Planning Commission discussion on 185th subarea continues Thursday
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Thursday, November 6, 2014 – Regular Meeting
7pm, City Hall Council Chamber
Discussion of Development Regulations for the 185th Street Station Subarea
Link to full Packet which includes detailed information from the previous meeting on regulations, with citizen comments.
Posts
2 comments:
If seven story buildings in the 185th St Station Area weren’t alarming enough, was anyone aware that 12 story buildings were even on the agenda back in August?
Let’s just back up several weeks to the Planning Commission Meeting Agenda and Minutes for 08/07/14 & 09/04/14, shall we? (Links below)
“…staff is proposing that four new Mixed-Use Residential (MUR) zoning designations (MUR 35, MUR 45, MUR 85 and MUR 140) be created.
“-The MUR 140 zone. Staff has sugg0ested that sites zoned MUR 140 be required
to apply for a Development Agreement to develop. If the development community
is not ready to develop the site to 12 stories, should there be a fall back zone that
will allow development such as MUR 85? Or should sites zoned MUR 85 be
allowed to apply for a Development Agreement to increase the development
potential of a site up to MUR 140?
Pros – Zoning specific parcels MUR 140 will indicate to developers that the City
is ready for intense development near the light rail station.
Cons – The market research report indicated that development over 5-stories is
not feasible in the short term. It is expected that development in the short term
(the next 10-20 years) will include buildings up to 3-stories and be primarily
townhouse/rowhouse type units. If the City requires higher, TOD type
development with minimum densities, the City may not see development occur
for a long time nor the amenities that the development agreement seeks.
Single-family detached homes. The proposed Development Code amendments
do not allow detached single-family homes as a permitted use in the MUR zones.
Existing single-family homes may be reconstructed, repaired, maintained, and in
some cases expanded per the nonconformance requirements of SMC 20.30.280.
The intent of excluding detached single-family homes in the Station Subarea is to
comply with the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Policies LU20 through LU43
which encourages densities of at least 48 dwelling units per acre within ¼ mile of
the light rail station and densities of at least 18 dwelling units per acre within ½
mile of the light rail station.
(So if I’m understanding this correctly, homes may only be expanded in ‘some cases’, which I’m guessing limits your choices as a homeowner as ‘some cases’ may be denied by the city and perhaps you may need to jump through extra hoops, paperwork, headaches, appeals at the City level if you so wish to expand.)
“Which amenities should be the City’s priorities? What is the balance in our
development market (time) and development potential? Are we willing to wait
until we get the development we want if we require progressive development
regulations? What is the “sweet spot” where development begins to attract
development, the population increases to support the amenities that
create that place everyone wants to occupy/be a part of, rents increase and it
becomes economically feasible for development to fund the amenities the
Community has identified as being a vital part of the new 185th Street light rail
Station Subarea?”
(“Sweet Spot”? Otherwise known as “Out of Control Growth”? There’s your answer on increasing rents, too.
Color me “confused” but I don’t see any resulting discussion of the agenda item proposed for ‘development agreements’ to potentially exceed the height of MUR-85 in the 185th Area as referenced in the 09/04/14 meeting agenda.
” New Development Code Provisions Proposed through the 185th Street Station Subarea Plan Development Agreements*
– SMC 20.30.338 of proposed code amendments discussed by the Commission on August 7 introduced the base requirements for development agreements. Development agreements can be used by the City in accordance with State law currently, but the City has not employed this tool to date. Although specific language is being proposed for development agreements as part of the 185th Street Station Subarea Plan, they can be used for developments in other parts of the city (note – this is not a change from current entitlements).
Council, as part of their August 25 decision on the Preferred Alternative zoning scenario for the 185SSSP, chose to analyze School District properties using the Mixed Use Residential- 85 foot height limit (MUR-85) designation rather than Master Use Permit zone (MUP) in the Final EIS. The MUR-85 would be allowed “outright”, but to achieve greater heights and flexibility a developer could apply for a development agreement. Development agreements are a highly effective tool for conditioning projects to provide community amenities like affordable housing in exchange for additional height and density. This process allows consideration of unique, site-specific opportunities. In short, the mechanism for a developer to achieve heights greater than 85 feet (in MUR-85 zones with a minimum lot size) would be to enter into a development agreement and provide some combination of amenities to be defined.
In response to Council direction, staff revised proposed regulations for
Commission consideration. Development agreements may also be the best mechanism to promote considerations such as Net Zero buildings and universal design, which fall under the purview of the building code rather than the zoning code. See Attachment D for examples of development agreements from other jurisdictions.
Although we are proposing the use of a development agreement, there are multiple ways to reach the same end. We could create a new permit type such as a Master Use Permit or amend the Master Development Plan permitting processing to include Station Subareas. The “must have” factors regardless of what method we select are: specific criteria to approve the increase in height and flexibility; a public review process; and the list of amenities desired in exchange for the increased development potential. Page 4 of 10
Question: Does the Commission have a preference as to the method that would be used to achieve increased densities, heights, and development potential in the MUR-85 zones?”
Very crafty how the MUR 140 term is left out of the language on the 09/04/14 meeting agenda. Nicely veiled and well played, City of Shoreline!
From the Shoreline Planning Commission Meeting Draft Meeting Minutes and Agenda for 08/07/14 & 09/04/14
http://shorelinewa.gov/Home/ShowDocument?id=18060
http://www.cityofshoreline.com/Home/ShowDocument?id=17680
http://shorelinewa.gov/Home/ShowDocument?id=18341
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