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HomeMy WebLinkAboutITEM III-ADRAFT C~ PLANNING &COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE * ~HIG~"OI July 26, 2010 MINUTES r I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Lynn Norman called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. in Annex Conference Room 1 located on the second floor of One Main Building, 1 East Main Street, Auburn, WA. Committee members present were: Chair Lynn Norman, Vice Chair Nancy Backus and Member Rich Wagner. Staff members present included: Environmental Protection Manager Chris Andersen, Parks, Arts and Recreational Director Daryl Faber, Principal Planner Jeff Dixon and Administration Support Clerk Tina Kriss. Audience members present were: Ronnie Roberts, Tamara Thompson, and Terry Danysh II. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND AGENDA MODIFICATIONS Chair brought before Committee discussion item V.A. Ordinance No. 6321 before hearing action item V. Ordinance 6321. Parks, Arts and Recreation Director Daryl Faber was delayed due to a Municipal Services Committee meeting. III. CONSENT AGENDA A. Minutes -July 12, 2010 Member Backus moved and Member Wagner seconded to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY 3-0 IV. ACTION A. Lea Hill Neighborhood Park SBA Contract Parks, Arts and Recreational Director Daryl Faber stated he previously provided Committee with a plan for the City to design and develop a new neighborhood park at the corner of 124t" Avenue NE and NE 316t" Street (formerly referred to as the Martin Property}. This new facility will replace the existing Lea Hill Park, which is the site for the new Trades Building as a part of the Green River Community College (GRCC). City would like to enter into a contract with Susan Black and Associates (SBA) for consultation services to move forward with this project. All expenses will be reimbursed by GRCC per Memorandum of Understanding and Reimbursement Agreement executed Planning and Community Development Committee Minutes July 26, 2010 by GRCC. GRCC will provide $1.5M as reimbursement to the City based on the agreement. Committee asked if we have had a lot of concerns expressed at the neighborhood meetings on this project. Mr. Faber stated they have had a lot of neighborhood residents in favor and support of the new park to provide a place fortheir children to play instead of using the street. The response has been positive with representatives from a cricket group, skate- boarders and other groups encouraged by the possibility of a gathering place and community gardens with other park activities. Other residence expressed their concern for crossing 316t" Street from east to west. Residence discussed concern about noise from the proposed Trades Building. Both groups were excited about the landscape architect's proposal to make a big loop trail around both complexes and how the day lighting of the stream benefits the park and Trades Building. Mr. Faber stated he doesn't feel the residence concern is over the new park but mainly traffic and noise. Mr. Faber stated he feels the increased parking at the Trades Building will alleviate parking issues in the neighborhood. Neighborhood residence have asked for pull-out parking on the north side of the road instead of interior parking at the park so students will not illegally park. By providing this pull-out parking it will increase green space, pathways and the ability to hold summer concerts and activities. Residences believe it would reduce traffic issues. Committee asked if Susan Black and Associates will be engineering the storm drain system and Mr. Faber stated he believes they will be sub contracting the engineering of the storm drain. Committee stated it would be beneficial to inform neighborhood residence that the noise at the Trade Building will not be increased substantially as some feel and suggests an effort to provide access to residence during construction to ease their fears. Committee and staff clarified that since the new trades building is replacing the existing building it should not cause a significant increase in traffic. The college is making improvements to 124t" Avenue SE which will include a turn lane and other improvements to decrease traffic issues. Mr. Faber stated park project will be developed in phases as detailed in the SBA Agreement. If any portion of development is not completed and the City no longer needs SBA consultant services the City can terminate the Agreement and not be held financially liable for that portion of the Agreement. It was moved by Vice Chair Backus, seconded by Member Wagner, to bring before full City Council the Susan Black and Associates agreement for Consulting Services with the City authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute this agreement. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY 3-0 Page 2 Planning and Community Development Committee Minutes July 26, 2010 V. DISCUSSION and INFORMATION A. Ordinance No. 6321 Principal Planner Jeff Dixon briefed the Committee on proposed Ordinance No. 6321 to extend the effective date of Ordinance No. 6259, the conditional approval of a special area plan, a comprehensive plan map and text amendments and zoning map and text amendments for Robertson Properties Group (RPG) for the Auburn Gateway Project. On June 16, 2008 Auburn City Council passed Ordinance No. 6183 which amended the City's Comprehensive plan (map and text), zoning (map and text) and included the adoption of a sub-area plan related to the development of the Auburn Gateway project at the Valley 6 Theatre site and surrounding properties by Robertson Properties Group (RPG). On December 1, 2008 the City Council passed Ordinance No. 6219 extending the effective date of Ordinance No. 6183 until August 31, 2009. On August 17, 2009 the City Council passed Ordinance No. 6259 extending the effective date until August 31, 2010. The proposed ordinance would provide a one year extension. RPG is working with the City's Planning, Public Works, and Legal Departments on revisions to the development agreement which is being redrafted. This is a request to extend the conditional Comprehensive plan (map and text), zoning (map and text) and adoption of a special area plan adoption that are predicated on the city's council's adoption of a development agreement for those changes as proposed by the Robertson Properties Group (RPG). In 2004 the applicant prepared a draft and final Environmental Impact Statement for the project. It identified three different development scenarios in addition to a no action scenario: • Retail and Office Option • Retail Option • Retail and Multi-Family Option Committee asked how the new floodplain management has changed and how it might impact this project. Mr. Dixon stated at the time the special area plan was adopted in 2008 the Port of Seattle wetland mitigation site had already been constructed providing additional flood plain storage. What is not addressed are the revisions of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maps which may affect the amount of additional flood storage orvolume available in this vicinity. The revisions of the FEMA maps have not been finalized so the City won't be able to assess the full affect until those maps are in final form. A portion of the RPG site is in the current floodplain. Committee asked if the floodplain maps are different from the decision we are discussing tonight to extend the conditional approvals to allow additional time to come up with the development agreement. Mr. Dixon answered yes and stated the development agreement will not be adopted until staff brings it before the committees and City Council for a public hearing. Mr. Dixon indicated that at the time the development agreement is Page 3 Planning and Community Development Committee Minutes July 26, 2010 available for consideration additional changes to the special area plan, comprehensive plan and zoning code changes will need to take place due to the time that has lapsed and circumstances that have changed in the intervening time. As one example, he noted that the special area plan mentions the need to exchange some right of ways with the Port of Seattle for I Street NE; but that the language to the special area plan should now be updated since the swap has already taken place. Mr. Dixon discussed some of the special circumstances making it staff's recommendation to allow an extension via Ordinance No. 6321: • RPG has acquired 11 additional acres to the west • RPG in the process of processing a supplement of the previous Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to address the addition of this property and to address project phasing as additional EIS analysis currently underway and specifically including additional transportation analysis • Addressing the adoption of the City's new floodplain regulations Mr. Dixon stated by extending the effective date via Ordinance No. 6321 RPG would have an opportunity to assess the affect of the floodplain maps changing (if the floodplain maps are changed) and allow RPG to work with the City on processes associated with getting a floodplain permit under the City's recently adopted regulations. Committee asked Mr. Dixon if in 2008 Ordinance No. 6183 approvals were given conditionally. Mr. Dixon stated yes, the changes were conditionally approved dependent upon execution of a development agreement and planned action ordinance. He added that when the development agreement provisions are presented, staff and city council can make changes to ensure the special area plan for RPG is updated and current. Committee asked if the Robertson Properties Group (RPG) development agreement would include any traffic signal costs to the South 277t" Street and 49t" Street NE signals as listed in the 2008 Northeast AuburnlRobertson Properties Special Area Plan. Committee stated they are concerned with extending the date of the ordinance without adding any signal costs to the development agreement. Mr. Dixon stated that the future development agreement would address the project mitigation needs including transportation improvements. So prior to the adoption of the special area plan, traffic analysis will be available to show improvement needs associated with increased traffic and proponent's responsibility. This information can inform changes to the special area plan. Committee also discussed whether the City should continue with developing a Development Agreement at all for the RPG project. Committee stated it that in 2003 the City was told by the city's insurance provider; WCIA that the city council should not consider Developer Agreements. Mr. Dixon stated he understands the concern but the City and RPG have spent significant time in pursuing this development and staff's recommendation is to ask Council to extending this due to the significant investment that has made in pursuing this project. Page 4 Planning and Community Development Committee Minutes July 26, 2010 Mr. Dixon stated it is appropriate to make refinements to the zoning, comprehensive plan and special area plan when we have more information from the development agreement process. Committee asked Mr. Dixon to meet with the City's Legal Department to discuss Ordinance 6321 and also discuss the WCIA's position on the City entering into a Developer Agreement with RPG. Mr. Dixon stated he would discuss this with the City's Legal Department. Committee discussed the concern in the reduction on funds with the current economic climate and requested staff makes sure they are discussing the traffic needs with the City's Public Works Traffic Planner to ensure appropriate traffic concerns have been addressed. Committee clarified forthatthe City's insurance provider WCIA has advised the City to move away from Quasi-Judicial decision making. WCIA has discouraged the City from using the development agreement process and they have advised the City that continuing this practice could affect the City's insurability with WCIA. Committee asked if the extension to Ordinance No. 6321 provides for a one year extension. Mr. Dixon agreed. Committee stated the Northeast Auburn/Robertson Properties Special Area Plan was written and adopted in 2008 but since this time the economic climate has changed which has changed the City's ability to make certain financial contributions toward necessary infrastructure improvements. Mr. Dixon stated this has been communicated to RPG in writing and feels they understand the City is no longer able to provide financial assistance for infrastructure improvements. Referring to information presented at the 2008 Council retreat ,the Committee also stated their concern for the information provided in the Special Area Plan which states the City would be receiving income over the next 15 years due to the development of the project. Committee stated they do not believe this additional income is realistic and may affect the projected potential revenue to the City due to the current economic conditions. Mr. Dixon feels an extension of 1 year strikes the balance between providing enough time to accomplish some of the additional analysis while being short enough to encourage action. Mr. Dixon also feels two weeks will provide enough time to review Ordinance No. 6321 and the WCIA'S position on development agreements with the City's Legal Department. Committee concurred to bring this back before Committee with additional information from the Legal Department's review and discussion with WCIA within two weeks. B. PCDC Status Matrix: The Matrix is adjusted to reflect the following: • Item 2, Environmental Park District-change the date to Fall 2010 Page 5 Planning and Community Development Committee Minutes July 26, 2010 V. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Planning and Community Development Committee, Chair Norman adjourned the meeting at 5:38 p.m. APPROVED THIS DAY OF Lynn Norman, Chair Tina Kriss, Administrative Support Page 6