Notes from Shoreline City Council Study Session March 5, 2012

Notes from Shoreline City Council Study Session March 5, 2012

By Devon Vose Rickabaugh

Proposed amendments to development code

Associate city Planner Steven Szafran and Planning and Community Development Director Rachael Markle reviewed proposed amendments to the development code which the planning commission recommended. Most of the code amendments are procedural and not controversial. However, the code covering accessory dwelling units (ADUs) brought public concern. A woman said that with the current code an increase in the number of people living on one lot could go from 8 to 16 which happened next door to her. She said the quality of the single family neighborhood is not protected. She encouraged rewording the code to accommodate this.

Code abuses

Several council members saw problems with the current code which were not addressed by the amendment. Council member Hall said the ADU code was originally written to accommodate “mother-in-law” apartments but now some owners are using them to rent out several rooms like an apartment building. Council member Eggen said he was concerned about “gross abuse of the ADU issue”. City Manager Julie Underwood said they would study the code and see how to tighten up the language before March 26 when the city council would vote on adapting the code amendments.

Seattle Public Utilities water system takeover

Public Works Director Mark Relph provided an update on the complex process to determine what it would mean financially as well as from an engineering perspective if Shoreline took over the Seattle Public Utilities Water System which serves approximately 16,000 residents in Shoreline. Updates on the financial model will be forthcoming in April with a final one in May. Then the agreement between Shoreline and Seattle will be presented in June. Then the council will decide on a ballot issue to put before the voters who will have the final say.