HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Planning and Economic Development Committee - 11/25/1991 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
November 25, 1991
The meeting of the Kent Planning Commission was called to order by
Chair Faust at 7:00 p.m. , November 25, 1991, in the Kent City Hall,
Chambers West.
PLANNING COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT:
Tracy Faust, Chair
Linda Martinez, Vice Chair
Gwen Dahle
Christopher Grant
Albert Haylor
Edward Heineman, Jr.
Kent Morrill
Raymond Ward
PLANNING COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT:
Greg Greenstreet
APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 28 , 1991 MINUTES
It was MOVED and SECONDED that the minutes of the October 28, 1991
be approved as presented. Motion carried.
NOTICE OF UPCOMING MEETINGS:
Mr. Harris mentioned that the City Council and Council Committee
will be meeting on December 3, 1991. Mr. Harris commented there
are no issues that would specifically relate to the Planning
Commission; mainly, just items relating to the Planning Department.
SHORELINE VARIANCE
RIVER DISTRIBUTION CENTER #SMV-91-3
A request for a variance from the Shoreline Master Program General
Use Regulation that prohibits the removal of any trees within the
200 foot shoreline area of the Green River having a caliper of four
inches or greater.
Carol Proud, Senior Planner, presented the staff report. She
reiterated the request. Ms. Proud commented a copy of the Hearing
Examiner's Findings, Conclusion and Decision has been given to each
Planning Commissioner. Ms. Proud pointed out that the Hearing
Examiner, at a previous shoreline hearing, informed City staff that
the City's shoreline program states that requests for a substantial
development permit would be heard prior to a request for a
shoreline variance. She stated the Hearing Examiner approved the
substantial development permit to construct the storm detention
facility with conditions. Ms. Proud showed some view foils
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
depicting the 1) storm water detention system and 2) the location
of the site as well as zoning of surrounding uses and site. A
video of the site was shown.
Ms. Proud lectured on the State rules and regulations that govern
shoreline areas. She briefly mentioned the criteria that is used
in reviewing a shoreline variance. Ms. Proud stated the City staff
is recommending approval with two conditions.
Mr. Ward asked if the replacement trees would be of a similar size
of the ones rifted.
Ms. Proud responded the trees are just replacement trees.
Chair Faust if the trees were basically cottonwoods?
Ms. Proud commented yes. The applicant submitted a detailed tree
plan identifying 95 percent of the trees and the majority are
cottonwoods and maples. Ms. Proud stated that at the development
meeting usually the type of tree is determined.
Mr. Grant asked if this development would encumber the Interurban
Trail.
Ms. Proud replied negatively. She displayed a view foil showing
the location of the interurban trail in conjunction with the
location of the property.
Ms. Dahle requested how would the public get to the river.
Ms. Proud stated that the Shoreline Master Program requires that
for every 1,000 liner feet that a public access be provided by the
proponent of the project. This proposal has in excess of 1, 000
feet; so there will be access and the location would be determined
later. It could possibly be on 262nd, on the west side of the
property.
Will Wolfert, Director of Planning Services, Barghausen Consulting
Engineers, Inc. , 18215 72nd Avenue S. , Kent 98032, presented a
large display depicting the retention system. Mr. Wolfert stated
there are about 18 trees which would be removed because they are in
direct conflict with the biofiltration swale and detention ponds.
There are six cottonwood and three cherry trees among the trees
that would be removed. The large strand of trees at the northwest
corner of the site will be retained. The largest tree that will
be removed is about 36-inches in caliper; the remaining trees are
about 4 to 12 inches in caliper.
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Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
Mr. Wolfert expounded on the State Is environmental requirements for
the project. Mr. Wolfert stated the applicant agreed with the
staff's findings and recommendation. Mr. Wolfert gave a brief
explanation of a biofiltration swale. He addressed the City's
criteria for a shoreline variance.
Bart Brynestad, applicant, 23409 NE 19th, Redmond, commented the
proposal was revised, at the Planning Department's request, to
preserve as many trees as possible on site.
Chair Faust if there were any questions. There were none. It was
MOVED and SECONDED that the public hearing be closed. MOTION
carried. After a short discussion, it was MOVED and SECONDED that
the Planning Commission APPROVE the shoreline variance with the
conditions as listed on page 9 of the staff report. MOTION
carried.
VERBATIM MINUTES
CONTINUED HEARING ON THE KENT DOWNTOWN PLAN IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM
#ZCA-90-6
Chair Faust: And now the moment you've all been waiting for. We
are re-opening. . .we are not re-opening the hearing but we are
certainly continuing with the discussion among the Planning
Commissioners. A. .whatever it's called. . .
Ward: Kent Downtown. . .
Faust: The Kent Downtown Plan Implementation Program. Is it my
imagination that it gets longer every month, the title?
Ward: I think they change it every time. . .
Faust: O.k. , when last we left this issue we had closed the public
hearings and toddled off to bed and we are here tonight to begin
our deliberations on this matter. Before we begin doing that I
would like to ask staff, anyway, if they have any additional
information to bring before us tonight.
Jim Harris: Yes, I think Fred Satterstrom would like to say a few
words.
Faust: Go ahead, Fred.
Fred Satterstrom: Um, for the record, again, my name is
Fred Satterstrom, I 'm Planning Manager in the Planning Department,
and I don't mean to catch the Planning Commission off guard this
evening but I wanted to begin the meeting by kind of throwing you
a little bit of a curve ball. I wanted to make a proposal to you
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Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
that I hope you won't refuse. On behalf of the City Administration
Department and the Planning Department, we would like to request
that the Planning Commission postpone your deliberations and final
recommendation on downtown zoning specifically to your meeting on
February 24. That would be your regular meeting in February, 1992.
That's approximately three months from today. This will allow the
staff. . .City planning staff and the City Administration and it's,
perhaps, it's committee on downtown zoning, to come up with a
single integrated zoning proposal for the downtown area. The
Planning Department has met recently with representatives from the
Mayor's Office and they concur with this strategy. Alana McIalwain
from the Administration is here tonight. She can speak to this if
you have any question from or for City administration. We don't
necessarily need 90 days to come up with this proposal. The reason
why we are asking that this come up in February is that a very
important item and that is the Wetlands Ordinance should probably
be dealt with first since we have a pending March 1 deadline with
the State in terms of sending them a completed ordinance. The
issue of wetlands is bound to be controversial; very likely that it
may go more than one hearing but, in any case, I believe if we're
making good progress on the wetlands ordinance in view of the
State, they shouldn't come back hard on the City of Kent. That is
the reason why we're asking for the February date in light of
January. Also, and we realize that any revised proposal to you, no
matter who it is by, but certainly in this case would require
another notification of all parties of record. Certainly we would
want to get any revised proposal out to those people who have been
religiously giving of their Monday nights for the past several
months, in terms of following this, the opportunity to read it and
comment on it before it comes to you in February. You've been
through a great deal of delay on this, been through a great deal of
procedure on this. Some of it. . .a little bit unusual for all of us
involved and I apologize for the curve ball tonight but I do
believe that the next 60 to 90 days could be. . .could be, you know,
dealt with in a constructive debate with Administration and the
Planning Department taking the issues that have been presented to
you and, at least, coming back after discussing those issues and
giving you a singular proposal. Anyway, I put that before you
tonight as a proposal and hope that you would discuss it.
Tracy Faust: Fred, I 'm reminded of the story of the fisherman and
the flounder where the fisherman caught a magic flounder and upon
the condition that he release the flounder, the flounder granted
him a wish. He kept on wishing for a larger and larger house and
each time the flounder granted him a larger and larger house but it
grew more and more annoyed with him and the last time he went down
to the sea to ask this flounder for, I think, to make him King of
the Universe or something, the flounder finally just got a little
fed up and said presto, zingo you're back where you started and he
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Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
was back being a fisherman again. I sort of feel like the Planning
Commission is the flounder here. Although you aren't the same
fisherman whose been asking for a just a little bit more time.
Fellow Commissioners, comments?
Gwen Dahle: Madam Chair. I also have a reason to postpone. I've
been trying for three months to get my version of the downtown plan
before this committee and I haven't been able to do so yet, so I 'd
like to go along with this delay.
Faust: Gwen, what version?
Dahle: I've been trying to tell you for three months. The. . .one
of the things is the R1 up here on the hill. I just don't
understand why we are making R1 on one side of the street and R1 on
the other side of the street and right in between the middle of
them there we're having downtown commercial and they're all
residential houses. I 'd like to discuss that. I 'd like to have an
issue on that. And, there's another issue down here that I'd like
some protection for the churches and what have you
from. . .from. . .not the Downtown Commercial but the light
manufacturing and we haven't discussed any of those things yet.
Faust: Great. Thank you, Gwen. Any other comments, Commissioners.
Male Voice: Madam Chair. I have noted as I suppose all of us
have, that while there are significant differences between the two
proposals there are also significant areas of agreement and I think
it's an excellent idea to try to pull these view points closer
together.
Ray Ward: Madam Chair.
Faust: Ed reached for the mike. . .I mean Al reached for the mike
first there, Ray.
Ward: Go ahead.
Albert Haylor: Go ahead, Ray.
Ward: Well, um, like Fred used the key word. The key word here is
integration and it sounds as though we need a lot of integration in
the plan and because there's a number of plans pending, so because
of that key word, I would certainly encourage us to delay until the
February date in order to consider all the alternatives and all the
possibilities regarding the Downtown Plan.
Faust: Al?
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Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
Haylor: I favor waiting until. . .giving this additional time till
February, but I would also like to also caution and maybe warn all
the interesting parties and so forth, that I think, I can't speak
for the rest of the Commissioners, but I 'm running out of patience
very quickly on this thing and I'd like to get it done and out of
the way. So, I think when February comes and another delay comes
about that's. . .we could end up more than just back to square one,
but this policy could end up just dying of old age. Another reason
why I wouldn't mind seeing this postponed, I got an awful cold
tonight but I would go along with the extra time.
Linda Martinez: Madam Chair?
Faust: Yes, Linda.
Martinez: I see no reason to be hasty about all of this. It took
us a long time to get where we're going. . .where we are and it's
going to take a long time to figure it out. But, one thing that I
think Ray said is that we can. . .that we should have a plan that
considers all the alternatives. I suspect we will not get that
kind of a plan. I will suspect that we will get one plan that
where all of the rough edges have been smoothed out. And, I think,
that. .that. . .that one of the things that perhaps those of you who
are trying to do that smoothing should perhaps realize where some
of us, at least, on the Commission, are coming from and that is we
may not agree with either of these plans. You haven't exactly
asked us. And, um, I 'm not sure, I have not polled my fellow
Commissioners, I don't know if your view of. . .of beautiful downtown
Kent has anything to do with our view. And, that may be either a
pleasant or a nasty surprise to you when it actually gets to us.
Faust: Which is a wonderful segue into what I was about to suggest
and that is that it looks like perhaps the sense of this Committee
is. . .this Commission is that we grant the delay and I think we need
to get that out of the way procedurally. But that after we do
that, that we give you a piece of our mind, that we, politely, that
we tell you where we're going because we were all prepared tonight
to begin deliberating this and perhaps this is the time, then, for
us to talk about what our vision is of downtown and to talk perhaps
about some of the specifics of the plans and all the
recommendations that we've heard and give you a sense of where
we're going. We're not going to be voting tonight or even trying
to reach consensus tonight, but I think this is a good opportunity
for us to tell you all what we see. So, first of all I would
entertain a motion, albeit unwillingly, to table this matter for
the next three months for continuing the discussion.
Dahle• So moved.
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Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
Ward: Second.
Faust: It,s been moved and seconded that we hold off until our
February public hearing before we continue deliberations on this
plan. Any discussion?
Haylor: Madam Chairman. Before we vote on this matter, I would
like to make it clear to staff and everyone else that the night of
this meeting, this will be the only item on the agenda. I don't
want to be. . .have to go through a small hearing, so forth, before
we really get to this. So we can focus. . .I think we're going to
have to focus on. . .on this item.
Faust: Jim, what's the possibility of that?
Harris: Give us the direction and we will do it.
Faust: Fine.
Martinez: Madam Chair. One procedural question and that is do
we. . .do we re-open then. . . .we closed the hearing. I don't exactly
know how we. . .do we end that one and start another one.
- Harris: No, you got to table it essentially.
Martinez: O.k. , but to get testimony back on the table, re-open
it.
Harris• Yes.
Ward• Umhum.
Dahle: I have one question too for the Staff. Does this proposal
that you're talking about. . .does it include the comments that have
been made by the audience when they spoke to us during the past
three months. Are you taking those ideas into consideration also.
Satterstrom: We do have a recorded record of all of those comments
that have been made and they may, indeed, form, in addition to
whatever the Planning Commission tonight may give us in terms of
direction, would help to form the framework of any proposal that
comes back to you. I guess we now have the advantage of, excuse
me, not only the staffs input but that of the Committee, the
testimony at the public hearings, as well as anything that the
Planning Commission directs us to do tonight.
Dahle: That's my question.
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Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
Faust• Yes.
Christopher Grant: As a suggestion, the public hearing would be on
February 24. I 'd like to see whatever is being proposed at a
workshop level prior to that meeting.
Satterstrom: That would be no problem. We would handle it like we
would a staff report coming to the Planning Commission where that
would be headed towards hearing and we'd have to have some sort of
a workshop or public meeting on this to brief you on it prior to
the hearing.
Faust: Any other comments or concerns, Commissioners, before we
vote on this.
Ward• Question.
Faust: I think, no, Kent. . .Kent was moving his mike around.
Kent Morrill: Yeah, I think. . .I 'm really pleased with this because
I think its really important for this City to proceed with caution
for the decision we're about to make in reference to the zoning.
I 'd like staff, Fred, if at all possible, could you check into one
thing that I became a little bit familiar with and I 'm not too sure
of what the answer is, but there is some question that if we're to
take any existing residential and to make that commercial that
those individuals, whomever own the property or plan to purchase
properties for residential, are not eligible for mortgages and I 'd
like to see, I know Fannie Mae, for one, will not finance any
residential for. . . if it is zoned commercial and that could affect
some of these potential residential homes that want to remain as
residents.
Faust: Right. Well, I have a feeling that we're going to be
giving Fred an earful as soon as we finish voting on this because
these are the sorts of things, especially the sorts of things that
Gwen was bringing up, that I think that staff needs to know as they
go back and begin trying to weave some things together. So, if
there aren't any more specific concerns or questions about the
motion on the table, I 'd like to hear somebody call for the
question.
Ward• I just did.
Faust• Did you.
Ward: Yeah.
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Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
Faust: O.k. Ray says that he's called for the question. All
those in favor of tabling our discussion and vote on the Downtown
Plan, please signify by saying Aye. AYE. All those in favor, Nay.
And the aye's have it and the Downtown Plan Commission discussion
and voting will be continued. . .has been tabled and will be
continued on February 24, 1992.
Haylor: Madam Chair.
Faust: Yes, Al.
Haylor: I would. . . .I would like to have you, as Chair, direct the
staff to: One. . . is prepare this. .Downtown Plan revision for us for
the workshop preceding the meeting in February and, second, making
sure that the hearing in February will be the only thing on the
agenda for that evening.
Faust: Thank you, Al. Fred, I assume, because you are frantically
scribbling away that that has been duly noted.
Satterstrom: It has.
Faust: Thank you. I don't want this to run until midnight
obviously, Commissioners, but I think the time has come for us to
talk to staff and to the Downtown Committee and to the audience as
well because we've been hearing a lot about what they want and what
their vision is and I think that now it's time for us to begin
talking about our vision. We aren't voting tonight, but the time
has come for us to begin sharing our thoughts about that. And, I 'd
like, first of all. . . I eventually I'd like for us to get into the
specifics. I had asked you to look at page 49 of the original
Planning Department document because it had the summary of
recommended actions and I figured that that would be a very good
outline for us to follow. And, I still think that it is even in
our discussions tonight where we're providing feedback and input.
But before we do that, I'd like to ask you, if you would, to share
your individual visions of downtown. Gwen?
Dahle: Well, I 've been very concerned about people living downtown
and since the heart of any city are the people that live in it, I
think we need to be careful that we don't eliminate homes and
apartments and what have you from the downtown core area. And, I 'm
afraid some of the things that have been written in, the
regulations that have been put in, are so limited as to drive
people away from the downtown area rather than encourage them to
live here. It's like, I was raised by an aunt and uncle, and in
the 1960 's when my uncle died my aunt came to live in Kent and she
lived in downtown Kent for about three months and then she decided
she was going back home because this town rolled up the sidewalks
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Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
at five o'clock and put them in and there was nothing for any human
being to do in the downtown Kent after five o'clock in the
afternoon and I 'm interested in seeing that these things are taken
care of.
Faust: Thank you, Gwen. Would anyone else like to share their
vision of downtown.
Linda Martinez: Why not. I guess there's. . . .there's one thing
that I don't want the town to be and that's Bellevue. I live in
Kent because I have avoided the Bellevue's of the world my entire
life. I live in Kent because I can get for my family what I want
here. I live in Kent because I find that I. . .that it suits the
kind of a person I am. It's neither terribly urban, nor is it
terribly small town but it gives me, in a sense. . .some sense
the. . .the best of both of those. I have no problem with us
becoming more urbanized in the downtown core area. In fact, I
think its a wise idea. I would like to see. . .I would like to see
it. . . .actually I'd like to see more people living in the downtown
including multifamily dwellings. I have a huge concern about,
however, us becoming a large, metropolitan area because I have no
idea. . .no conception at this moment how in the heck we will move
people in and out of that same kind of an urban area. I could see
if it. . . if it were happening close. . . if our downtown or new
downtown were closer to the freeway it might be. . .and where we had
something. . .railroad running there or something, but all of South
King County already goes through downtown Kent and I can't imagine
more people coming here.
And, I guess, the other thing I want to make sure is when we get
all done, that Kent still is a place that is liveable. That I
don't walk through corridor. . . . .tall, tall corridors of buildings,
I don't get raped, I don't get mugged and I can say hello to my
neighbors and the folks downtown will still know me, at least some
of them.
Faust: Thank you, Linda. Would anyone else like to share their
vision of downtown Kent?
Ed Heineman: Um, I might say just a few words. I pretty much have
the same kind of hope or vision for Kent that Linda has. And, it's
the same kind of place, more or less, I want to live in. I think
we do need to encourage people to live in or very near the downtown
area. But, from what I can see, the only residential future that
downtown Kent has is multifamily. That we should encourage that to
whatever extend that we can. That the single. . .we're not going to
have new single-family homes built in this area and the ones that
are presently existing, most of them are not in very good shape and
many of the people who own those homes have no intention of
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Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
upgrading them, that they are looking forward to developing for
other uses. . .commercial, possibly multifamily residential. I think
we need to work to improve our retail/commercial facilities in
downtown Kent and to expand and develop multifamily residential and
while we're doing that, of course, we're going to have to work hard
on the traffic problem. How to get people through Kent, how to get
people into Kent. We're going to have to integrate that with, as
I hope, rail rapid transit which, I think, we're very well suited
for with two operating railroad lines within the downtown area and
well, that's really just about the way that I see it.
Faust: Thank you, Ed. Ray.
Ward: I 'm pretty much in agreement with most of the Commissioners
who have spoken so far. We do need a much higher density of
liveable spaces within downtown. I would encourage multifamily
zoning of a greater extent so that people live within a close
proximity to the downtown area. Since we have reduced the density
in the outlying areas to a great degree on either hill and that
should result in the fact that they should be closer to downtown.
I think that development is necessary, perhaps not necessarily
right downtown per se since there are some, and a great number of
people who are interested in seeing some portions of the downtown
historically or otherwise basically preserved. But, I would go so
far as to encourage this development in the peripheral area of
downtown and there's plenty of space to do that. I quite agree
with Linda's statement in the sense that Kent is the place that I
chose to live and I chose to live there because it was Kent and not
say a Bellevue or a hybrid some other city across the country. But
rather it has a potential of development and growth and I would
like to see it viably do that and one of the ways that I feel as
though it can do that (unclear) is by some sense of growth and
development. And, it can, it can. . . .because cities in my
guesstimation do one of two things--they either grow or they die.
It' s like. . . it's like the shark in the ocean who is a peripheral
feeding moving machine. If he stops he dies. If a city stops
growing then they go the opposite way. I would like to see this be
a planned and controlled growth. That's why I 'm trying to protect
in this Commission. But by the same token, the growth pattern has
to be there.
The transportation, perhaps, we' ll try to solve as other cities
have tried to solve it and possibly be just as unsuccessful as most
cities have been. But, hopefully, we will. . .will try additional
forms and not just talk about them. That. . .and there's many forms
of transportation can. . .that can move people in and out and one
speaker, one Commissioner, spoke earlier, stated the fact that most
people move through here anyway and whether this growth will
generate a greater movement of people, it's not a question mark
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Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
because this is a. . . .this is a transient through type of a place,
come in for nine hours to work type of a place in the first place.
And it could possibly continue to be that.
Faust: Thanks, Ray. Kent, did you want to say something else?
Kent Morrill: Yeah. I guess I disagree and maybe that's why they
have different individuals on the Commission because we have
different points of view on different subjects and I think that
right now there's. . . .I would not like to see additional multifamily
units in the downtown area. I'd like to see a shot in the arm for
the retail community. I'd like to see some of the concessions
given to developers once the infrastructure's caught up so we can
take and rejuvenate the downtown core area and make it into a more
attractive, a drawing card for individuals to come to do their
shopping in Kent and right now we really don't have the big ticket
drawers in Kent that's going to encourage that and I think that's
one of the only salvations for Kent is if we can take and make some
concessions for developers, but also keep in consideration some of
the traffic patterns, the parking and put together a real
comprehensive plan that would encourage some of the new
construction in Kent.
Faust• Al?
Havlor: Are you looking at me to say something.
Faust: I 'm inviting you.
Havlor: You're inviting me, well, that's nice. I 'm one of the few
Commissioners that don't live in Kent, live on the outskirts of
Kent. I 've lived out there for better than twenty years and some
time I have a. . . .we've been going over this revitalization of
downtown Kent it seems like for the twenty years that I 've been
here. To me, downtown Kent is East Hill Kent. We get down here,
we shop once in a while down here at J. C. Penneys and do a few
other things, but, it still, to my downtown Kent is the East Hill.
And I feel in a way like Kent does. When it comes to multifamily
buildings and so forth and residents, we have them out there on the
East Hill of Kent and people do, like they do in residential homes,
they get into their car and they drive to the shopping centers.
Sometime you do need something to pull them in. If you put more
residential homes down here, multifamily, whatever, they're
probably just going to get in their cars and drive to Southcenter
or to the new shopping center down in Auburn. I don't know.
Sometimes, I think, the only answer if you're going. . .you know, to
keep people within your own community, is like they do in Europe
and the price of gasoline to a point where people can't use it,
they have to stay home. So, I don't know what the answers are.
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Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
I 'm kind of hoping that maybe we can come up with something here,
you know, with everyone discussing it and kicking it around, maybe
we will. Kent is a good area to, I think, raise children and so
forth. I raised three here and I 'm very proud of them. The school
system is good. I think. . .I think people do take pride here.
Whether changing all the zoning and so forth will make it better,
I don't know yet.
Faust: Thanks, Al. Chris.
Christopher Grant: Thank you, Madam Chair. My view point may be
perhaps too laissez faire for most of the Commissioners, but I
would say that as Commissioners, I think we're being asked to
provide zoning that will allow development to happen. Not
necessarily to dictate what that particular development will be.
I think that business people know business best and the business
people will likely tell us what kind of businesses can grow and
survive here in Kent, what their requirements will be. I think
people in the residential concern, they will tell us what they
need. Do they need single family, do they need multifamily? I
think we will hear from them. We have been hearing from them. My
view point isn't so fixed. I 've heard from over the months now,
lots of input where we've seen, like Mr. Leiper who's here this
evening, he's got an exciting view of downtown Kent. I don't know
exactly how that would ever come to pass, in the next ten years
even, as he is so aggressive and the funds to make a Kent like that
may be beyond our grasp. I would hope that by February 24 or the
week or two there before that anybody who is putting together
another downtown plan for us to look at, will somehow tell us how
these different things will be funded. We're in a City right now
that's struggling with a budget that's $6 million behind. Assume
for a second that you're going to put a jail in downtown Kent and
I can see the associated roads and parking and sewers and
electrical and everything that will go with that. Who's going to
pay for that? I hope the proposals that come in here will somehow
address, you know, who's going to pay for these different things.
I assume the City of Kent or councilmanic bonds or. . .there's
different ways to fund things. I would hope that someone will
address that because I think the people in this City have no
interest in any new taxes. Not in an economy like we've got.
What's the timetable on this. I know that there's, you know, from
Mr. Ramos who's made a very eloquent presentation here earlier,
there seems to be a sense of urgency to get things going now. And
if it would help stimulate the economy around here, I think I'd
feel like, yeah, let's stimulate things now. Let's provide the
zoning that's needed. But whatever is provided, who's going to pay
for it, how are we going to do it? Those are my concerns. So much
my view point of downtown Kent, what it should be like, what it
13
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
should look like. I think the public's telling us that right now.
How it will be funded is the question that I've got. Thank you.
Gust: Thank you, Chris. I 'd like to ask you all a specific
question. We've been looking at various zoning maps of the
downtown area. I think we've gotten at least two different
versions so far, maybe three and I know that Gwen's real concerned
about one particular part of that zoning map. I 'd like to
specific. . .and I think it's real important that the people who are
going back and putting their heads together get some specific ideas
and I 'd like very much to get your input on that and maybe three or
four other things real fast. But looking back at the various maps
that you've been given and you might as well start with the one
that's in the Planning Department's January, 1991 version. Oh,
dear, on page 14 there's the existing downtown zoning and on page
16 is it, and on page 16 is, oops, on page 16 is, I've been told,
is the proposed downtown zoning and I think also in some of the
materials that we've gotten from the Downtown Committee, there' s
yet another zoning proposal. What do you all think? How do you
all feel about. . .about the rezones that have been proposed for
downtown? Maybe Gwen you'd like to start off since you had a
specific concern about one part of that.
Dahle: Yes, I'm concerned about the residential houses that are on
Kennebeck in that area that surrounds the Kent Senior Center. Now,
we had people in here that asked us what we were going to do with
their homes and that's all there is in that. . . in that, I suppose
it's two and a half block area one way and one block the other.
The only thing there, besides R1 is the Senior Citizen Center.
Across Smith Street on the other side and east of Kennebeck is R1.
Across the street and south of, what is it, Titus, it's also R1.
But that same area, where all these houses are, has been proposed
to be commercial and I simply do not understand that. I have gone
around and asked if there's any commercial speculation going on and
I have been told no. No one's heard of any. So why do we want to
change those homes into a commercial when everybody else in the
whole area is R1? All we're doing is raising the taxes of those
elderly people that live there and I can't see any purposes in
doing it. Those houses are, for the most part, not falling down.
They are pretty well taken care of and I 'm concerned about that.
I'm also concerned about. . .behind the school now, I. . .I understand
the school is not going to be activated very much longer down here,
but there are churches and schools and everything else in downtown
Kent and I 'm interested in not having factories behind them. . .that
there's a buffer zone between them and none of our maps show that,
especially the latest ones we've got don't show that.
And then Al was saying about. . .about the price of gasoline. Well,
that may be one more reason why people would want to live downtown
14
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
so they're close to rail transportation and what have you if the
gasoline price gets so high they can't afford to live anywhere
else.
Faust: Thank you, Gwen. Anyone else on the issue of the zones,
how many zones, and where should they be drawn. We've heard lots
and lots of comments on that. Ed. . .
Heineman: Gwen, the area south of the Senior Center, according to
the map that. . .there's a series of three maps in the alternate
downtown proposal and the first one, starting on page 6 of that, if
you have it. . .
Faust: That's the one with the purple cover.
Heineman: Yeah, o.k. It has all of the. . . it says that all of that
area to the south of the Senior Center is now zoned MRH, High
Density Multifamily, which is certainly not what is existing there
and. . .
Dahle: Right, but this is not the. . .this is not the last one we
got. The last map we have has down there Downtown Commercial and
that's what came out of the Mayor's Committee.
Heineman: O.k. , Downtown Commercial, but, either that or the MU,
which was the staff proposal for that particular area, would allow
pretty much the same thing, wouldn't it? Or am I missing
something?
Dahle: I think you're missing something. I think that if we go
with these, we're raising property values there, which raises taxes
and all those people are in R1 homes, are elderly people.
Heineman: Yes, but they're being taxed, I don't know how they're
being taxed, but if they are presently zoned MRH, then
they're. . .then the. . .they at least potentially, are not being zoned
as single-family residents.
Dahle: But, they should be.
Heineman: Being taxed, maybe they should be.
Dahle: That's what I 'm getting at, they should be.
Heineman: You feel, then, that they should be. . .that that zoning
should be reversed to R1.
Dahle: That's right.
15
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
Heineman• O.k.
Ward: Can anyone answer the question. . .are you taxed by the usage
or are you taxed by the zoning?
Harris: You're taxed by the usage. That is a State law of
taxes. . .
Ward: So they're still taxed R1, regardless of what the zoning
change is, they're taxed accordingly.
Dahle: Well, that's not the impression that I got from the people
that were here talking. They said they wanted to know what their
taxes were going to be.
Ward: Yeah, well they didn't know.
Faust: They should talk with Jim. What do you all think about the
categories that have been proposed? Some brand new zoning
categories have been proposed. . .DIM, DCE, MU, what do you all think
of those? Al, were you about to say something?
Haylor: Yes. Madam Chairman, I. . .this past week I was going
through a lot of this material and I came across a letter that was
presented to this Commission back during the hearing from
Pete Curran and he got me thinking about, you know, what do we want
downtown retail type to be. I think it's come down to between two
choices, really. There's one that's basically a Southcenter type
of thing where you have a lot of big shops and big stores and this
type of deal or like Pete was. .reference to. . .was a village type
atmosphere where a small core of small businesses and where. . .where
its more or less the owner is the proprietor and he works there,
its his life or the. . . .
Ward: Like a incubator, you're thinking, is that word.
H or: Right. And, I think, . . .
Ward: The point of all incubators have failed throughout the
County, the incubators have failed.
Ha or: But, I think, that's the theme we're looking at. The two
type of communities, downtown areas that we're looking at. I
haven't made my mind up which one would be best or which would be
my vision of what Kent would be. But I think that's what we're
down to really, between those two. To me it is.
Heineman: I think we need to think not only about what we would
like to see, but what it is most likely. . .the probability of what
16
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
we would see. And, I believe that if, if Kent does successfully,
I was going to say rejuvenate, but its already been somewhat
rejuvenated. If the downtown area continues to progress and
expand, I think what the most likely scenario is, is something
somewhere between Pete Curran's village and downtown Bellevue. I
can't visualize us, in our lifetime, of ever seeing anything like
downtown Bellevue and, on the other hand, I don't think Kent's
going to make it as a village with a huge area around it.
Dahle: Madam, Chair.
Faust: Yes.
Dahle: I think if you're going to have multifamily units down here
you have to provide them with the necessary stores and grocery
stores and shopping stores for clothing and what have you to
maintain them down here and I 've lived here 35 years and 35 years
ago we had more stores in downtown Kent than we have now. A lot
more. So we're doing something wrong and we need to do something
down here to encourage people to live here and encourage store
owners to come back.
Faust: Well, would anyone like to specifically address the
question that I 'd raised a few minutes ago about what do you think
about all of these new zoning designations?
Martinez: I sort of like the idea of. . .I 'm going to call it mixed
use, but DCE almost. . .almost was the same in the. . . in the core
areas except that I. . .I do have concerns about. . .about what was
Downtown Kent. I don't know what it's going to become, but the
part, what I call downtown Kent which is Meeker Street and First
Avenue and around in there and I like the idea of protecting that
to some extent and I don't know that there's any way to. . .and that
may be counterproductive. I don't know, I. . .I 'd like to see the
arguments on both sides. But we may not be able to protect it and
have anything else happen in the downtown area. I don't know. But
it appeals to me as we've been talking about this to do some kind
of protection somewhat like the original downtown zoning which did
some protection kinds of things in the DC zone. Reducing the
number of zones and. . .and introducing the. . .the DLM, the GC, those
seem reasonable to me. I 'm not as comfortable with DLM at this
moment as I, but. . .
Faust: How about the rest of you. Ray?
Ward: Yeah. I just have a question for Linda. Protect it from
what?
Martinez: I guess just to. . .to make sure. . .
17
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
Ward: From progressing?
Martinez: Well, maybe, you see that's, yes, that may be possible.
We may not be able to grow with downtown without hurting the sod,
so to speak and. . .and destroying what was downtown which I 'm. . .
Ward: But you see, you like the authentic, historical county-town
look.
Martinez: Yes. There is some value to history. There is some
value to continuity. . .
Ward: If its good history, but its no value if it's bad.
Martinez: Yes there is. I've a lot of horse boots in my
background. But, for example, I think that we took two of our most
beautiful buildings and covered them up with a relatively ugly
building. The building next door. I'm not sure that that was
progress, precisely.
Ward: You're saying our new highrise is a. . .
Martinez: Looks like a box to me. But. .but that' s my own
prejudice. I'm. . .I 'm not an aesthetic planner here. But. . .but it
seems to me that perhaps we will loose Kent in building Kent if
we're not very careful.
Ward: Umhum. Yeah, just a brief comment then on. . .on the
multi. . . .on the zonings at the downtown area. I pretty well agree
with most of the changes that are proposed currently. I just
believe that there shouldn't be quite as much restriction on height
limitations. I believe that there should not be as much
restriction on multifamily in the area. I believe that. . .that we
should, whether we're providing protective area and. . .and develop
around the outskirts per se, develop in the sense of building and
bulldozers coming in (unclear) is that we should do everything
possible to encourage a developer with a plan and with money to be
able to come in there and make it as viable for him as possible
with as many segments of our society, administration and city and
county, and say its cooperating to make it a viable type
enterprise. And. . .and. . . .and. . . .and in truth that's what' s going
to happen anyway. The economy and the development community to a
great degree will determine to what degree of success and/or
failure so far as the development is concerned. The economy
determines most of the things in our lives. Hopefully, we can. . .
we can guide that to some degree and if your interest is to protect
a certain segment of the City and allow the rest of it to develop
or to restrict develop, then by the same token then that's when we
need to exercise our. . .our rights and privileges and what you that
18
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
we have in this Commission and (unclear) . But, but. . .I quite agree
with most of them. And, I'm sure there will be more forthcoming
within the next few weeks or so and by February 24, since this is
the day that Armageddon's coming then (unclear) we' ll have
something.
Faust: Ed, I think you were about to speak as well.
Heineman: Yes, I wanted to say something about you are already
referring specifically to the zoning maps, but we're really
considering two things. Not only what. . .how this pie gets divided
up, but what is said as regards what a particular zone means and
that's where we're rather far apart. As far as the map itself,
there's very little difference between plan 1 and plan 2 except
that plan 2 lumps this into one unit called DCE. The rest of it,
DIM and the R1-7 .2 are virtually identical in the two plans. What
we need to get a consensus on is how restrictive do we need to make
this proposed zoning.
Faust: Well, actually, that leads into a real interest. . .a couple
of other things that I would like some input from you all and Fred
is, I hope you've got enough paper there, Fred. I'd like to talk
about the building height issue because that's come up a lot and
I'd also like to talk with you about the pedestrian plan because
that also seems to be woven into some of the comments you're making
tonight. So, would anyone like to talk about how they feel about,
first of all, the intensely volatile issue of building height or,
if you wish to avoid that one, how you feel about the pedestrian
plan which Linda, you know, really was skirting when she was
talking about the sort of user friendly downtown. So, anybody.
Maybe Al since I have this terrible feeling that he's going to go
home and nurse his cold soon.
Haylor: I 'm on my way out the door right now.
Faust: Give us your final comments.
Havlor: My final comment. Well, Madam Chairman, way I feel right
now about. .about what's happened over the last few months and so
forth is that both the Planning Department and the Administration
and a few other individuals and groups have basically used us to
hammer out a deal which will be coming in February. So, I'm going
to see the deal before I 'm going to make any decisions and,
hopefully, I think it should work out beneficial, I think, for the
City.
Faust: Any parting comments on height restrictions, on pedestrian
overlays, zoning, vision?
19
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
Haylor: No, I just want to look at the compromise and see
what. . .what it's going to come up with.
Faust: Good enough.
Ha or: Thank you.
Faust: Take care of yourself. There's no public hearing in
December, Al, but we do have a workshop, second Monday.
Ha or: Goodnight.
Faust: Goodnight. Gwen, you look like you're about ready to say
something.
Dahle: Well, I was, but I changed my mind.
Faust: Right. Would anyone else like to talk about height
restrictions, pedestrian overlay?
Heineman: I 'm willing to tackle the hight restriction.
Faust: Take a whack at it, Ed.
Heineman: Actually, I prefer, would prefer, I think, to minimize
any restrictions on height. I think the height of buildings will
be somewhat self-regulating by economics, at least in the
reasonably near term. We may get four story buildings. More
likely not. We certainly won't get any ten story buildings
not. . .not with the kind of soil that we have in the valley here.
Not that it's technically impossible to build them, but it's
economically ridiculous.
Faust: What about minimum height restrictions because the Planning
Department has proposed a minimum two-story height restriction.
What do you think about that, Ed?
Heineman: All right. I like the idea on new construction of the
two-story minimum because, as has been said, the land, the amount
of available land we have here is limited and the land is precious
and I don't think, at this point, we need any more single-story
buildings in the core Kent area.
Faust: Well, Kent, you have been strangely silent over there. Do
you have any comments about building height or about making,
perhaps, the core downtown area very much pedestrian oriented?
Kent Morrill: Well, I don't know about, excuse me, Madam Chair. . .
20
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
Faust: That's o.k. , call me Tracy.
Morrill: O.k. I don't have any comments right now to make in
reference to the pedestrian traffic. I do about the automobile
traffic. I'd like to see us reconsider how some of the streets are
laid out in downtown Kent. We've got some crazy curves that I
don't know if they really need to be there and maybe once we get
the downtown core area put together a little bit more attractive to
the customer, maybe we could devise the traffic to maybe flow
through Kent instead of bypassing it.
Faust: Good. On that pedestrian, sort of making, at least the
downtown area--the central downtown area-- more pedestrian
oriented, how wide an area, maybe I should ask Linda this. Linda,
for the television audience, how wide an area do you foresee
being. . .being part of a pedestrian-oriented city?
Martinez: Good question. It honestly depends on where the City
ends up being. It's conceivable to me that the city city, the ones
with tall, tall buildings and parking structures and stuff may not
develop down here at all. It may be closer to where public
transportation can get in and out to it. If that's the case,
that' s where I would want to be able to walk. So. . .Sol I 'm
not. . .I'm not. . .I don't. . .I guess at this moment not knowing what
I'm talking about, never stopped me before, but it seems to me that
where we need to have the pedestrian-intensive development or
design standards, if you will, is where we want pedestrians to be
and. . .and by that I mean, if you're going to go back and forth to
office buildings, you want to have a pass. You want to have parks.
You want to have places that make it so you can get there so people
don't get into their car to go one block. And I think that that
all has to do with how we. . .how we think about what's going to
happen down here. . .what kind of design standards we ultimately
impose on all of this downtown area. I didn't answer the question.
I'm still thinking about it.
Ward: Umhum. Are you suggesting by that statement that we. . .that
we require of the developing community, certain pedestrian-oriented
areas?
Martinez: Yes.
Ward• Umhum.
Faust: Every time we get talking on this subject, I sort of think
of looking in a mirror, standing behind a mirror and looking into
endless mirrors and what we've done is just depressed the fool out
of me thinking about whether we're going to determine where the
21
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
pedestrian areas ought to be or whether they're going to determine
where we ought to be. . .so. . . .
Dahle: I have one question.
Faust: Sure, Gwen.
Dahle: In talking about the parking and what have you and being
pedestrian-oriented, we just put a new library down here. It's
only one-story tall, by the way. . .
Faust: A very tall story.
Dahle: Yeah. And the people that are going to be using that
library are coming from East Hill and all over, so there's going to
have to be parking down here for them. There certainly is going to
have to be parking for people who are going to live down here. So,
maybe we have this area, downtown commercial area, too big. Maybe
it should only be two blocks wide and four blocks, which is what I
would say was as far as I want to walk, but. . .
Fa st: Well, what do. . . .what do you think, Gwen, about the various
parking proposals that have been put before us?
Dahle: I haven't been too thrilled with any of them, especially
the City's philosophy, putting up this new building over here and
parking for the City and they took the only downtown parking area
that we had on this side to do it. I wasn't happy with that. I
don't think there's been an awful lot of thought put into parking
downtown.
Faust: Well, let's see. I think that the City's proposal, at this
point I may be getting things confused, somebody's proposal was to
limit on-street parking and move it behind buildings. I think that
another proposal said no, let them park where they please.
Somebody else, well, let's put them all into a very large garage.
Dahle: I think maybe you're going to have to put some underground
parking down here if you're going to have residences or multifamily
units and what have you. There just isn't enough room for all the
parking lots and . . .
Faust: Do you think that the. . .early on it was suggested that
there be one parking stall somewhere for each multifamily unit.
Does that sound about right to you.
Dahle: One and one and a half.
Ward: No, one and an eighth isn't it by Code isn't it?
22
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
Faust: I think for downtown they were doing it to just one. . .
Ward: What, just one per. . .per unit.
Faust: I think so.
Ward: I thought you were talking about (unclear) .
Male Voice: Fifty units this one place.
Ward• Umhum.
Faust: What about setbacks? The City propo. . . .the Planning
Department proposed 20 feet as a setback so that there would not
just be buildings up to the sidewalks or up to the road and the
Committee first said no setbacks whatsoever, build out to the
property line and I think their last proposal was a maximum setback
of ten feet.
Ward• Ted feet.
Faust: But, how do you all feel about setbacks?
Ward: I think they should be just as varied as those two
indicators indicate. That it should be. . .that's one possible
restriction that could be. . . .could be mellowed to a great degree.
Because, again, that's. . .that's an inducement and/or an
encouragement for someone to build if they don't have. . .have a
fantastic amount of restrictions in the area of setbacks.
Faust: Well, do you think there ought to be any setbacks?
Ward• Hmm?
Faust: Do you think there ought to be any setback restrictions?
Ward: It could be a stated setback, but by the same token, it
could be compromised out as a. . . .as a gratuity for doing something
else and so you have it, but by the same token if they add a tree,
whether its a trash tree or not, then maybe you should get rid of
it. . .something like that.
Faust: I guess my concern about zero setbacks, especially facing
the front of the building, is that it's not very pedestrian
friendly at all and I 'd really rather see some sorts of setbacks.
Lauri?
Lauri Anderson: I know its not very appropriate for me to
interject at this point, but there's been quite a bit of confusion
23
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
over the setback issue and I think we need to clarify that the
staff proposal does not to recommend a 20 foot setback in the
downtown. That's a misconception (unclear) . . . .
Faust: Why don't you. . .wait, why don't you get on up to the mike
and put this on the record.
Anderson: I 've called the newspaper and a number of people on this
issue. So, once and for all, I ' 11. . .I' ll get it straight. This is
Lauri Anderson with the Planning Department. Just to clarify the
setback issue. We were not recommending a setback in those core
areas. We were recommending a maximum setback so that we, too,
were proposing that buildings should, hopefully, find their way
close to the sidewalk. That's all.
Faust: Great. Thank you, Lauri, I appreciate that.
Ward: You wrote that newspaper article.
Anderson: (Unclear) .
Dahle: The only place, Madam Chair, the only place I can see where
we would really want to watch out what kind of a setback
requirement we put in is in light. . . . is in the light manufacturing
and where trucks come in. If you're only going to allow them ten
feet, they aren't going to get a truck in there and turned around.
So, it seems to me we need to vary a little. . . .be a little bit more
restrictive downtown and not so much in the outlying area.
Faust: How about design review? I 'm sorry there was a murmur down
at the other end.
Heineman: Madam Chair?
Faust• Yes, Ed.
Heineman: I wanted to interject a little bit into that about the
setback thing. For only for my own personal experience, I don't
think setback is. . . is nearly as important in creating a pedestrian
friendly environment as is the type of buildings and other
amenities in the area and so I think the setback thing is a non-
issue.
Faust: How about administrative design review? That was also
something that was brought up in the proposals.
Ward: I 'm a strong proponent of design review. I think design is
one of the things that. . .that accomplishes a lot of the things that
many people have objection to so far as any type of building within
24
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
the City whether it's multifamily and commercial buildings by the
same token it's again, I. . .we have just proposed something that
was. . .I think is very good in that kind of respect and I think that
limit, perhaps it could be extended to a commercial type of
building which would be a start in the right direction.
Faust: Anyone else? Anybody else have a feeling about
administrative design review for the downtown area and if so,
should it just be for a certain area, maybe the teensy core area?
Should it be for the whole thing? Should it be for a particular
types of uses? What do you think? Gwen?
Dahle: I think it's important to have design review where you have
a lot of multifamily dwellings and we've got Fort Kent here already
and we don't need any more of those. But, when you're talking
about right downtown commercial, I don't know if you can really do
an awful lot of restriction on design review. They're already
there. . .the buildings are already there. And we certainly aren't
going to tell them to tear them down, so?
Faust: Oh, but what about new structures?
Dahle: Well, I suppose they should. . .you could say they might be
coordinated with the rest of the surrounding area, it's difficult
to set. . . its difficult to tell people how they can build on their
own property when there isn't very much property down here that's
buildable. It' s already taken. It's already covered, the areas in
downtown. I think Mr. Bogard had a great presentation down here,
but at the time he was talking I couldn't see where he was going to
use all of these. In the downtown core area, there wasn't any
space for him to build down here.
Faust: Chris, you've been thoughtfully and quietly sitting there
flipping though things. How would you like to say a few words on
the administrative review or any of the above topics.
Grant: Any of the above. I was just reviewing the Mayor's
Advisory Committee Downtown Planning Alternatives, the purple one
here, and maybe some clarification would help me out on this. Page
11 of this document says, it lists the final. . .points seven, eight
and nine of alternative zoning recommendations, development plan
review, below that administrative design review, it says
development plan review. . .adopt development plan review as interim
downtown review process until City Administration develops special
review process. And then under Administration Design Review it
says eliminate any mandatory design criteria or design
administrative process. . .administrative design review. Now, we
currently have that on our books, right? There is administrative
25
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
design review? So this recommendation anyway is to eliminate
whatever we have on our books?
Faust: Let's let Jim answer that question.
Harris: We will be coming back to the City Council with an
ordinance that will create what we had the public hearing on so we
would have some design criteria for multifamily.
Grant: Strictly multifamily, though, right?
Harris: Multifamily, yes.
Grant: Yeah. But as it relates to non-multifamily, is there
anything on our books right now that's a design review? So there's
nothing to eliminate then.
Harris: Well, they're asking you to eliminate anything to do with
multifamily design review.
Faust: I thought that I'd asked for some clarification from
Mr. Ramos last month and he had clarified that they did not mean to
do away with design review of multifamily. But I ' ll go back and
review my notes. I 'm sorry, Chris, I interrupted.
Grant: Yeah. How does administrative design review differ from
the development plan review? Mr. Harris, can you shed any light on
that one for me?
Harris: Maybe Fred or someone else.
Satterstrom: I 'm not sure. . .excuse me. . .I don't have. . .can I take
a look at that please?
Grant• Sure.
Satterstrom: Actually, I could take a shot at trying to determine
what is being said in here, but I guess I 'd much rather defer to
the member. . .the head of the Committee, I think. . .
Grant: Mr. Ramos, want to handle that one?
Satterstrom: Raul, would you like to handle that? They're talking
about the development plan review process versus the administrative
design review process, is that right, Chris?
Grant: That's correct.
Ward: What page is that on?
26
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
Faust: You know we might be able to save ourselves all a lot of
time and avoid putting poor Raul on the spot, on page 18, if you'll
look on page 18 of the purple document, sideways, there's actually
an explanation. First column: development review, plan review, is
an administrative review, the primary purpose of which is to
define, etc. , and you can read it and then administrative review is
below it.
Ward: It gives a comparison between them both.
Faust: So there we go.
Grant: Raul, thank you.
Faust: I wouldn't want to have to define them. At any rate,
having read that, Chris, do you still have some more questions
about the difference?
Grant: I 'm not through reading it yet.
Ward• (Unclear)
Grant: Create a committee. Plan review.
Faust: And remember, Chris, that what we're doing right now is not
opening up any sort of public hearing and asking for clarification
only to the extent that is absolutely necessary. Mostly we're. . .
this is our opportunity to tell these folks where we're going and
what we're thinking.
Grant: Well, let's go back to what Ray was saying. I think. . .
Faust: Can we allow Mr. Ramos to sit down? Let him off the hook?
Grant: The. . . I think administrative design review is a good thing,
that we should have it and whether it be multifamily or commercial,
irregardless that design review is important for the citizens of
Kent. As Gwen pointed out, we don't need more Fort Kents here. I
think for the most part, though, the development community is going
to come in with probably pretty good buildings. I mean who would
want to build a bad building here and expect it to be occupied.
But, why not review it, huh?
Ward: What did you say, Linda?
Martinez: Can we put that on our list.
Grant: Yeah, put that on the list. But, development plan review,
I'm trying to see how they differ, existing.
27
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
Faust: I think that probably the difference there, Chris, is that
the staff proposal is that the Planning Department continue to
apply the process they've been using and that the Downtown
Committee wishes a committee, another committee appointed by the
Mayor that will have that as a task. We visited this with the
express authority to grant discretionary exceptions from SEPA and
it's my understanding that they can't do that, but I 'm not sure.
But, it seems to me that we talked about this in a workshop a
couple of months ago and actually, already hashed this particular
one out, at least I thought we had, and decided that we'd rather
this continue to be something that was done by staff rather than
creating a committee that would handle this. I've a recollection
of that.
Grant: Was that as it related to MRM only?
Faust: It was related to the Downtown Plan altogether.
Ward: Pardon me. I think one of the key statements in the
description of what a development plan review is, is that
it's. . .the purpose in which it says is to define and describe the
needs of a particular site. In other words, it's a recommendation
by staff as to what is needed for this site as compared to what
goes on this site and how it should be built. And that comes
from. . . from. . .basically comes from staff. On this site we need a
gambling casino as compared to a school and a library and that's
the relative difference. Because that's why they call it a
development.
Dahle: I have a question, Madam Chair.
aust• Yes.
ah e: Are these compromises that are going to be going on in the
next couple of months involve any of these things we're discussing
right now?
Faust: I sincerely hope so.
Ward• Umhum.
ahle: Are they? Those comprises will be in there? Good.
Whispering took place here.
Martinez: Madam Chair?
Faust• Yes?
28
Kent Planning Commission
November 25, 1991
Martinez: May I make a motion? Could I make a motion that adjourn
and. . .and I'm not trying to be facetious, but I think that. . .that
we have. . .each of us had an opportunity to say something that has
more or less weight as we have thought well about it or less well
and certainly the discussion that we're going to have. . .the true
discussion, will take place in relationship to a document we
ultimately end up with. I sort of would like to end it now before
we start doing a discussion that we're going to have do again.
Morrill: Second.
Faust: Its been MOVED and SECONDED. . .do you mind if I shorten your
motion to adjourn. Seconded and thirded. Any discussion? Oh, did
you call for the question? All those in favor of adjourning,
please say aye. Those opposed, nay. The ayes have it. This is
adjourned and it's actually not adjourned, it's simply continued,
but the meeting. Maybe we need, Jim, do we need to do both?
Respectfully submitted,
971444-s
ame Harris, Secretary
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