HomeMy WebLinkAboutSpecial Committee of the Whole AM June 19 2018WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Special Committee of the Whole
June 19, 2018
CALL TO ORDER
Council Vice -Chair Todd Donovan called the meeting to order at 9:50 a.m. in the
Council Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
ROLL CALL
Present: Tim Ballew, Barbara Brenner, Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, Todd
Donovan, and Satpal Sidhu.
Absent: Rud Browne
COMMITTEE DISCUSSION
1. DIRECTION ON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENTS REQUESTED BY
COUNCIL THROUGH RESOLUTION 2018 -015 RELATING TO THE CHERRY
POINT URBAN GROWTH AREA (AB2018 -076C)
Matt Aamot, Planning and Development Services Department, submitted a handout
(on file) and gave a staff report.
The following staff answered questions:
• Karen Frakes, Prosecutor's Office
• Nick Smith, Planning and Development Services Department
Staff and councilmembers discussed fees for environmental impact statement (EIS)
review, coordinating with federal permits and requirements, development agreements,
locating changes to conditional uses in the zoning code, getting the railroad companies
and /or developers to contribute to projects that are impacted by the location of a railroad,
generic conditional use criteria for all zones, mitigation for the lifecycle of greenhouse
impacts in the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review, the possibility of revising SEPA
procedures, mitigating conditions, whether use prohibitions would be in the conditional use
section of the code, bond and insurance requirements for certain uses, the lack of insurance
requirements from railroads, different ownership of different railroad and train components,
the ability to require insurance for worst -case scenarios, bonds versus insurance, requiring
industry owners to participate in emergency response activities and costs, and insurance
requirements on wind energy systems.
The Committee concurred on staff creating language to amend Title 22 to include
language for bonds or other security for type IV applications and, if legally allowed, to
require insurance policies for certain types of permits.
Staff and councilmembers continued to discuss the bases for imposing conditions on
or denying SEPA applications; how to amend the criteria that are considered under the SEPA
process; adding a SEPA criterion about identifying other applicable regulations from other
federal agencies and /or tribes; allowing concurrent instead of sequential permit review
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when possible; whether they need clearer bases for SEPA denial; how to document
assurances that people will have safe, healthful, productive, and aesthetically and culturally
pleasing surroundings; Hearing Examiner's review of conditional use permit revisions;
recent Code changes that appeals of Hearing Examiner decisions going straight to Superior
Court; setting use and impact thresholds in the conditional use permit; when a more
intensive use triggers review of conditional use permit impacts; defining a "minor change"
to major project permits; requiring certain businesses and /or industries to submit periodic
master plans to the County; extending the interim moratorium ordinance before the Council
goes on its August break; and making the County decisions contingent on federal permits,
and not expending County resources until federal permits are in place.
Aamot stated staff will begin to draft language and present the draft changes to the
Committee on July 10.
OTHER BUSINESS
There was no other business.
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 10:57 a.m.
The Council approved these minutes on July 10, 2018.
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Dara Brown ,, tvi!5'C6u �cil Clerk Todd onovan, Council Vice -Chair
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Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
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