HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-02-2019 Minutes •
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TY OF
PLANNING COMMISSION
WASHINGTON
April 2, 2019
MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Judi Roland called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers
located on the first floor of Auburn City Hall, 25 West Main Street, Auburn, WA.
a.) ROLL CALL/ESTABLISHMENT OF QUORUM
Planning Commission Members present were: Chair Judi Roland, Commissioner
Mason, Vice-Chair Lee, Commissioner Stephens, and Commissioner Khanal.
Commissioner Moutzouris was excused.
Staff present included: Assistant City Attorney Doug Ruth, Planning Services
Manager Jeff Dixon, Planner II Alexandria Teague, Planner Jeremy Hammar,
Administrative Assistant Tina Kriss, and Office Assistant Jennifer Oliver.
Members of the public present: Sean Douglas representing PSERN, Ross Rembac
representing Motorola, Jeff Watson, Commander Jamie Douglas Auburn Police
Department, Rick Cardoza representing LDC Inc, Robin Mulenga.
b.rPLEDGE OF ALLEGENCE
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. March 5, 2019
Administrative Assistant Tina Kriss informed the Commission an acronym within the
minutes has been updated. Referring to Page 2, paragraph 2 of the minutes, Public
Safety Emergency Radio Network PSERN has been updated to read Puget Sound
Emergency Radio Network PSERN.
Commissioner Stephens moved and Commissioner Khanal seconded to approve
the minutes from the March 5, 2019 meeting as corrected.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 5-0
III. PUBLIC HEARING
A. PSERN — Emergency Wireless Communication Facility Code Amendment
(ZOA18-0001)
Chair Roland opened the Public Hearing at 7:03 PM on PSERN.
Commissioner Khanal asked that he be recused from agenda Item III A. as his
employer does work for Verizon.
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES April 2, 2019
Planner II Teague presented the staff report for the code amendment for PSERN —
Emergency Wireless Communication Facility ( ZOA18-0001), providing the
background and proposal and an overview of the discussion held at the March 5,
2019 Planning Commission Meeting.
Staff reviewed the changes to the three zoning code chapters:
• Chapter 18.04 (Definitions),
• Chapter 18.31 (Supplemental Development Standards), and
• Chapter 18.35 (Special Purpose Zones)
Based on the findings contained in the staff report, staff recommends the Planning
Commission recommend approval of the Amendments as proposed in Attachment
Exhibit A to the City Council.
Chair Roland invited members of the public to come forward for public testimony
either for or against PSERN.
Rick Cardoza, LDC, 24328 SE 440th St E Enumclaw, WA
Mr. Cardoza is a consultant representing PSERN. Mr. Cardoza offered he was
happy to assist the public and Commission with any questions at any time. He
provided a handout of a communication signal coverage map showing holes before
tower installation. The map also showed the same area after tower installation to
show the difference in coverage and how those gaps would be filled in by the facility.
A key aspect of the facility is that the system enhances first responder's
communications to each other as well as improvement for the 911 system. Details
were provided on the tower pieces and types, how they operate and why the
antennas require installation at a great height.
Commander Jamie Douglas 348 East Main St Auburn, WA
Commander Douglas explained he is with the Auburn Police Department and a
member of the PSERN Board. He explained the code amendment to allow the facility
will improve communication between different counties and will allow officers to
communicate if an incident crosses over into multiple counties. PSERN could service
20,000 Police, Fire and other types of first responder's. Commander Douglas
stressed the importance of updating the network but also the need for it to be used
by other jurisdictions such as the City of Auburn Public Works Department.
Commander Douglas reminded the Commission and the public that he is available
for any questions at any time.
Again, Chair Roland invited members of the public to come forward for public
testimony. After a third request, and without response, Chair Roland closed the
Public Hearing at 7:30 P.M. on PSERN and the Commission deliberated.
The Commission asked if staff could give a brief summary or highlights of the
written comments received from the public. Alexandria Teague, City of Auburn
Planner II showed a map of an adjacent property owner who commented. Mr.
Wooding in written comments concluded that there appears to be no direct impact on
his property. Jeff Watson, Planner representing the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, also
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PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES April 2, 2019
sent correspondence regarding the process, and the combined SEPA and DNS
issued by the City. Mr. Watson had general comments about the overall project and
inquired on the processed being followed. Staff appreciated Mr. Watson's
suggestions how the Planning Department could possibly improve the SEPA
Processing.
The Commission asked for clarification on how many other PSERN towers have co-
location antennas established currently. In answering, Mr. Rick Cardoza provided
feedback on a nearby tower that contains co-location established one being a mile
away. Mr. Cardoza mentioned that other carriers may want to look at the new tower
to carry antennas, but believed that most major carriers are already on this nearby
existing tower under a master lease agreement so co-location on the new tower is
unlikely.
Chair Roland stated that one of the Commission's concerns was from the last couple
of months was that the Commission wanted to ensure that the 911 communication
needs were not interrupted as a result of co-location on the towers. Commander
Douglas confirmed that it would not interrupt the 911-communication system.
The Commission asked of the 57 other PSERN sites, how many other had
co — location by other communication providers. Commander Douglas responded
with the specific number.
Vice Chair Lee moved and Commissioner Stephens seconded to move to City
Council for review and approval the proposed code amendment consisting of
changes to the following three sections:
PSERN — Emergency Wireless Communication Facility (ZOA18-0001)
• Chapter 18.04 (Definitions),
• Chapter 18.31 (Supplemental Development Standards), and
• Chapter 18.35 (Special Purpose Zones)
MOTION CARRIED 4-0
OTHER BUSINESS
A. Discuss joint meeting of the Planning Commission and City Council proposed
for the regular City Council Study Session meeting May 13th.
Planning Services Manager Dixon re-affirmed the joint Study Session meeting
proposed for May 13, 2019 at 5:30 P.M. between the Planning Commission and City
Council Members.
He indicated that the topic was introduced at the Planning Commission meeting last
month. He requested confirmation of members that would be able to attend and
asked for any topics that the Commission would like to discuss at the meeting that
would be of mutual interest. Council Member Bagget and Council Member DaCorsi
would lead the discussion. Planning Services Manager Dixon spoke about the
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PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES April 2, 2019
informality of the Study Session meeting stating that the joint meeting would be early
on the agenda.
Commissioner Stephens confirmed he would not be able to attend due to an out of
town commitment.
Staff suggested subjects that are the purview of the Commission such as
development code changes and Comprehensive Plan updates could be a great topic
of discussion as well as sharing perspectives on the vision of future Auburn.
The Commission asked what is the ultimate goal of this meeting? Planning Services
Manager Dixon responded it was really a check in and sharing of information and a
great way to start a dialogue by each body on the future of Auburn.
Vice Chair Lee suggested that traffic be a key discussion and the parking, or lack
there-of, in the downtown core. The Commission agreed that traffic is a key topic.
The Commission asked about the rubber traffic count tubes that are strung across
roads around Auburn to count cars. Staff confirmed that the tubes may have been
placed either by the city to periodically count traffic volumes or by private contractors
in preparation of a traffic study and then the results are submitted back to the City.
The Commission remarked that it has observed more residential apartments being
built downtown and wanted to know more about that. Staff confirmed that more
residential apartments are being built in the downtown area. Staff reminded the
Commission that more multiple family residences is encouraged by the Downtown
Plan that the city developed and adopted a few years ago. Building new mixed-use
projects is consistent with the concept of transit-oriented development to encourage
more residences to utilize those services. The Commission asked what type of
apartments are proposed by the two new projects downtown and staff confirmed that
one project is senior and the other is not. The Commission asked about the exact
locations of the projects and if the projects included commercial spaces. Staff
confirmed that with more residences there will be more demand for businesses.
Chair Roland was hopeful and curious if the City was planning to bring in more
businesses downtown and Staff confirmed that the new buildings in downtown had
commercial space to support businesses.
The Commission suggested that Doug Lein, the city's Economic Development
Manager come in and present to the Planning Commission on updates and initiatives
his staff is working on for business growth. They would like for him to attend a
meeting sooner rather than later as the commission is being asked often regarding
the business growth in the downtown corridor.
Topics have been noted and will be passed onto Council for the joint meeting
discussion
An email will be sent to Commissioner Moutzuori to confirm if he can make the
meeting.
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PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES April 2, 2019
IV. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT REPORT
A Memorandum was presented to the Planning Commission from Senior Planner
Thaniel Gouk regarding the Shoreline Master Program — Periodic Update Status and
Schedule. Beginning in July of 2018 the Planning Commission began discussion on a
State-mandated periodic update to the City's Shoreline Master Program (SMP). At that
time, Staff presented the Planning Commission with a schedule showing the completion
of this update by June 30, 2019. The City received a grant from the WA Dept. of Ecology
to complete these updates. A consultant did identify mostly minor changes that will need
to be changed to the SMP. However, updates are also needed for the City's Critical
Areas Ordinance (CAO) that are also needed. The CAO is referenced within the SMP.
Based on these CAO changes that were not anticipated, Staff reached out to the WA
Dept. of Ecology for guidance on how the City should proceed given the target date of
completion is June 30, 2019. It was recommended to the City proceed with making
changes to the CAO even if that means pushing the target date out beyond the deadline.
Staff is currently working on drafting these updates and will work on presenting them to
the Commission in the coming months.
The Planning Commission asked what their role would be and staff responded that there
would likely be changes to City Codes, including the Critical Areas Regulations, to
address changes in wetland classifications, delineation methodology, etc. Staff
explained that the changes are not inconsistent with recommendations to other
jurisdictions. Chair Roland asked for a recap of the history once the times comes.
The Commission verified that the May 7, 2019 Planning Commission is still scheduled in
addition to the proposed joint meeting at the City Council Study Session meeting on May
13.
Staff presented Development Activity on the horizon in Auburn. Auburn Town Center,
Auburn Legacy Senior Housing, Tru by Hilton, Fieldhouse USA, Wyndam Hotel, ARCO
AM/PM, Auburn School District major school improvements, downtown façade
improvement grant projects as well as an update on the Heritage Building that was
affected by a fire.
V. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the Planning Commission, Chair Roland
adjourned the meeting at 8:35 P.M.
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