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Home My WebLink AboutCity Council Meeting - Council Workshop - Minutes - 04/16/2019 Approved City Council Workshop Workshop Regular Meeting Minutes April 16, 2019 Date: April 16, 2019 Time: 5:00 p.m. Place: Chambers PRESENTATIONS 1. Meet Me on Meeker Update Long Range Planner, Hayley Bonsteel provided a staff update on Meet Me on Meeker and the adopted Design and Construction Standards for Meeker Street Streetscapes standards that were adopted in January of 2018. Bonsteel provided details and lessons learned from the recent completed project on 4th and Meeker and advised of the Marquee on Meeker project that is currently under construction. Bonsteel reviewed the planning for the driving range improvements that will include changes to the crosswalk. Getting the promenade completed for the length of the driving range project is a top priority. Bonsteel advised that site work will begin on the “Midtown” 64th and Meeker project once the weather dries up. Consultants are assessing feasibility of the Vision Meeker concepts and Kent Elementary is a topic for the June 24, 2019 joint City Council and Kent School District board meeting. Bonsteel indicated that the City is considering ending the promenade at Naden and Interurban, rather than at 6th Avenue. Have the promenade end at the Interurban will allow for bikes to transition to an on-street facility. Bonsteel provided updates on adjacent development that included the Second and Meeker building, the Naden and Kmart properties, the Madison project, Heart of Kent, the Shell gas station and Country Burger. Related Parks projects include the Interurban trail redevelopment between Willis and Meeker - which is considered a high priority for the Parks Department and is desperate need of capital investment, and the Canoe Project. Staff is currently strategizing a grant application plan for the entire City and will look for opportunities to submit multiple applications for one grant. 2. Rental Housing Inspection Program City Council Workshop Workshop Regular Meeting Minutes April 16, 2019 Kent, Washington Page 2 of 3 Deputy Economic and Community Development Director, Matt Gilbert and Katie Whaley, Program Coordinator for the City’s Rental Housing Inspection Program gave the staff presentation. Gilbert provided a history of the development of the Rental Housing Inspection Program. The purpose of the program is to find a way to protect the health and safety of renters, prevent the deterioration of housing stock, and better understand the rental housing sector. The goal of the program is to develop a rental housing program, with the help of a consultant and community partner. Whalen provided information regarding the program implementation, including: • The first step in the implementation process was to inform the public about the program and start building a database of rental properties. • A brand was established, post cards, press release and a webpage was created to inform the public. • Online registration became available in August. The intention was the start building a rental housing database through self-registration. • 436 properties registered; this is a mixture of all rental housing types in Kent • Establish the program’s policies and procedures. The program structure, due dates, and fees were established. The program has divided the City into three parts with highway 167 and James Street being the boundary. It was decided to divide the City into sections due to the volume of apartments in the City. This will allow the inspections to be manageable for a single staffer. Zero percent of total units will be inspected, in accordance with the landlord tenant act. Units will be randomly selected by RHIP. The program will only be inspecting apartments and 4-plexes, this was decided base on community feedback which identified the issues being primarily in apartments. Landlords will hire a private inspector. This was decided to keep administrative costs low. The fees were structured to cover internal costs. $13 per unit to pay for program coordinator position. This fee will be added to the business license renewal fee. $15 per building to pay for online database. BRYCER is the same online database that the Puget Sound Regional Fire authority just transitioned to. It is designed to track fire and safety inspections, but as we discovered it can meet RHIP’s needs. This online software is free to the City. The $15 per building will be paid by the inspectors when they submit inspection results. We expect them to include the cost in the rates they charge landlords. The advantage of using this online database is the ability to track inspections in real time and perform administrative functions, such as City Council Workshop Workshop Regular Meeting Minutes April 16, 2019 Kent, Washington Page 3 of 3 sending notice letters. The online database will potentially avoid having to hire additional administrative staff and introduce new fees, which has been the case in other cities who generally have 2-3 administrative positions as well as City inspectors and additional fees. After establishing the policies and procedures, we begun working on preparing for this year’s inspection cycle. We finalized the checklist based on the International Property Maintenance Code, this code book gives us the regulator power to enforce issues addressed by the community. Items that were not addressed were because they are enforced by another agency, such as lead and asbestos. Whalen conducted inspector training in January training 19 qualified inspectors. The City’s webpage was expanded to reflect the policy and procedures that were established, and in March 65 letters were sent to the landlords of the 85 apartment complexes. Whalen advised that in March, the City started conducting outreach to inform tenants about the program and what to expect. Began following-up with the initial stakeholders and community members to show that their input had worked. Created information pamphlets that were translated into 7 languages- based on an identified need to provide resources for residents who had a technology and language barrier. Languages (Spanish, English, Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian, Arabic, Somali, and Punjabi) Whalen indicated that, moving forward, the City will continue coordinating inspections and selecting units. Several landlords have already scheduled inspections and the City will continue to conduct outreach and provide the Council with updates. Council expressed their appreciation of the work of the Economic and Community Development Department in developing and deploying this program. Meeting ended at 5:45 p.m. Kimberley A. Komoto City Clerk MEET ME ON MEEKER UPDATE City Council Workshop 4/16/19 COMPLETED: 4TH AND MEEKER UNDER CONSTRUCTION: MARQUEE ON MEEKER PLANNING: DRIVING RANGE PERMIT REVIEW: “MIDTOWN” (64TH AND MEEKER) KENT ELEMENTARY •Topic for June 24th meeting with Kent School District •Consultants assessing feasibility of Vision Meeker concepts •Developing cost estimates •Recommendations on sequencing ADJACENT DEVELOPMENT RELATED PARKS PROJECTS RELATED PARKS PROJECTS: CANOE! Rental Housing Inspection Program •Protect the health and safety of renters •Prevent the deterioration of housing stock •Better understand the rental housing sector PURPOSE Develop a rental housing program •Analysis of rental and code enforcement data •Compare existing rental inspection programs •Conduct community engagement GOAL •Advised project team on outreach, event coordination, and cultural competency •Five meetings ADVISORY COMMITTEE Living Well Kent • Coalition for Refugees from Burma • Somali Youth & Family Club •Housing Development Consortium •Kent Community Foundation • Tenants Union •Iraqi Women’s Association •Washington CAN!•Rental Housing Association of Washington •Washington Housing Association and tons of renters! •Three community forums •182 participants •Stories and experiences in their own words •Landlord Outreach •Rental Housing Association of WA •WA Multi-Family Housing Association Community Engagement HEALTH •Pest •Mold •Garbage •Noise •Breathing issues •Lead paint •Poor ventilation MAINTENANCE & LANDLORD RELATIONS •Broken appliances •Feeling unheard by landlords •Mistrust of landlords •Poor timeliness for repairs •Unlawful eviction Themes SAFETY •Child Safety •Theft •Fast Cars •Inadequate fire safety systems •Mistrust of neighbors •Overcrowding •Insecure doors/windows RISING COSTS •Frequent rent increases •High utility rates •Lack of affordable alternatives •Barriers for large households Themes •RHIP Policy Report •Housing data summary •Research of other programs •Kent RHIP program framework •Draft inspection checklist •RHIP ordinance adopted March 2018 Outcomes PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION •No small task •Kent is 34 sq miles •14,000 apartment units •408 complexes •Program coordination •Policies & Procedures •Outreach •Inspector training •Tracking inspections •Enforcement •Program includes a source of revenue PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION •Program branding •Webpage •Press release •Postcard mailing •Online Registration •August-November •436 properties registered •Created policies & procedures PROGRAM STRUCTURE •Divide city in 3 segments •20% of units inspected every 3 years •Apartments & 4-plexes only •Landlords hire private inspectors Fees Paid by Landlords •$13 per unit RHIP program fee •$15 per building online submittal fee Due Dates •Finalized inspection checklist •Inspector training •Approved inspector list •Website updates •Letter to landlords –March 2019 •Software •Available to public May 1st Program Implementation continues •KentNow Video •Press Release •Info Pamphlet –7 languages •Community Partnerships Public Outreach •Follow-up w/ Advisory Committee May 2nd •RIYAC Youth Presentation May 3rd •King County Refugee Housing Task Force May 28 •RHIP Open House NE Hill June Upcoming Events •Coordinate Inspections •Unit selection •Questions from landlords & inspectors •Continued outreach Moving Forward