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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-05-10 Committee of the Whole MinutesCALL TO ORDER: Council President Dave Fenton called the Committee of the Whole meeting to order and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Council President Dave Fenton, Councilmembers Pam Carter, Joe Duffle, Jim Haggerton, Joan Hernandez, Steve Mullet, and Pamela Linder. OFFICIALS: John Rants, Mayor; John McFarland, City Administrator; Alan Doerschel, Finance Director; Steve Lancaster, Director of Community Development; Nora Gierloff, Assistant Planner; Evelyn Boykan, Human Services Coordinator; and Lucy Lauterbach, Council Analyst. SPECIAL PRESENTATION: TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL May 10, 1999 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers City Hall COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING MINUTES Introduction of Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce/Tukwila Tourism and Marketing Manager Kathryn Kertzman Nancy Damon, General Manager of the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce introduced Kathryn Kertzman as the new Marketing Manager for the Chamber. Finance Director Alan Doerschel indicated over 130 applications were received and subsequently reviewed. Interviews were conducted by a panel consisting of a marketing consultant, Ms. Damon, Council President Fenton, and himself. Ms. Kertzman's selection was a unanimous agreement by the panel. Ms. Kertzman has lived in King County for approximately 20 years and reviewed some of her working experience in the marketing arena. Councilmembers introduced themselves, welcomed Ms. Kertzman to the City of Tukwila, and indicated they are looking forward to her efforts to market Tukwila. CITIZEN COMMENT /CORRESPONDENCE: Bob White. Executive Director of Sound Transit, referred to the recent exchange of letters between Tukwila and Sound Transit and said that he would prefer to deliver his message in person rather than sending another letter. He indicated Sound Transit was disappointed to learn that Tukwila has determined it necessary to cancel the Memorandum of Agreement on the light rail plan. Sound Transit believes there are many opportunities for further work between the two agencies. Over the years, Sound Transit has been impressed by the major efforts undertaken by Tukwila to bring about significant City of Tukwila City Council Committee of Whole Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 8 May 10, 1999 changes in land use, business environment, traffic conditions, physical appearance, and the safety of Tukwila residents and visitors to Tukwila International Boulevard. Sound Transit strongly supports and appreciates those efforts. As Sound Transit undertakes the design of light rail transit on Tukwila International Boulevard, Sound Transit will design and budget for the complete reconstruction of that facility, property line to property line. Sound Transit would like to include the entire project elements and features that the City and community have defined as important. These elements include a safe and slower speed, adequate sidewalks, attractive landscaping, and urban design to enhance visual appearance of the street and to produce a safe and signal protected crosswalks at appropriate locations. Sound Transit would like to work with the City to optimize the center line of the light rail system so the properties Sound Transit must acquire for station locations and signal improvements can be done in such a way to enhance the business revitalization that the City has planned on Tukwila International Boulevard. Sound Transit would also like to work with Tukwila and DOT in the design of that system to incorporate curbs, gutters, and drainage systems that are important in the plans for Tukwila International Boulevard. Mr. White said Sound Transit has a major public art program as part of the Sound Move Program and would like to work with the City and the community to integrate community selected art figures into the transit project. Sound Transit wants to work with the City on improvements along South 144 Street between Military Road and 42n as called for in Tukwila's plans for a significant pedestrian corridor in that area. Sound Transit proposes to design and construct all of these improvements as part of the transit project at no direct cost to the City of Tukwila, by incorporating state TIB funds already committed to the project. Mr. White said Sound Transit is fully committed to improving its communication with the City and doing whatever is necessary to be a reliable and supportive partner. He asked for the Council's indulgence for any communication failure that may have occurred in the past including the possibility that Sound Transit may have unintentionally raised the expectations of Tukwila beyond that which is reasonable. In closing, Mr. White said Sound Transit would like to forge a new partnership with the City of Tukwila based on building the very best project for the community. He asked that the Council consider a working relationship with Sound Transit that will enable all staff members to work together for the interests of the community. Councilmember Duffie commented on Mr. White's remarks and said Sound Transit did not listen to Tukwila and proceeded to embark on its own plans. He criticized Sound Transit's unwillingness to listen and said they did not consider Tukwila in its decision. Council President Fenton indicated the situation has agitated both parties and that it is a positive move for Mr. White to address the Council, rather than send another letter. He said he appreciates the effort and hopes that a working relationship can be developed, with respect to the many issues Tukwila has concerns with. Councilmembers Hernandez, Carter, Linder, Haggerton, and Mullet thanked Mr. White for addressing the Council and said they appreciated his effort. Councilmembers expressed their City of Tukwila City Council Committee of Whole Meeting Minutes SPECIAL ISSUES Page 3 of 8 May 10, 1999 displeasure with the way things have been handled by Sound Transit and reiterated that they have many concerns that Sound Transit has to this point, ignored. Mr. White responded and said Sound Transit is interested in bridging the discord between the two agencies. Mayor Rants spoke on some of the reasons Tukwila believes Sound Transit should locate light rail to Martin Luther King and not Tukwila International Boulevard. He said Sound Transit's proposed routing along Highway 99 does not serve the needs of south King County. The Tukwila International Boulevard route denies the residents of Renton, Kent, and the majority of Tukwila access to light rail. Tukwila is already planning improvements to Tukwila International Boulevard along with increased housing. Even with increased housing, density will never be reached as it can be in an urban center. The Highway 99 route does not meet the county planning policies or growth management directives. Mr. White thanked the Council for the opportunity to speak and said he would welcome meeting with them and continuing the dialog. He concluded his comments and indicated the February selection of a locally preferred alternative is a preliminary step that directs some of the required work on engineering. At the same time, Sound Transit is preparing the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) that is due for publication at the end of August or early September. The Final EIS will form the basis for the formal and final project definition decision by the Sound Transit Board. a. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) pass through funds for 2000 Public Meeting format Human Services Coordinator Evelyn Boykan said this is time when Tukwila chooses to be a participant in the Community Development Block Grant program. As a member of Suburban Cities, the City receives a pass through from the Federal Housing and Urban Development to King County based on the number of low to moderate income residents that reside within the City. Funds that are allocated to the City can be used for public services, human services, planning and administration, and capital projects (some categories are limited). The funding allocation does not include any leftover funds from previous years that have not been spent and does not include funds that have not been expended this year. Council action is requested to determine if (a) Tukwila wants to serve as a pass through City, and (b) whether the City wants to allocate the allowable level for public services ($23,186), allocate the allowed level for planning and administrations ($20,353), and whether funding should be allocated to single family housing repair. Current unspent funds for the housing repair program totals approximately $79,284. Housing repair averages $8,000 per house (10 houses). Marketing of the program has increased and will include notices in utility bills. Discussion ensued on how Tukwila advertises the program. Councilmembers discussed including information on the program at the City's booth during Tukwila Days and how program funds could be applied to rental housing. City of Tukwila City Council Committee of Whole Meeting Minutes Discussion continued on housing affordability and whether the funds could be applied to help offset first and last month deposit requirements for low- income citizens. Coordinator Boykan said that when a property owner uses the rental rehabilitation funds, the rent is typically not too far below the current market rate in the City. When the Hillside Apartments were rehabilitated, participation in crime prevention activities was mandatory to receive the rehabilitation funding. Anna Bernhard opposes the City subsidizing rental landlords. Many landlords who could improve the property choose not to. She prefers to see the funds allocated to private property owners. Coordinator Boykan reviewed the recommended allocation for public services and planning and administration. Approximately $50,000 is estimated for single /family owner occupied home repair. The Council can elect to revise the allocation at some future time. The remainder of the funding would be for capital projects. Ms. Boykan reported receipt of requests for capital assistance from several non profit organizations for regional serving programs. Responding to a question from Councilmember Haggerton concerning senior housing, Coordinator Boykan responded the funds could be used for acquisition, site development, and construction. Council President Fenton moved the request to the next regular Council meeting for action. b. Zoning Code landscape revisions Page 4 of 8 May 10, 1999 Associate Planner Nora Gierloff provided background for the proposed revisions. She indicated it is part of the City's effort to implement Comprehensive Plan policies that call for looking at design regulations and design guidelines and setting some baseline standards. The Planning Commission has recommended the proposed revisions to the City's building code landscape requirements. Two main areas include cleaning up and organizing the code sections to include all the requirements in one section. The second is to provide some baseline minimum standards for lot perimeter landscaping and parking lot landscaping. Planner Gierloff reviewed recommended changes by the Planning Commission. The changes include adding a provision to increase setback requirements and landscape requirements when commercial use is adjacent to residential uses. The change includes amending the existing language of, "if adjacent" to "any portion of the yard is within 50 feet of." Chapter 18.52 now includes a zoning matrix outlining perimeter landscape requirements for different zoning districts. Three basic categories of landscaping categories include Type I, Type II, and Type III. Another new provision in the code allows for landscape perimeter averaging, which provides some flexibility to property owners to deal with actual conditions that may be present. The perimeter landscape types outlines the requirements for the amount and height of plant materials in each of the landscape categories. This gives the developer some guidance on what is required. Another new requirement is proposed standards for parking lot landscaped islands in commercial zones, which are currently only required in multi family zones. City of Tukwila City Council Committee of Whole Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 8 May 10, 1999 Councilmember Carter expressed concern with provisions that were deleted that pertained to landscaping buffers in light industrial areas abutting residential uses and indicated one of the reasons Riverton was successful in annexing was due to requirements for fencing and extensive landscaping to separate industrial uses from the residential. Council President Fenton requested that staff research the issue further. Councilmember Haggerton asked if landscaping standards were required for retention ponds. Administrator McFarland said retention ponds do not receive credit as a landscaping amenity. Director Lancaster said staff would review the issue of landscaping requirements for retention ponds (other than fencing) and report to the Council. Anna Bernhard suggested requiring a landscape architect to approve landscaping designs would be too burdensome for small businesses. The Council concurred to forward the recommended draft to the next scheduled regular Council meeting. REPORTS a. Mayor Mayor Rants referred to the paper on the Proposed Countywide Planning Policies and recommended Council proceed with no action, which is a reflection of the Council's approval of the policies. As part of the City's spring cleanup, the Tukwila Special Collection event was recently held at Foster High School. The event generated 615 vehicles of recyclable materials to include, 52,000 pounds of scrap metal, 52,000 pounds of bulky yard waste (wood) sent to Rainier Wood Recyclers for composting, 8,500 of reusable household goods, 750 gallons of used motor oil, 65 gallons of antifreeze, and 430 used tires. This equates to 70 tons of recyclable materials. b. City Council Councilmember Duffie recently attended an Equity and Diversity Commission meeting and found it to be interesting and suggested all Councilmembers attend at least one meeting. On June 13, Council President Fenton, Councilmember Duffle, and City Attorney Noe will fly from Boeing Field to Yakima for annual Army Reserve training. Councilmember Hernandez attended the Equity and Diversity Commission meeting on May 6. The meeting included a discussion on the Commission's participation in Tukwila Days. The Commission has agreed to sponsor a shuttle bus to transport children to the Community Center for the event. Also reviewed was the draft ordinance for terms of office. Most Commission members preferred to have the longer terms. City of Tukwila City Council Committee of Whole Meeting Minutes Page 6 of 8 May 10, 1999 On May 18, Dustin Washington is sponsoring another SAVE forum and has asked for a volunteer to be on the panel. Councilmember Duffle has volunteered to be on the panel. Councilmember Hernandez has been invited to sit on a forum for South King County Human Services on May 25 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. The topic of the panel is "Serving the Diverse Populations of South King County." The Equity and Diversity Commission has submitted an application for an AWC Municipal Achievement award. A REACH open house is scheduled on May 25 at the Tukwila Community Center from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Councilmember Hernandez is scheduled to attend the Suburban Cities meeting on Wednesday, May 12. Ted Freemire will be speaking on the Cascade Water Alliance. Council President Fenton attended the Regional Domestic Task Force meeting co- sponsored by Tukwila and Sea Tac on Wednesday, May 5. He said the meeting was well attended. On May 11, Mr. Fenton is scheduled to attend the King County Elected Official Housing Roundtable from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. On Wednesday, May 12, the Lodging Tax Advisory Board is scheduled to meet at the Doubletree Hotel. On May 13, Council President Fenton will be attending the Des Moines City Council meeting to hear how they will rule on the conveyor belt project as it relates to the third runway. Council President Fenton referred to the creation of a Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) and shared that both he and Councilmember Haggerton have expressed an interest in sitting on the Committee. The Council concurred with both appointments to the Committee. Councilmembers Carter and Mullet expressed an interest in serving as alternates. Administrator McFarland announced that an SPC report would be provided on the Committee's work during Council's executive session. Periodically, there will be press releases and public involvement, but most of the work is strategic in nature and considered privileged. The first meeting is on Wednesday, May 12 to discuss the scope of the work for the governmental relation's position and other information staff is pulling together for a community outreach program. Council President Fenton discussed email communication between the Council and discussion ensued on what email messages is appropriate between Councilmembers. Councilmember Mullet said he attended a recent Community Affairs and Parks Committee meeting. Several items of interest included a discussion on the shooting range. Several representatives from the shooting range attended. Also discussed was a possible moratorium on gambling. City of Tukwila City Council Committee of Whole Meeting Minutes Page 7 of 8 May 10, 1999 Councilmember Carter referred to an article in the Post Intelligencer about the Gambling Commission's possible moratorium on mini casinos. She said the article provided some background information on the subject. Councilmember Carter also attended the Equity and Diversity Commission on Thursday, May 6. During the May 10 Utility Committee, the Committee authorized the Mayor to sign the Skyway Critical Water Supply Plan. Also reviewed was the pedestrian access at 51s with respect to the approved development between 146 and 144` There were concerns how to accommodate the access without disturbing a storm water ditch. The Committee concurred that pedestrian access was important and should be pursued. The Committee also reviewed staffs first quarter reports. Ms. Carter reported following some RTA issues and noted that they want to transfer some funds from the budget for the Tukwila commuter rail station to the Kent station for a parking structure. Property for the parking lot is more expensive in Kent. Councilmember Carter said RTA Executive Director Bob White would be briefing SCATBd on Tukwila's subarea equity plan. She recently read an article that alluded to the fact Bellevue would be directing how $15 million in voter approved Sound Transit funds will be used for Bellevue's Transit Center and questioned why Bellevue can assist in directing the funding and Tukwila cannot. Councilmember Haggerton attended the May 5 meeting of the Airport Communities Coalition from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The major topic of discussion was finalizing the interlocal agreement scheduled for review at the Finance and Safety Committee meeting on May 11. Councilmember Haggerton will be attending the Strategic Planning Committee on May 12 and a Suburban Cities meeting later in the day. He said he has an interest in Des Moines' response to the permit for the conveyor belt and will be attending that City Council meeting. He thanked Analyst Lauterbach for her efforts in arranging the Council's participation in AWC's conference on June 22 -24 in Wenatchee. Councilmember Linder said she and Councilmember Hernandez would be working on the Council's display during Tukwila Days and asked Councilmembers for input. Councilmember Linder is scheduled to attend the Highway 99 Task Force Committee on May 11 at 7:00 p.m. and a Finance and Safety Committee meeting. MISCELLANEOUS: Councilmember Hernandez suggesting sending a thank you to Jim Morrow for taking the Council on a tour of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe hub center to look at solutions for truck traffic on 124 The tour was very informative. City of Tukwila City Council Committee of Whole Meeting Minutes Councilmember Linder referred to a handout listing the Council and the City's commissions and boards that will be distributed during Tukwila Days and thanked Councilmember Carter and staff for compiling and designing the handout. Councilmember Duffle complained about the unsightly garbage dump trucks parked on 42 Avenue and asked if anything can be done to remove them. Administrator McFarland indicated the owner has received three citations totaling $2,600. If it is not paid within two weeks, the owner will be cited for a court appearance before the judge. Mayor Rants referred to Mr. White's previous comments and the fact that Sound Transit would like to partner on the roadway design work on Tukwila International Boulevard at no direct cost to the City, but by incorporating the state's TIB funds already committed to the revitalization project. In other words, they are willing to do that with Tukwila's TIB funds, rather than with the Sound Transit funds, which were allocated for the project. ADJOURNMENT: (8:40 p.m.) Having no other business to come before the Council, Mr. Fenton adjourned the meeting. L Dave Fenton, Council President 1J,I-( 1) Robert H. Baker, CMC, Deputy City Clerk for Valerie Gow, Recording Secretary Date Minutes Signed: nc)—' /99 Page 8 of 8 May 10, 1999