HomeMy WebLinkAboutSpecial Committee of the Whole September 12 20171 WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
2 Special Committee of the Whole
3
4 September 12, 2017
5
6 CALL TO ORDER
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8 Council Chair Barry Buchanan called the meeting to order at 3:40 p.m. in the Council
9 Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
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12 ROLL CALL
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14 Present: Barbara Brenner, Ken Mann, Satpal Sidhu, Todd Donovan, Rud Browne
15 and Barry Buchanan
16 Absent: Carl Weimer
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19 COMMITTEE DISCUSSION
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21 1. CONTINUATION OF COUNCIL'S REVIEW OF THE 2016 CRITICAL
22 AREAS ORDINANCE UPDATE (AB2016 -276K) REVIEW OF CERTAIN
23 QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, AND SUGGESTIONS BY COUNCIL MEMBERS
24 RELATED TO ARTICLE 2, ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS; ARTICLE 6,
25 WETLANDS; ARTICLE 7, HABITAT CONSERVATION AREAS; ARTICLE 8,
26 CONSERVATION PROGRAM ON AGRICULTURE LANDS, AND; ARTICLE
27 9, DEFINITIONS
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29 Cliff Strong, Planning and Development Services Department, answered questions
30 about the definition of "ongoing agriculture."
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32 Leslie Honcoop, Whatcom County Farm Bureau, stated she doesn't approve of the
33 restrictions on lands that have lain idle for more than five years.
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35 Dannon Traxler, attorney, stated she represents farm groups and referenced her
36 email to the Council. She supports Councilmember Browne's suggestion to substitute the
37 definition.
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39 Linda Twitchell stated she is concerned about regulating category IV wetlands and
40 the restrictions on lands that have lain idle for more than five years.
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42 Councilmembers discussed the restrictions on lands that have lain idle for more than
43 five years and the Open Space /Agriculture requirements.
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45 Browne moved to amend the definition for ongoing agriculture:
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48 def ned --its —f CW 90.58.065 ,° W "Ongoing Agriculture
49 A....icult ,..a'- Ac- t�6es" means agricultural uses and practices including, but
50 not limited to: Producing, breeding, or increasing agricultural products;
51 rotating and changing agricultural crops; allowing land used for agricultural
52 activities to lie fallow in which it is plowed and tilled but left unseeded;
Special Committee of the Whole, 9/12/2017, Page 1
1 allowing land used for agricultural activities to lie dormant as a result of
2 adverse agricultural market conditions; allowing land used for agricultural
3 activities to lie dormant because the land is enrolled in a local, state, or
4 federal conservation program, or the land is subject to a conservation
5 easement; conducting agricultural operations; maintaining, repairing, and
6 replacing agricultural equipment; maintaining, repairing, and replacing
7 agricultural facilities, provided that the replacement facilities is are no closer
8 to the she elone critical area than the original facilities; and maintaining
9 agricultural lands under production or cultivation. An operation ceases to be
10 ongoing when the area on which it was conducted has been converted to a
11 nonagricultural use."
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13 The motion was seconded.
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15 The motion carried by the following vote:
16 Ayes: Brenner, Mann, Sidhu, Browne, Buchanan, and Donovan (6)
17 Nays: None (0)
18 Absent: Weimer (1)
19
20 Brenner moved to amend 16.16.270(B)(2)(k), "...appurtenant developments
21 include garages, decks, driveways, parking, util+ ties elusive -e#-a-R on -site septic systems},
22 and all lawn and landscaping, unless landscaping consists of native plants, with the
23 following exceptions:...."
24
25 The motion was seconded.
26
27 Ryan Ericson, Planning and Development Services Department, stated the shoreline
28 management plan references "ornamentals" to distinguish between native plants. He
29 recommends similar terminology.
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31 Strong stated he will get the specific language from the Code.
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33 Linda Twitchell, Building Industry Association, stated they must consider impacts to
34 small landowners and to soccer and archery fields, which are lawns.
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36 Councilmembers discussed the lot threshold increase from 2,500 to 4,000 square
37 feet.
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39 The motion carried by the following vote:
40 Ayes: Brenner, Mann, Sidhu, Browne, Buchanan, and Donovan (6)
41 Nays: None (0)
42 Absent: Weimer (1)
43
44 Brenner referenced items three through 14 and stated staff answered her questions
45 on all but the following items:
46 • Item four regarding the survey level
47 . Item five regarding the availability of topographic elevation at two -foot
48 contours
49 . Item ten regarding examples of areas that aren't included
50
51 Councilmembers and staff discussed exempting agricultural youth clubs from the
52 Conservation Program on Agriculture Lands (CPAL) program and the appropriate ratio of
53 animal units to acres.
Special Committee of the Whole, 9/12/2017, Page 2
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Brenner moved to hold in committee and request the agriculture community to
draft and bring to the Council a fair exemption policy for anyone conducting agriculture
through FFA or 4H programs.
The motion was seconded.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Ayes: Brenner, Mann, Sidhu, Browne, and Buchanan (5)
Nays: Donovan (1)
Absent: Weimer (1)
OTHER BUSINESS
There was no other business.
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m.
TI-fq,CQpn} ail approved these minutes on November 21, 2017.
-Dana trawn- Davis, Council Clerk
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Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
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