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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Land Use and Planning Board - 08/28/2000 PLANNING SERVICES Fred N Satterstrom,AICP, Manager Phone 253-856-5454 Fax 253-856-6454 KENT w.s H i N c T o H Address 220 Fourth Avenue S Kent,WA 98032-5895 LAND USE & PLANNING BOARD MINUTES Public Hearing August 28, 2000 The meeting of the Kent Land Use and Planning Board was called to order by Chair Jon Johnson at 7.00 p in on Monday, August 28, 2000 in Council Chambers of Kent City Hall LAND USE & PLANNING BOARD STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT MEMBERS PRESENT Jon Johnson, Chair Fred N Satterstrom, AICP, Planning Manager Steve Dowell Charlene Anderson, AICP David Malik Diana Nelson, AICP Sharon Woodford Ernie Rideout, Fire Prevention Terry Zimmerman Pamela Mottram, Admm Secretary LAND USE & PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT Ron Harmon, Vice Chair, Excused Brad Bell, Excused APPROVAL OF MINUTES David Malik MOVED and Steve Dowell SECONDED to approve the minutes of July 24, 2000. Motion carried. ADDED ITEMS TO THE AGENDA Planning Manager Satterstrom stated that staff would like to discuss the Board's representation on the Short Plat Committee as other business. COMMUNICATIONS None NOTICE OF UPCOMING MEETINGS Planning Manager Satterstrom stated that the application submittal deadline for the City of Kent's annual comprehensive plan amendments is September 1 at 5 00 pm He stated that the applications would be reviewed at the Board's September workshop with the Land Use and Planning Board's public heanng scheduled for November and final approval by Council to be carved out after the first of the year. • Land Use and Planning Board Minutes August 28, 2000 Page 2 •+�#ZCA-2000-3 KENT DOWNTOWN DESIGN GUIDELINES AMENDMENT Planner Diana Nelson stated that public notices on the proposed amendment were mailed out with the attached map indicating zoning designations. The map was intended to indicate currently existing zoning designations and not to mislead the public in thinking that zoning would change She stated that the guidelines amendment relates to development within the downtown planning area only. Ms Nelson stated that the Downtown Design Guidelines are the culmination of ongoing efforts for Kent's downtown area beginning with the implementation of Kent's downtown plan in 1989. A downtown design review process was established in 1992 and the Kent Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 1995, which included goals and policies supporting downtown visioning and guidelines for development Ms Nelson stated that the 1998 Downtown Strategic Action Plan recommended detailed design guidelines for the entire downtown planning area In 1999 the Central Avenue Design Guidelines were adopted and provide the basis for future design guidelines for all districts in the downtown planning area. Ms. Nelson stated that a zoning code revision is required to adopt and administer the proposed downtown design guidelines which incorporate the guidelines adopted for the Central Avenue area as well as the current guidelines for downtown design review. Staff has added special • guidelines addressing the traditional character and commercial nature of the historic core district. Ms. Nelson stated that James Street is bordered by the downtown planning area on the north, Willis Street on the south, State Route 167 on the west, with an eastern boundary that follows Titus and Kennebeck. Ms. Nelson stated that the guidelines would apply to new construction and developments relocating to new sites, and includes parking lots and landscaping She stated that the guidelines would apply to existing buildings if they were to change exterior facades, parking or landscaping Ms. Nelson stated that changes to the proposed guidelines since the workshop include: • Adding additional guidelines for transit oriented development in Section IA 1 • Adding guidelines regarding the reduction of parking lot areas in Section I.C.2 a through d • Clarifications to the building setback sections of 1.13 1 and 1.B.2 • The exceptions section was moved from 1 B 7 to 1 A 3 • Several introductory sections were formatted with definitions added for the historic core district along with a map to illustrate location, surface parking, structured parking, axial symmetry and circulation referred to in the text but not defined • Changing the title page and Section headers as needed to incorporate the word "design" in front of"guidelines" • Clarifying definitions for "Gateways", "Incompatible Uses", "Pedestrian Oriented Use" and "Transit Oriented Development". Land Use and Planning Board Minutes August 28, 2000 Page 3 Ms Nelson stated that staff recommends approval of the guidelines as submitted and requests that the Board forward a recommendation to the City Council to approve the guidelines and zoning code amendment. In response to Ms Woodford, Ms. Nelson stated that a"Do This" graphic will be added to the pedestrian safety guidelines and the "Pedestrian Overlay" graphic on page l l recreated, prior to sending this on to City Council. Chair Johnson opened the public hearing. Sam Baugh, 220 Railroad Avenue North, Kent, WA 98032 a Kent resident, questioned who would absorb the expense if a building owner desired to restructure his building to meet the new design guidelines Ms. Nelson stated that a building owner is responsible for any improvements he requests associated with the type of building permit applied for She reiterated that the guidelines would not be in effect unless an applicant requested a building permit to restructure or change the exterior fapade of the building, parking configuration or landscaping. Linda Johnson, 206 Railroad Avenue North, Kent, WA 98032 stated that as the Executive Director for the Kent Downtown Partnership, her committee has been working on an ongoing basis with the city on these guidelines. • Ms. Johnson stated that projects under $100,000 would not be subject to complete review, allowing business owners some flexibility in renovating or painting their businesses She stated that Neimann Glass used the Central Avenue Design Guidelines, resulting in a beautiful facility. She encouraged the Board to send this amendment on to the Council. David Malik MOVED and Sharon Woodford SECONDED to close the public hearing. Motion earned Steve Dowell voiced his concerns over building setback and traffic issues and questioned if these concerns have been addressed. Ms. Nelson stated that Steve Mullen, Transportation Engineer with City of Kent Public Works commented that buildings should be setback at intersections rather then constructed up to the edge of sidewalks, so that sight distance would not be restricted Ms. Nelson stated that provisions in the guidelines allow buildings to be set back at corners but not require these setbacks She stated that concern has been voiced that every intersection should have either stop signs or a light for traffic control if buildings are built up to a corner. Ms. Nelson stated that most of those intersections already have stop signs or lights in place in the downtown planning area. Ms Nelson stated that Kent's construction standards require sight distance visibility. The guidelines allow buildings to be set back at least 20 feet from the corner of the intersection, with • additional setback provision when providing space for pedestrian oriented amenities Ms Nelson voiced her view that sufficient flexibility is built into the guidelines to handle sight distance issues She suggested that parking could be more restricted on the corners than it is Land Use and Planning Board Minutes August 28, 2000 Page 4 currently. She stated that larger vehicles can block visibility even more than a building might at a corner. Ms. Nelson stated that the other concern expressed by Steve Mullen was lighting levels, which tend to be too bright in certain areas, creating shadow or glare impact visibility Mr. Dowell questioned if there is recourse available if the Downtown Design Review Guidelines q g Committee and the applicant do not agree on requirements. Ms. Nelson stated that an applicant may discuss the issue and negotiate with the Public Works Department and Planning Services before their application goes before the Downtown Design Review Committee. She stated that an applicant can appeal a local government decision In response to Ms. Woodford, Ms. Nelson clarified Linda Johnson's statement about minor construction of under $100,000 not being subject to the design guidelines. Ms Nelson stated that the section on application of design guidelines states that "Downtown design review is conducted by an administrative committee except for modifications of existing buildings and sites which cost less than $100,00 which are reviewed by Planning Services." She stated that proposals that do not modify building exteriors or the site are exempt from design review. Steve Dowell MOVED and Sharon Woodford SECONDED to approve Staffs recommendation for #ZCA-2000-3 Kent Downtown Design Guidelines Amendment and forward it to the City • Council. Motion CARRIED OTHER BUSINESS LAND USE & PLANNING BOARD BY-LAWS AMENDMENT Planner Charlene Anderson stated that in the interest of brevity, the memo sent to the Board is clear as to the text changes that need to be implemented in the By-Laws. Sharon Woodford MOVED and David Malik SECONDED to approve staffs recommendations for the Land Use and Planning Board By-Laws Amendment, as impacted by Ordinance #3512 and pass this on to the City Council. BOARD REPRESENTATION ON THE SHORT PLAT COMMITTEE Mr Satterstrom stated that a subdivision procedure amendment was brought before the Land Use and Planning Board this year and thereafter adopted by the City Council. This amendment included evaluating the procedures for reviewing short plats, long subdivisions and lot line adjustments Mr Satterstrom stated that prior to the review of these procedures, the Short Plat Committee consisted of a number of staff members and one member from the Land Use and Planning Board. Mr. Satterstrom stated that the Land Use and Planning Board, in practice, were not represented on the Short Plat Committee In reviewing the ordinance and the review procedures, the Board he 1 Committee tin requested that they be represented at t Short Plat C ee meetings • As Chair of the Short Plat Committee Mr Satterstrom urged the Board members to elect one member to represent the Board consistently at the Short Plat Committee meetings. Ms Woodford stated that she attended an August meeting and felt it unnecessary for the Land Use and Planning Board to be represented at the Short Plat Committee meetings as a Board Land Use and Planning Board Minutes August 28,2000 Page 5 member would not have valuable information to contribute to the discussion even though the meeting was interesting Ms. Zimmerman stated that attending the Committee meetings could benefit the Land Use and Planning Board members by giving them insight into the rules and regulations that apply to short plats, thereby, providing the members with more experience and another voice to represent the community. Mr Satterstrom stated that 95% of the conditions reviewed at the Short Plat Committee meetings consist of public work standards, Those standards are decided by the Public Works Committee and City Council Mr. Satterstrom stated that if the Land Use and Planning Board felt that their representation was not necessary at the short plat meetings, a change in the ordinance would be required as well as a change to the section of the subdivision code that speaks to the composition and membership of the Short Plat Committee Ms. Zimmerman voiced concern over eliminating the Land Use and Planning Board's involvement and suggested that the Board should schedule attendance through the end of this year and than reevaluate whether the Land Use and Planning Board should continue participating in the meetings The Board members set up the following attendance schedule: • Steve Dowell, last meeting of August • David Malik, first week of September • Brad Bell was volunteered for the remainder of September (contingent on his acceptance) • Terry Zimmerman, October • Jon Johnson, November • David Malik, December Mr. Satterstrom stated that typically two short plat meetings are scheduled each month on Thursday mornings at 10 00 am. ADJOURNMENT Chair Jon Johnson adjourned the meeting at 7.45 pm. Respectfully Submitted, F ed N Satterstrom, AICP )Secretary