Shoreline City Council Recap for February 2011

from the Office of the Shoreline City Manager

The City of Shoreline continues to actively address concerns arising from the proposed development at Point Wells. Over the past several weeks, there have been a number of significant events in that process. On February 14, the Council unanimously approved an amendment to the City’s Comprehensive Plan to reclassify Richmond Beach Drive NW from a “Neighborhood Collector” to “Local Street.” The amendment also stated that any future re-designation of this road segment to collector arterial will not be considered unless Snohomish County or the private developer provides a Transportation Corridor Study and Mitigation Plan that shows whether reasonable and safe improvements can be realistically done and provides assurance that funds necessary for mitigating traffic impacts are committed.

One of the City’s main efforts to date is an appeal of Snohomish County’s designation of Point Wells as an Urban Center to the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board (GMHB). The GMGB heard the City’s appeal on March 3 and will issue its decision no later than April 25.

The City is also working with its legislators in Olympia on two bills, one in the House and one in the Senate (HB 1265, SB 5421), that ensure the City’s concerns are addressed. Mayor Keith McGlashan testified before the Washington State House Committee on Local Government in support of the bill on February 11 and City staff testified before the Senate Committee on Government Operations and Tribal Relations and Elections in support of the Senate bill on February 15. The House version of the bill passed the House on March 3.

The City will continue to pursue every avenue possible to ensure any development at Point Wells more closely aligns with the City’s vision and is of a scale that is reasonable and compatible with the surrounding communities.

Below is a recap of the Shoreline City Council’s work for the month of February:

Studied

• Trail Corridor Study Group’s final report - Council thanks this group of citizen volunteers for their recommendations.
• Thornton Creek FEMA floodplain map revision.
• City’s membership in and associated costs to belong to regional associations.
• Update on the City’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy.

Action Taken

• Authorized City Manager to obligate $2,500,000 of Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) funds for the Aurora Corridor Project.
• Approved employment contract appointing Julie Underwood as City Manager.
• Adopted Point Wells Subarea Plan amendment reclassifying Richmond Beach Drive NW from a “Neighborhood Collector” to a “Local Street.”
• Amended the Shoreline Municipal Code to clarify the appointment process for Shoreline’s Special Member to the King County Landmarks Commission.
• Passed a resolution requesting City supported regional and statewide associations work toward reducing their budgets and membership dues for 2011 and future years.

Quasi-Judicial Proceeding

• Closed-record appeal of Certificate of Appropriateness issued to Shoreline School District for inclusion of Ronald School in modernization of Shorewood High School.

Executive Session

• Discussed pending litigation.
• Discussed property acquisition.

For more information on the items outlined above and to obtain the most updated agenda for City Council meetings, go to http://shorelinewa.gov/index.aspx?page=71. For information about the City of Shoreline in general, go to the City webpage.