MEMO TO: Members of the City Council
FROM: Mayor John Marchione
SUBJECT:
title
Adoption of the 2017-18 Comprehensive Plan Docket
a. ORDINANCE NO. 2908: An Ordinance Setting the Framework and Conducting Concurrent Review of the Cumulative Effect of all Proposed Amendments to the Redmond Comprehensive Plan and Related Amendments to the Redmond Zoning Code, for the 2017-18 Comprehensive Plan Docket, Including New and Amended Narrative, Policies, Tables and Maps
I. RECOMMENDED ACTION
recommendation
Adopt the ordinance in Attachment A, setting the framework and conducting concurrent review of the cumulative effects of all proposed amendments for the 2017-18 Comprehensive Plan docket, thus allowing individual review and action on each amendment.
body
II. DEPARTMENT CONTACTS
Karen Anderson, AICP, Director, Planning and Community Development 425-556-2497
Colleen Kelly, Assistant Director, Community Planning, 425-556-2423
Judy Fani, Senior Planner, 425-556-2406
III. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND
State law allows one Comprehensive Plan update per year. The City of Redmond’s procedure for reviewing and adopting annual updates to the Comprehensive Plan is to adopt a blanket ordinance that establishes the content and framework of the annual amendment package.
This procedure accomplishes two principal objectives. First, it enables the City to comply with state requirements for concurrent review of the cumulative effects of all requested amendments (see Attachment B). Second, detailed review of each amendment can occur as each is brought forward separately to the Technical Committee, Planning Commission and City Council. Separate public hearings for the various proposals are held, allowing proposals to be considered and acted upon individually, and enabling citizens to focus their review and comment on areas of specific interest, but within the context of the cumulative effects analysis. City Council adoption of the blanket ordinance establishes only those items that will be considered by the Planning Commission and City Council; it does not imply that an amendment will be approved.
City Council Review and Direction
City Council held a study session on November 14, 2017 to discuss the Planning Commission’s recommendation regarding requested 2017-18 Comprehensive Plan amendments. The recommendation consists of 28 proposals: 21 city-initiated and one privately-initiated proposal to be carried over from previous dockets, and three new privately-initiated proposals not recommended for further consideration. Also, the following three proposals from prior dockets were recommended to be removed from the docket:
(1) Updates to policies and regulations as follow up to the Growing Transit Communities Partnership, including the East Corridor Implementation Project
(2) Updates to the Utilities, Natural Environment and other Comprehensive Plan Elements and Zoning Code to Support Low Impact Development Integration
(3) Updates for the area near the Southeast Redmond light rail station and park and ride
The Council concurred with the Planning Commission’s recommended docket, which does not include three privately-initiated proposals for further consideration. One proposal that was not included is to amend the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code for a property in the Education Hill neighborhood where the applicant proposes a change from Single-family land use designation in an R-4 zone to a Multifamily Urban land use designation and an R-30 rezone. The second proposal was to amend the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code to remove the Open Space designation of a two-acre parcel, the site of the Redmond Saturday market, by termination of an easement. The third proposal is to amend the Comprehensive Plan and the Zoning Code to ensure that the City has adequate public school facilities such that students residing inside the City of Redmond are not required to travel outside the Urban Growth Boundary in order to attend school.
The rationale for not including these on the docket is that each of the three proposals does not meet the Redmond Zoning Code Criteria for further consideration and inclusion on the Comprehensive Plan docket.
At the study session, the City Council discussed issues listed on the issues matrix which included
• the roadway classification of and bus service on Avondale Road,
• multifamily development along Avondale Road including the Fairwinds Retirement Community, and
• whether urban services was a term used in the Redmond Zoning Code.
After deliberation, the Council closed all issues and also discussed the rationale for City policies that intentionally focus planned growth in its two urban centers, and at the newly designated Marymoor Village local center where the City recently created capacity for multifamily housing.
The Council direction was to proceed with scheduling the Planning Commission’s recommendation for the 2017-18 Comprehensive Plan docket for Council action.
IV. PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS HELD
Staff briefed the Planning and Public Works Committee on this topic on October 10, 2017, provided a staff report to the full Council on November 7, 2017, and responded to questions at the Council study session on November 14, 2017.
V. IMPACT
A. Service/Delivery:
The attached ordinance defines the framework and content of the 2017-18 Comprehensive Plan docket, thus enabling separate review of each of the individual amendments. This process enhances the City’s ability to consider each amendment individually, as well as cumulatively, reducing the time it takes for City and privately-initiated proposals to become effective.
B. Fiscal Note:
The City incurs slightly higher costs for advertising separate public hearings for the proposed amendments.
VI. ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Adopt the ordinance, thus setting the framework and content for the 2017-18 Comprehensive Plan docket. Staff recommends this alternative, since it will facilitate thorough review of each of the proposed amendments, without delaying the adoption of any of the proposals while review of the entire packet is conducted.
Reject the ordinance and require the amendment package to be considered in its entirety before any of the amendments are adopted. Because of the complex nature of some of the proposals it is possible that the amendments will not receive thorough consideration if they must all be considered at the same time.
VII. TIME CONSTRAINTS
Delay in City Council action on the blanket ordinance would delay action on the individual proposals.
VIII. LIST OF ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Ordinance for 2017-18 Comprehensive Plan Docket
Attachment B: Planning Commission-recommended package:
Proposed 2017-18 Comprehensive Plan amendments & inter-relationships
Attachment C: Final City Council Issues Matrix