HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-18-2014CITY OF * '
_ ° Planning Commission and Planning &
'j Ta. ,a Community Development
WASHINGTON � J Special Joint Meeting
March 18, 2014
Minutes
CALL TO ORDER
Planning and Community Development Committee Chair Holman called the meeting to
order at 6:30 p.m. in Annex Conference Room No. 2 located on the second floor of One
Main Professional Plaza, One East Main Street, Auburn, Washington.
A. Roll Call
Planning Commission Members present were: Chair Judi Roland, Vice -Chair
Copple, Commissioner Baggett, Commissioner Mason, Commissioner Smith,
Commissioner Couture, and Commissioner Pondelick.
Planning and Community Development Committee Members present were: Chair
Holman, Vice -Chair Wales, and Member Trout.
Also present were: Community Development and Public Works Director Kevin
Snyder, Assistant Director of Community Development Services Jeff Tate, Planning
Services Manager Elizabeth Chamberlain, City Attorney Dan Heid, and Community
Development Secretary Tina Kriss.
B. Announcements
There were no announcements.
C. Agenda Modification
There were no agenda modifications.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
A. Policy Amendment Overview
Assistant Director of Community Development Services Jeff Tate provided an
overview of the City's procedures by staff to process policy amendments,
development regulations, and comprehensive plan amendments. A handout was
provided to assist with the overview.
Depending on the item, the process could involve between 62 to 94 hours; 5 hours
per additional Planning Commission hearing, PCDC discussion, or Council Hearing.
In some cases the process is rather quick due to the nature of the action.
A discussion was held on the process of taking the Planning Commission's
recommendations through the Council sub - committees and then before City Council.
The Commission asked staff if they could provide additional information to the
Commission on items that may be moving forward to the Planning Commission, staff
stated they will provide updates on items that may be moving forward to the Planning
Commission.
PLANNING COMMISSION /PCDC SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES March 18, 2014
B. Imagine Auburn
Planning Services Manager Elizabeth Chamberlain distributed the Community
Visioning Exercise "Imagine Auburn" handout. Ms. Chamberlain provided an
overview of the various outreach efforts that have been used with the survey on the
City's website, Facebook and Twitter page, and visioning exercise used at the
neighborhood meetings.
The Commission and Committee Members discussed the number of responses
received to the surveys and the number of attendees at the community meetings.
The outreach will be completed the last week in March and the information will be
used to formulate the Draft Vision Report. In May the results of the report will be
reviewed with PCDC and the Planning Commission. Staff will begin the
Comprehensive Plan update work in June.
After reviewing the purpose of the visioning exercise the Committee and Planning
Commission members were divided into two discussion groups and provided the
following feedback.
1. What do you think are the City's greatest assets or strengths?
Group 1
• Auburn City parks and parks programs
• A sense of community
• Strong community giving
• Recreational activity
• A strong business environment
• Emerald Downs and Muckleshoot Casino
Group 2.
• Diverse population mixtures, i.e., age and cultural /ethnicity
• A strategic location
• A downtown core
2. What are the most important issues and challenges facing Auburn today?
Group 1
• Traffic
• The success of our schools
• Thoughtful expansion
• How to honor our history
• Affordable housing (middle class)
• Employment opportunities (good jobs)
Group 2
• Railroads (issues with coal trains and oil transportation)
• Transportation
• Affordable housing
• Progression from suburban to urban
• Parking
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PLANNING COMMISSIONIPCDC SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES March 18, 2014
3. What opportunities do you see for making Auburn a better community in the
future?
Group 1
• Redevelopment
• Diversity of cultures, i.e., ethnicity, age, and veterans
Group 2
• Education
• Increase industrial base (warehouse and technology businesses)
• An increase in jobs
4. What is your vision for the City 20 years into the future?
Group 1
• More arts & culture
• Stronger middle class communities (better jobs)
• Creating a Central Park, the expansion of Les Gove Park
Group 2
• The creation of more jobs (innovation)
• Sustainable long -term growth
C. Roundtable Discussion
Planning Manager Chamberlain asked if either the Committee or Commission had
any items they wished to discuss. The Commission asked staff to continue to
provide updates on Planning Commission recommendations that were forwarded to
City Council. Staff informed the Commission that the City Council meetings are now
streamed live on the City of Auburn's website.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the joint meeting between the Planning
Commission and the Planning and Community Development Committee, Chair Holman
adjourned the ,m/eeting at 8:02 p.m.
DATED this /7 A DAY OF 2014.
Fina Kriss — Se'cretary/
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