Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1989-10-23 Committee of the Whole MinutesOctober 23, 1989 7:00 p.m. CALL TO ORDER COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT OFFICIALS CITIZEN COMMENTS Construction at So. 115th Street East Marginal Way TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL C O M M I T T E E OF THE W H O L E M I N U T E S 097 Tukwila City Hall Council Chambers Council President Stoknes called the meeting to order. JOE DUFFIE; MARILYN STOKNES (Council President); JOAN HERNANDEZ; DENNIS ROBERTSON; CLARENCE MORIWAKI. JOHN MCFARLAND, City Administrator; JOHN COLGROVE, City Attorney; MAXINE ANDERSON, City Clerk; ALAN DOERSCHEL, Finance Director; RICK BEELER, Planning Director; DON WILLIAMS, Parks and Recreation Director; RON WALDNER, Chief of Police; MOIRA BRADSHAW, Assistant Planner. CONNIE HOFFMAN, 3924 So. 114th Street, addressed her concerns regarding the development of property at So. 115th and East Marginal Way. Mrs. Hoffman told the council that property owners within 300 feet of the proposed development had received a Notice of Application for Shoreline Management Substantial Development Permit which had been filed by the developer, Whitco Properties. Whitco's plans are to erect a fence and construct an access road out to So. 115th Street. Mrs. Hoffman is very concerned about the pending development and does not want truck traffic in the community of Allentown. She informed the council that there have been signs on both ends of Allentown that say "No Truck Traffic Allowed One sign is located at the intersection of So. 115th St. and East Marginal Way; the other is located at 42nd Avenue South. Mrs. Hoffman believes that when the Duwamish bridge was constructed, the signs were taken down. They have not been put back up. She disagrees with the law that limits the notification of development to only those within 300 feet of the area to be developed. This particular development is affecting the whole neighborhood, not just residences on the hill. There are children who catch school buses at the bottom of the hill and a real blind spot as you come down the hill and turn left onto South 115th St. This is the same spot where cars have gone into the bend in the river. Although the City has installed blockades in the area and has taken care of the corner, the residents feel that the corner cannot handle truck traffic. October 6 was the deadline for written comments in response to the application. Mrs. Hoffman noted that at the present time the contractor is erecting a fence which he began two days prior to the October 6 written comment deadline. Heavy equipment has also been moved in. RALPH HATTEN, 3935 So. 113th Street, also lives on Poverty Hill. He told the council that when he first received the above mentioned notice, he felt that nobody would object to the owner building a fence, cleaning up the property, and keeping the four wheelers and bikers out. His interpretation of the notice was that the fence and access road were being developed for future COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES October 23, 1989 Page 2 d347fi CITIZEN COMMENTS -con't development; but now he has discovered that the "future" development was already planned. Mr. Hatten believes that if explosives are going to be used to take down the hill, there will be trouble in the area due to the adjacent homes and underground springs on the property. Regarding heavy truck traffic in the area, Mr. Hatten feels that So. 115th Street, below the hill, is not very stable because it is on the bank of the river and it will not hold heavy truck traffic. The "No Truck Traffic" sign that was established at the intersection of East Marginal and So. 115th was moved beyond the slide area which would allow Burlington Northern access to a back gate. Mr. Hatten believes that there may be an access at 112th Street where a City of Seattle pipeline runs through that would give Burlington Northern or Mr. Miller access to his property without using So. 115th. Mr. Hatten is concerned about endangering the children within the community and the safety of the residents. 1 EXECUTIVE SESSION STU GARNETT, 12252 42nd Ave. So., told the council that although the law says that only property owners within 300 feet have to be notified of construction development, everyone who lives on Poverty Hill has to come through the area to get to their homes. The two lane highway cannot handle heavy traffic. The Duwamish Improvement Club worked for years to get the trucks out of the neighborhood and were finally successful. There was some type of legislation passed that allowed the "No Truck Traffic" signs to go up on 42nd Ave South and on South 115th. The signs were removed at the time of the county bridge project. Even though the signs are not there, truck traffic is still not allowed. In response, Planning Director Rick Beeler, informed the council and audience that this permit was one we inherited from the county. He believes that the county denied the permit. The City asked that an EIS be prepared. The applicant has appealed and has asked for time to look at alternatives to mitigate some of the impacts which we are very concerned about. The City hired an independent geotechnical consultant to look into the issue and look at the soils problems of the steep slopes. Our geological engineer has concluded that blasting may be the only way to remove the rock. Th is reinforces our decision to have an EIS. We are also looking at traffic going directly to Empire Way via an easement on the north instead of 115th on the south. In the meantime, the property owner may put up a security fence to protect his property. Because of the information indicating that construction has already begun, a City inspector will go out to the site tomorrow to inspect and is prepared to issue a Stop Work Order if necessary. Mr. Beeler will report back to the Council with the results. MOVED BY ROBERTSON, SECONDED BY HERNANDEZ, THAT THE COUNCIL GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE LITIGATION. MOTION CARRIED. COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES October 23, 1989 Page 3 MEETING RESUMED OTHERS Draft Ordinance on Sensitive Areas Update on Pond Property SPECIAL ISSUES State Regulations on Group Homes Budget Issues Mayor's Quarterly Report ADJOURNMENT 9:41 p.m. Council President Stoknes called the Committee of the Whole meeting back to order at 7:54 p.m. The draft Sensitive Area Ordinance was discussed. For illustration, Moira Bradshaw, Associate Planner, distributed a drawing of Crystal Springs which depicted varying degrees of slopes. The illustration was prepared by Senior Engineer Pat Brodin. Council agreed that they would like to take a field trip to various sites for further clarification on the slope issue. A category of slopes between 15 39 percent and 40 percent and above will be used in the draft ordinance to be taken through the Planning Commission hearing process. Mayor VanDusen arrived at 8:32 p.m. Rick Beeler, Director of the Department of Community Development, gave a brief presentation on the progress of the Pond property over the past two years. At the present time, there is 170,000 square feet of retail space being developed. Phase II of the development on the west side is currently under review. City Attorney John Colgrove spoke on current regulations governing related and unrelated persons living in group homes. It was the consensus of the Council that this issue be forwarded to the Community Affairs and Parks Committee for review. Alan Doerschel, Finance Director, gave a brief report on the current status of the budget. He informed the Council that the CIP will be available with the budget. The impacts created by the annexed areas and surface water utility will be included in the CIP. John McFarland gave a short report on staff activities for the past three months. He indicated that the report format will be modified next year. MOVED BY DUFFIE, SECONDED BY ROBERTSON, THAT THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING BE ADJOURNED. MOTION CARRIED. 7 //4 4 Marilyn oknes, Council President Ja Cantu, Deputy City Clerk o 367