Planning 2025-05-22 Item 4 - Approval of 4/24/25 Minutes

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Planning Commission Minutes 4/25/25 Meeting Page 3 Public Testimony 1. Sam Pace, Housing Specialist, Seattle King County Realtor, said he represents 6,000 realtors in King County. Mr. Pace stated that he has principal responsibility to represent King County Realtors in the 14 cities south of Interstate 90 and follows what all 39 King County cities are doing. He noted that staff had done well at completing the difficult and technical work required in a very compressed timeframe and noted that there would be additional issues coming for the staff and PC. Mr. Pace said he is confident that the work the PC is looking at tonight reflects a desire and intent to comply with state law mandates and get them done on time. He commended the staff and PC and noted that "...a lot of cities that are not as far along as Tukwila, so, hats off to you!" He noted that there are some specific things that leap off the page, including setbacks and zoning consolidation with the ADU parking standards. While he does not know if they are the best practices, he is confident that staff and the PC are engaged in making important improvements. He noted that the proposed language omitting sixplexes from eight of the nine housing types the city is required to develop, was perhaps a fortuitous move and provided an explanation for the different financing process for developing properties with more than four units. He noted that if the city wants to revisit this decision, they can do so later. Mr. Pace noted that the realtors have created a website to track the progress of cities in complying with the state mandates and how each has identified their respective parcels. He said he appreciates the city's efforts to comply with state law and encouraged the PC and CC to do thoughtful work and to make good decisions. He further said that he appreciates the PC members' voluntary efforts. Mr. Pace requested that, instead of repeating his testimony four times for each hearing, that this testimony be included in all four of the public hearings. 2. Gina Bernhardt Nielsen, Resident Ms. Bernhardt Nielsen said she wondered if Tukwila's infrastructure can support the proposed changes and observed that some homes have multiple vehicles. She asked whether the parking reduction would increase people parking in front of neighbors' homes, rather than the driver's home. She was concerned about both safety and security because, "...visually, the streets will be blocked and not as open, where before people could park in their driveways and by their homes." She said that the density of the proposed development would make parking impossible and there would be an overflow. Tukwila would end up being a city with neighborhoods like Ballard where the streets would become one-way instead of two-way, with people being required to back into the street because "...cars are coming at you, since everybody is parking their multiple vehicles on the street". She expressed concern that the police department would need to manage parking at an additional cost to the city. Ms. Bernhardt Nielsen said that the proposal did not address how the parking proposal would impact the city's efforts to enhance the tree canopy and expressed concern about tree viability with the reduction in setbacks reducing the planting area. She was concerned that if developers remove trees and just pay into the tree fund, tree canopy would be lost. Phone: 206-433-i.800 • Email: Mayo TukwilaWA.gov • Website: TukwilaWA.gov