HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-07-2013 05.07.13 PC PacketCU�u TY 0 1
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PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
May 7, 2013
AGENDA
I CALL TO ORDER — 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers
II. ROLL CALL /ESTABLISHMENT OF QUORUM
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. April 2, 2013
IV. PUBLIC COMMENT
Comment from the audience on any item not listed on the agenda for discussion or public
hearing.
V. PLANNING DEPARTMENT REPORT
Update on Planning and Development Department activities.
VI. OTHER BUSINESS
A. Student/Rental Housing — Amending the Definition of Family in the Auburn City
Code* (Chamberlain /Tate)
Summary: Discuss a proposed amendment to the zoning code definition of family
and recent issues surrounding student/rental housing.
B. Major Comprehensive Plan Update* (Chamberlain /Tate)
Summary: Discuss the major Comprehensive Plan Update process and preliminary
schedule.
VII. ADJOURNMENT
The City of Auburn Planning Commission is an eight member advisory body that provides recommendations to the
Auburn City Council on the preparation of and amendments to land use plans and related codes such as zoning.
Planning Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council.
Actions taken by the Planning Commission are not final decisions; they are in the form of recommendations to the
City Council who must ultimately make the final decision.
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PLANNING COMMISSION
April 2, 2013
MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Judi Roland called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. in the Council Chambers
located on the first floor of Auburn City Hall, 25 West Main Street, Auburn, WA.
Planning Commission Members present were: Chair Judi Roland, Vice -Chair Copple,
Commissioner Couture, Commissioner Mason, Commissioner Baggett, and
Commissioner Trout. Commissioner Ramey was absent.
Staff present included: Planning and Development Interim Director Jeff Tate; Assistant
City Attorney Doug Ruth, Planning Manager Elizabeth Chamberlain, and Planning and
Development Secretary /Scribe Tina Kriss.
Audience Members Present: Michael Pate, representative of the Electric Guard Dog
Company.
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. March 5, 2013
The Planning Commission noted four Scrivener's errors and asked that they be
corrected.
Commissioner Copple moved and Commissioner Trout seconded to approve the
minutes from the March 5, 2013 meeting as corrected.
Motion carried unanimously 6 -0
III. PUBLIC COMMENT
There were no public comments on any item not listed on the agenda for discussion or
public hearing.
IV. PLANNING DEPARTMENT REPORT
Planning Manager Elizabeth Chamberlain reported that Landmark Development Group
has submitted a Pre - Application for mixed -use development on the Cavanaugh block.
Green River Community College (GRCC) has submitted two projects; the Trades
Building (70,000 square feet) and a Student Life Building. Improvements to SE 320th
Street have also been submitted and are under review.
Orion Industries has begun the grading portion of their project, the building permit has
been submitted and is currently under review.
V. PUBLIC HEARING
A. ZOA13 -0001 — Amendment to Auburn City Code 8.12 and 18.31
Planning and Development Interim Director Jeff Tate provided background
information on the amendment to Auburn City Code (ACC) 8.12 and 18.31. On
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES April 2, 2013
March 5, 2013, at the Planning Commission meeting, the Commission asked several
questions that staff provided responses to within the March 22, 2013 memorandum.
The electric fences, in 1957, were originally designated a public nuisance. The
proposed amendment would remove electric fences from 8.12.060, Structures and
Buildings as nuisances, and move electric fence standards to ACC 18.31.020,
dividing it into two areas. Commission and staff reviewed the amendments.
After discussion, Chair Roland opened the public hearing at 7:15 p.m. to receive
comments on ZOA13 -0001, amendments to Auburn City Code 8.12 and 18.31.
Michael Pate, representative of the Electric Guard Dog Company, 6340 Kemberly
Street, Columbia, South Carolina.
Mr. Pate explained that the Electric Guard Dog Company previously received a
permit from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L & I) for the
installation of an electric fence (on behalf of a customer). Upon having the
inspection from L & I, it was noted that the Auburn City Code does not allow electric
fences. The job was shut down and the Company began working with the City to
request an update to Auburn City Code to allow electric fences.
Mr. Pate reviewed the installation protocol, operation, signage, and safety of the
electric fencing provided by his company. The devices are required to be tested and
labeled to adhere to the State of Washington International Electrotechnical
Commission (I EC) 60335 -2 -76. Mr. Pate and the Planning Commission discussed
the potential for shock to both animals and humans. A shock will not injure a human
or animal but will be felt Mr. Pate stated.
Chair Roland closed the public hearing at 7.29 p.m.
Commissioner Copple moved and Commissioner Mason seconded to forward
ZOA13 -0001 — proposed amendment to Auburn City Code 8.12.060 and 18.31.020
to City Council for approval.
MOTION APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY 6 -0
VI. OTHER BUSINESS
A. Planning Commission Rules of Procedure Amendments (Chamberlain)
Planning Manager Elizabeth Chamberlain reviewed the proposed amendments to
the Rules of Procedures recommended by the Planning Commission at the March 5,
2013 meeting.
After review, the Planning Commission recommended the following changes:
• Under Election of Officers — remove "caused by the resignation or removal of
the Chair or Vice - Chair ".
• Under Name — add of to the first line to read "City of Auburn ".
Page 2
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES April 2, 2013
Commissioner Trout moved and Commissioner Couture seconded to approve the
Planning Commission Rules and Procedures as amended.
MOTION APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY 6 -0
The next Planning Commission meeting will be held May 7, 2013.
VII. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the Planning Commission, Chair Roland
adjourned the meeting at 7:43 p.m.
Page 3
WASHINGTON
To: Judi Roland, Chair, Planning Commission
Ron Copple, Vice Chair, Planning Commission
Planning Commission Members
Memorandum
From: Elizabeth Chamberlain, AICP, Planning Manager
Date: May 1, 2013
Re: Proposed Code Amendment — Amend the Definition of Family in Title 18 and
Discuss Student/Rental Housing
Background
Over the last several months a number of residents who live in the single family residential
communities that are located nearby Green River Community College (GRCC) have expressed
concern that they are observing a spike in rental homes in their neighborhood that are occupied
by students of GRCC. Their concerns include:
• Parking impacts
• Unpermitted conversion of garages to living space
• Overcrowding of single family homes with too many occupants
• Lack of proper solid waste management
• Noise impacts
• Lack of proper oversight by GRCC
Planning and Development staff met with GRCC staff who oversee the colleges housing
programs. GRCC described three housing programs:
• Campus Corner Housing — on campus apartment housing administered by GRCC
• Homestay — off campus housing where international students are placed within a
family's home. A family must apply to the college for enrollment into this program and
family's are screened before students are placed.
• Homeshare — off campus, independent living where students are placed within a
bedroom of a qualifying home. A host family does not live in this home, rather each
room within a home is rented to a different student. Currently, there are a total of three
homes enrolled in this program.
Regulatory Overview
There are a variety of existing regulations that pertain to rental homes including business
license requirements, minimum life /safety standards, and land use requirements. The follow
brief descriptions are provided:
Business Licensing — Pursuant to Chapter 5.12 of the Auburn City Code any single family
residence that is rented out must obtain a City business license. Property owners are
required to submit a business license application, pay a $53 fee, and obtain a license.
Page 1 of 4
Licenses are reviewed by Police, Fire, Planning, Utilities, Traffic, and Building. The City's
current review process does not require inspection of the house by City staff, nor does it
require that the owner commit to certain management strategies of the property. Our
program, in its current form, is primarily a registration program.
Building Codes — The International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) establishes
minimum occupancy, light and ventilation standards as follows:
• Every habitat space shall have at least one openable window that must be of a
minimum size.
• Bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry facilities shall meet minimum ventilation
requirements.
• The minimum wall dimension for any habitable room shall be 7 feet, except for
kitchens which shall have a minimum clear passage width of 3 feet.
• Every living room shall contain a minimum of 120 square feet.
• Every bedroom shall contain a minimum of 70 feet, or 50 square feet per person if
occupied by more than one person.
• Every bedroom shall have one water closet and one lavatory without passing through
another bedroom and every bedroom shall have at least one water closet and
lavatory located in the same story as the bedroom.
• Non- habitable spaces, e.g. garages, shall not be used for sleeping purposes.
• Dwelling units shall not be occupied by more occupants than permitted as follows:
SPACE
MINIMUM AREA IN SQUARE FEET
1 -2 occupants
3 -5 occupants
6 or more
occupants
Living room
120
120
150
Dining room
No requirement
80
100
Bedrooms
70 or 50 per occupant if more than 1 occupant
In addition to the above standards, interior modifications to single family residences such as
a conversion of space from non - habitable to habitable, or conversion of a living room to
bedrooms, requires submittal of a building permit application, review of the application
against current building and land use regulations, and inspection of the work after permit
issuance.
Land Use and Health and Safety Codes — Titles 8 and 18 of the Auburn City Code
establishes a variety of land use standards that apply to all single family residential uses.
• Parking (Chapter 18.52 ACC) — land use regulations require a minimum of 2 off
street parking spaces for each single family dwelling unit. The code does not limit
the number of operable vehicles that may be permitted for each house, however it
does establish prohibitions for inoperable vehicles and parking standards are in
effect that limit the maximum period of time (72 consecutive hours) that a car may be
parked on a city street without moving.
• Solid Waste (Chapter 8.08 ACC) — the City's solid waste regulations require
mandatory garbage collection and service. This requirement may not always be
understood by tenants who do are not accustomed to garbage service in the
community where they were raised. Additionally, the property owner may need to be
more proactive in helping international tenants who are only renting one bedroom
short term stays understand the routine of garbage collection /service.
Page 2 of 4
Discussion
Staff has met several times with the Planning and Community Development Committee (PCDC)
to discuss and get direction on the broad /big picture policy issues related to student/rental
housing. Prior to bringing this discussion topic to the Planning Commission, staff wanted to
make sure we were heading down the correct path.
The code amendments related to student/rental housing will be taken in two phases. The first
phase is a proposal to amend the definition of "family" in the zoning code. Phase 1 is an interim
solution as staff works on the longer Phase 2 steps. The proposed code change is as follows:
18.04.360 Family.
"Family" means a person living alone, or two or more persons related by blood or
marriag
lodginghousc. For the purposes of this definition, minors living with a parent shall not be
counted as part of the maximum number of residents. (Ord. 6245 § 3, 2009; Ord. 4229 §
2, 1987.)
The proposed code change will make rental housing to non - related residents not permitted.
Existing rentals that met the definition of family and have a valid rental housing business license
prior any code change, would be considered a legal non - conforming use.
Phase 2 includes more detailed code amendments, input by Green River Community College
on the proposed code amendments, and community outreach. Staff has reviewed other
jurisdictions' regulations related to student/rental housing and put together a matrix (see
Attachment A). In reviewing the matrix with the PCDC, the policy guidance given to staff was
the following:
• Supportive of a "student rental housing" definition.
• Supportive of establishing a number of students that can live in one single family home.
• Supportive of amending the City's Rental Housing Business License application to
require a local contact. Staff recommends including additional information on existing
codes such as garbage service requirements, noise, parking, yard maintenance, etc.
• Not supportive of a distance requirements or limiting the number of rental houses.
Discussion Questions:
1. What feedback does the Planning Commission have on the proposed amendment to the
definition of family?
2. Related to Phase 2, does the Planning Commission concur with the initial policy
guidance provided by the PCDC? What additional comments does the Planning
Commission have on how to address student/rental housing?
3. What additional information would be helpful or the Planning Commission need as we
move forward?
Page 3 of 4
Next Steps
On Phase 1, staff will be moving forward with the code amendment process and anticipate a
public hearing before the Planning Commission at the June 4, 2013 meeting.
In regards to Phase 2, staff will be refining what amendments are needed to the Auburn City
Code to follow the policy guidance given by the PCDC and the Planning Commission. Once
staff has put together a proposal, we will be reaching out to Green River Community College for
their input and also presenting the potential code changes to the community for feedback. After
staff has collected comments, then we will return to the Planning Commission for continued
discussion and refinement of the potential code changes. We anticipate returning to the
Planning Commission at their June 4, 2013 meeting.
Attachments
Attachment A: Matrix of Jurisdictions' Regulations Related to Student/Rental Housing
Page 4 of 4
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• See above for staff comments; similar to how Newark and St.
Paul address student /rental housing.
• Requires landlord to obtain a Student Housing Permit — includes
notice to adjacent property owners and information for tenants
• Requires that the unit meet building codes and fire codes
• No exterior changes to the building unless required for
compliance with building or fire code
• Meet parking requirement of one off - street parking space per
student with at least two spaces per dwelling unit having
unimpeded access
• No parking in the required front or side yard that is unpaved
• Landlord must provide trash and recycling bins and posting
instructions regarding the pick -up schedules
• Submission of floor plans and any proposed modifications
• Providing a 24 -hour contact person in the state to resolve
complaints
• Maximum of 4 students per dwelling unit providing compliance
with the building code for minimum square footage.
Town of Hamden
WASHINGTON
MEMORANDUM
TO: City of Auburn Planning Commission
FROM: Jeff Tate, Director of Planning and Development, Interim
DATE: May 2, 2013
RE: DISCUSSION AND INFORMATION: Discussion of the City's strategy for the
mandatory update of the Comprehensive Plan and development of a Strategic Plan
Background
Over the course of the next two years the City of Auburn will be endeavoring to overhaul its
Comprehensive Plan and to develop a Citywide Strategic Plan. The Comprehensive Plan and
Strategic Plan are two separate documents that will derive from a common foundation which is
the City's vision statement and mission statement.
Under the Washington State Growth Management Act (RCW 36.70A), the City of Auburn is
required to develop and implement a Comprehensive Plan that is comprised of several
mandatory elements - Land Use, Transportation, Capital Facilities, Housing, Utilities, and Parks.
Additionally, the City is authorized to develop and implement optional elements. Examples of
optional elements include Conservation, Recreation, and Sub Area Plans. All elements of the
Comprehensive Plan must be consistent with, and supportive of, each other. Furthermore, the
GMA requires that implementing development regulations must be consistent with the
Comprehensive Plan. Under the GMA, the City of Auburn is required to update its
Comprehensive Plan by June 30, 2015.
A Strategic Plan identifies broad commitments to the enhancing and maintaining of community
goals (e.g. healthy and livable community, sustainable economy, etc.). This plan will serve as
the road map to achieving those commitments and will be (1) action oriented, (2) specifically
targeted, (3) appropriately sequenced, and (4) measurable over time.
The Strategic Plan will be broader than the Comprehensive Plan and more action oriented;
however they are both derived from the same foundation. That foundation will be established
through a community wide dialogue of the direction in which the City should be steered over
the next several decades. The primary tool for engaging in a community dialogue is through a
variety of visioning exercises that incorporate the following principles:
• Bringing government to the community: City government should not rely upon the
community to approach us with this conversation; rather we should bring the discussion
to our citizens and business owners.
• Engaging a diverse community: The City will reach out to multiple demographics and
cultural groups with the goal of being as inclusive as possible.
• Building a cohesive community: The City will reach out to Lea Hill, West Hill, Lakeland,
and the Valley with the goal of creating a greater Auburn identity.
• A focus on listening vs. driving the conversation: Staff, commissioners, and council
members will ultimately be tasked with developing goals, objective, policies,
regulations, and implementation strategies. The purpose of the initial visioning exercise
it to first listen to the ideas, concerns, and thoughts from Auburn's diverse community
so that City staff and leadership are equipped to discuss how to guide Auburn into the
future.
Basic Schedule
• May 2013 thru August 2013: Strategy Development
o Staff will evaluate and share examples of Comprehensive Plans and Strategic
Plans in order to identify preferred formats and ideas that will be used to shape
Auburn plans.
o Staff will develop an outreach and visioning plan. The plan will identify the
strategies for reaching out to the community; the roles of elected officials, staff
and consultants; the type and format for obtaining feedback; identification of
target audiences and sectors of the community from whom feedback is desired;
and the goals for how community data can be presented and utilized in the later
phases of policy development and decision making.
• August 2013 thru November 2013: Community and Neighborhood Visioning
• December 2013 thru February 2014: Compiling and Interpreting Data — City Council
Retreat
• February 2014 thru July 2014: Development of Draft Plans
• August 2014 thru November 2014: Planning Commission and State Environmental Policy
Act
• December 2014 thru March 2015: City Council Sub - Committee Discussions
• April 2015 thru June 2015: Finalization of Plans
Discussion
Staff is seeking input from the Planning Commission on thoughts and ideas to consider as we
develop the structure and outline that will be used to successfully implement these important
endeavors. We are looking for you to share your own personal and professional experiences in
similar endeavors. Questions to consider:
• What did you find effective, fun, engaging, and useful? What did you find to be a waste
of time or frustrating?
• What do you believe to be our target audiences that we want to engage?
• What is the best way to engage in a discussion with folks who don't typically participate
in civic activities such as this? Do you have ideas on how we bring government to the
citizens? How do we make it easy to participate?
• Other thoughts?