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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-12-2007 CITTY~OF T T l ~ ~T WASHINGTON PLANNING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE February 12, 2007 MINUTES I. CALL TO ORDER - 5:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBERS Chair Lynn Norman called the meeting to order at 5:02 p.m. in the Council Chambers located on the first floor of Auburn City Hall, 25 West Main Street, Auburn, WA. Committee members present were: Chair Lynn Norman, Member Wagner and Mayor ProTem Singer (sitting in for Member Backus). Staff present was Parks, Arts and Recreation Director Daryl Faber, Planning, Building and Community Director Michael Davolio, Community Development Administrator David Osaki, Development Services Coordinator Steve Pilcher, Environmental Protection Manager Aaron Nix, Planner Stacey Borland, Senior Planner Jeff Dixon, Recreation Special Events Supervisor Julie Brewer, Mayor Pete Lewis and Planning Secretary Kirsten Reynolds. Absent: Member Backus Audience Members included: Keith James, Pat Cavanaugh, Jan Cavanaugh, David Fey, Dan Rasmusson and Daniel Stoner APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. January 22, 2007 Member Wagner moved to approve the minutes from the January 22, 2007 meeting as submitted, seconded by Councilmember Singer. Minutes approved unanimously 3-0. III. ACTION A. Downtown Design Standards Development Services Coordinator Steve Pilcher brought forward the document for adoption or further comments and/or adjustments. Mr. Pilcher reviewed the adjustments from the previous meeting. Discussion took place around the parking lot landscaping descriptions i.e. height and materials described. The following wording was suggested before adoption: "to allow for visibility and safety" will be added in section B, # 3, b. Member Wagner moved to approve the Downtown Design Standards with one addition in section B, # 3, b to read "to allow for visibility and safety" seconded by Councilmember Singer. Motion was approved unanimously 3-0. Page 1 Planning and Community Development Committee Minutes February 12, 2007 B. Resolution No. 4157 -Concession Agreement with the Optimists Club Parks Director Daryl Faber talked about the continuation of this current contract, no percent of revenue is received from this operation by Parks and Recreation. They do however contribute towards Parks programs. C. Resolution No. 4158 -Concession Agreement with Little League Parks Director Daryl Faber talked about the continuation of this current contract, no percent of revenue is received from this operation by Parks and Recreation. They do however contribute towards Parks programs. Councilmember Singer moved to approve Resolution No.s 4157 and 4158, seconded by Member Wagner. Motion was approved unanimously 3-0. IV. DISCUSSION A. Plaza Sidewalk Design -Michael Davolio confirmed that the plans for the Project Ace were submitted to the Planning Department. The developers from Project Ace were present at the meeting. Chair Norman talked about the Committee's site visits to: Mercer Island, Redmond, Kirkland, Kent and Renton. The Redmond Town Center was the favorite choice of the committee. At Redmond there were sand set bricks, they were level without breakage or adjustments. Dan Rasmusson with Jensen Fey Architects discussed the proposed materials for the Project Ace courtyard. Different patterns were talked about; the developer's original thought was to have a smooth texture followed by a rougher texture to create an interesting focal point. Lithocrete, the proposed material is one third the cost of actual stone. Mr. Rasmusson will give the Committee some sites to visit where this material has been installed. Discussion with the developer took place regarding the process and the overall feel the City is trying to gain from the plaza. - Pat and Jan Cavanaugh asked to address some concerns regarding changes in the architectural design with the committee. The Committee agreed to hear what the concems were. One side of the building was originally purposed to be cut at an angle to provide more plaza space; encouraging people to be directed towards the main street. This square footage originally thought to be additional plaza space is being put back in to the square footage. The applicants are willing to do more cosmetic improvements in return for the ability to build the comer cut. The current design was reviewed by the Committee and discussed that something needed to be revised to ensure the same focal point of Main Street.' Chair Norman Page 2 Planning and Community Development Committee Minutes February 12, 2007 asked the applicant to talk with staff to review different ideas and return to the committee with a different option than presented today. B. AWN Senior Housing Development Agreement -Keith James with .Legato Consulting and Daniel Stoner from Parkstone Investments were introduced by Development Services Coordinator Steve Pitcher. Planning Director Michael Davolio talked about when the plans originally came in; staff expressed the need to add some commercial retail space to the project. Mr. Stoner addressed the Committee concerning the current demand for low income housing in the area. This project will meet a need present in the community. Mr. James talked about the layout of the site and the retail traffic being pushed towards the front of the site and residential in the back. There are several proposals for the City to consider in a potential development agreement: • The first proposal is to develop the site housing, which the zone currently allows by conditional use permit. The Development Agreement would meet that need. • The second proposal would allow fora "density bonus" for senior housing, allowing more units that are otherwise allowed. • The third proposal is the most significant; the request for relief from payment of park impact fees, based on the occupancy being less than conventional housing (1.1 persons per unit vs. 2.4). • The fourth request being proposed pertains to the western part of the site being located in the flood plain. The City owns a compensatory storage pond developed in conjunction with the 277th project west of the site that the applicant desires to utilize. In return for not having to provide for this on site, they would add to the capacity of this pond. General discussion took place regarding residential statistics, creatively utilizing the current retention pond space, parking requirements, available park space and details of retail space being multi-level with office space on the top floor. The Committee stated it could not support either a reduction or elimination of Park Impact Fees. Mayor Pro-Tern Singer expressed concern over encouraging affordable housing of any type within the city. C. Les Gove Community Center -Parks Director, Daryl Faber presented a PowerPoint describing the timeline and process that has been happening since October 2001 to now, February 2007. The conceptual building footprint totaled 23,280 square feet (sf) for the Community Center, including space for teens and an additional 7,000 sf for future recreation, totaling 30,280 sf. In addition to their daily program functions, other targets would be some of the following: corporate and community events, gatherings, Page 3 Planning and Community Development Committee Minutes February 12, 2007 debates, wedding receptions, birthdays and youth events, art and music classes, community education, gymnastics and more. There would be an increased capacity for the youth programs. The overall costs were reviewed, based on the sf, cost to build and operating costs. Funding opportunities were also outlined in detail. Discussion happened related to converting the existing Parks, Arts and Recreation Administration Building into a Teen Center and adding a gymnasium component, Discussion happened around other options to manage the building costs and maximizing the space for programs. The Committee asked to see operating costs verses income. The Committee would like to see this at their upcoming retreat. D. Shoreline Master Program -Environmental Protection Manager Aaron Nix provided a packet including the old shoreline designations and the newly proposed designations. City staff and the Citizen Advisory Committee met last week to work through details and hope to have a finished product for Council's review by the end of May. E. Wetland Mitigation Options -Senior Planner Jeff Dixon and Planner Stacey Borland updated the Committee regarding a private developer who recently approached the City regarding two development site mitigation proposals. One development site is located in the City of Algona and the other in the City of Auburn. A common element to both proposals involves the dedication of a wetland mitigation site and mitigation construction. The two proposal options presented were to mitigate wetland impacts associated with the Aubum development site by providing the City of Aubum fees in-lieu of wetland mitigation; or mitigate wetland impacts for both the Auburn and Algona development sites by providing the City of Auburn fees in-lieu of wetland mitigation. Discussion took place around why the City would need to own this land and what the benefit would be to mitigate for the Algona site in Aubum. Staff asked the Committee if they would want a code amendment to allow importation of wetland mitigation. The Committee indicated they do not want to allow this. However, the Committee would like to see more in-depth information regarding clarification of terms related to wetland mitigation and more information on the economics of this specific potential wetland mitigation proposal including how much land is being made developable. F. Electronic Message Boards -Community Development Administrator David Osaki discussed the proposed changes to the electronic message center sign requirements. This revised proposal ensures the City to have control over these increasing electronic signs. Changes since the prior draft included more restrictions on the zoning districts they will be allowed in, available sign face area, light. levels and advertising purposes. Signs in the DUC (Downtown Urban Center) and C2 (Central Business District) zone are proposed to be allowed for public use only. The Committee asked for a few additional changes to the document to ensure clarity for public compliance and city Page 4 Planning and Community Development Committee Minutes February 12, 2007 enforcement. The Committee also suggested contacting a local sign manufacturer for comments on certain items. The proposal will now be forwarded to the Planning Commission for consideration. V. INFORMATION A. PCDC Status Matrix - A short discussion on the Neighborhood Grant process took place regarding money allocation and the specific grant writing requirements. This topic will be added to the Matrix for March 12"'. VI. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Planning and Community Development Committee, Chair Norman adjourned the meeting at 8:17 p.m. APPROVED THE v DAY OF YGfh Page 5