HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning July 26 20051
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
minutes, as approved. However, unless an attested signature page is attached, they
are not the final approved minutes.
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Planning and Development Committee
July 26, 2005
Committee Chair Seth Fleetwood called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. in
the Council Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
Present: Absent:
Barbara Brenner None
Dan McShane
Also Present:
Laurie Caskey- Schreiber
Sam Crawford
COMMITTEE DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL
1. DISCUSSION REGARDING THE PROPOSED PIONEER PARK MALL
PROJECT IN FERNDALE (AB2005 -287)
Brenner stated she's received a number of calls about this project. She's told
people that the County has no direct jurisdiction over the mall project. She's
bringing up this issue because this proposal will have intense impacts on County
infrastructure. It will affect many communities and citizens in the county. The
Council needs to ensure that County taxpayers are not left paying for any impacts
from the mall.
She attended many meetings at the Ferndale City Council and with the
developer. Many residents outside of Ferndale feel they aren't being listened to or
notified. According to the developer, he only sent written notices to people inside
the city limits, even though this proposal is right on the edge of the city, with as
much or more impacts to the county.
She's interested in the County taking a position to oppose the mall, even
though they don't have jurisdiction over the mall. It's important to let people know
where the County Council stands. The countywide planning policies (CWPP) are
supposed to be adhered to by the County and cities, but they've been violated. The
Council has not been involved in this yet, and it's moving right along. There is no
collaboration between the County and City of Ferndale. Because the County will
suffer impacts, it should have some say on whether or not the project will happen.
Dr. Elizabeth (Unclear), Ferndale, stated the magnitude of this project is the
issue. Natural resources will be consumed by the project. She is concerned about
the ground. Any determination of the degree of risk of ground failure during a
seismic event should include the cost of emergency response services on a
Planning and Development Committee, 7/26/2005, Page 1
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
minutes, as approved. However, unless an attested signature page is attached, they
are not the final approved minutes.
countywide basis. Also, there is a question of an impervious surface footprint tax
on projects of this magnitude during the development stages. Look into such a tax
for the future.
John Flarry stated he gathered about 450 signatures from people who are
against this development. Most people are concerned about a mall of that size.
There was a comprehensive plan update meeting early in June, when citizens had
the opportunity to identify specific issues they were concerned about, one of which
was the mall. The mall was, by far, of the most concern by people at the meeting.
The comprehensive plan, the way it is now, is excellent. However, the City
of Ferndale hasn't followed it. Points in the plan include maintaining small town
atmosphere, encouraging higher densities of development in areas near the city,
and protecting existing residential neighborhoods from incompatible uses. The City
rezoned that area, regardless of the comprehensive plan. In the rezone, a major
issue was traffic. The traffic mitigation study from the developer indicated they
would have to put in a five -lane overpass at Axton Road when the project is 35
percent complete. The developer addressed that concern by saying the City of
Ferndale has that overpass it its six -year traffic improvement program. However,
there are no funds allocated for it. The project is on a list of items as a placeholder.
There is no funding in place for the five -lane overpass. If this project develops
fully, there will have to be an upgrade of the Axton Road overpass and a new
overpass at Smith Road, which is estimated to cost $20 million to $40 million.
The Ferndale City Council PUD ordinance is totally inadequate. He asked for
a moratorium until everyone had a chance to improve that PUD ordinance to
minimize risk. The City didn't even bring it to a vote, even with the largest ever
audience of residents at the meeting. There are many issues associated with this,
including police, fire, schools, and water and sewer. He is getting no where with
the City of Ferndale. He looks to the County Council to influence the City of
Ferndale and to adequately prepare for a major development such as this.
Fleetwood asked what is inadequate in the City's ordinance. Flarry submitted
a proposed ordinance for the temporary moratorium. He is concerned the
ordinance won't adequately meet the needs of this project. Something like this is
not going to address the huge impacts from this mall.
Terese Van Assche, Ferndale, State Department of Transportation (DOT),
Transportation Engineer, stated there is no DOT funding for improvements at Smith
Road or Axton Road at this time, without developer input. The City doesn't
understand the financial impact of this project. Many rezones in the county are
happening without public input. The Bakerview Road overpass is three lanes.
Axton Road would have to go to five lanes. The small cities don't have the ability to
oversee a project like this. There will be impacts to water, sewer, schools, and the
fire station. Downtown businesses are opposed to the mall. There is not broad
enough oversight to accommodate the cumulative impacts. It would be a huge
Planning and Development Committee, 7/26/2005, Page 2
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
minutes, as approved. However, unless an attested signature page is attached, they
are not the final approved minutes.
amount of impervious surface for Ferndale, which is a low area with flooding
problems.
Lynnea Flarry, 1253 Latimer Road, stated she lives near Ferndale. She won't
be able to get to Ferndale if a mega -mall goes in. The builder is only responsible
for upgrading a small area of property. All of Axton Road needs to be upgraded,
which will impact every County taxpayer. People already have trouble getting off
the freeway because the off -ramp is too dangerous. The people who are for the
mall are about 16 years old. However, they won't even be in the area when the
mall is developed. There is already a mall, which has empty shops. The mall north
of town wasn't successful. The area is not set up for such a development. It will be
the death of Bellis Fair mall. Some shops are already thinking of moving out of
Bellis Fair and into this mall.
She has concerns about this project. She has volunteered her time to figure
out what is going on, but it hasn't been easy. There has been a lack of notification
to people about this project. This mall will impact the entire county and beyond.
They should have known about it from the beginning. The public officials in
Ferndale could have done a better job advising the public about this project. At this
point, many people are very upset and think this is wrong for Ferndale and the
entire County. Support the resolution in opposition to this huge monstrosity that
will negatively impact their quality of life and pocketbooks.
Janice Schuch, 1411 W. Axton Road, Ferndale, stated the City of Ferndale
held comprehensive plan updates a month ago. It was well publicized and
orchestrated. People were specifically refused from bringing up the mall. The
meeting organizer was not allowed to talk about the subject of the mall. The City is
trying to bamboozle the residents.
There is no funding for improvements to the Axton Road overpass. The City
has been trying to get a Thornton Road overpass, allowing the city better use of its
second exit. The City has never done anything to solve its own problems. The City
is now looking at a developer to solve their problems. The citizenry paid for the
Bakerview Road improvements for Bellis Fair mall, not the Bellis Fair development.
These are the issues that the City does not deal with realistically. In 1998, a
business applied for a truck stop business at the overpass. Engineers said that
overpass was unsafe for use as a truck stop. Two years later, a different developer
and a different engineering study, which didn't show any problem. The developer
of this mall is using the second engineer to do its traffic study, and didn't know
anything about the first traffic study. The current situation on that overpass as it
exists is that there is not enough room for trucks to maneuver around cars. The
overpass can't accommodate the existing traffic. The traffic study was done in June
after the school was let out. There was little traffic at that time. They purposely
choose that time to do the study.
She lives within 500 feet of this property. She deliberately got no notice of
the recent hearing. This is the way Ferndale does business. They aren't very
Planning and Development Committee, 7/26/2005, Page 3
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
minutes, as approved. However, unless an attested signature page is attached, they
are not the final approved minutes.
honest. The project is bordered by wetlands. There is an issue with impervious
surfaces. The City thinks it will get something from this developer, but the citizenry
will end up paying for the impacts.
Carl Weimer, Ferndale, stated there is frustration because the proposed mall
is on the edge of the city limits. The City of Ferndale has made it clear that they
don't think what people inside or outside the city limits think. People have given up
talking to the City of Ferndale, and are turning to the County.
Bellis Fair had road impacts for miles. This development will also. They
haven't discussed who would pay for those impacts to transportation. He hoped
there is some way the County Council will have an impact, through the Growth
Management Act and the countywide planning policies.
Roger Ellingson, 2076 Main Street, stated he has a business in Ferndale. The
Ferndale City Council members are not dishonest. They believe they are doing
what's best for the city. However, he disagrees with them. They are making a
mistake by creating a second city on the east side of the freeway and far away from
the city center. Ferndale is in a bad economic condition. They have not started the
process of bringing people downtown. That's how they revitalize the downtown. At
least two Ferndale City Council members identified a number of downtown
properties that can support commercial and residential development. They can also
develop the riverfront. Instead, they are trying to attract business to the other side
of the freeway, largely because there is nowhere to shop in Ferndale, and therefore
no tax base. They see this as the quickest and best way to create a tax base.
Ultimately, there is a sprawl issue. The GMA was primarily meant to reduce sprawl.
This is sprawl at its worst. It will require a completely different and new
infrastructure away from the downtown core. Developing that retail center at that
location will drain business and divert traffic from the downtown center. It will also
defeat infrastructure improvements to downtown. Instead, they should rezone the
downtown to allow higher buildings and a parkway. There would be views of the
river and of Mt. Baker, so people would go there, with minimal investment in the
downtown core. There is plenty of property downtown.
One of the highest priorities of the County is to preserve farmland. Sprawl
on the east side of the freeway will create a greater pressure to expand even
farther. There is a housing element to the Pioneer Plaza proposal. However, the
City has no control over how the housing is developed or what businesses go into
the proposal. Competing businesses that go into the development will put existing
downtown businesses out of business. The cost of increased services and the
threat to farmland impact the County budget. There will be increased costs of
police services and health services.
The process of doing a comprehensive plan update process becomes
laughable when something like this goes in. Ferndale won't be able to revitalize its
downtown. Ferndale is the worst example of sprawl in the entire county. Revisit
Ferndale's urban growth area. Put in a temporary measure to revisit the Ferndale
Planning and Development Committee, 7/26/2005, Page 4
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
minutes, as approved. However, unless an attested signature page is attached, they
are not the final approved minutes.
urban growth area (UGA), regardless of what happens with the Pioneer Plaza. The
UGA is enormous. Bellingham's attempt to keep its UGA's low to encourage infilling
creates pressure throughout the county to develop single family homes all over the
county. Ferndale seems to be accommodating a lot of those, because it is the
closest to the city of Bellingham. Look at other creative ways to work with Ferndale
to revitalize its downtown corridor.
Ellen Gray, Futurewise, stated she supports the resolution opposing the mall.
The County must allocate its commercial and industrial land, in addition to its
residential land. Look at the amount of commercial land needed for 2022, and
distribute that acreage to communities countywide. Don't allow a community to
exceed that distribution. Even though this project is inside the city of Ferndale, ask
staff to reevaluate that allocation of commercial and industrial land.
An impervious surface tax is very common. Snohomish County collects it
now. She urged the County to look into it as a revenue source. Stormwater
management is a tremendous expense. Snohomish County uses its revenue to pay
for watershed stewards to address water quality issues in areas of concern.
She has advocated that the Comprehensive Plan needed to readdress the
size of the UGA's. She hopes the County Council will look at it again in the fall.
The Blaine and Kendall UGA's are also oversized. Proper sizing benefits economic
development.
Todd Carlson, Washington State Department of Transportation, stated that
when this development has a permit application from the City of Ferndale, the DOT
will ask the City to require the developer to do the traffic study, based on impacts
to the traffic system. The DOT has no plan for the interstate right now. There is a
master plan south of Axton Road to Sunset or Fairhaven. The DOT will look at the
proposal for safety problems. In Mt. Vernon, the DOT had to appeal the City of Mt.
Vernon's decision on a decision of non - significance (DNS) for a project, because
there were significant problems with the project in that area. The DOT is an
affected agency, so it will work with the City on mitigation requirements. The DOT
can't require a mall to rebuild an interchange. The DOT will make sure that the
traffic is safe.
McShane asked if the DOT review is limited to safety, or includes level of
service. Carlson stated level of service is part of the review. Their greatest
concern is traffic backing up on the freeway.
(Clerk's Note: End of tape one, side A.)
Carlson continued to state his concern is if the bridge must be widened. That
is a big and expensive undertaking.
McShane asked if the traffic impact study is limited to the project itself, or
includes potential build out of the area as a result of the main project. Carlson
Planning and Development Committee, 7/26/2005, Page 5
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
minutes, as approved. However, unless an attested signature page is attached, they
are not the final approved minutes.
stated the traffic study looks at existing conditions, places the development in the
location, and looks at the impacts of the development.
McShane asked if there is potential for some improvements that would have
to be made as a result of this development, but other development in the area
could tip the situation to require five lanes. Carlson stated that could happen. He
hasn't looked at Ferndale's comprehensive plan in detail. However, they typically
look at the amount of trips generated based on population and employment in the
area. Whether that population is all at the mall or spread out shouldn't matter.
They may plan for a certain population increase over 20 years, but the reality could
be that they get a large portion of that population all at once and in one place, so
the transportation system can't handle it.
McShane asked at what point they must comprehensively evaluate traffic
impacts for all past, present, and future impacts. Carlson stated that according to
the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), a developer is only required to look at
impacts from the development. The comprehensive plans are to plan for all
impacts.
McShane asked if the State collects transportation development impact fees.
Carlson stated the State is prohibited from collected those fees.
McShane asked if the local government can collect those fees and give them
to the State. Carlson stated it depends on what the fees are called. If called a
mitigation fee, it can be done.
Brenner stated Governor Gregoire recently said she would not support a
project if not integrated with the community. When Bellis Fair was built, it was
obvious that everything was undersized and couldn't handle the traffic. She asked
when they can say that impacts from big, regional malls would create such an
impact that it would require this work to be done. Carlson stated the line is drawn
around the property in the development. The ancillary land use that occurred due
to the Bellis Fair mall also becomes a problem. If traffic analysis was done properly
for Bellis Fair, and no other property around Bellis Fair developed, than the
transportation should work. However, once that traffic study is done for the mall, it
works for awhile, then other developments come along.
Brenner stated this mall, according to many studies she's heard about, is
going to create traffic at a level of another city. This is more than an average mall.
Caskey- Schreiber stated an obvious concern is how this development will
impact the County road levels of service. The County could be required to upgrade
its roads due to this project. There will be effects to Interstate 5 if this intersection
isn't created. There are problems with the ramp exits from Bellis Fair. Bellis Fair
should have had an on -ramp and off -ramp targeted directly to the mall. The
problems are already there, and they can't charge the developer for existing
problems, but the development won't make the problem better. Carlson stated the
Planning and Development Committee, 7/26/2005, Page 6
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
minutes, as approved. However, unless an attested signature page is attached, they
are not the final approved minutes.
DOT spent $2 million to analyze the interstate from Sunset to south of Axton Road.
Eventually it will be a big problem. That is a huge effort for the DOT. The DOT has
difficulty staying up with what is happening.
Caskey- Schreiber stated the City of Ferndale should demand mitigation fees.
Carlson stated the DOT will identify the impacts and whether they can be
mitigation. If the impacts can't be mitigated, it will change things. One issue is
how the freeway is operating in the Ferndale area, which is exactly what the DOT is
doing in Bellingham right now. The DOT office must service three counties. They
will meet with the mayor and others to talk about this and other issues. One
possible option is a new Smith Road interchange to get traffic off of the Guide
Meridian and Interstate 5.
Mike Kohl, 2620 N. Harbor Loop Drive, Bellingham, stated this is the second
meeting he's been with this group of citizens where he received no notice. They
have made their very first presentation on the planned unit development. He
provided notice to everyone within 500 feet. He has not yet submitted the
development application to City of Ferndale. The City of Ferndale is capable of
dealing with this process. Its ordinances are adequate. The City listened to this
group of citizens and choose not to act on their request for a moratorium. The
documents are not yet on the table. The City of Ferndale will send it out to the
County for SEPA review. All of the information required supporting this request will
be addressed. It is not the County's job to be involved until the City of Ferndale
makes its presentation. There seems to be a premature mild hysteria about this
application. The preliminary application has been made. He listed to the people in
the first neighborhood meeting. He will address those concerns. He will provide a
traffic study as part of an environmental impact statement. The process of the PUD
application will be thoroughly reviewed by the City of Ferndale and other 23
agencies to which the SEPA checklist includes.
Unfortunately, misinformation has been presented. Allow the information to
be presented inside the established framework. Allow him the right of due process.
He invites the community to participate in the analysis of his project and its merit.
This is not the environment for him to describe the project in detail. That
information will come forward. He's provided the information to County staff.
Sprawl is not commercial, it's residential. The residential population of the
county is driven by the City's moratorium on sewer extensions inside the sewer
service zone in the UGA.
Thousands of lots are in process countywide. Bellis Fair was the last major
commercial development to support the population. The City of Ferndale collects
only 57 percent of the estimated retail sales tax income that it should have.
Downtown Ferndale was built to only serve a community of 1,500 people. The
downtown area is a small area surrounded by floodways and residential properties.
There is a limited ability to grow. The new bridge was built with two lanes, which
further limits its ability to expand. The City, in looking at its development
Planning and Development Committee, 7/26/2005, Page 7
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
minutes, as approved. However, unless an attested signature page is attached, they
are not the final approved minutes.
opportunities as it grows, sees a need of almost 700,000 square feet of commercial
and retail space just to deal with its own population. The property is zoned general
commercial. It is fronted on two arterials, inside the city limits, takes up 56 of 98
acres with the remainder in parks, wetlands, and buffers. The marketplace will
support the project.
The day of the single building mall is gone. Current mall development taking
place are lifestyle centers with single outside entrance assemblies. There are no
major anchors. They are wonderful village assemblies that create shopping, living,
and eating opportunities. The parking is built on multi- stories to minimize impacts.
The level of growth in this community has been unprecedented for 30 years. Now,
the retail dollars are going south because the existing facilities don't meet demand.
This project is all about intelligent growth and development. It's about core
development that is close to population with maximum accessibility and density.
Crawford stated the City of Ferndale is getting a proliferation of commercial
and industrial development. One idea for the developer is to pay the City's ability
financially to make sure City staff is available to make sure the project goes
through on the timelines that they want.
There are a few significant impacts. One is a positive financial impact to the
County. Traffic is the most significant thing the County will have to worry about.
He hoped the developer keeps an open mind about the potential need for
mitigation. If the DOT is going to work with the developer on freeway access, the
County concern is the approach from the east, on County roads. He anticipates
people will use Axton Road and Smith Road. The traffic analysis should include
possible signalization and widening to handle the burden.
The developer seems to be approaching this in a rational, well - planned way.
The developer knows of the need for letting this be a win -win situation for the
community. The County Council, when it's time, should consider the broader
impacts to the entire county, as opposed to just the City of Ferndale.
Kohl stated they are looking at a $200 million development to house 1.1
million square feet of retail commercial space and over 168 condominiums. They
are looking at it without even taking into consideration the impacts they will have to
deal with. When they understood the impacts and site hurdles, their first action
was to solve the problem with the State Department of Ecology. They have met
mitigation requirements on site. The traffic study addresses a large area around
the area, and included past State, County, and local traffic counts over the years.
Crawford stated Mr. Kohl should use the Council of Governments traffic
model for the area to generate trip information for the project. At some point, the
Council may want to see the results of that model.
Planning and Development Committee, 7/26/2005, Page 8
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
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are not the final approved minutes.
Brenner stated Mr. Kohl said they met mitigation requirements. However,
Susan Meyer said their approval is not definite until they see the SEPA review. Ms.
Meyer didn't realize that there would be impacts off -site. It was never mentioned.
Ecology's approval isn't definite. Kohl stated the letter from Ecology is very clear.
Based on the site plan and mitigation, the site mitigation on site has been
adequately addressed, subject to any offsite mitigation requirements based on the
SEPA process. The SEPA process has yet to address the offsite impacts. That's not
a negative situation, and is no different from his earlier comments.
Brenner stated Mr. Kohl mentioned he found out a day ago about this
discussion. This meeting was publicly advertised. One resident living within 500
feet of the project wasn't given notification by the developer about a meeting. Mr.
Kohl said the proposed moratorium died for lack of a second at the Ferndale City
Council meeting because the permit wasn't on the table yet. The whole point of
doing the moratorium on Ferndale's PUD ordinance was to upgrade it before
someone was vested with a major permit. People are concerned that once an
application is accepted and filed, it is vested. There was also a comment that the
City will thoroughly review this. The City planning director told the City Council that
the application is not vested when it's submitted. The application is vested when
it's complete. According to County staff, if an application that is submitted is
complete, then it's vested the day it's filed. That's a concern.
Fleetwood stated he's not opposed to considering a resolution that expresses
the Council's opinion. The Council is the only representative organization in the
County that considers all the residents of the county. The question is whether or
not today is the best time to pass such a resolution. There is a draft resolution.
Caskey- Schreiber stated the Council doesn't have a lot of jurisdiction over
the City of Ferndale. She is interested in the impacts to the County. Make sure the
level of service gets mitigated. She would like to know if traffic impact fees will be
in place for this development.
Brenner read the proposed resolution opposing Ferndale's proposed regional -
type mall. She quoted parts of the countywide planning policies in the resolution.
She asked councilmembers to give her input, which she received from some. She
contacted all councilmembers about the resolution. Changes have been made
according to the input she received.
McShane stated he supports the resolution to address the concerns of County
residents who would be impacted. He is not sure this is what the community
wants. The issue of whether it's good for revenue is a bad way to plan. Traffic
impacts to the County road system and State system are very concerning. The
State system is important to the county. Somehow, make decisions to not let those
bottlenecks occur that already occur in areas south of Whatcom County. Think
about other means of transportation, also. A regional mall to attract people from
outside the area should consider alternate transportation methods.
Planning and Development Committee, 7/26/2005, Page 9
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Fleetwood stated a concern is appearance of fairness at a later time, during
the application process. Councilmember Brenner has done an excellent job of
identifying policies and goals that support her position.
(Clerk's Note: End of tape one, side B.)
Fleetwood asked if there would be an opportunity to support the policies and
goals referenced in the resolution with actual information. Almost all the whereas
statements reference the planning goals. He would like to see a whereas statement
that incorporates actual information that has been gleaned from those planning
goals.
Brenner stated that information is in the Comprehensive Plan. The goals she
quoted are not new to anyone.
Fleetwood stated one example is the statement that says the County and
cities shall cooperate on transportation corridors. He asked for information to
include in the resolution that indicates there isn't coordination. Each whereas
statement expresses County policy. It would be nice to have it supported by things
that actually reference this proposal.
Brenner stated the time for cooperation and coordination is at the beginning,
before an application has been filed, so the County can work with the City,
jurisdiction, or developer on the County's visions for the community. They are
supposed to comply with all countywide planning policies (CWPP), not just certain
ones.
Fleetwood stated he is inclined to support the resolution because another
regional mall in this location is not in the best interest of the county. His questions
are whether or not this is the best timing for it, whether or not it's likely there
would be a better appearance of fairness if they do a resolution later in the process,
and whether or not it's likely they can support the resolution with the data they
don't have today.
Crawford stated most of the whereas statements referencing the countywide
planning policies could easily support this proposal. Instead of approving this
resolution, remind the City of Ferndale that the County has concerns about
mitigation of impacts. This project has an effect that is broader than Ferndale's city
limits. Remind the City that the County would like to be kept in the loop. The two
comprehensive plans require the City and County to work together to mitigate the
impacts. He would support a resolution of that nature. The County Council has not
been presented yet with a proposal.
Hal Hart, Planning and Development Services Director, stated the County has
not been presented with an application at this time.
Planning and Development Committee, 7/26/2005, Page 10
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Crawford stated there is no better place for a proposal like this. This is the
spot in Whatcom County for this kind of development. It has freeway access, the
amenities this city can offer, and the utilities. He is opposed to this resolution in
this format.
Brenner stated the point of the resolution is to say that the County vision
doesn't include more regional -type retail malls. So far, the County has been
working on creating commercial development in areas close to downtown areas to
scale with the pockets of population that exist. She understood they decided to
move away from this type of mall.
This resolution is important because this is the beginning of the process.
Once an application is vested, the County position won't have as much affect on
what will or won't happen. The Council is supposed to represent the overall vision
of the community. This is the Council's position now. If they find they are wrong in
the future, they can come up with another resolution.
McShane stated it comes down to whether or not the community wants this.
He is not real keen on this development. That's more than just his opinion. He
believes it is the community's position. The resolution can make that position, and
it might offend people. The other purpose for the resolution, where the County
Council has some say and may be more important, is to state that the County
Council supports a very thorough review of traffic impacts to County roads, the
State highway system, and transportation systems. Regardless of the County's
opinion, the resolution should state that the systems should be carefully reviewed.
That will be the burden of this big project. The County may have to spend money
on the transportation system.
Brenner accepted Councilmember McShane's suggestion as a friendly
amendment.
Hart stated staff will likely comment also on environmental issues. This is
close to the flood plain and wetlands. Look at how other developments in the
county may be mitigated in the future. The County will look at the critical area and
natural resource land issues.
Fleetwood asked if that County review underscores the importance of
contemplating this a bit more to develop a clearer resolution.
Brenner stated she is comfortable with this position. Often, the Council takes
positions in a resolution if they are important for Whatcom County.
McShane restated his suggestion to delete the first Now Therefore statement.
The second statement makes the point more accurately.
Brenner stated that part of the resolution needs to include the word
opposed."
Planning and Development Committee, 7/26/2005, Page 11
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McShane stated soften it a bit because of the relationships involved.
Caskey- Schreiber stated they don't just want to say they are opposed for no
reason. Councilmember McShane is trying to incorporate the reason for the
County's concern and to convey that the County would like to be a part of the
process since it will impact roads outside the city limits.
Brenner stated the impact is to more than the roads. There will be an impact
to the community, also. They can combine the first and second Now Therefore
statements.
McShane stated they should also replace the last Now Therefore statement
with a requirement that the proposal should carefully review traffic impacts to
County roads, the State highway system, and the transportation systems in
coordination of critical area review and protection of natural resources."
McShane moved to recommend approval to the full Council with an
amendment, "NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Whatcom County
Council opposes the development of Ferndale's proposed regional -type retail mall;
al-rd
because the
Council believes it is out of scale with the
Ferndale community and is not in the best interest of the Whatcom County
community at large; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the County Council
eellaberatove effOFtS with other juFisdietiens will FeFndale be able to avoid eFeatin
supports a very thorough review of traffic impact to
Whatcom County roads, the State highway system, and transportation systems and
coordination of critical area review and protection of natural resources."
Motion carried unanimously.
OTHER BUSINESS
There was no other business.
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 4:55 p.m.
Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
Planning and Development Committee, 7/26/2005, Page 12
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
minutes, as approved. However, unless an attested signature page is attached, they
are not the final approved minutes.
ATTEST:
Dana Brown - Davis, Council Clerk
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Seth Fleetwood, Committee Chair
Planning and Development Committee, 7/26/2005, Page 13