HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Meeting - Council - Minutes - 11/13/2023 4^* Approved December 12, 2023
City Council and Land Use and Planning Board
KENT 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 p.m.
Kimberley A. Komoto
City Clerk