Shoreline City Council Business Meeting Monday April 8, 2013

Devon Vose Rickabaugh
Photo by Jerry Pickard

Shoreline City Council Business Meeting Monday April 8, 2013

By Devon Vose Rickabaugh

Three items were up for discussion at the City Council meeting.

Environmental Review Thresholds

City Permit Services Manager Jeff Forry presented the amended Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) which allows local agencies to increase the exemption thresholds that trigger required environmental review. The bill and subsequent rule making was undertaken to streamline the regulatory process and achieve program efficiencies while maintaining current levels of natural resource protection. These rules cover many building and development scenarios which must be formally adopted by the City Council before the city can utilize them. For example now only 4 minor construction dwelling units can be built for single family and multifamily without undergoing the strenuous SEPA environmental review. The new state regulations call for 20 units of minor construction before a review is required and therefore the City can depend on its own code, thus streamlining the approval process. Manager Forry said that most areas in the city where new construction would take place have already “gone through extensive environmental study”.

Fourth Quarter Financials

Administrative Services Director Robert Hartwig said the city had a very strong financial fourth quarter in 2012. The city had a 6% increase in revenue from 2011 which translates into $3.2 million above expenditures.

Council Goals

The council goals for 2013-2015 were reviewed. The goals included: strengthen Shoreline’s economic base; improve utility, transportation and environmental infrastructure; prepare for two Shoreline light rail stations; enhance openness and opportunities for community engagement; Promote and enhance the City’s safe community and neighborhood initiatives and programs.

Community Safety Goal

The Council decided to emphasize the community safety and again discussed the pros and cons of financing sidewalks. A Sidewalk local improvement District (SLID) allows the City to finance the sidewalk improvements up front, but the property owners within the boundaries repay the cost of the improvements through an annual property assessment, usually over a 10 to 20 year period. Other cities have found that this financing mechanism has not been used extensively by property owners given the complexity of the process and cost of improvements unless the city is providing a substantial match of 50% or more. Due to the lack of funding available to serve as a match, it is unlikely that the City would be able to participate. Mayor McGlashan reiterated that there is funding for priority sidewalks around school zones and arterials. It’s the neighborhoods which are difficult to finance.

Councilmember Winstead said she has talked to people in the community who are willing to pay for sidewalks. She said she walked along 8th Avenue and it was “super dangerous”. “I’m strongly in favor of anything we can do to get more sidewalks.”

Councilmember McConnell said the budget is still tight and there are a lack of applicants to help pay for sidewalks so until the budget is more stable she said she is not in favor of pursuing sidewalks.

Councilmember Roberts said the process is in place for any group of neighbors to set up an SLID on their own to pay for a sidewalk.

The council decided to bring sidewalks back again for discussion.