Planning 2011-10-27 COMPLETE AGENDA PACKET

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City of Tukwila Jim Haggerton, Mayor INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM TO: Tukwila Planning Commissioners FROM: Lynn Miranda, Senior Planner DATE: September 14, 2011 SUBJECT: Briefing on Southcenter Plan ISSUE Over the next few months, Staff will be holding worksessions with the Planning Commission on a revised draft Southcenter Plan. This memo provides a briefing on the background of the planning process to prepare the Planning Commission for the upcoming review of and public hearings on the revised draft Southcenter Plan. Staff has been developing the draft plan for Southcenter, one of King County's designated urban centers, since 2002. On March 14, 2011 the Council Committee of the Whole recommended that staff reduce the scope of the project and revise the current draft plan prior to seeking any additional stakeholder input or public comment. BACKGROUND The Southcenter area (see Figure 1) has been designated as an urban center under the Countywide Planning Policies since the adoption of the revised Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code in 1995. This designation provides some benefits such as priority for regional infrastructure and transit service. It also aligns with the City's plan for accommodating much of its regional share of employment and housing growth (17,550 employees and 4,850 households by 2031) in mixed use commercial areas primarily in Southcenter, with the remainder in Tukwila South and along Tukwila International Boulevard, leading to the creation of vibrant, walkable mixed use districts linked by transit.' We hope to see new construction at the core of these areas along the lines of the Tukwila Village vision, with high quality multi -story buildings close to comfortably wide sidewalks in order to spur redevelopment and job and housing growth. This strategy will also allow us to protect the existing character and stability of Tukwila's largely built -out residential areas. For a more complete discussion of how the Southcenter Plan fits into the broader State, regional and county policy framework see Attachment A. FEDERAL GRANT In 2002 Tukwila received a $1.4 million federal grant to prepare a subarea plan for Southcenter, one of the region's designated urban centers, including the area designated for transit oriented development (TOD) around the Sounder commuter rail /Amtrak station. The project's objectives were as follows: Prepare a redevelopment strategy for the TUC to create more business activity and generate additional tax revenue, encourage a broader mix of uses and densities in a pedestrian- oriented environment to support improved transit (particularly in the northern part of the TUC), improve internal circulation and create a sense of place. Identify and coordinate the improvements necessary to initiate and support the plan. Develop regulations and guidelines implementing the plan. 1 Approximately 1/3 of the City's forecasted employment growth is planned for the City's Manufacturing /Industrial Center.