HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Land Use and Planning Board - 11/13/2023 4^* Pending Approval
• City Council and Land Use and Planning Board
1147KENT Special Workshop Meeting Minutes
WASHINGTON November 13, 2023
Date: November 13, 2023
Time: 6 p.m.
Place: Kent City Council Chambers
220 Fourth Avenue South
Kent, WA. 98032
City Council Attendees:
Mayor Dana Ralph
Councilmember Brenda Fincher
Councilmember Satwinder Kaur
Councilmember Zandria Michaud
Councilmember Toni Troutner
Land Use and Planning Board Attendees:
Dione Dittmar, Chair
Sandra Perera, Co-Chair
Shane Amodei
Bryan Kesterson
Sally McDonough
Justus Phelps
Benjamin Reid
1. Opening Remarks
Long Range Planning Manager, Kristen Holdsworth provided opening remarks
regarding the workshop about the Kent 2044 Comprehensive Plan Update. Then,
the consultant team (MIG) presented a summary of work completed to date and
alternatives for SEPA analysis.
Purpose
The purpose of the joint Workshop was for the Land Use and Planning Board (LUPB)
and City Council to review, discuss, and comment on the potential growth
alternatives that will be studied in the Kent 2044 Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS).
Background
The City of Kent is preparing a Comprehensive Plan Update due in December 2024
under the State of Washington's Growth Management Act (GMA). The update to the
City's Comprehensive Plan will accommodate the projected growth of 10,200 new
homes and 32,000 new jobs by 2044. The City of Kent has determined that this
periodic update of the Comprehensive Plan would likely have a significant impact on
the environment (e.g., transportation system, utilities and service systems, public
infrastructure, etc.) and will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as
required by state law.
Growth Alternatives
An EIS must consider various alternatives to growth. The proposed alternatives
illustrate potential options to meet the State's required housing and employment
targets. These alternatives identify ways that new jobs and housing can be
accommodated in Kent. These alternatives include assumptions about the zoning
and/or land use regulation changes that might be needed, as well as assumptions
for infill and development of middle housing that is required by new statewide law.
Staff have developed several distinct growth alternatives, taking into consideration
community input and priorities for growth areas, regulatory guidance, previously
completed plans and analysis, and the adopted growth targets noted above.
Staff considered a variety of scenarios during the development of alternatives,
including trying to accommodate new growth entirely under the existing land use
map and City policies. Ultimately, this was not pursued as it did not consider
community input, new GMA regulatory requirements, and growth trends that have
emerged since the last update in 2015.
The following alternatives have been identified:
• No Action (Alternative 1): Would maintain the City's existing land use
designations without modifications. This means growth would occur within
existing land use designations and under existing land use regulations and
policies. This is a required alternative under the State Environmental Policy
Act (SEPA). Assuming no changes in zoning or land use policies, the available
land supply within the City is not expected to achieve the 2044 targets.
• Nodes & Corridors (Alternative 2): Would disperse activity centers
throughout the East Hill area and somewhat greater intensity in the regional
growth areas. It would meet the City's growth target for jobs and housing.
• Core with Transit Links (Alternative 3): Would concentrate residential
and employment development in Kent's regional growth areas significantly. It
would meet the City's growth target for jobs and exceed the target for
housing.
Alternatives form the basis of the environmental analysis the City will include in the
EIS. Analyzing different alternatives, and especially the differences between them,
allows decision-makers and the public to compare the effects of different options
and ultimately select a preferred alternative which will inform the City's growth
strategy. The preferred alternative may be a combination of the alternatives
evaluated and will illustrate the future land use map and land use designations
included in the 2044 Comprehensive Plan.
The SEPA Process
The State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) is a Washington State law that helps
agency decision-makers, applicants, and the public understand how a proposal
would affect the environment. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process
is a tool for identifying and analyzing probable adverse environmental impacts,
reasonable alternatives, and potential mitigation. Preparation of an EIS is required
for actions that have potentially significant impacts. The EIS will be prepared as a
"non-project" EIS which is useful in documenting the environmental impacts of
policies, plans, or programs that will govern a series of connected actions. It will
not provide a site-specific detailed analysis.
By preparing an updated Comprehensive Plan EIS, the City can streamline new
housing development by utilizing a new SEPA categorical exemption (SB 5412,
2023). The City will exempt from SEPA review residential and mixed-use
development that is consistent with Comprehensive Plan densities and development
regulations. This will reduce residential permitting timelines by eliminating process
that is redundant because the regulations and mitigation measures are already
accounted for in other permitting requirements.
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
The DEIS will present three alternatives that test the same level of expected
housing and employment growth, consistent with the City's adopted 2044 growth
targets: 10,200 new housing units and 32,000 new jobs. While the overall level of
citywide growth is relatively the same among alternatives, each alternative tests a
different distribution of this growth within various locations throughout Kent to
highlight a spectrum of policy choices. The purpose of the analysis is to estimate
the nature, severity, and duration of impacts that might occur and to compare the
impacts of the alternatives. The DEIS will include:
• A description of existing conditions in the City;
• Proposed actions and alternatives (e.g., new policies and growth strategies);
• Potential adverse environmental impacts that may occur as a result of certain
alternatives;
• Mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate adverse impacts; and
• Potential significant, unavoidable, and adverse impacts.
The DEIS will not propose an alternative for adoption nor identify a preferred
alternative.
Final Environmental Impact Statement
Following the publication of the DEIS in spring 2024, the City will create a Preferred
Alternative based on public input and the DEIS evaluation of the alternatives. The
Preferred Alternative may include features of any of the studied alternatives. The
Preferred Alternative will be evaluated in the Final EIS which will also respond to
comments received on the DEIS. This Preferred Alternative will ultimately become
part of the City's Future Land Use Map included in the Comprehensive Plan and
inform the policies and implementing programs included under each Comprehensive
Plan element.
Comments Received from the LUPB and City Council. Together, LUPB and Council
members provided input on the three alternatives. Discussion topics included the
following:
1. Confirmation that critical areas will be included in alternatives to ensure
realistic development assumptions;
2. Consensus that that Benson Corridor, and especially the intersection with
Kent-Kangley is a logical location to study more intense development;
3. Concerns regarding impacts from new development on East Hill, especially
related to congestion and parking
4. Some group members expressed strong concerns and opposition to nodes
along 132nd while others advocated for them to be included in analysis
5. Suggestions for slight modifications to Alternatives 2 and 3.
Staff clarified that the purpose of alternatives is for study only and are not a
commitment to a specific vision for growth at this time. The alternatives analyze
impacts of growth so that the project team, community, LUPB, and Council can
better understand why they should or should not propose growth locations and
changes in the final preferred alternative. Draft EIS results will be available in
Spring 2024 and will be part of Phase II community engagement.
Staff will present the refined SEPA growth alternatives at the December 11, 2023,
LUPB meeting for final consideration at the December 12th, 2023, Council
workshop.
Meeting ended at 8:00 p.m.
Kimberley A. Komoto
City Clerk