HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Economic and Community Development Committee - 09/11/20171
Economic and Community Development Committee
Minutes
September tI,2OI7
Kent, Washington
Approval IO/9/17
Date: September II, 2OI7
Time: 5:00 pm
Place: Chambers
Attending: Bill Boyce, Jim Berrios
Agenda:
1. Gail-te€rde+ 5:02 pm
2. Rel{4atl
3.@
No Ch-anges
4. Approval of Minutes
Committee Member Berrios MOVED and Chair Boyce SECONDED a Motion to
Approve the Minutes of August L4t 2OL7. Motion PASSED 2-O.
5, Neiohborhood Resolution - Millbrook Heiohts
The Millbrook Heights neighborhood consists of 16 househo lds and is located on
Kent's East Hill. On January 27,20t7, the Millbrook Heights neighborhood council
submitted an offi cial registration form to request that the City re cognize their
neighborhood council and allow the neighborh ood to take part in the City' s
neighborhood program. The neighborh ood has now completed the process to be
recognized as a neighborhood council.
Committee Member Berrios MOVED and Chair Boyce SECONDED a Motion
to recommend the Council adopt a resolution that recognizes the Millbrook
Heights Neighborhood Council, supports its community building efforts,
and confers all opportunities offered by the City's Neighborhood program.
Motion Passed 2-O.
6. Final Plat Ordinance
On April 27, 2017 the Governor signed into law SB 5674. SB 5674 amends Chapter
58.L7 RCW relating to the final approval of subdivisions of land.
SB 5674 provides an option for local government to change final plat approval from
a City Council action to an administrative action. Cities, towns, and counties now
have the authority to deleg ate final p lat approval to an agency or appropriate
administrative personnel.
When land is subd ivided into 10 or more lots the property owner is re quired to
advance through 4 general phases of permitting and construction before home may
be built on the newly subdivided lots. These 4 pha ses are generally described as
follows:
Phase 1 Preliminary Plat - first step in subdividing land
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Phase 2 Civil Engineering Review - once the Hearing Examiner has approved the
preliminary plat, the applicant may now submit civil engineered drawings.
Phase 3 Plat Construction - Plat construction consists of completing the work that
is approved within the civil engineering drawings,
Phase 4 Final Plat - Upon completion of the civil engineering improvements the
applicant can now submit their final plat application. Currently the process serves
as a close out process before the plat is recorded with the County and lots become
official lots of record, After staff reviews all the conditions of approval and ensures
all is correct staff prepares and ordinance that is presented to City Council who
takes final action to approve.
SB 5674 has the effect of amending RCW 58.L7 b allowing a municipality to adopt
a local ordinance that modifies the approval process
The City of Kent has the option to shift the final plat approval authority away fromthe City Council and to an administrative authority, i.e Mayor, Department
Director.
Two primary advantages to shifting this authority are; saves the applicant between
6 - 8 weeks of time, Second eliminates the need for staff to prepare an ordinance
and agenda bill.
Committee Member Berrios MOVED and Chair Boyce SECONDED the motionto move to recommend Council adopt an ordinance amending chapters
12.O1 and L2.O4 of the city code relating to the procedures used forprocessing final plat approvals, and delegating final plat approval
authority to the Planning Director. Motion PASSED 2-O.
7. Mixed Use Guidelines - Information Only
The retail requirement for mixed use development in Kent's zoning code has beena challenge to potential projects in our Community Commercial and General
Commercial mixed-use overlay areas, Additionally, the nature of retail is changing
with the rise of online shopping, and suburban Cities across the country are
challenged to adapt to the changing needs of brick and mortar commerce. In
recognition of these facts, staff has been researching mixed us regulation options
and would like to present and overview of important considerations and possible
directions to go in revising the regulations.
1. Where we are and how we got here. Early zoning efforts centered around separation noxious industrial
uses from residences.. Separating uses too much is now known to be inefficient use of land,. Trade areas shrinking; more intensive residential population needed
to justify commercial use.r More flexible as market conditions change,2. Lessons learned from recent development3. Possible directions to go from here4. Economic Benefits of Mixed Use. Lower infrastructure costs.o Increased tax revenue.
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September It,20t7
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3. Operation budget cost savings. Save individuals money on transportation by reducing length and
number of everyday trips.. Support local businesses by increasing foot traffic5. Public Health Benefits of Mixed User Increase physical activity. Increase social connectedness
6, Current Regulations
o CCMU:
o >2 acres: 25o/o of building floor area must be permitted
commercial useo <2 acres: 5o/o of building floor area must be permitted
commercial use. GCMU:o Downtown:. 2o/o of building floor area must be permitted
commercial use
o Outside of Downtown: 57o of building area must be permitted
commercial use
7. Lessons from recent development. Platform Apartments
o Downtown (not MU overlay)o Leasable retail = 0.7o/o of building floor areao Residential services = Lo/o of floor area. The Reserve at Kent
o Senior housing, downtown (not MU Overlay)o Residential services = 3,8olo of building areao Several residential units on first floorr MU overlay has existed of 20 years. No mixed-use projects have been constructed in the MU overlayr Several Pre-App proposals did not move forward due to 5o/o or 25o/o
retail requirement. Leasing challenges even downtown, with <1olo retailo Active uses and pedestrian-oriented building design can create
attractive streetsca pes. Lower retail percentages not the answer. Flexibility needed to accommodate the changing market8. Possible Directions. Form-BasedGuidelines. Flexible Spacer Designed with Retail in Mindo Contribute to Use Mix in Area. Prohibit Ground Floor Residential. Comprehensive Inventory and Assessment of Mixed Use and
Commercial Areas. Designated Streets to focus Retail. Incremental Approach With Phase stages. Combination of Options9, Next Steps. More ECDC presentations on:
o How other cities do mixed use
o Successful projects we can learn from
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o More detailed look at economic implications
8. Sound Transit Uodate - Information Onlv
Sound Transit Representative gave an overview of the past workshops;
Kent/Des Moines Station Area Workshop - Highline College 5/22/L7
Meeting purpose Sound Transit staff updated workshop participants on the
project's progress and asked for input on the aesthetics and design qualities of the
Kent/Des Moines Station. Breakout groups provided input on the station entrance
plaza, parking garage, and station canopies. Workshop goals included identifying
design treatment preferences and sharing future input opportunities,
S. 272nd Street Station Area Workshop - Highline College 6/t3/L7
Meeting purpose Workshop goals included identifying design treatment
preferences and sharing future opportunities for public and stakeholder input.
Sound Transit staff updated workshop participants on the projects progress and
asked for input on the aesthetics and design qualities of the S. 272nd Station.
Breakout groups provided input on the station entrance plaza and parking garage.
9, Housino Affordabilitv - Information Onlv
Kent's housing stock is becoming less affordable, and incomes are generally goingup. Area Median Income (AMI), calculated at the county level, was 989,600 in
2015, and rose to $96,000 in 2QI7. In 20L2 90olo of Kent's occupied rental
housing was affordable to those households earning less than 80o/o AML B 2015, it
was down to 83o/o, a decrease of seven percentage points in two years, A snapshotof rents, in June 20L7. Show median rent for a two-bedroom apartment was
$1,750. And amount not at all affordable the households earning less than 80o/oAML In 2015 roughly 6Lo/o of Kent's households earned 80o/o or below AMI, and
L9o/o of Kent households earned less than 30olo AMI. Since then, home values in
Kent have risen by 47o/o from 2015 to 20L7.
11. Adjourned 6:37 pm
itted Julie Pulliam
mic & Community Development Committee
ECDC Minutes
September tL,2OI7
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