HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Feb 21 2023Whatcom 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 21, 2023
2PM
Hybrid Meeting
HYBRID MEETING - ADJOURNS BY 2:55 P.M; MAY BEGIN EARLY
(PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON AT 311 GRAND AVENUE SUITE 101, SEE REMOTE
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360.778.5010)
COUNCILMEMBERS
Tyler Byrd
Ben Elenbaas
Kaylee Galloway
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C.
Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final February 21, 2023
Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee Member Kaylee Galloway called the meeting to order at 1:45
p.m. in a hybrid meeting.
Clerk's note: Elenbaas was present but came after the call to order.
Present: 3 - Tyler Byrd, Ben Elenbaas, and Kaylee Galloway
Absent: None
Also Present: Barry Buchanan, Todd Donovan, Carol Frazey, and Kathy Kershner
Announcements
Special Presentation
1. AB202.3-140 Report from the Planning and Development Services Department
Mark Personius, Planning and Development Services (PDS) Department
Director, reported and answered whether permit review timelines may be
extended because of Planning Department staffing shortages, whether PDS
has a grasp on why they have lost staff and are having a hard time recruiting,
what steps we need to take or what plan we have to get to the point that the
department is fully staffed, whether there has been any consideration of
doing an internship program in PDS, whether they have engaged with state
agencies such as the Department of Commerce and picked their brain about
how to address the staff shortage, and whether any of the state legislative
bills currently being considered will make it easier or helpful for customers
to get permits done in a less frustrating manner.
This agenda item was REPORTED.
Committee Discussion and Recommendation to Council
1. AB2023- 121, Resolution docketing Comprehensive Plan and Development Regulation amendments
Matt Aamot, Planning and Development Services Department, presented
and answered whether the experiments with increasing densities in the
Birch Bay Urban Growth Area (UGA) have been attractive to developers,
what other areas of the county PLN2023-00002 ("Zoning Code Density and
Lot Size Amendments") would apply to besides the Birch Bay UGA, and
whether this is a first step toward increasing densities in other UGAs that
have not been annexed by cities without affecting the services provided.
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Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final February 21, 2023
Committee
Kershner commented on the craziness of building out Birch Bay when it is
not a city but is a UGA. She would like to see a path where Birch Bay can
become its own city and then make these decisions for themselves rather
than the County taking on more high density UGAs that will cost us more
money to service. She would prefer to see the cities taking on more growth
instead of the Birch Bay Community.
Aamot answered what role the County should be playing in the development
of water and sewer infrastructure if the cities are not stepping up to do it,
whether most of the growth in Birch Bay is serviced by the Birch Bay Water
and Sewer District, whether the previous "Mineral Resource Lands
Expansion - North Star Rd." project as referenced in the Memo and
presentation will be dealt with in the Comprehensive Plan update, and at
what point the County may consider legislative policy directions of bills
that do not pass in the Legislature in our own docket.
Mark Personius, Planning and Development Services (PDS) Department
Director, stated they need to have a recommendation from the Committee
since this item is up for approval by the Council tonight.
Byrd moved that the Resolution be RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL
and Councilmembers voted on the motion (see the motion and vote below
after Councilmembers and staff had further discussion).
Councilmembers and staff discussed adding things to the docket, having a
work session at the first May meeting to go over a review of the State
legislation that is relevant to this and see what (if any) changes they might
need to make to the docket, when the Comprehensive Plan scope of work
will be coming to the Council, whether it would be worth the Council
looking at a list of the State legislative bills and deciding which ones they
would like to commit to discussing regardless of their outcome in the State
legislative session, and amending the Council's Comprehensive Plan
priorities Resolution instead so that the list of items the Council wants to
pursue is one place.
Byrd's motion above that the Resolution be RECOMMENDED FOR
APPROVAL carried by the following vote:
Aye: 2 - Byrd, and Galloway
Nay: I - Elenbaas
Absent: 0
Items Added by Revision
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Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final February 21, 2023
Committee
Other Business
Adjournment
There were no agenda items added by revision.
There was no other business.
Councilmembers discussed the starting time for the next meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 2:29 p.m.
ATTEST-
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Ben Elenbaas-via email 2/24/2023
Dana Brown Ntvi�, Clerk
Ben Elenbaas, Committee Chair
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Kristi Eelbinger, Minutes Transcription
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