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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Feb 22 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, February 22, 2022 1:35 PM Virtual Meeting VIRTUAL MEETING - ADJOURNS BY 2:05 P.M. (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 Committee Call To Order Roll Call February 22, 2022 Committee Chair Ben Elenbaas called the meeting to order at 1:35 p.m. in a virtual meeting. Present: 3 - Todd Donovan, Ben Elenbaas, and Kaylee Galloway Absent: None Also Present: Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, Carol Frazey, and Kathy Kershner Announcements Special Presentation 1. AB2022-11114, Report from Planning and Development Services Department Mark Personius, Planning and Development Services Department Director, reported and he and Councilmembers discussed the Buildable Lands report process, whether the Planning and Development Department does pre -consultation in regards to permitting with our two area Federally -recognized Tribes or whether it is just between departments within the County, and the length of the permitting process. This agenda item was REPORTED. Committee Discussion 1. AB2021-_54.8 Discussion and status update of proposed amendments to the Whatcom County Code rega dii■g short tetiu reiitais Cliff Strong, Planning and Development Services Department, updated the Councilmembers and asked if Council was still interested in finding a vendor. He and Councilmembers discussed the increase in short-term rental units in the county, whether it would work without using a vendor, how this ties into the Shoreline Management Plan (SMP), what the substance is in the proposed policy of changing it to an accessory use, whether there is anything in the regulations that addresses the number of weeks or months that a unit can be on the market as a short-term rental, whether regulations are regulating the number of units or not putting very many units on where they can go in residential zones outside of the Lake Whatcom watershed, and whether the item should be brought to the Committee of the Whole or Council to decide whether to move forward or not. Mark Personius, Planning and Development Services Department Director, Whatcom County P4$e I Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final February 22, 2022 Committee stated they brought Granicus to talk to the Councilmembers because they do not have the resources in-house to be able to manage if this program were to be adopted. He spoke about the need for a supplemental budget request if they want to go forward with Granicus, and a possible update to the Unified Fee Schedule. Strong suggested if Council wants to do this they would time it with the final adoption of the SNIP so that the two come together. Councilmembers concurred that they should have this conversation with the entire Committee of the Whole so staff can come with a timeline fleshed out and with the amount of work it would be requiring. They discussed with Strong whether staff can provide data related to why they need to do this (number of complaints, if there are calls to 9-1-1, requests or emails that come to the Planning Department, anything that could show this is an actual problem and what the problem is, and how the County deals with complaints that come in), whether registration of short-term rentals is a new proposition or an existing proposition that they are just looking to software to organize what is already happening, whether it is legislation that would be creating a new revenue stream, and what that revenue would be used for. This agenda item was DISCUSSED. Items Added by Revision Other Business Adiournment There were no agenda items added by revision. There was no other business. The meeting adjourned at 2:12 p.m. Whatcom County Page 2 Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final February 22, 2022 Committee ATTEST f �' a WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL WHATCOM COUNTY, WA Ben Elenbaas-via email 3/1/2022 Dana Brow" ,nr auncil Clerk Ben Elenbaas, Committee Chair Kristi Felbinger, Minutes TrafAcription Wharconz County Page 3