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Home My WebLink AboutCity Council Committees - Economic and Community Development Committee - 03/13/2017Economic and Community Development Committee March 13, 2017 Minutes Kent, Washington Approved on April 10, 2017 Page 1 of 5 Date: March 13, 2017 Time: 5 p.m. Place: Council Chambers Attending: Bill Boyce, Jim Berrios, Ben Wolters, Bill Ellis, Hayley Bonsteel, Danielle Butsick Agenda: 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Changes to the Agenda None 4. Approval of Minutes Committee Member Berrios MOVED and Committee Chair Boyce SECONDED a Motion to Approve the Minutes of January 9, 2017. Motion PASSED 2-0. 5. Re-Appointment of Josh Bang to Lodging Tax Advisory Committee Ben Wolters, Director of Economic and Community Development, presented to the Committee a request for re-appointment of Josh Bang to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. Committee Member Berrios MOVED and Committee Chair Boyce SECONDED a Motion to Approve the Reappointment of Josh Bang to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee for another four-year term. Motion PASSED 2-0. 6. Approval of VisitKent Marketing Contract with JayRay, Inc. Wolters presented information on JayRay’s scope. The agency plans to provide marketing for the VisitKent.com campaign through a contract not to exceed $164,635. They were selected by the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) to promote tourism and lodging visibility within the City through:  Upgrading VisitKent.com website  Providing social media outreach  Securing additional coverage online and in print for “Kent as Home Base” opportunities Discussion ensued regarding the previous agency used, Genesis Marketing. Wolters stated that the LTAC had decided to take a new direction, moving toward a larger firm with a broader base of tourism clientele. He added that funds would be paid from the Lodging Tax Fund which has nearly $500,000 in reserve funds. Committee Member Berrios MOVED and Committee Chair Boyce SECONDED a Motion to Approve the 2017 Contract for JayRay. Motion PASSED 2-0. Economic and Community Development Committee March 13, 2017 Minutes Kent, Washington Approved on April 10, 2017 Page 2 of 5 7. Sound Transit Update Auburn/Kent Sounder Station Access Improvement Project Danielle Butsick, Long-range planner, introduced Chelsea Levy and Sandra Fann of Sound Transit. Camille Tsao, of CDM Smith, was also introduced. Fann presented the expansion project with a purpose to increase access for all riders at the Kent Sounder station. The proposed improvement would consist of the construction of a 450-stall parking structure at an estimated cost of $33.1 million. The project has a 7-year timeline for completion. She further noted the process for ongoing stakeholder engagement:  Introduce project with goals and objectives – January through February, 2017  Evaluate improvement packages – March through July, 2017  Select improvement package – July through September, 2017 Fann spoke regarding various meetings held in the past several months involving stakeholders and advisory committee members. Meeting discussion included ridership origins and their modes of transportation, as well as potential parking garage locations and other possible improvements. Project goals and objectives were comprised of: Access, Environment, Implementation and Consistency & Compatibility Preliminary screening of parking locations narrowed the initial number of eight possible locations to four, for further study. Site 1 – North of James Street Site 2 – Within Kent Station Parking Lot North of AMC Theater Site 3 – Assemblage of multiple properties on east side of tracks with multiple access points Site 4 – Kaibara Park located near library Discussion ensued regarding potential traffic impacts, as well as opportunities. Next Steps: A. Evaluate four potential parking garage sites  Transportation access  Engineering  Environmental considerations  Development potential B. Pair non-motorized and transit access improvements with parking garage options into different alternative packages C. Evaluate alternative packages D. Present alternative packages and identify preferred alternative Upcoming stakeholder engagement dates include: Round two evaluation and comparison, with two stakeholder meetings in April and May, then an open house and City Council presentation in June. Economic and Community Development Committee March 13, 2017 Minutes Kent, Washington Approved on April 10, 2017 Page 3 of 5 8. Incentive for Downtown Kent Wolters introduced Bill Ellis, Economic Development analyst, to present potential downtown development incentives.  Possible incentives for the City  Neighboring municipalities’ incentives o Tukwila’s Zoning Districts known as “TUC-TOD” (Transit-Oriented Development) o Washington Towers  Most appropriate types of development to suit the City’s goals Tukwila’s Subarea Plan contains principles similar to those for “Meet Me on Meeker”, complete streets, breaking up superblocks, creating a memorable built environment, making great public spaces, and getting the mixture of uses right while encouraging people to live near transit. Washington Towers is an 18-story, catalyzed development by fee deferral in order to promote residential growth near Southcenter. It includes a hotel, apartments and retail and is located in the heart of the shopping district. Transportation impact, fire, parks, and building permit fees have been deferred with specific requirements and loan payment. Auburn Urban Center District Incentives:  Land use waivers and density bonuses for pedestrian orientation/movement  Relaxed parking requirements  Multi-family property tax exemption  Waiver of stormwater drainage facilities (ended 2011)  Waiver of traffic impact fee (ended 2007)  Construction sales tax exemption on first $100K  Defer impact fees and system development charges to issuance of certification of occupancy Ellis compared the City to Tukwila and Auburn to glean similarities. Proposed Meeker Corridor Fee Deferral targets areas east of 167 to First Avenue. It would be a way for developers to defer their early expenses, such as construction. Grocer recruitment might be viable option. It requires clearance of initial demographic thresholds and favors small footprints in areas of dense development. Safeway was used as a model to establish requirements for new grocer within one- mile ring from Kent Station. Discussion ensued regarding grocers, multi-family development, and further incentives for development. Economic and Community Development Committee March 13, 2017 Minutes Kent, Washington Approved on April 10, 2017 Page 4 of 5 9. Meet Me on Meeker Hayley Bonsteel, Long-range planner, and Bill Ellis presented strategies for moving the concept forward, along with how the cross section concept might flex across the corridor. Slides displayed the proposed area on Meeker from the 516 to Central Avenue. Concept:  On-street parking  Three lanes and/or landscaped median  Wide pathway for cyclists with amenity zones  Generous sidewalk Potential priorities for grants/leveraging:  B1: Riverview Apartments  E2: 64th Avenue has many children and seniors utilizing intersection/crossing  E3: Mid-block between school and Tri-court Seniors  C3/E5: Underpass  King County Parks – potential funding for east of Interurban  TIB Award for Complete Streets – 4th and Meeker Possible interim improvements to Meeker include paint-only intervention around the school and quick-serve restaurant area. Constricting traffic lanes and reducing speeds may help to avoid quick-merge situations. In this scenario, removing the HOV-only lane on Washington would happen prior to the paint improvements. The underpass connects to the regional growth center, making it potentially competitive for grants. Langston Landing project currently has no left turn on the north, west or south. A strong desire exists to restore the left turn capability for greater flow of retail traffic, which could be leveraged with a grant for the underpass. MJR Development owns the block on either side of Meeker west of Washington and plans to improve pedestrian access. Next Steps:  Property Owner Outreach (ongoing)  Design and Construction Standards o Development: Q2/A3 o Adoption: Q3/Q4  Detailed Survey  Further Design of Full Corridor  Ongoing Grant Preparation Economic and Community Development Committee March 13, 2017 Minutes Kent, Washington Approved on April 10, 2017 Page 5 of 5 10. ShoWare Update: 2016 Review and 2017 Look Ahead Tim Higgins, General Manager for ShoWare reported that a recent event required additional parking. Seattle’s Finest was hired for parking assistance. He added that 2016 was a positive year for the center with revenues increasing over past years, due in large part to the Seattle Thunderbirds. Highlights of this success include: #17 of top 20 venues of similar size according to Venues Today magazine, as well as #189 of top 200 venues (of any size) per Pollstar. Over 450,000 guests in 2016. Discussion encompassed overall revenue and the center’s contributions to nearby retail in the downtown area. Point-of-sale operations are in need of upgrade, in addition to audio/visual equipment, with options currently being explored. NHL has recommended new safety glass for hockey rink, as well. Naming rights renewal is also coming up. 11. Economic Development Update None 12. Adjournment of the meeting The meeting was adjourned at 7:15 p.m. ____Cheryl Trimble______________ Submitted by Cheryl Trimble on behalf of Julie Pulliam Economic & Community Development Committee