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Home My WebLink Aboutres1992-051'VHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL AGENDA BILL NO. 92 -241 6/9/92 Council /Intro 5/23/92 P &D /Couucj -L 7/14/92 P &D /Council SUBJECT: A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE FORMATION OF A CITIZEN COMMITTEE TO DEVELOP A CHARACTER PLAN FOR THE POINT ROBERTS SUBAREA, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT OF A PROCESS FOR FACILITATING COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN THE CHARACTER PLANNING PROCESS AND DEVELOPMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN GUIDELINES. ATTACHMENTS: Draft Resolution Public Hearing Needed? Yes /—/ No /XX/ SUMMARY STATEMENT: The Point Roberts Subarea Comprehensive Plan was updated by the County Council in 1990. During the planning process, some members of the community identified an issue associated with the character of physical development at Point Roberts, particularly as related to commercial and multi - family development. Since the development of a character plan with design guidelines would have extended the planning process beyond a reasonable length of time, the Planning Staff, the Planning Commission and the County Council agreed to include in the 1990 Point Roberts Subarea Plan an Action Plan item directing the staff to cooperate with the community to develop such a character plan. A group of Point Roberts residents and property owners, with representatives from the Registered Voters Association, the Taxpayers Association and the business and development community has been meeting informally for the past year to begin development of a character plan. The Whatcom County Planning Staff has been meeting with this group and providing research and technical assistance. The group has reached a point in their work where tKey feel they need some official authorization from the County council in order to effectively proceed further. Therefore, the Planning Department is requesting Council adoption of the attached Resolution on behalf of the Point Roberts Character Plan Action Group. RECOMMENDED AC'T'ION: Planning staff recommends Council adopt the attached Resolution COMMITt'EE ACTION (including dates): COUNCIL ACTION (including dates): 6/9/92: Introduced 6/23/92: This item was held in the Planning and Development Committee. 7- 14 -92: Council approved the resolution. 6 -1 with Vander Yacht against. Related File Numbers: Ordinance or Resolution Number: R92 -051 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 no _1 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 0 41 42 INTRODUCED BY: Consent PROPOSED BY: PLANNING DATE: June 9, 1992 RESOLUTION NO. 92 -051 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE FORMATION OF A CITIZEN COMMITTEE FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEVELOPING A CHARACTER PLAN FOR THE POINT ROBERTS SUBAREA, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT OF A PROCESS FOR FACILITATING COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN THE CHARACTER PLANNING PROCESS AND DEVELOPMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN REVIEW GUIDELINES WHEREAS, on May 17, 1990 the Whatcom County Council passed Ordinance No. 90-46 which amended the 1979 Point Roberts Subarea Comprehensive Plan in its entirety; and WHEREAS, the policies in the amended Point Roberts Subarea Comprehensive Plan are intended to work toward achieving county -wide land use planning goals and the particular issues which surfaced during the public planning process for the Point Roberts Subarea; and WHEREAS, in order for Point Roberts to develop as intended by the Plan, some of the policies need to be implemented by other means; and WHEREAS, the ACTION PLAN section of the amended Subarea Plan specifies four activities which Whatcom County, the citizens of Point Roberts and other entities should consider pursuing within two years after adoption of the Plan; and WHEREAS, ACTION PLAN item 1., DEVELOPMENT OF A CHARACTER PLAN, states: 'This is a proposed idea which apparently has a wide support at Point Roberts. If a representative group of Point Roberts citizens desire to pursue such a plan, Whatcom County should cooperate to the maximum extent feasible in development of the plan, and should formally pursue its adoption. Such a plan might include a design review committee composed of members of the community. "; and WHEREAS, a group of interested Point Roberts residents and property owners, known as the Point Roberts Character Plan Action Group initiated monthly meetings beginning in June, 1991-to pursue development of such a character plan; County Planning staff have been attending meetings at Point Roberts and providing technical assistance in accord with the ACTION PLAN directive; and WHEREAS, due to the Planning Department workload with Growth Management Act compliance and other pressing matters related to rapid growth, the work of an Action Group as described below would allow the character plan /design review process proposal to be developed much sooner, more efficiently, and in a manner more responsive to community needs than if the Planning Department were to shoulder the burden alone; and WHEREAS, in order for the Point Roberts Character Plan Action Group to proceed effectively to develop a character plan /design review process proposal for Point Roberts, official authorization from the County Council is desirable. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL: The Whatcom County Planning Department shall designate a Point Roberts Character Plan Action Group that represents a cross section of the community. 2. It shall be the responsibility of the designated Action Group to develop and conduct a process for facilitating public input into development of a proposed character plan /design review guidelines consistent with the goals and policies of the Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan and the Washington Growth Management Act, with continuing technical advisory support from the Planning Department. The public input process shall be approved by the Planning Department prior to implementation. 3. The Action Group shall consider all public input received during this process in developing a proposed character plan /design review guidelines. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 7LE REF: charplan.res (c: �f1 �41 cfb Page 2 4. The character plan /design review guidelines proposal may contain such elements as character objectives, scope. Level of operation, review procedure, submission requirements criteria for review, appeals procedure, design review committee makeup, a sign ordinance, and other items as considered necessary by the Action Group and the Planning Department after consideration of all public input. 5. The proposal made by the Action Group shall be advisory in nature only and it shall be the responsibility of the Whatcom County Planning Department to assure that the proposal is consistent with the goals and policies of the Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan and the Washington Growth Management Act; to recommend any changes deemed necessary in the proposal; and to develop a staff report and recommendation to the Planning Commission. 6. Once a Planning Department Staff Report and recommendation on the proposal are made, a Planning Commission public hearing will be held for the purpose of receiving additional public input and making a recommendation to the County Council for adoption, rejection, or revision. PASSED this 14th day of July , 1992. ATTEST: Cletk of the Council AR D AO FOR . an kes Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL WHATCOM COUNTY, WA �_INGTON Daniel Warner, Chairperson