HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning October 1 1996WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Planning and Development Committee
October 1, 1996
The meeting was called to order at 2:30 p.m. by Committee Chair Alvin Starkenburg in
the Council Committee Room, 311 Grand Avenue.
Also Present:
Marlene Dawson
Kathy Sutter
Absent:
None
Staff Present:
Michael Knapp, Planning and Development Services
Elizabeth Sjostrom, Planning and Development Services
Tom Brown, Council Member
Ward Nelson, Council Member
Dan Gibson, Prosecuting Attorney's Office
Terry Galvin, Planning Services
Jeff Griffin, Planning Services
Sam Ryan, Building Services
Bob Woods, Council Budget and Program Analyst
Others Present:
Gordon Rogers, former employee, Planning Services (involved with the Housing Chapter)
Marty Snyder, Opportunity Council
Mark Personius, Earth Tech
Kathy Bovenkamp, Building Industry Association
1. REVIEW OF THE WHATCOM COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN,
HOUSING/DESIGN ELEMENTS (AB96 -051D) (The committee will be accepting
written public comment only. People wishing to speak to the Council on this issue should
plan to attend one of the three scheduled public hearings.)
Knapp distributed a handout and gave a brief overview of the "red flags ", especially
mentioning Action Item 11, page 3 -11, the hold harmless proposal.
Galvin spoke briefly to the recommended changes in the text (handout on file). He
commented he thought Action Items 5 and 9.1 were duplicative.
Gibson stated he was reluctant to comment too much on this, but this particular chapter
raised red flags for him in terms of his work with the Growth Management Hearings Board
Planning Minutes, 9/17/96, Page 1
I (GUM). The County -wide Planning policy states that the government will be primarily one for
2 rural areas. He asked if the housing policies were for rural areas or primarily for urban areas.
3 Discussion on this topic followed.
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5 Gibson pointed out some of his concerns (added language is from Gibson's suggestions):
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7 page 3 -6, Policy 3B -1: "Enable and encourage housing development
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8 opportunities integral with, and near, r industrial and commercial
9 activities and transit. ";
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11 Policy 3B -2: The GMHB specifically struck down our commercial zoning.;
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13 Policy 3B -3: "Establish a industrial zoning regulations that.... ";
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15 Policy 3C -3: "Encourage development of mobile home parks...." Is the intent of
16 this policy to encourage development in the rural areas ?; and
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18 page 3 -9, Policy 3G -4: "Encourage development of smaller lots and creative
19 options." This will bring the County in conflict with the GMHB if the intent of this
20 policy is to address rural areas.
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22 Gibson further stated that the two goals within the Growth Management Act - -limit urban
23 sprawl and address affordable housing- -there is no question as to which one the GMHB has
24 placed priority on. If the County applied this chapter to the rural areas, the Board, would reply to
25 put affordable housing in urban areas. Knapp pointed out there may be one exception, housing
26 for farm workers.
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28 Rogers addressed the rural/urban issue. He noted it was not the intent of the committee
29 which he was a member of that any of these policies necessarily pertain to rural areas per se.
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31 Discussion followed on the issue of urban vs. rural areas. Other topics discussed included:
32 zoning; County -wide planning policies; lot consolidation; rural area clustering; urban growth area
33 policies through the Interlocal Agreement process; and affordable housing in relation to urban
34 growth areas.
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36 Rogers addressed affordable housing, mentioning the real world restraints and practicality
37 vs. what his committee saw as an ideal. He noted the committee consisted of a very broad
38 spectrum of people and opinions. None of these policies are definitive. Much discussion
39 followed on how to proceed with the recommended policies and direction. Knapp stated his
40 department must have policy direction from the Council in order to carry out a regulation.
41
42 The committee next dealt with the design chapter. Galvin briefly introduced this chapter,
43 calling attention to the newspaper article from his handout (on file). Starkenburg noted the
Planning Minutes, 9/17/96, Page 2
I number of policies in this chapter. Goal Policy l OD -4 (page 10 -7) was discussed. Knapp stated
2 that if the Council decided to keep this chapter, he would request language changes to it, inserting
3 economics language in many places. Sutter asked how much of a mandate the action plans are.
4 There was further discussion on policy and the Comprehensive Plan.
5
6 Knapp stated that Land Use maps will soon be placed in the Council Committee Room.
7
8 Griffin introduced Mark Personius from Earth Tech, who distributed a handout (on file)
9 regarding transfer of development rights (TDRs). Personius has been working on a feasibility
10 study of regulatory incentives for rural development, which has been reviewed by a technical
11 advisory committee and the Planning Commission.
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13 Personius spoke to various issues, including rural incentive areas; the feasibility of TDRs;
14 containment strategies; down zoning; density; ways of measuring development easement values;
15 mandatory vs. optional TDR programs; cities and their urban growth areas; the newness of TDR
16 programs state wide and their success; and allocation of monies (population).
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18 The committee decided to let Planning make recommendations from Personius' final draft.
19
20 COMMITTEE DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL
21
22 1. ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE 95 -033 AND THE WHATCOM
23 COUNTY CODE SECTION 20.92 REGARDING APPEALS OF HEARING
24 EXAMINER DECISIONS TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL (AB96 -288)
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26 (Clerk's Note: A very brief break was taken)
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28 Dan Gibson, Council's counsel, spoke to this issue. He stated that in the past a summary
29 of facts or an abridged transcript could be substituted for a full transcript. Currently, a court
30 reporter is present for the entire hearing; why supply only part of the transcript? (A summary of
31 facts or an abridged transcript must be agreed to by both parties in advance.) The
32 summary/abridged transcript is less expensive for the appellant than the full transcript. Discussion
33 followed.
34
35 Starkenburg moved to bring forward to Council without a recommendation.
36
37 Motion carried unanimously.
38
39 2. CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST TO AMEND THE LYNDEN - NOOKSACK
40 VALLEY SUBAREA COMPREHENSIVE PLAN MAP FROM LIGHT
41 INDUSTRIAL PARK TO GENERAL COMMERCIAL AND THE OFFICIAL
42 WHATCOM COUNTY ZONING MAP FROM LII TO GC (AB96 -340)
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Planning Minutes, 9/17/96, Page 3
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Elizabeth Sjostrom, Planning and Development Services, gave background information on
this matter, stating it will be returning to the Planning Commission for further ruling.
ADJOURN
The meeting was adjourned at 5:15 p.m.
tfoibeth Bennett, Recording Secretary
ATTEST:
I M100
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Alvin Starkenburg, Council Me
(Note: The next Planning and Development Committee meeting will be held on October 8 at
2:30 p.m. The committee will be discussing the Land Use /Capital Facilities Elements of the
Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan [AB96- 05]FJ)
Planning Minutes, 9/17/96, Page 4