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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Planning and Economic Development Committee - 06/20/1989 KENT CITY COUNCIL PLANNING COMMITTEE June 20, 1989 4: 00 PM Committee Members Present Planning Staff Present Judy Woods, Chair Charlene Anderson Steve Dowell Lin Ball Jon Johnson Jim Harris Fred Satterstrom City Administration Others Present Jim Hansen Barbara Heavey, King County Carol Stoner HUMAN SERVICES ROUNDTABLE Senior Planner Lin Ball stated the City Attorney has reviewed the Interlocal Agreement distributed with the agenda packet. She noted a correction to the action required on this item; that is to authorize the Mayor to sign a revised Interlocal Agreement rather than to adopt a resolution to so authorize. Councilman Dowell MOVED and Councilman Johnson SECONDED the motion to authorize the Mayor to sign a revised Interlocal Agreement for the ity of Kent's continued participation as a member of the Human Services Roundtable and to forward to the Human Services Roundtable the City's share of support for the remainder of 1989 in the amount of $6300. REVISED ANNEXATION MAP AREAS 3 AND 4 Jim Hansen displayed a map indicating priority areas for annexation within the next 20 years. He described the four priority areas and noted the City Council had approved Areas 1 and 2 and had sent Areas 3 and 4 to the Planning Committee for further study. Staff is researching the parameters of Area 4 to clarify whether conflicts could occur for funding of the South 272nd/277th Street Corridor. Hansen stated that Area 3 squares the City's boundary easterly to 132nd, southerly to 278th. In addition, there are numerous covenants to annex in this area. The area is within the fire service area. The Police Department has some concerns in this area. Some discussion occurred on the boundaries of Area 3 and the impact Kent can have on development within this area. Mr. Hansen added that Barbara Heavey of King County had contacted him regarding Area 4 . The County questions designating for incorporation areas which are part of the County's Agricultural and Resource Lands designation. Mr. Hansen indicated on the Comprehensive Plan map areas which Kent has designated Agricultural and noted that a good portion of the area is currently participating in the County's Agricultural Preservation Program. The City is concerned about potential pressures on the County Council to rezone Area 4 for a commercial strip after the 272nd Street Corridor is .)wilt. Mr. Hansen stated that the economic return versus the cost of service in this area is low, and the potential for making it more favorable is zero. ITY COUNCIL PLANNING COMMITTEE iINUTES OF MEETING OF JUNE 20, 1989 Barbara Heavey provided some history of the area. In the 1970's voters passed a bond issue to preserve agricultural land; Ms. Heavey indicated on a map the area affected by the bond issue. In 1985 through the County Comprehensive Plan the County designated two resource protection areas for forest and agriculture. One of the agricultural protection areas is in the Green River Valley; this area was zoned A-10. In addition there is being considered by Kent staff a revised interlocal agreement between King County and the City of Kent related to annexation policies. The original agreement adopted by Kent agreed that in our potential annexation areas " . . .agricultural districts as designated on the Comprehensive Plan Map shall not be included unless continued management of the resource would be maintained or enhanced through a legally binding agreement with Kent. " Ms. Heavey requested that if the City of Kent continues to show the area in question as a potential annexation area, that it be shown with the intent to go through an interlocal process with the County to ensure long-term protection of agriculture. The area of concern is Area 4 . Jim Hansen stated the designation could be qualified. He added that staff uses the City' s Comprehensive Land Use Plan in determining zoning, provided there are no special circumstances to override the Comprehensive Plan designations. Ms. Heavey added that Auburn is talking about adopting the County's Agricultural Production District boundaries as binding upon the City of Auburn. Jim arris stated the City Council could adopt a resolution falling back on prior actions of the City Council in that area, e.g. , Comprehensive Plan designation of Agriculture, election not to change designation when requested for water and sewer hook-up, etc. Ms. Heavey requested that when the City adopts Annexation Priority Area 4 the City will recognize the County Comprehensive Plan Agricultural Production District and will negotiate an agreement at the time with the County for long-term protection of that area. The Committee was favorably disposed toward this request. Discussion occurred on recent legal cases related to agricultural zoning. Jim Hansen made available the King County report dealing with the implications of incorporation. The Suburban Cities Association and the City of Bellevue have responded to this report. The County is looking at ways to cut their losses with annexations by considering obligations for services of all kinds. Staff is reviewing the report. Staff is not advocating any Committee action at this time and will further study these areas. 64TH AVENUE This item was added to the agenda in light of the fact the Council is being asked at tonight's meeting to approve a segmented project. Jim Harris stated the issue has been to the Public Works Committee who approved a segmented project for 64th Avenue - 212th to 216th, James north to 228th, and there is part built north to the power lines. The part by the lagoons would be left 2 ITY COUNCIL PLANNING COMMITTEE _.INUTES OF MEETING OF JUNE 20, 1989 out. If the Council approves the segmented project, SEPA review can proceed excluding the lagoon portion. Councilman Dowell suggested that along with tonight's Council approval of the northern and southern portions, there should be a timeline set for completion of negotiations on the lagoon portion. Jim Hansen stated that part of the problem is definition of a comprehensive and accurate work program. Carol Stoner of the Mayor's Environmental Task Force stated there are tough technical issues being considered. Ms. Stoner would like a quality habitat that will last. She would appreciate having the City Council request a timeline from Public Works. Councilman Johnson suggested having status reports for this project. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 5:05 PM. 3 - t ---- --- -----.aa,,._ % ---...--fir- --�--�-jam--- -•- �..�_- --- - < ,,/ LLJ ` , -I'=�==:' __-_..T-hf ----•1 - -_ •Li 1: . - -----Y,I Li ----------y,=_-._ - � .1 r Fir �; •s —• � I PM ­7 n 1 \ ll May 11, 1989 MEMO TO: Mayor Dan Kelleher Jim White, President, and Members of Kent City Council FROM: Carols - ; Chair, Mayor's Environmental Task Force SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATIONS ON SEGREGATION OF LID 330 AND MODEL BOAT USAGE The Environmental Task Force has been meeting regularly to discuss issues pertaining to the Kent Ponds. At our April 27 meeting the Task Force unanimously passed two recommendations. These include: (1) Segregating LID 330/64th Ave. to allow work to proceed on those portions of the roadway outside the Lagoon and its buffer, with the understanding that this would in no way imply future approval of the road alignment adjacent to the Lagoon; and (2) Discontinuing the model boating activity as soon as a contract is awarded for work on the Lagoon and/or 64th Avenue buffer, while encouraging the City to seek an alternate and more appropriate location for this activity. The purpose of this memo is to convey the Task Force recommendations to you, and to set forth some of the rationale for our actions. Our earlier comments to the City Council on the Homecourt proposal, as well as the Council's action in designating the Lagoon and its buffer as a Unique and Fragile Area, underscore the significance of the Lagoon. With the degree of urban development on the Valley Floor, the Lagoon has become a critical link for local and migratory waterfowl. The Task Force recommendations are designed to protect the habitat values of this resource. Recommendation 1: Segregation of LID 330 The proposal for construction of 64th Ave. S. presents a number of serious environmental concerns. The east side of the Lagoon is presently the most protected and sheltered portion of the habitat; it is also the area most severely impacted by roadway construction and use. Under the original proposal a portion of the 64th Ave. improvements would have actually intruded into the open waters of the east cell. The Task Force is now actively working with the Planning and Public Works Departments and a team of consultants on a plan for mitigating the short-term construction impacts and the long-term use impacts of the 64th Ave. roadway, as they affect the Lagoon habitat. As the Public Works Department has plans for Memo to Mayor Kelleher and Council May 11, 1989 reconfiguring the Lagoon to meet storm drainage requirements, we have also begun looking at long-term plans for the Lagoon re- design. Without knowing the permanent configuration of the Lagoon, e.g. , the amount of open waters and the shoreline location, different types of habitat, etc. , it is not possible to design appropriate buffers and other mitigation for the 64th Ave. project. It is not wholly clear that the impacts of a major arterial being located so near this habitat area can be fully mitigated. However, the Task Force recognizes that a large portion of the proposed roadway is distant enough from the Lagoon so as not to present a significant impact. The Public Works Director has proposed that work go forward in those non-problem areas, and has requested that the Task Force recommend segregating the LID for 64th Ave. construction into two parts: Section 1) that portion south of 228th Street and north of the Lagoon's northern 200 foot buffer, and Section 2) the remainder of the roadway (that portion proposed to be situated directly adjacent to the east side of the Lagoon) . The Task Force supports this approach. In the interest of time, we see no reason for work to be held up on the portion of 64th which will not impact the Lagoon habitat. Therefore, we recommend segregating the LID and moving forward on Section 1. Any action on Section 2 (the area between 228th Street and the northern portion) would be withheld, except for extension of the sanitary sewer north of 228th Street approximately 400 feet to the nearest manhole. We have one strong reservation: that action on Section 1 (north and south of the Lagoon) does not "lock in" the alignment adjacent to the Lagoon. In the event that it is not possible to mitigate the impacts of the ' proposed roadway adjacent to the Lagoon, it should be constructed along a different alignment. Recommendation 2: Model Boat Usage The Committee has been struggling for some time with the issue of model boat usage of the Lagoon, and the impact this activity has on the quality of habitat. Members of the Pacific Northwest Model Boaters have been using the Lagoon for some years. They race small remote-controlled craft at speeds up to 50 and 60 miles per hour on the large western cell of the Lagoon. Due to the Lagoon's small size, shallow depth, accessibility and other factors, it has attracted much use from the model boaters. A number of national model boating records have been set at the Kent Lagoon. This issue was addressed several years ago in the Shanewise Report on the Lagoon. Shanewise states that this activity "should be considered incompatible with the goals and design of the new wetland. Theirs is a non-passive form of recreation that would disrupt the wetland interior. . .continued use of the new wetland by 2 Memo to Mayor Kelleher and Council May 11, 1989 the model boat racers should not be allowed." (1985 Shanewise Report, p.8) The rationale given by Shanewise and endorsed by the Committee at that time still holds. Indeed, with continued development of the Valley Floor this area has become ever more important as a wildlife resource, and the need to protect it from incompatible human use has grown. It is estimated that even given the significant current wildlife usage, the Lagoon is meeting only 10% of its habitat potential. With the development of the adjacent lands, its functions should be expanded to include nesting and brooding, activities which unfortunately occur during the model boating season in the spring and summer. The Task Force simply could not find a seasonal "window" where model boating and wildlife usage would be compatible. Representatives of the model boaters have attended all of the Committee and Task Force meetings to date. They have been on the agenda twice, and have taken the opportunity to comment on their concerns. The Task Force members see an enthusiastic group with a worthwhile recreational activity, and sincerely hope that the City can find or create an alternative location for model boating to continue in the area. However, this activity is clearly incompatible with the protection and enhancement of wildlife habitat at the Lagoon. Our recommendation is that the model boating activity be permanently discontinued on the Lagoon at the time a contract is awarded for work on the Lagoon and/or the 64th Ave. buffer; and that the City Parks Department, City Administrator and Council work with the model boaters to find an alternate location for their activity. On behalf of the Task Force, I would like to extend my appreciation for the opportunity to review these matters. At a later time, we will be bringing forward additional recommendations concerning the Lagoon design and mitigation of 64th Avenue. If you have any questions about the Task Force recommendations, please do not hesitate to contact me. cc: Jess Abed Jim Hansen Jim Harris Don Wickstrom 3