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Home My WebLink About2016-04-11 Community Affairs and Parks MinutesCity Council Community Affairs and Parks Committee COMMUNITY AFFAIRS AND PARKS COMMITTEE Meeting Minutes April 11, 2016 - 5:30 p.m. - Council Chamber, City Hall Councilmembers: De'Sean Quinn, Chair; Kathy Hougardy, Thomas McLeod Staff: David Cline, Dave Johnson, Rachel Turpin, Evie Boykan, Rick Still, Trina Cook, Kathy Stetson, Chris Partman Laurel Humphrey CALL TO ORDER: Committee Chair Quinn called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. I. ANNOUNCEMENT II. BUSINESSAGENDA A. Concessionaire Agreement Extension at Foster Golf Links Staff is seeking Council approval of an agreement extension with MMS Consulting Inc., for continued operation of Billy Baroo's Restaurant for an additional seven years. MMS has been a good partner at Foster Golf Links and staff would like to continue the relationship. Revenue to the city from concession fees is expected to be approximately $100,000 per year. UNANIMOUS CONSENT. FORWARD TO APRIL 18, 2016 REGULAR CONSENT AGENDA. B. Grant Acceptance: Duwamish Hill Preserve Staff is seeking Council approval to accept a Heritage Cultural Facilities grant from 4Culture in the amount of $200,000 for Phase 2 construction at Duwamish Hill Preserve. Funding will cover installation of an entrance kiosk, interpretive benches, signs, and a cultural landscape area, which will conclude renovation of the site. UNANIMOUS CONSENT. FORWARD TO APRIL 18, 2016 REGULAR CONSENT AGENDA. C. Multifamily Housing Challenges and Opportunities At the March 21, 2016 City Council meeting, public comment was given suggesting that certain apartment complexes are disallowing children from playing outside, and that residents are fearful of eviction for violating rules. The buildings do not have outdoor play areas because they were built prior to modern design codes requiring such spaces. One strategy suggested at that meeting was to consider modeling a just cause eviction ordinance after the City of Seattle. Chair Quinn organized this discussion to give the Committee an opportunityto dialogue on this and related issues with residents, staff, and other stakeholders to understand limitations and identify opportunities. He stated that this is a fact - finding opportunity that will allow the Committee to respond to resident concerns and seek solutions to recommend to the Council. Below is a summary of the discussion and comments. Community Affairs and Parks Committee Minutes ..................................................................... ............................... April 11, 2016 • Katrina Dohn, resident and Tukwila School District educator, summarized her original report of apartment buildings on South 146th Street lacking adequate play space for children. She stated she understands the liability concerns at hand but would like to raise awareness of the problem. • Liz Etta, Stephen Le, and Jose Camacho, representing the Tenants Union of Washington State, addressed the Committee on the purpose of their organization and its dedication to housingjustice. They do not give legal advice or contact landlords on behalf of clients, but they do provide resources and empower tenants to advocate for their own legal rights. They have experience insetting up tenant associations which creates strength in numbers and can result in less eviction fear. The Tenants Union is expanding its advocacy in South King County cities. When asked what advice he would give in the case of landlords telling families their children cannot play in the parking lot, Mr. Le and Mr. Camacho noted that there is nothing illegal about such a rule, and that there is a difference between an unreasonable rule and a civil rights violation. If the rule were not equitably enforced then the tenant may have a valid complaint. • Rachel Turpin, City Attorney, advised the Committee that landlord tenant disputes and issues are civil matters beyond the City's legal authority. Cities can impose certain apartment conditions via zoning and building codes, but these older apartment buildings are legal nonconforming structures. When asked about a Just Cause Eviction Ordinance (JCEO), she stated it would provide tenants with another set of protections but it would not provide a solution for this situation. Any material violation of a lease would be considered legal just cause. A JCEO like Seattle's would allow the City to impose penalties through a code enforcement mechanism but it would not give the City any legal authority to intervene on a tenant's behalf. It does not include additional antidiscrimination protection beyond what is provided by the state and federal government. Seattle's JCEO only applies to month -to -month leases per a 2000 Court ruling. Chair Quinn noted there could be unintended consequences of a JCEO in Tukwila due to financial assumptions associated with month -to -month tenancy. • John Krussel, owner of Ridge Springs LLC (3515 S. 1461h St), thanked the City for its ongoing collaboration and provision of excellent services such as law enforcement. He stated that children in parking lots is a serious safety issue. He noted the empty lot next door has park potential and additional crosswalks could facilitate safe walking to Cascade View Park. Chair Quinn invited Mr. Krussel to dialogue further regarding possible solutions. • Kathy Stetson, City Code Enforcement Officer, addressed the Committee regarding the rental housing license and inspection program, which was enhanced last fall with the Council's adoption of the National Healthy Housing Standard. The new regulations include specific information on pest and mold elimination, among other things. Recreational space availability is not partof the inspection program. The Committee will receive a briefing on this program later in 2016. • Chris Partman, Community Policing Coordinator, noted that unsupervised children in parking or other common areas can be dangerous and raise liability concerns for owners. Community Affairs and Parks Committee Minutes ..................................................................... ............................... April 11, 2016 • Dave Johnson, Parks and Recreation Manager, summarized the City's Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan, adopted in February 2014. This is a six year planning document, intended to be a flexible guide for the continuing evolution of the City parks system. The current methodology for park siting recommends park access within 1/4- 1/2 mile travel distance. Cascade View Park is about a .35 mile walk away from these apartments. Adding parks requires financial resources and /or partners. Councilmember McLeod stated he would like the City to consider creative solutions such as a steet park or parklet. Chair Quinn mentioned that other jurisdictions have formed partnerships with churches and the City should explore such innovative partnerships. He thanked everyone for their participation and added there will be follow up and additional committee discussion. He read the following statement from the City's Comprehensive Plan: "We Support our Children. Our children are our future. We honor them. We protect them from harmful influences and will provide educational, recreational and other opportunities that enable them to become healthy, educated, responsible adults." INFORMATION ONLY. D. Public Comment • Trina Cook, resident, and Jeff Scherrer, owner of Maple Apartments, addressed item C on the agenda. • Brooke Alford and Hyojin Whitford, residents, addressed a recent Council action amending the Doak Homes Settlement Agreement. Ms. Alford read a comment letter signed by several Allentown residents. III. MISCELLANEOUS The Community Affairs and Parks Committee Meeting adjourned at 6:46 p.m. Next meeting: Monday, April 25, 2016 Committee Chair Approval Minutes by LH Attachments: Letter from Rental Housing Association of Washington dated April 11, 2016 Letter from Allentown residents dated April 6, 2016 <�. i<;.i I`"'" �I U�� N'�, 2, W SW Address A�aS1over St, 1 a t 206i X283 -- 0816 www R A wa,orrcg SpMfle,WA 98106 FaX G M) 2rg6 9461 April 11, 2016 Laurel Humphrey 6200 Southcenter Blvd. Tukwila, WA 98188 Re: Rental Housing issues on 4/11 Community Affairs & Parks Committee agenda Dear Ms. Humphrey, We've recently become aware of an issue involving complaints about specific rental housing complexes preventing children from playing in outdoor common areas. On this evening's Community Affairs & Parks Committee agenda those complaints are referenced as a starting point for a rental housing discussion which appears to be much broader in scope than that original complaint would entail. It's important for the Committee to understand that a "just cause" ordinance would not address the specific complaint of children not being permitted to play in common areas at rental properties. If there is a larger conversation being undertaken regarding tenant rights, RHAWA would like to offer ourselves as a working partner with the city in that conversation, and as a resource to the city to address those specific issues. We've participated with many cities in finding solutions to rental housing issues, and have a deep understanding of the solutions that work without punishing the overwhelming majority of responsible rental housing owners. RHAWA's focus is offering our expertise as a part of a collaborative solution to ensuring that rental housing in Tukwila operates in a safe and efficient manner for both tenants and rental owners. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, m. Sean Martin External Affairs Director, RHA Ph: 206 - 905 -0609 E: .m a i, in ................... ............................. ..° . 9 Jill MY 47110=7- 4 M111111TI, Mr-IMPT R. MM11xP�JJ I TL=. I n-Mmmur=LI)MYCIVirrim housing construction codes needs to • considered • the Tukwila City Council to address the housing needs in our racially-diverse, moderately-priced housing neighborhood. We hope this discussion and -• ursuant action will occur soon, as we continue to lose potential opportunities to improve our •• u•• HIT71171 MO Administrator Kline