2021-01-20 Planning Commission PacketCommissioners City Staff
Lawson Bronson, Chair Tom Medhurst, Vice-Chair Robert “Doc” Hansen, Principal Planner
Wayne Carlson Hope Elder E. Tina Piety, Administrative Assistant
Diana Noble-Gulliford Tim O’Neil 253-835-2601
Dale Couture, Alternate Eric Olsen, Alternate www.cityoffederalway.com
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City of Federal Way
PLANNING COMMISSION
January 20, 2021, 6:30 p.m. City Hall, Zoom Meeting
AGENDA
Notice: Pursuant to Governor Inslee’s Proclamation 20-28, all in-person meetings are prohibited until further
notice. The Mayor and City Council are providing opportunities for public comment by submitting written comment
or calling into the meeting to provide oral testimony. To access these options please use the following:
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two hours before the meeting starts); please reference Planning Commission Meeting – January 20th
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Listen to the live meeting: (888) 788-0099 or 253-215-8782, Meeting ID: 920 3994 8345
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1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
a. Planning Commission Meeting of December 16, 2020
4. PUBLIC COMMENT
5. COMMISSION BUSINESS
a. Elections
b. Discussion – Gaps in Our Regulations Potentially Inhibiting Housing
Development
c. Discussion – Further Discussion/Questions on Housing Needs
Assessment Provided in December
6. STAFF BUSINESS
a. Staff Report
7. NEXT MEETING
a. February 3, 2021, 6:30 p.m.
8. ADJOURNMENT
Planning Commission Minutes Page 1 December 16, 2020
CITY OF FEDERAL WAY
PLANNING COMMISSION
December 16, 2020 City Hall
6:30 p.m. Zoom
MEETING MINUTES
Commissioners present: Lawson Bronson, Tom Medhurst, Wayne Carlson, Diana Noble-Gulliford, Tim
O’Neil, Dale Couture, and Eric Olsen. Commissioners absent: Hope Elder. City Staff present: Principal
Planner Robert “Doc” Hansen, Associate Planner Chaney Skadsen, Public Works Director EJ Walsh,
Public Works Deputy Director Desiree Winkler, City Attorney Eric Rhoades, and Administrative
Assistant II Tina Piety. Consultants Emily Miner and Kevin Ramsey.
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Bronson called the meeting to order at 6:30 P.M.
MINUTES
The December 2, 2020, minutes were approved as presented.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None
COMMISSION BUSINESS
Public Hearing, Code Amendments to the FWRC Titles 4 and 19 Related to Wireless Communication
Facilities – Chair Bronson continued the public Hearing. Consultant Miner delivered the staff
presentation. The proposed amendment does four things:
1. Consolidates all wireless regulations into Title 19.
2. Updates SWF & major WCF application and review criteria.
3. Minor amendments to clean up SWF & major WCF design and aesthetic standards
to bring into compliance with updated federal regulations.
4. Establishes a new chapter for eligible facilities requests.
Consultant Miner continued with examples and specifics of the proposed amendments. Chair Bronson
opened the meeting for Public Testimony.
Greggory Busch, Wireless Policy Group, Representing AT&T – While he would like the city to
consider allowing major Wireless Communications Facilities in residential zones, he understands
it is not possible to include them at this time and looks forward to working on them next year.
Kim Allen, Wireless Policy Group, Representing Verizon –She also asks the city to consider
allowing major Wireless Communications Facilities in residential zones and looks forward to
working on them next year. Commissioner O’Neil asked how important is the need to allow
major Wireless Communications Facilities in residential zones? Ms. Allen replied they are very
important to provide better coverage and access to residential customers.
Planning Commission Minutes Page 2 December 16, 2020
Public Testimony was closed. Commissioner discussion was held regarding maintenance responsibilities,
leases, number of poles, that colocation is not feasible, and that HOA rules and some areas (such as
Campus Parkway with it many trees and flagpoles) will need to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Chair Bronson asked why small-cells are prohibited on residential property. Consultant Miner replied it is
a policy decision that was based on a number of issues, including aesthetic issues, that the power is in the
right-of-way, it will cover both sides of the street, and there is a zone around the antenna that people
shouldn’t go and this will be easier to ensure in the right-of-way as opposed to a person’s roof.
Commissioner O’Neil moved, and Commission Carlson seconded, to recommend approval of the proposed
code amendment for FWRC Titles 4 and 19 related to Wireless Communication Facilities as presented.
There was no further discussion and the motion passed. Chair Bronson closed the public hearing.
Discussion, Housing Needs Assessment in Federal Way – Consultant Ramsey delivered the staff report. He
explained what is a Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) and gave definitions of some terminology. He then
went over the results of the HNA. There was no questions or discussion on the results. Commissioner
Noble-Gulliford suggested the presentation be available to builders and developers. Vice-Chair Medhurst
commented that it would be helpful to have information of the results of these proposals in other cities.
Presentation, Subregional Findings & Framework – Planner Skadsen delivered the staff report. Federal
Way participated in a housing Subregional Framework with Auburn, Kent, Tukwila, Renton, and Burien.
She went over the findings. The goals were:
• Discover broad trends in the subregional housing market.
• Understand broad dynamics in subregional housing demographics.
• Gather and compile data at the subregional level for policy development at the city level.
• Lay the groundwork for more consistent, unified messaging for South King County cities.
Commissioner Noble-Gulliford asked if the 2008 foreclosures were factored into the growth rate. Planner
Skadsen replied the timeframe for calculating the new development was 2011 to 2019. The results from
foreclosures was not considered for this framework. Commissioner Noble-Gulliford asked if government
rate subsidies were taken into consideration? Planner Skadsen replied that they were not covered in this
presentation, but they are part of ECO Northwest’s study. Commissioner Noble-Gulliford commented she
is concerned the amount of government rate subsidies may skew the results and lead to inaccurate
projections. Planner Skadsen responded that analysis of income restricted units is a separate part of the
overall study and her concerns are addressed there. Planner Hansen stated that Commissioner Noble-
Gulliford’s concerns will be addressed as part of the strategies of the Housing Action Plan.
STAFF BUSINESS
a. Manager’s Report –None.
NEXT MEETING
January 20, 2021, 6:30 p.m., Zoom Meeting
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 P.M.
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Planning Commission Staff Memo Meeting Date: January 20, 2021
Federal Way Code Audit for Housing Action Plan Page 1
MEMORANDUM
DATE: January 20, 2021
TO: Chair, Lawson Bronson
FROM: Brian Davis, Community Development Director
Doc Hansen, Principal Planner
SUBJECT: Code Audit for the Housing Action Plan
A. BACKGROUND
The Planning Commission was presented a Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) on December 16, 2020,
regarding existing housing issues and housing needs anticipated for the City of Federal Way. The need
for housing within the city has been known for years as indicated in the 2015 comprehensive plan, and
one objective of the Housing Action Plan (HAP) is to determine which regulations within the city code
that might be changed in an effort to address some of these needs.
B. THE CODE AUDIT
MAKERS Architecture and Urban Design, one of the city’s consultants on the project, completed a
preliminary audit of Federal Way’s development code and determined potential modifications that
could facilitate more attainable housing. The Planning Commission will discuss key findings and
code update priorities of the audit. Those include the following:
High-Impact Opportunities
• Decrease off-street parking standards for many housing types.
• Consider using a form-based approach rather than the current lot size/density
requirements in the RM and BN zones.
• Reserve ground-floor commercial requirements for only the most critical block
frontages, and allow greater market flexibility for single-purpose residential on other
streets, or less critical arterial frontages.
• Begin evaluation to eliminate lot size requirements for all small lot single-family
detached in the RM zones in favor of more flexible density provisions.
Planning Commission Staff Memo Meeting Date: January 20, 2021
Federal Way Code Audit for Housing Action Plan Page 2
Additional Code Update Opportunities
• Reorganize and streamline permitted use and dimensional standards so they are easier
to locate, understand, and apply.
• Consider expanding opportunities for duplexes and triplexes strategically in the RS
zones, in sync with updates to design standards to ensure neighborhood compatibility.
• Relax the strict zone edge (higher intensity zones adjacent to single-family zones) to
reduce barriers to development.
• Amend regulations for senior/special needs/transitional housing with more
prescriptive and predictable standards on location and development size.
• Relax key landscaping buffer standards and open space standards to make missing
middle housing and apartment development more economically and physically
feasible, particularly in the RS and RM zones.
• Revisit the CC-C and CC-F building height, streetscape, and parking standards to
ensure higher design quality for a potential TOD area.