HomeMy WebLinkAboutord2010-065 WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL AGENDA BILL NO. 2010-403
CLEARANCES Initial Date Date Received in Council Office Agenda Date Assigned to:
Originator: dctfra
Tyler Schroeder 11/09/2010 11/23/2010 P&D Committee
Division Head: -C IE V E D
Roxanne Michael 11 / 23 / 20 Introduction
Dept. Head:
Sam Ryan NOV 16 2010 12 / 07 / 2010 Hearing
Prosecutor:
Royce Buckingham —) 1 f2jO WHATCOM COUNTY
Purchasing/Budget:
COUNCIL
Executive: IP
Pete Kremen ► ;
TITLE OF DOCUMENT:
Rezoning approximately 770 acres in the Birch Bay area from one unit per ten acres (R10) to one unit per five
acres (R5)
ATTACHMENTS:
1 . Staff Memo Dated November 9, 2010
2 . Draft Ordinance
SEPA review required? ( X ) Yes ( ) NO Should Clerk schedule a hgaring? (x ) Yes ( X' ) NO
SEPA review completed? ( X ) Yes ( ) NO Requested Date 12 / 07 / 2010
'The Council must hold a hearing if they want to adopt an ordinance, since the
Planning Commission did not fonvard a recommendation (WCC 20. 90. 050).
SUMMARY STATEMENT OR LEGAL NOTICE LANGUAGE: (If this item is an ordinance or requires a public
hearing, you must provide the language for use in the required public notice. Be specific and cite RCW or WCC as appropriate. Be
clear in explaining the intent of the action.)
The proposed rezone would change the zoning on approximately770 acres adjacent to the Birch Bay Urban
Growth Area (UGA) from R10 — one dwelling unit per ten acres — to R5 — one dwelling unit per five acres.
COMMITTEE ACTION: COUNCIL ACTION:
11 / 23 / 2010 : Discussed . 11 / 23 / 2010 : Introduced
12 / 07 / 2010 : Council Adopted 4- 3 , Brenner ,
Mann & Weimer opposed
Ord . 2010-065
Related County Contract #: Related File Numbers: Ordinance or Resolution Number:
PLN2010-00010 Ord . 2010- 065
A$ 2610 -- 35z_
Please Note: Once adopted and signed, ordinances and resolutions are available for viewing and printing on
the County 's website at: www. co. whatcom. wa. us/council.
1 Birch Bay Rezone
2 SPONSORED BY: Consent
3 PROPOSED BY: PDS
4 INTRODUCTION DATE : November 23, 2010
5
6 ORDINANCE NO. 2010-065
7
8 AMENDING WHATCOM COUNTY'S OFFICIAL TITLE 20 ZONING MAP,
9 REZONING APPROXIMATELY 770 ACRES ADJACENT TO THE BIRCH BAY
10 URBAN GROWTH AREA FROM RURAL ONE UNIT PER TEN ACRES ( R10)
11 TO RURAL ONE UNIT PER FIVE ACRES ( R5 )
12
13 WHEREAS, the Whatcom County Council initiated a suggested zoning amendment to
14 rezone approximately 789 acres adjacent to the Birch Bay Urban Growth Area from one unit per
15 ten acres ( R10 ) to one unit per five acres ( R5 ) to the Docket on March 16, 2010 ;
16
17 WHEREAS, on July 9, 2010 , a State Environmental Policy Act ( SEPA) Determination of
18 Nonsignificance ( DNS ) was issued ;
19
20 - WHEREAS, notice of the Planning Commission hearing for the proposed zoning
21 amendment was published in the Bellingham Herald on August 1 , 2010 ;
22
23 WHEREAS, notice of the Planning Commission hearing for the proposed zoning
24 amendment was posted on the subject property on August 2, 2010 ;
25
26 WHEREAS, the Whatcom County Planning and Development Services ( PDS) sent notice
27 of the proposed rezone to property owners within the rezone area and 1000 feet outside of the
28 rezone area on August 2 , 2010 ;
29
30 WHEREAS, PDS sent, via email , notice of the proposed rezone action to the Washington
31 State Department of Commerce on August 3 , 2010 and received an acknowledgement letter of
32 receipt of the notice on August 10 , 2010 ;
33
34 WHEREAS, a Whatcom County Planning Commission public hearing was held on the
35 subject amendment August 12 , 2010 . The Planning Commission voted 4-4, with Belisle absent,
36 on a motion to approve the staff recommendation for denial . The motion failed for lack of a
37 majority and the amendment was forwarded to the County Council without a recommendation
38 from the Planning Commission ;
39
40 WHEREAS, the County Council 's Planning and Development Committee considered the
41 proposed rezone on October 26 , 2010 , voting 2 - 0 with Knutzen absent, to hold the item in
42 committee ;
43
44
1
1 WHEREAS, the County Council voted 5 - 2 to request PDS staff to draft an ordinance for
2 the rezone on October 26 , 2010, and
3
4 WHEREAS, The County Council has adopted the following findings of fact :
5
6 FINDINGS OF FACT
7
8 1 . Ordinance No . 2009- 071 was adopted November 24, 2009 and removed
9 approximately 789 acres from the Birch Bay Urban Growth Area .
10
11 2 . These lands so removed from the Urban Growth Area were, for the most part,
12 downzoned from the Urban Residential 4 dwelling units per acre ( UR4) to Rural 1 unit per 10
13 acres ( R10 ) .
14
15 3 . On December 31 , 2009 , Councilmember Sam Crawford submitted a suggested
16 zoning amendment pursuant to WCC 20 . 90 . 040 (4) to rezone the properties that were removed
17 from the Birch Bay UGA by Ordinance No . 2009 - 071 from R( 10 ) to R( 5 ) .
18
19 4 . On March 16 , 2010 , pursuant to Resolution 2010- 008 , the County Council
20 approved the docketing of Crawford 's proposal for consideration by staff and Planning
21 Commission .
22
23 5 . Notice of Planning Commission hearing was mailed to surrounding property
24 owners within 1 , 000 feet of the subject site on August 2 , 2010 . Such notice was also posted on
25 the property on August 2 , 2010 and published in the Bellingham Herald on August 1 , 2010 .
26
27 6 . On August 10 , 2010 , the Whatcom County Council reinstated the area known as
28 " Maritime Manor", approximately 19 acres, as a part of the Birch Bay Urban Growth Area ,
29 Ordinance 2010 - 037 . The remaining acreage for the rezone from R( 10 ) to R( 5 ) is 770 acres .
30
31 7 . The Planning staff in its report of August 12 , 2010 , for a variety of reasons,
32 recommended that the proposed rezone not be approved .
33
34 8 . Whatcom County Planning Commission held a public hearing on August 12, 2010
35 to consider the proposal . After hearing , a staff report, the Planning Commission 's vote on the
36 matter resulted in a 4 to 4 tie, and the matter was forwarded to the County Council without
37 recommendation .
38
39 9 . At its meeting of October 26, 2010 , the Whatcom County Council voted to bring
40 an ordinance forward approving the proposed rezone for introduction at a future meeting .
41
42 10 . A State Environmental Policy Act Determination of Non Significance was issued
43 July 9 , 2010 .
2
1
2 11 . Notice of the proposed zoning amendment was submitted to the Washington
3 State Department of Commerce on August 3 , 2010 .
4
5 12 . The current Comprehensive Plan designation for the property being considered for
6 rezone is Rural , with approximately 200 acres designated as Urban Growth Area Reserve .
7
8 13 . The staff report argues that the proposed R( 5 ) designation is inconsistent with
9 Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan Goal 2K and Policy 2K- 1 . This policy states that the
10 lands in the 100-year floodplains should be limited to low intensity land uses . Staff argues that
11 this means R( 10 ) zoning is acceptable but R( 5 ) is not . The Council rejects that interpretation .
12 R( 5 ) is a low intensity use .
13
14 14 . Staff further contends that the proposed amendment is inconsistent with Goal
15 2DD and Policy 2DD - 10 . This policy states as follows :
16
17 " Rezones from one dwelling unit per ten acre ( R10A) zoning districts to one
18 dwelling unit per five acre ( R5A) zoning districts should be discouraged . "
19
20 This language is not mandatory . In this case, Council finds that mitigating the financial
21 hardship to the property owners whose property was downzoned from UR-4 to R10A outweighs
22 the importance of Policy 2DD- 10 . Furthermore, Council notes in rejecting staff's
23 recommendation that R5A is a rural zone . This decision is within Council prerogative to resolve
24 the Planning Commission deadlock in this manner.
25
26 15 . With regard to the applicability of the text discussion related to Urban Growth
27 Area Reserves on Page 2- 71 of Chapter 2 of the Comprehensive Plan noted in the staff report,
28 Council finds that this language is advisory and not mandatory . Council further finds that
29 consideration of financial hardship for those property owners whose lands were downzoned from
30 UR-4 to R10 takes precedence in this case .
31
32 16 . Council finds that the downzone of all the properties removed from the Birch Bay
33 Urban Growth Area from UR-4 to R10A constituted a substantial hardship which should be
34 mitigated by this rezone to R5A . This action is supported by the provisions related to property
35 rights on Page 2- 11 of the Comprehensive Plan and Goal 2H . Revision of the prior Council 's
36 action by the adoption of this ordinance is further justified by Whatcom County Charter Section
37 1 . 11 relating to Citizens' Rights . By giving consideration to the financial hardship which those
38 property owners suffered as a result of the downzone, Council intends to mitigate the financial
39 hardship resulting from that action .
40
41 17 . On November 27 , 2010, legal notices were published for the public
42 hearing on this amendment .
43
44 CONCLUSIONS OF LAW :
45
3
1 The proposal meets all the legal requirements as noted within the Findings of Fact and
2 Reasons for Action . The proposed amendment is compatible with the Growth Management Act,
3 . Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan Goals and Policies . Approval of this amendment is in the
4 public interest .
5
6 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Whatcom County Council that :
7
8 Section 1 . The Whatcom County Title 20 Office Zoning Map is hereby amended as shown
9 on Exhibit A.
10
11 Section 2 . Adjudication of invalidity of any of the sections, clauses, or provisions of this
12 ordinance shall not affect or impair the validity of the ordinance as a whole or and part thereof
13 other than the ipart so declared to be invalid .
14 ``,�‘t%% t % ittsnola
15 ,.`‘� rQh(5►��'1.;h day of December , 2010 .
16 G � • 0 "4,4\1/410% WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
•17
18 A ; co,.` 0 ••
O ; n WH ' ;TCOM COUNTY WASHINGTON
20 i �! �r.I
21 D(pa Btp ' 4 19a st Cojtnty .EIerk Sa ' Crawford , Cou it Char
22
NGTO! ••23 APP �VEyp �AStO�FOR : ( ) Approved ( ) Denied
25 ,
26 Civil Dep • . Pete Kremen , County Executive
27 � � � � s Executive Kremen declined to sign
28 / r Date :
4
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