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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning 2014-07-24 Minutes - Public Hearing - 2015 Comprehensive Plan: Tukwila South and Economic Development ElementsCity of Tukwila Planning Commission Planning Commission Public Hearing Minutes Date: July 24, 2014 Time: 6:30 PM Location: City Hall Council Chambers Present: Chair, Louise Strander; Vice Chair, Mike Hansen; Commissioners, Thomas McLeod, Miguel Maestas, and Nhan Nguyen Absent: Commissioners, Brooke Alford and Sharon Mann 6/24/14 Commissioner Strander said she would like to amend the June 24, 2014 Question: worksession minutes. She wants the minutes to reflect the question she asked regarding the status of the inventory that the City's preparing of the privately and undeveloped land referenced on page five dash twelve of the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space element. She asked when and where the information would be available. Motions: Commissioner Hansen made a motion to adopt the June 24, 2014 worksession minutes as amended. Commissioner Nguyen seconded the motion and all were in favor. Staff: Commissioner McLeod made a motion to adopt the June 26, 2014 public hearing minutes. Commissioner Hansen seconded the motion and all were in favor. Nora Gierloff, Department of Community Development, Deputy Director; Brandon Miles, Economic Development, Planner; and Wynetta Bivens, Planning Commission Secretary Commissioner Strander opened the public hearing and swore in those wishing to provide public testimony. She opened Case Number L13 -0061 for Tukwila South and Case Number L13 -0054 for Economic Development. Nora Gierloff, Department of Community Development, Deputy Director, explained the purpose of the Comprehensive Plan Update and the different elements, as well as the review process. She said this version of the plan was adopted in 1995 and was last reviewed in 2004. She said that written testimony was received and handed out to the Planning Commission Members. Then she introduced Brandon Miles. Brandon Miles, Economic Development, Planner, gave the overview on the Tukwila South element. He explained that the goal of the Tukwila South element is to make the Comprehensive Plan consistent with the policy's entitlements that have been approved by the City Council over the last 10 years, He said that the existing element is out dated because some of the goals and policies have been completed. The Development Agreement has been completed as well as the Sensitive Areas Master Plan, the EIS, permitting, and a preliminary sub - division. The current element references and incorporates the plans and sensitive areas map into the Comprehensive Plan; but it doesn't change anything the City Council has already approved. The plan does not change the zoning of any of the properties owned in Tukwila South nor any of the permitted uses. The format is different, which is consistent with what the City's been using PC Public Hearing Minutes July 24, 2014 for the Comprehensive Plan Update. Outdated language has been removed, and the background section has been updated to reflect work that has been completed. Mr. Miles also gave an overview on the Economic Development element. He said that the economic data has been updated, the 2010 census has been incorporated, references to Code Enforcement have been removed, and there is a lot of emphasis on employability. Language was also added from the Strategic Plan and outdated policies have been removed. Mr. Miles also addressed a question raised at the July 22nd worksession regarding how large the annexation area is, which he said is approximately 52 acres. Public Testimony: Becca Meredith works at Forterra, a regional non - profit organization, said supporting economic development is a key component to their mission. Ms. Meredith read some of the recommendations from the comment letter submitted by Forterra. She said she was pleased to see that some of the updates reflected the community conversations and the engagement process they went through with the City. She said based off of what was heard from the community and community connector's engagement program she said she wanted to offer some recommendations. Such as, 1) Acknowledge the rich diversity in Tukwila residence and businesses and support for under- represented communities; 2) Include community engagement as an important aspect for policy and program development where appropriate; 3) Highlight the need for healthy food or health oriented practices as an important economic development component. She said she believes these recommendations support the City's goals of creating a diverse and regionally competitive economy. A copy of Forterra's letter, which has additional comments, is included in the 7/28/14 PC packet. Njambi Gishuru, Global to Local, Community Engagement Consultant, spoke in support of Ms. Meredith's recommendations. Ms. Gishuru a Tukwila business owner , said she is limited to the appropriate resources and there needs to be more opportunities for minority owned businesses. She said there is a great need for resources to accommodate and create a more inclusive community for all residents. She mentioned International Boulevard in particular. Marcela Albornoz, interpreter, for Ancarnaco Romero, said he feels grateful for the City of Tukwila and the aid and help he has received. He said he was thankful that the City closed the hotels on highway 99 and ended the problems. He said highway 99 and 144"' street corridor is a good place to have businesses and it will create new businesses. Jami Balint, Segale Properties, said Segale is completely in support of the proposed Tukwila South element. She said they see this as a cleanup item. She said the City and Segale entered into a Development Agreement in 2009 and the Comprehensive Plan elements have not been updated to reflect the Development Agreement. She said it is important to update the Comprehensive Plan. For example, Segale is currently commenting on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) from Sound Transit. One of Segale's concerns with Sound Transit's long range plan for the EIS is that they failed to include Tukwila South in their planning; and in their analysis of the City of Tukwila's landuse element. She said when Sound Transit do their planning they rely on and look at the City's Comprehensive Plan and landuse plan, and incorporate those elements in their planning processes. The reason Segale sees the update process as a clean -up item is because Tukwila South is vested until 2024, which means all of the Page 2 of 5 PC Public Hearing Minutes July 24, 2014 landuse regulations that were in place at the time the Development Agreement was entered into are the ones that will apply to Tukwila South. Ms. Balint said Segale does not believe the plan will affect the Comprehensive Plan Development Agreement. Bruce Mitchell, representative for M &P Mitchell and Storage, expressed some flooding impact concerns on the Mitchell and Storage property. He said he hopes as the Commission reviews the plan they will take into consideration they had an event that impacted their company financially. He also commented that they did not receive notice regarding the Tukwila South Development. He said they suggest better surface water management is put in place. He said they want assurance that the zoning will remain in place during the development of Tukwila South. And that they would like to be considered a major component in the area. Brandon Miles addressed Mr. Mitchell's concerns, commenting there are no changes or proposals to change the zoning code. He also said that M &P was on the list of notices sent out by the City. Mr. Miles also noted additional information concerning this issue. There were no additional testimony and the Planning Commission (PC) deliberated. Ms. Gierloff said at the July 22nd worksession that the Planning Commission had flagged areas where they wanted to make some changes. Following are their changes, plus additional revised language. Tukwila South: • Page 2, 2nd paragraph, the word "Kent" was added after the word Highline. • References were added on where the information for the master plan came from, 10 principles of the master plan were re- worded Background memo: • Descriptive language was added to each of the figures. Figure 1 — Map of Tukwila South in relationship to the rest of Tukwila Figure 2 — Tukwila South Boundaries Figure 3 — Realignment of Southcenter Parkway Figure 4 — Completed Southcenter Parkway Figure 5 — Southcenter Parkway under construction Figure 6 — Parcels to be proposed to be included in the household map amendment, theses two parcels will move from Tukwila Urban Center to heavy Industrial with a Tukwila South overlay Economic Development: Staff's edits; • Pg. 2, bullet 2, Strander suggested that bullet number 2 be stricken. There was consensus to strike this bullet. • Page 4, bullet 3 was revised to read; "Establish coordinated transit hubs throughout the City including, but not limited to, the Southcenter Area, Tukwila South, Tukwila International Boulevard, Interurban Avenue South, and the Manufacturing Industrial Center that efficiently mixes modes of travel and stimulate development of real estate associated with transportation facilities. • Page 4, bullet 6, add "brownfield cleanup" after the word remediation. • Page 6, bullet 1 under Implementation Strategies strike the word "strategic" Page 3 of 5 PC Public Hearing Minutes July 24, 2014 Add the following two bullets at the bottom of page 7 • Work with local chambers of commerce on business retention, business development, outreach, and joint efforts to promote the City. • Collaborate with local school districts to improve the educational opportunities for Tukwila school children. Staff did a walkthrough of the recommended language submitted in comment letters by Forterra and SeaTac Tukwila Food Innovation Network. Purpose Section Revisions Forterra, bullet 2, and SeaTac Tukwila Food Innovation Network each proposed recommended language on the following item: • The Commission revised the proposed recommended language to read; Improve and support the opportunities for education, skills training and job acquisition for Tukwila residents. • Forterra, bullet 3, revised to read; encourage entrepreneurs, and local startup businesses to establish in Tukwila. Forterra recommended language for two new bullets: The PC agreed to add the new language for the two recommended bullets as revised to read; • Support the development of current and new minority and veteran owned and run businesses. • Expand efforts to engage with and understand the economic development needs and priorities of traditionally under - represented groups in Tukwila neighborhoods. Issue Section Revisions • Page 4, bullet 2, revised to add at the end of the sentence, "particularly among low income or low English proficiency communities" • Page 4, bullet 5 support further enhancements • Next to last bullet on Forterra's comment letter, revised to read; Develop policies, programs, projects and plans that include input from diverse groups within the residential and business community using innovative engagement such as the Community Connector Program. • Last bullet on Forterra's comment letter revised to read; "Enhance regional recognition of Tukwila as an economic hub, promoting the success and diversity of its businesses and focusing on its positive business climate" Policies SeaTac Tukwila Food Innovation Network recommended language; 2.1.2, approved to add the word "creation" before the word retention 2.1.3, revised to read; expand access to quality, healthy, affordable and culturally appropriate foods and groceries for Tukwila residents Implementation Strategies Revisions The following bullet items were recommended by Forterra; language was revised to read; • Encourage businesses to incorporate environmental and social responsibilities into their practices. • Increase communication between the City of Tukwila and Tukwila businesses using innovative community engagement models. • Support businesses skills training for entrepreneurs and small businesses through partnerships with universities, colleges, community colleges, community -based organizations and other third parties. Page 4 of 5 PC Public Hearing Minutes July 24, 2014 The following bullet item was recommended by SeaTac Tukwila Food Innovation Network's; language was revised to read; • Partner with a broad range of non - profits, businesses and public sector agencies to develop a facility for food - related workforce development and entrepreneurship training. Background Reports Mr. Miles addressed a question previously raised by the Commission on revenue taxes. Mr. Miles said certain taxes the City receives from the State are pass - through and are not reflected in the total revenue tax table. Commissioner Strander closed the public hearing Motions: Commissioner Maestas made a motion to approve Case Number L13 -0061 for the Tukwila South element of the Comprehensive Plan as amended and to forward to the City Council for their review. Commissioner McLeod seconded the motion and all were in favor. Commissioner Hansen made a motion to approve Case Number L13 -0054 for the Economic Development element of the Comprehensive Plan as amended and to forward to the City Council for their review. Commissioner Nguyen seconded the motion and all were in favor. Director's Report: • The Commission was reminded that they will only meet once in August, on 8/28. Adjourned: 9:00 PM Submitted by: Wynetta Bivens Planning Commission Secretary Adopted: 8/28/14 Page 5 of 5