HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOW 2025-02-10 Item 4B - Handout Distributed at Meeting - Middle Housing Questions and AnswersLaurel Humphrey
From: Neil Tabor
Sent: Monday, February 10, 2025 4:34 PM
To: Laurel Humphrey
Cc: Nancy Eklund; Nora Gierloff
Subject: RE: Middle Housing Questions for Feb 10th
Hello Laurel,
Please see responses to Council Member McConnell's questions below.
o Rationale and Authority:
• What is the reasoning behind delegating the public hearing to the planning
commission rather than having the council handle it directly?
• The middle housing code update has been an iterative process, with many
meetings over the last two years having been dedicated to providing
background on state requirements, eliciting input from commissioners and
further refining the eventual code amendment package. Due to the overall
complexity of the code amendment package and preparation time spent
work with the Planning Commission, staff believes completing the public
hearing at Planning Commission would be the best process.
o Timeline and Scheduling
• How do we ensure that all required notice periods and legal deadlines are met?
• Staff coordinates notices to the Seattle Times, and the Citywebsite to
comply with all timelines for noticing of public hearings. Staff also
coordinates environmental (SEPA) review and review with the Department of
Commerce.
o Public Outreach and Notice
• How is the public notified of the hearing?
• What methods will be used to ensure that we reach a broad and representative
audience?
• Notice is sent out in the aforementioned channels and placed on the City's
calendar. Persons who have asked to be parties of record are also notified.
• Staff has conducted significant public outreach on middle housing within the
comprehensive plan update and middle housing grants. Information on the
schedule of events will be further provided to those that have previously
signed up for updates. The City will also launch a middle housingwebsite in
the near future and will host a middle housing open house from 4:30-7pm at
the Sullivan Center on Wednesday March 5tn
o Hearing Structure and Process
• What format will the planning commission follow during the hearing to guarantee
that all viewpoints are heard?
• The Planning Commission has a standard process for public hearings which
allows time for staff presentation, public comments and commissioner
discussion. This does not differ between public hearings.
i
• How will public input be documented and integrated into the final
recommendation?
• Any public comment received, written or verbal, as part of the public hearing
will be included in the Planning Commission's recommendation to Council
on the topic.
o Expected Outcomes and Impact
• What outcomes do we anticipate from the hearing?
• Are there any specific recommendations we expect the planning commission to
provide to the council afterward?
• The Planning Commission will be asked to provide a recommendation to the
City Council, including any desired amendments from the code amendment
package proposed. When the topic moves to Council for decision,
the Commission recommendation, and all related materials will be provided
for Council's consideration.
o Roles and Responsibilities
• Once the hearing is concluded, what involvement is expected from the city council
in reviewing or acting upon the recommendations?
• After the public hearing occurs and the Planning Commission provides a
recommendation, the topic will be moved to a future City Council meeting
for consideration and a vote at a subsequent meeting. Meetings at Council
will occur in May or June. The deadline to adopt middle housing updates
compliant with HB 1110 is June 30th, 2025.
o Potential Challenges
• Are there any foreseeable challenges or legal issues related to delegating this
hearing to the planning commission?
• No. In the fall of last year, Council adopted Ord. 2741 which addressed
permit streamlining and compliance with SB 5290, and required changes to
public hearing and public meetings requirements. Previously, code
amendment packages would receive public hearings at both Planning
Commission and Council. TMC 18.82.040 now clarifies that the "public
hearing may be held before the Planning Commission or the City Council, or
both." The code amendment package was reviewed by legal staff and the
Department of Commerce prior to adoption.
Thank you,
Neil Tabor, AICP (he/him/his)
Senior Planner
City of Tukwila Planning
(206) 431-3659
Neil.TaborCWukwilaWA.gov
From: Jovita McConnell <Jovita.McConnell@TukwilaWA.gov>
Sent: Sunday, February 9, 2025 12:06 PM
To: Neil Tabor <Neil.Tabor@TukwilaWA.gov>; Nora Gierloff <Nora.Gierloff@TukwilaWA.gov>
Cc: Laurel Humphrey <Laurel.Humphrey@TukwilaWA.gov>
Subject: Middle Housing Questions for Feb 10th
Hi Neil and Nora,
2