HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Jan 11 2022Whatcom County
Council Planning and Development Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360) 778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
2:35 PM
Virtual Meeting
VIRTUAL MEETING - ADJOURNS BY 3:30 P.M.; MAY BEGIN EARLY (TO
PARTICIPATE, SEE INSTRUCTIONS AT www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil
OR CALL 360.778.5010)
COUNCILMEMBERS
Todd Donovan
Ben Elenbaas
Kaylee Galloway
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C.
Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final January 11, 2022
Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee member Ben Elenbaas called the meeting to order at 2:35 p.m.
in a virtual meeting.
Present: 3 - Ben Elenbaas, Todd Donovan, and Kaylee Galloway
Absent: None
Also Present: Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, Carol Frazey, and Kathy Kershner
Announcements
Special Order of Business
AB2022-03 I Nomination and appointment of committee chair
Donovan moved to appoint Elenbaas as Committee Chair. The motion was
seconded by Galloway.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 3 - Donovan, Elenbaas, and Galloway
Nay: 0
This agenda item was APPOINTED.
Elenbaas was appointed as Chair.
Committee Discussion and Recommendation to Council
1. AB2021-744 Resolution approving recommendations on three applications for Open Space Current
Use Assessment
Joshua Fleischmann, Planning and Development Services Department,
presented and answered why Planning and Development Services
Department staff recommended no to application OSP2020-00003 and the
Planning Commission said yes, why someone would want to go into the
Open Space Land program from the Farm and Agricultural Land program if
their taxes would go up, the reasons that the Planning Commission and
Planning Department staff gave for approval or non -approval on each of the
properties, why the Planning Commission did not make a recommendation
for the applicant's (OSP2020-00003) request of a public access waiver,
how the applicant could get those restrictions placed on the property while
part of the program, and a fourth application that was not included in this
Resolution.
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Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final January 11, 2022
Committee
Donovan moved to approve applications 1 (OSP2020-00003) and 3
(OSP2020-00005) (as proposed in the Resolution). The motion was
seconded by Galloway.
Councilmembers discussed the motion and Fleishman answered questions
about application OSP2020-00003 and the request of the applicant for a
public access requirement waiver. They discussed whether the applicant
would pull her application if she was not able to have the waiver, what
precedent exists for public waivers or what implications approving a waiver
would have on setting a precedent, whether the applicant would be able to
request a waiver later if the Council approves the application without it now,
and whether the applicant could continue in the property's current
designation.
Christine Larsen, Assessor's Office, briefed the Councilmembers on
application OSP2020-00003 and why the applicant applied for the Open
Space Land designation.
Councilmembers voted on the item (see vote below) then continued to
discuss it.
Penny Friedman, applicant, spoke about her reasons for requesting a public
access waiver.
Donovan's motion that the Resolution be RECOMMENDED FOR
APPROVAL carried by the following vote:
Aye: 2 - Donovan, and Galloway
Nay: 0
Absent: 0
Abstain: 1 - Elenbaas
Items Added by Revision
Other Business
Adjournment
There were no agenda items added by revision.
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 3:27 p.m.
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Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final
Committee
ATTEST:
06
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Dana B�76-w -ffi- ;'t csprtcil Clerk
Kristi Felbinger, Minutes Transcription
January 11, 2022
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Ben Elenbaas-via email 1/14/2022
Ben Elenbaas, Committee Chair
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