Commission within the next two months. There will be study sessions before the public hearing so Commissioners will have a good understanding of the proposals before the hearing. No Commissioner comments. DISCUSSION: Sound Transit Update Senior Planner Ryan Medlen led the discussion. He is a new city employee who will be serving as the point person with Sound Transit. There are three pieces of the Sound Transit process currently working their way through the city. The first is the Federal Way Link Extension (the line from Angle Lake to the Federal Way Transit Center). The development agreement for this was approved by the City Council and will now go to Sound Transit for their approval and then will be signed by all parties. Sound Transit has selected their Design Build Contractor, Kiewit, who is located in Federal Way. Expect permitting activity to start soon and may even have some minor construction activity later this year. The city has two of the sites under consideration for the Operations and Maintenance Facility. The city is focused on lobbying for the Midway landfill site in Kent. Likely won't know more until mid -2020, which is when it is expected the draft EIS will come out. The third piece is the Tacoma Dome Link Extension (Federal Way Transit Center to Tacoma Dome). It is nearing the end of the scoping phase. It is expected that Sound Transit will identify alternatives for further study in July. The Council voted last night to send a Tetter supporting two sites in particular (SF8/9, which runs by Jet Chevrolet and SF2 West [preferred], which runs by Enchanted Parkway; out of six identified). Commissioner Bronson commented that he was a stakeholder in a group that now has been dissolved. He finds it interesting that the Council is supporting the S178/9'alternative because the stakeholders group felt it was not justified. It would be quite a challenge getting through the area and none of them saw a reasonable way of doing so. When will be the next public comment opportunity? Planner Medlen stated the next would be with Sound Transit. He doesn't know when the issue will next appear before the City Council, but they always have an opportunity for public comment. Commissioner Noble-Gulliford asked if an analysis has been done on the possible fiscal impact if we lose the Jet Chevrolet property for auto sales. Planner Medlen replied not to his knowledge, but usually a fiscal impact study is done as part of the environmental review, which will be done by Sound Transit. He doesn't know if the possible fiscal impact of losing the site for auto sales will be included in the study. Commissioner Noble-Gulliford commented that the city is likely to see construction lasting some ten years for this project. We are seeing the beginning of businesses being purchased by Sound Transit. As a result, we are losing jobs and businesses in our city. Sound Transit will need a substantially amount of property for all three pieces of this project. It means a substantially about of jobs and businesses seeing negative Planning Commission Minutes Page 3 ` June 5, 2019 effects and a substantial amount of negative effects on the traffic. Has the city considered a study that includes all three pieces and the affect the changes/construction will have on the city and what would be the best way to approach the proposals? Planner Medlen commented that Sound Transit has purchased most of the property for the Federal Way Link Extension. For the Tacoma Dome Extension, the city has seen some preliminary reports of possible impacts. Once a decision of the alternatives is made, the city will be able to review impact reports prepared for the alternatives. Economic Director Tim Johnson has been proactively speaking too many of the businesses that may be affected. Chair Carlson commented that it seems Commissioner Noble-Gulliford's concern is that the city is being reactive and if the city were proactive and produced such reports, Sound Transit might take them into account during their selection process for their preferred alternative. Commissioner Noble-Gulliford commented that when ST3 was approved by voters, there wasn't much said in regards to Transit Oriented Development, but there is now. It seems Sound Transit is basing part of their decision of where to place the route on how much they can make from Transit Oriented Development and it has changed the dynamics of this project. How is the city planning for it? Manager Hansen commented that.he differs with the Commissioner's concern that the city has been reactive and not proactive. In the past, the city did not participate has much as we could have due to internal complications. Currently, the city is being much more proactive. There are currently nine alternatives because when Sound Transit first proposed one route, the city insisted that alternatives be considered, not just one. It is because of the city's involvement that there is an active outreach program and that citizen and business comments are being seriously considered. Commissioner O'Neil asked how will pedestrians be able to cross 320th. Planner Clark replied that the city is contemplating ideas for this issue, but has not yet reached a decision. ADDITIONAL BUSINESS None ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 7:30 P.M. KAPlanning Commission\2016Weeting Summary 06-05-19.doc Planning Commission Minutes Page 4 June 5, 2019