Designing the new Shoreline: Planning Commission to review final EIS for 185th subarea

Shoreline Planning Commission meets on Thursday, November 20, 2014 - 7pm in the City Hall Council Chamber, 17500 Midvale Ave N to review the Final Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Subarea Policies for the 185th Street Station Subarea.

SUBAREA PLAN POLICIES

Draft policies listed below represent ideas discussed by the Planning Commission throughout the summer and fall while deliberating potential Development Code regulations that will be adopted as part of the 185SSSP package. In many cases, these policies are meant to direct staff to do additional research into topics for which there was not sufficient time to codify through the 185SSSP process. 

Some policies may be examined in further detail as part of the 145th Street Station Subarea Plan process; some may be appropriate for examination citywide following adoption of both station subarea plans. Any questions that staff requests further guidance on are included below the draft policy language in italics.

Transportation

• Undertake Route Development Plan (RDP) for 185th Street/10th Avenue/180th Street corridor to determine engineered cross-section, including pedestrian/ bicycle improvements, amenity zones, and potentially to study creation of alleys.
• Should this policy also include other potential items for study, such as turn pockets, signalization, undergrounding utilities, etc.?
• Should alleys be separate policy?
• Incorporate recommendations of RDP into Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), with timeframe for implementation, and pursue other funding mechanisms, such as grants
• Monitor impacts of parking regulations to determine future need for Residential Parking Zones, traffic calming, or additional mitigation measures.

Community Design

• Participate and assist as needed with the facilitation of community involvement with Sound Transit’s design process for stations and other light rail facilities.
• Facilitate community design process to develop streetscape plan, including pedestrian amenities, art, and other placemaking elements.
• Monitor impacts of mixed-uses with regard to nuisance or compatibility issues and implement mitigations, such as signage and additional regulation, as necessary.
• Note: Developing a policy related to a streetscape design plan covering such elements as pedestrian amenities, art, and other placemaking elements).

Economic Development

• Promote home-based and neighborhood-serving businesses along 185th Street corridor, including conversion of single-family homes to such.
• Target incentives for redevelopment in priority nodes along 185th Street to encourage catalyst projects and initial growth along this corridor.
• Consider incentive program for new buildings to incorporate Combined Heat and Power systems and other innovative energy-saving solutions.
• Note: Exploring feasibility of a policy to promote food trucks and coffee carts near station.

Land Use

• Promote adaptive reuse of historic structures.
• Explore adoption of International Green Construction Code within station subarea
• Encourage Net Zero and Living Buildings.
• Develop regulations for fee-simple administrative subdivision.
• Examine opportunities to use LCLIP financing for infrastructure projects throughout subarea.

Utilities

• Apply recommendations from 145th Street Station Subarea Plan regarding District Energy and Combined Heat and Power to 185th Street Station Subarea.
• Pursue Solarization program, community solar, or other innovative ways to partner with local businesses and organizations to promote installation of photovoltaic systems.

Parks, Recreation, and Open Space

• Investigate potential funding and master planning efforts to reconfigure and consolidate existing City facilities at the Shoreline Center. Analyze potential sites and community needs for a new aquatic and community center to replace the Shoreline Pool and Spartan Recreation Center.
• Consider potential acquisition of sites that are ill-suited for redevelopment due to high water table or other site-specific challenge for new public open space or stormwater function.
• Should the City explore a park impact fee or dedication program for acquisition and maintenance of new park or open space or additional improvements to existing parks?

Natural Environment

• Encourage preservation of stands of trees, and/or significant trees around the perimeter of a site.
• Examine opportunities to use “Green Network” throughout the 145th Street Station Subarea as receiving sites for replacement trees that can’t be accommodated on redeveloped parcels in the 185th Street Station Subarea.
• Consider establishing a fee-in-lieu program for private property tree replacement that could be used for reforesting public open spaces.

Housing

• Investigate more complex financing and property aggregation tools to facilitate creation of affordable housing.