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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Economic and Community Development - 02/10/2014 1, 0 KENT ECONOMIC & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MINUTES February 10, 2014 Committee Members Committee Chair Bill Boyce, Dennis Higgins, and Jim Berrios. Boyce called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm. 1. Approval of Minutes Higgins Moved and Berrios Seconded a Motion to approve the Minutes of December 9, 2013. Motion PASSED 3-0. 2. Amend KCC Section 15.07.060 Zoning Code Landscape Requirements Assistant City Attorney David Galazin that this amendment corrects Kent City Code Section 15.070.060 by adding in certain landscape provisions erroneously excluded from Ordinance No. 4074 adopted by Kent City Council on February 19, 2013. These landscaping requirements were discussed before the Land Use and Planning Board (LUPB) at their October 8 and November 26, 2012 workshops and at the January 14 and 28, 2013 public hearings, with the LUPB recommending approval of the proposed amendments as presented, including the landscape provisions inadvertently left out. Berrios Moved and Higgins Seconded a Motion to recommend adoption of the ordinance amending Section 15.07.060 of the Kent City Code to correct an error in Ordinance 4074. Motion PASSED 3-0. 3. Right Size Parking Planning Manager Charlene Anderson encouraged people to go to King County's website (rig htsizeparking.org) or to email Daniel Rowe, the Right Size Parking Project Manager to avail themselves of the research, analysis and practical tools from the right size parking project. Through the project, King County approved a proposal from the City of Kent for a pilot project to consider right sizing parking as higher density residential is introduced to the urban core. This pilot project implements one of the policies recently adopted under the Downtown Subarea Action Plan (DSAP). Kent deliverables under the pilot project include an inventory of parking in a portion of downtown, recommendations for management strategies and recommendations for code amendments. Anderson introduced Rick Williams with Rick Williams Consulting who presented findings and issues regarding parking management strategies for the pilot project area. Williams explained that parking needs to be managed in order to get the right people into the right place so that the parking system is used efficiently. He stated that parking is an expensive resource and it is a limited on-street resource. Customers want to be able to know where and how to use parking. Managing parking reduces customer angst and improves their downtown experience. Studies show that assuming an average sale of $25, a single parking stall can generate $52,000 annually in retail sales. On-street parking findings in Kent indicate that 66 percent of on-street parking is unregulated with no limits. 46 percent of on-street parking is unstriped. During the peak hour of parking in the project area, approximately 65% of on-street parking is occupied, although there are some blocks/block faces that are occupied at 85 percent. Findings showed that the typical parking duration in the 2-hour parking zones was 1 hour and 51 minutes. Williams added that removal of 'no-limit' stalls would improve turnover rate in the retail area. Williams mentioned parking violation rates are higher than ticketing would show. He added that 1 in 10 vehicles were moving between parking stalls in the two-hour limit stalls. Williams stated the findings indicated off-street parking is under-utilized, acknowledging the transit parking facility is ful and the Justice Center has a very workable agreement to use the ShoWare lot for their overflow parking needs. Williams recommends development of a parking plan, providing consistency and structure in the parking system, ECDC Minutes Fe binary 10,2013 Page 1 of4 and using enforcement as appropriate. Dedicated or shared arrangements for employee parking could free up parking in the more main-street areas. Informational Only 4. Washington FIRST Robotics Economic Development Manager Kurt Hanson introduced Erin McCallum, Executive Director of Washington FIRST Robotics (WFR). Ms. McCallum stated that WFR was established in 2002, recently establishing their headquarters in Kent. This program works to ensure Washington State students develop skills necessary to succeed in the workforce. Programs are offered for kindergarten through high school where robot building competitions are held across the state. McCallum stated that there are 897 teams. Competitions are held September through April with over 300,000 volunteer hours put in from people with experience in fabrication and engineering. WFR is looking at using local centers and schools to hold competitions in and would like to partner with Kent to help spread the word to engage local businesses. Hanson stated that they would try to time an event where Kent's local TV Channel 21 could produce a segment on their program. Informational Only S. Economic & Community Development (ECD) 2014 Work Program Economic Development Director Ben Wolters stated that review and adoption of the city- wide Draft Economic Development Strategy (EDS) will be completed soon with more discussions to be held in a workshop environment. Staff anticipates taking the EDS to City Council initially in April. With respect to aerospace recruitment and retention, Kent recently signed a contract for $15,000 (under our existing budget) with the Economic Development Council (EDC) of Seattle and King County (KC) for their own aerospace initiative. The King County Aerospace Alliance (KCAA), an initiative County Executive Dale Constantine began, has been rolled over to the EDC to administer. The KCAA hired a staff person to lead that effort and through Kent's investment, staff intend to partner with EDC in their efforts to expand, deepen and recruit new companies to the aerospace cluster in KC. Kent has the second largest concentration of aerospace companies in KC at 50, just behind Seattle with 70 companies. Wolters reported that SMG's contract terminates at the end of this year. There will be a discussion with City Council on how best to proceed. Kent's first Branding Meetings will be held February 241h and 25th. Kent's presence in the media market is through Showare and we want to build on that to sell the City and to do a better job of telling a story. Kent Downtown Partnership (KDP) is providing staff support and is collaborating with the city to promote branding Kent. Wolters stated that staff's role with the East Hill Revitalization Program is to foster growth and build capacity. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) headquarters competition may start before spring 2014. A consultant is undertaking the primary work on the Brownfield Inventory/EPA Grant. C.A.M.P.S. is in a stage of transition from growth to stabilization. Wolters stated that the City may pursue a potential sale of Par 3 to help fund the overall golf enterprise. The ultimate decision lies with the City Council and Mayor. Staff will keep the Committee updated. The City is considering purchasing the remaining Naden remnant properties to create a whole parcel for either public purposes or for potential sale of the property at some point in the future. The City bought property near Clark Lake 15 years ago, and is evaluating its highest and best use for part of the future operations for the City. Planning Director Fred Satterstrom stated that the Comprehensive Plan Update is targeted for completion by mid-year 2015 and will include preparing the vision & scope, completing a buildable lands analysis, amending development regulations, completing environmental analysis, and holding public outreach meetings. Satterstrom spoke about the Meeker Street Revitalization Initiative and associated Impact Fees. He stated that the first LUPB workshop discussion about the Downtown Design Guidelines was held on February 10, 2014. ECDC Minutes Fe binary 10,2013 Page 2 of Wolters stated that there is a multi-departmental effort underway on a Downtown Homeless Strategy involving Kent's Police, Human Services and the Parks Departments. Once a strategy evolves, this item will go to a City Council Workshop. Satterstrom spoke about the City/Downtown Gateways effort. A gateways recommendation is included in the DSAP (approved and adopted November 2013) and will probably be included as part of the Economic Development Strategy Plan. The Downtown Subarea was recently expanded and will gain approval from the GMC in conjunction with the City's update of the Comprehensive Plan. Satterstrom defined what a local improvement district would look like and what it would include. Wolters stated that three major permitting projects include Stryker-Boeing Surplus property; Tarragon Phase III proposed development of urban style apartment buildings; and the Grandview model project effort (located next to the Kent Highlands) currently going through design review. Satterstrom spoke about the coordinated effort to participate in a Regional Industrial Lands Study to look at how much industrial land exists and what the outcome of that might be. Wolters reported on the SR-516/Naden access area and previous efforts to bring lighting to that area as it is a major thoroughfare with its access to SR-167. Staff is making progress in their effort to obtain funding for the 2241h Bike connection that runs by REI and is working with State lobbyist Doug Levy who is laying the groundwork to help the retention efforts that will give employees transportation alternatives. Wolters reported that Code Enforcement has been given car computers to help streamline their workload. Strategies are being considered to address repeat code issues. Satterstrom stated that staff may propose some amendments to the SEPA rules related to categorical exemptions. Policies and regulations need to reflect current community values. Any proposed amendments will be brought to Committee for consideration. The Residential Design Standards were modified in 2007/2008. Master Builders are working with staff to continue to evaluate those standards for feasibility. Wolters spoke about KIVA update efforts, and that Sound Transit Planning will be a standard topic of discussion for the year. Satterstrom identified the hours and the continual process improvements coming out of the LEAN process, a culmination of 5-6 years of effort. The Committee will continue to be kept informed as staff monitors workload. Informational Only 6. Sound Transit Federal Way Link Light Rail Extension Planning Planning Manager Charlene Anderson stated that the Sound Transit Board will identify a preferred alternative route by early 2015. Anderson spoke about how Bellevue devoted a lot of resources to study link light rail, budgeting $400,000 for consultant and staff resources. She described the five guiding principles from the Bellevue report: Connect Somewhere to Somewhere; Light rail should complement, not diminish, the character and quality of Bellevue; Anticipate impacts and advocate for effective mitigation; Alignment profile should consider unique qualities of each part of the community; and Public involvement should be early and ongoing. Anderson also spoke about nine (9) best practices. Staff will update the Committee monthly to prepare the City Council and staff for commenting on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the light rail extension. The DEIS is expected to be issued in late 2014. 7. Economic Development Report Update Hanson announced that the Economic Development Specialist will be taking a position with the City of Seattle Human Resources Department and his efforts with the City of Kent will be greatly missed. Adiournment Committee Member Boyce adjourned the meeting at 7:00 p.m. Pamela Mottram, Secretary P�P�.mgECDC�2ra�M­ �02-re-r4Mmdoa Economic & Community Development Committee ECDC Minutese Fe binary 10,2013 Page 3 of