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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Planning and Economic Development Committee - 09/06/1988 KENT CITY COUNCIL PLANNING COMMITTEE September 6, 1988 3 : 30 PM Committee Members Present Others Present Judy Woods, Chair Sharon Atkin Steve Dowell Kenny Britson Jon Johnson Bill Carleton Pete Curran Staff Present Mary Eckfeldt Chris Leady Charlene Anderson Dee Moschel Lin Ball Ned Nelson Stephen Clifton Francine Russell Jim Hansen Mr. & Mrs. Stewart Jim Harris Carol Stoner Carolyn Lake Greg McCormick Fred Satterstrom Dan Stroh Don Wickstrom HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT - 1989 PROGRAM Lin Ball stated $208, 167 is the latest estimate of Kent's portion of Block Grant funding for 1989. The Public (Human) Services ceiling is $25, 500 and Planning & Administration is $10,200. Lin recapped the project descriptions for Planning & Administration, Housing Repair Services, North Park Tot Lot Rehabilitation, Special Populations Resource Center Handicap Accessibility, South King County Multi-Service Center Transitional Housing, Kent/Renton Joint Rental Housing Rehabilitation, Kaibara Park Phase III, and Kent Para- Transit (Van-Go) . Mary Eckfeldt, Chairman of the Human Services Commission, briefly described the programs for Kent Single-Parent Employment & Education, Kent Community Health Services and DAWN. Rev. Eckfeldt stated that two applications were not being recommended for funding: Children' s Therapy Center which is recommended to be funded via General Fund, and Adult Day Care which is recommended to be funded through Kent Parks & Recreation' s budget. Chairwoman Woods added that it is important to note the Adult Day Care program is being claimed as a Parks & Recreation project by the Parks Department in their new slide presentation. Lin stated that King County had just informed her there could be an additional approximately $6, 000 for the Kent Block Grant program. Staff recommends approximately $1800 to $2000 of the additional funding for Public (Human) Services and the remainder of the $6, 000 for the BN Depot project, which is a current H&CDBG project. Site planning and construction documents need to be prepared to specifications and bidding for the BN Depot project. Staff recommends that any funds beyond the $6, 000 be allocated to the Housing Repair Services program. At the City Council meeting of September 20, the Human Services Commission will make a recommendation on which particular programs will be allocated these additional Public (Human) Services funds. CITY COUNCIL PLANNING COMMITTEE MINUTES OF MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 6, 1988 Councilman Johnson MOVED and Chairwoman Woods SECONDED the motion to adopt staff's recommendation on the 1989 Housing & Community Development Block Grant Program including staff s recommendation on additional funding. Motion carried. KENT CITY LAGOON - RESOLUTION 922 Jim Harris recapped the history of the Committee's work to effect a wildlife habitat in the lagoon area as well as provide a storm detention system. At the last hearing on the Upland's rezone application, City Council asked about the sewage lagoon. Mr. Harris suggested the Planning Committee resurrect the Citizen's Advisory Board and have staff bring them up to date on events occurring since their last meeting. Don Wickstrom, Public Works Director, stated his department worked with a marine biologist and the Soil Conservation Service to resolve some of the issues on this project. The department is currently doing computer modeling on hydraulics and stream flow measures on Mill Creek. It takes two years to gather the data necessary to do the modeling. Mr. Wickstrom added that the City must work with abutting property owners because a ULID is involved. The City is waiting for other owners, including Uplands, to decide what they plan to do with their properties. Then the Citizen's Advisory Board can begin to work again and some technical issues can be resolved. Mr. Wickstrom stated it is part of the Storm Drainage Plan to develop the lagoon as a storm detention system as well as a wildlife habitat. Carol Stoner, a member of the Citizen's Advisory Board, stated she and Lauri Johnson had contacted Ted Knapp to request the Board be notified of any action in this area in time to bring the Board up to speed and able to respond. She added that it appears something will be happening within the next year. Councilman Johnson MOVED and Chairwoman Woods SECONDED the motion to resurrect the Citizen's Advisory Board, to be notified and begin to meet to review the events that have occurred since their last meeting. Motion carried. REGULATORY REVIEW - PUBLIC STORAGE FACILITIES #ZCA-88-1 Jim Harris explained that this issue began as a Regulatory Review. The Regulatory Review was denied by the Planning Commission; the applicant appealed the decision. Since there was not a well-established procedure for such an appeal, the issue was referred to the Planning Committee for consideration. Pete Curran, Attorney, 555 West Smith Street, Kent represented the Berg family who owns the property in question. Chris Leady, the developer, is a co-applicant. Ned Nelson, Architect, assisted in land site studies. The 2 CITY COUNCIL PLANNING COMMITTEE MINUTES OF MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 6, 1988 applicant is requesting a textual amendment to the Kent Zoning Code to permit self storage facilities as a conditionally permitted use in the Community Commercial zoning district. These facilities are currently allowed in the industrial zones and as a special application in the General Commercial zoning district. Presently there are such facilities on West Hill and in the Valley area, not on East Hill. Community Commercial is the only commercial zone on East Hill. There are approximately 210 acres of CC zoning on East Hill, West Hill and the Valley Floor. The purpose of CC zoning is to provide areas for limited commercial activities to serve residential areas. According to experts who have done surveys in the area, on the East Hill there is a tremendous demand for such facilities based upon the kind of residential neighborhoods that are there. Mr. Curran stated that self storage facilities have developed a "black eye" because of the way they look; he states that the facilities are essentially a product of where they are located. Industrial areas have inadequate controls on style. He added that other communities, including downtown Seattle, have self storage facilities that are good neighbors. Regarding land use on East Hill, Mr. Curran stated the Planning Department from the beginning has stated that self storage facilities are ugly, that long walls are a given and the use is not appropriate in Community Commercial zoning districts. At the Planning Commission hearings in May, June and July, Mr. Curran believes the Commissioners were beginning to accept the fact that there could be self storage facilities with acceptable design in any area. Mr. Curran reviewed uses which are allowed outright in the CC zone, e.g. , theatres, veterinary clinics, taverns, skating rinks, mini golf. He believes self storage facilities should have the same conditional use right in the CC zone. He noted an interesting phenomenon in the Community Commercial zoning district at 240th. Everybody wants frontage, nobody wants depth. Property frontage is being developed but there are 5 acre parcels that are unused beyond that frontage. Regarding the Berg property, Mr. Curran stated that 108th is not going anywhere; it is not an arterial. The City Engineer stated he would not open 108th south of 240th. North of 240th, 108th goes into a residential area. The backs of the lots to which he referred do not have an outlet. If the City does not want to throw away the CC zone, Mr. Curran suggested finding more constructive ways to use these parcels. The Safeway and Thriftway stores and the Post Office are overshadowing uses. Huge walls and poplars screen the Berg property. The applicant's proposal is to have other commercial uses on the property frontage and a self storage facility in back. To permit an integrated development on the site is reasonable. The proposed setbacks and landscape screening are beyond any kind of setback and screening being required of any residential use. Mr. Curran sees the quadrant and intersection in the area being heavily impacted by development. Retail uses generate 6800 car trips, self storage generates 400 car trips. Self storage is non-polluting; there is no quieter use; it would be managed on a 24-hour basis; everything is indoors; and it is totally screened on all sides, with irrigation. Self storage facilities are an interim use of the land. One-half of Kent's apartments are located in the East Hill area and 3 CITY COUNCIL PLANNING COMMITTEE MINUTES OF MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 6, 1988 apartment dwellers represent only one-third of the users of self storage facilities; fifty percent of the users are single family users. An urban cluster has been created on East Hill that is more dynamic than anything on West Hill. Chris Leady, co-applicant, stated he appreciates the perceptions given this product because in the past the facilities have been ugly. There is a demand for the product, particularly on East Hill. However, this request is not without precedence. In California this type of use started in industrial areas, then went to commercial districts. King County, Kirkland and Renton are allowing this use either outright or as a conditional use in their commercial districts. Self storage facilities are used as a retail use for three or four months at a time. They are every bit as retail a use as other uses allowed in the CC zone. Kirkland has a self storage facility next to the Totem Lake shopping center. Mr. Leady stated the applicants and Planning Department had developed a list of standards for this proposed use. The applicant' s standards were tighter than the ones the Planning Department had originally used. The frontage is preserved. Landscaping standards are more detailed than any commercial zones next to residential zones. Height has been limited. There will be no buildings of an industrial nature (concrete tilt or metal) . These facilities can be brought into a commercial zone, look good and serve a need in the community. Mr. Leady believes that rather than developing an additional retail shopping center and further impact the traffic situation, this development can be of mixed use and not present a use overload. Ned Nelson has been an architect for many other self storage facilities. Lake Oswego, Oregon is a small residential and retail community which had not previously had a self storage facility. Mr. Nelson designed a facility close to a residential neighborhood. The residents wanted the development; they needed storage and wanted it close by. The facility generates little noise, has a low impact on traffic and the design was controlled through design review. The development was a complementary use to the community. Mr. Curran stated self storage facilities are a reasonable use in the CC zone, Mr. Leady stated the facilities are a good use in the CC zone, and Mr. Nelson believes the facilities are a complementary use to retail and residential. The proposal is for retail on the street and self storage in back which has access via a pipe stem lot. There is no front and no back to the facility. Landscaping can be consistent all around and can be increased when there is a more sensitive adjacent use. The design presentation can be more sensitive. There can be the retail which is needed on 240th. The proposed development is two stories in back with substantial setbacks and pitched roofs to relate to the residential character and scale of the surroundings. The applicant proposes a dense landscape screening where there is elevation. There is building modulation to offset long walls. There is proposed substantial residential materials and colors to complement the surroundings. There will be no truck docks in back. Mr. Nelson presented a schematic of the proposed retail strip along 240th. 4 I . CITY COUNCIL PLANNING COMMITTEE MINUTES OF MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 6, 1988 Councilman Dowell asked why the applicant is proposing a textual change to the zoning code, which would affect all CC-zoned properties, rather than some other means to accomplish the development at the proposed location. Mr. Curran stated there is only one commercial district on East Hill. He believes the CC zone is an appropriate place to tie in with retail and housing which flows away from commercial areas. Staff also is bothered by the site-specific nature of the request. However, the applicant is asking for a conditional use so the City can control the type and numbers of development. Mr. Leady reiterated the types of uses that are currently allowed in the CC zone, e.g. , theatres, skating rinks barber shops, etc. , and there is not an abundance of these uses. Mr. Leady stated the market controls the numbers. In response to Councilman Dowell, Mr. Harris stated the applicant could ask for a rezone to GC, but that might be spot zoning. Councilman Dowell asked what would happen to the Berg property if this regulatory review request is denied. Mr. Leady stated the same thing could happen as on the other side of the street, i.e. , there would be blank areas in back of street frontages. Mr. Curran added that apartments can apply for conditional uses in the CC zone. That property could accommodate about 100 units. He added that the City can say no to any applicant for self storage if it is not appropriate. That particular piece of property has nice circulation around it. The self storage facility is a different use and an interim use. Chairwoman Woods stated that consideration of this request would continue to September 20. EAST HILL PLAN Jim Harris stated that Section 2 of Resolution #1123 directed the Planning Commission to defer action on the East Hill commercial zoning amendments until the East Hill Sub-area Plan is completed. The Planning Department read that to mean stop work on the East Hill Plan. Staff looked at Resolution #1123 as directing the department to look at the Comprehensive Plan neighborhood by neighborhood. Staff will consider the commercial areas as well as the housing element when looking at the East Hill Plan as part of the implementation of Resolution #1123 . Mr. Harris stated Council will be considering some rezones prior to the time the East Hill Plan is completed. Jim Hansen asked if the Council can render a decision on the Ruth rezone without a decision having been made on the East Hill Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Harris answered yes and added that the applicant was advised that they didn't have to try for a Comprehensive Plan change since there was already some commercial zoning on their parcel of land. NEXT MEETING DATE The next meeting of the City Council Planning Committee will be September 20, 1988. 5