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Home My WebLink AboutPlanning 2025-04-24 Minutes - Public Hearings: Middle Housing Code AmendmentsThomas McLeod, Mayor Department of Community Development - Nora Gierloff, AICP, Director CITY OF TUKWILA PLANNING COMMISSION (PC) MINUTES Date: April 24, 2025 Time: 6:30 p.m. Location: Hybrid Meeting - via Microsoft Teams / Public, In -Person Attendance, Council Chambers, 6200 Southcenter Blvd., Tukwila, WA 98188 Call to Order Chair Probst called the Tukwila PC meeting to order at 6:33 p.m. II. Roll Ca11 The PC Secretary took roll call. Present: Chair Martin Probst; Vice Chair Ann Durant; Commissioners Louise Strander, Alex Kaehler, Richard McLeland Wieser, and Jane Ho Absent: Jacob Halverson (Excused) Staff: Director Nora Gierloff, American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), Department of Community Development (DCD); Long Range Planning Manager Nancy Eklund, AICP, DCD; Senior Planner Neil Tabor, AICP, DCD; Senior Planner Isaac Gloor, DCD, and PC Secretary Wynetta Bivens, DCD III. Approval of Minutes Vice Chair Durant moved to adopt the 4/25/25 minutes. Commissioner Ho seconded the motion. The motion carried. IV. Designation of 4/25 — 4/26 PC Officers Chair Probst moved for Vice Chair Durant to transition to Chair. Commissioner Ho seconded the motion. Motion carried. Commissioner Probst noted that staff had deteiiuined that Commissioner McLeland Weiser and Commission Kaehler were both appointed to the Commission on the same date. Both commissioners were asked if they would accept being advanced to the Vice Chair role. Commissioner McLeland Weiser declined to pursue the Vice Chair position at this time and Commissioner Kaehler agreed to be advanced to the position. Commissioner Probst moved that Commissioner Kaehler transition to the Vice Chair position. Commissioner Ho seconded the motion. Motion carried. V. Amendment of the Agenda Chair Durant moved to approve the agenda as written. Commissioner Probst seconded the motion. There were no objections. Tukwila City Hall = 6200 Southcenter Boulevard = Tukwila, WA 98188 • 206-433-1800 • Website: TukwilaWA.gov Planning Commission Minutes 4/25/25 Meeting Page 2 VI. Written General Public Comments No submittals. VII. Unfinished Business None. VIII. New Business Commissioner Durant noted that there were four public hearings scheduled. 1. PUBLIC HEARING #1: Title 18 — Zoning - Code Amendment (L25-0032) The proposal applies Citywide. Senior Planner Neil Tabor gave the staff presentation, referencing the infoiivation in the PC packet. He provided background on Title 18 and the purpose of the public hearing, noting the legislation that directed much of the content of the proposed changes: • HB 1110, Middle Housing • HB 1337, Accessory Dwelling Units • HB 1293, Objective Design Standards • SB 5058, Definition of Multifamily • SB 5258, Condos, Proportionate Impact Fees and Unit Lot Subdivisions • SB 6015, Parking Considerations The focus of the hearing addresses: • Housing allowances • Development standards • Parking • Design review • Consistency • Nonconfoiniance Senior Planner Neil Tabor noted the deadline by which the city must complete the amendments, at the risk of being required to implement the state model code language and provided an overview of code changes proposed. The PC had no clarifying questions about the presentation. Recommendation: Senior Planner Neil Tabor indicated that staff request is that the PC forward a recommendation for adoption of the draft code amendments to the City Council (CC). Public Hearing Chair Durant opened the public hearing. Staff noted that no public comment letters on the hearing item were received prior to the meeting. Phone: 206-433-1800 • Email: Mayor@TukwilaWA.gov • Website: TukwilaWA.gov Planning Commission Minutes 4/25/25 Meeting Page 3 Public Testimony 1. Sam Pace, Housing Specialist, Seattle King County Realtor, said he represents 6,000 realtors in King County. Mr. Pace stated that he has principal responsibility to represent King County Realtors in the 14 cities south of Interstate 90 and follows what all 39 King County cities are doing. He noted that staff had done well at completing the difficult and technical work required in a very compressed timeframe and noted that there would be additional issues coming for the staff and PC. Mr. Pace said he is confident that the work the PC is looking at tonight reflects a desire and intent to comply with state law mandates and get them done on time. He commended the staff and PC and noted that "...a lot of cities that are not as far along as Tukwila, so, hats off to you!" He noted that there are some specific things that leap off the page, including setbacks and zoning consolidation with the ADU parking standards. While he does not know if they are the best practices, he is confident that staff and the PC are engaged in making important improvements. He noted that the proposed language omitting sixplexes from eight of the nine housing types the city is required to develop, was perhaps a fortuitous move and provided an explanation for the different financing process for developing properties with more than four units. He noted that if the city wants to revisit this decision, they can do so later. Mr. Pace noted that the realtors have created a website to track the progress of cities in complying with the state mandates and how each has identified their respective parcels. He said he appreciates the city's efforts to comply with state law and encouraged the PC and CC to do thoughtful work and to make good decisions. He further said that he appreciates the PC members' voluntary efforts. Mr. Pace requested that, instead of repeating his testimony four times for each hearing, that this testimony be included in all four of the public hearings. 2. Gina Bernhardt Nielsen, Resident Ms. Bernhardt Nielsen said she wondered if Tukwila's infrastructure can support the proposed changes and observed that some homes have multiple vehicles. She asked whether the parking reduction would increase people parking in front of neighbors' homes, rather than the driver's home. She was concerned about both safety and security because, "...visually, the streets will be blocked and not as open, where before people could park in their driveways and by their homes." She said that the density of the proposed development would make parking impossible and there would be an overflow. Tukwila would end up being a city with neighborhoods like Ballard where the streets would become one-way instead of two-way, with people being required to back into the street because "...cars are coming at you, since everybody is parking their multiple vehicles on the street". She expressed concern that the police department would need to manage parking at an additional cost to the city. Ms. Bernhardt Nielsen said that the proposal did not address how the parking proposal would impact the city's efforts to enhance the tree canopy and expressed concern about tree viability with the reduction in setbacks reducing the planting area. She was concerned that if developers remove trees and just pay into the tree fund, tree canopy would be lost. Phone: 206-433-1800 • Email: Mayor@TukwilaWA.gov • Website: TukwilaWA.gov Planning Commission Minutes 4/25/25 Meeting Page 4 3. Christopher Fuentes, Resident Mr. Fuentes said the proposal didn't address environmental impacts and that there would be changes. He expressed concern about individual neighborhoods being impacted and stated that all the neighborhoods are not the same — some are dense, and some are not as dense. It's very hard when communities may not be paying attention to changes, especially for those who live by the airport trying to minimize development and struggling to block pollution. It is getting harder and harder with zoning changes with potential reductions in property sizes. He said he wishes there were more examples of how to encompass larger trees on small lots. 4. Michelle Eggert, Blau Real Estate Investment Ms. Eggert requested that the changes identified in TMC 18.06.060 be reconsidered for basements. Her request is regarding what is considered a basement undergrade story. She noted that, because of Tukwila topography, garage pull -ins on the ground floor limit the usable space on this level. She said that in the code more than anything over 20% of the perimeter would turn it into another story. Her request is to increase the 20% to 30-35% so it would give a lot more flexibility on the lower basement story to have a second door and to create some window wells for safety exits. There was no additional testimony. Chair Durant closed the public hearing. Deliberation Commissioner McLeland Wieser moved to begin deliberation. Vice Chair Kaehler seconded the motion. Commissioner McLeland Wieser asked what "best practices" are regarding setbacks, which was mentioned by Mr. Pace during his testimony. Chair Durant said in looking at how other jurisdictions are moving through the process, Tukwila is in alignment with those cities and moving forward reasonably. Chair Durant stated that she wanted to acknowledge that the PC also raised some of the same concerns that were raised by individuals that testified. She said that the PC has asked the staff to look into the tree code and noted that it will be reviewed thoroughly...She stated there will probably be more opportunities to hear comments and/or testimony in future meetings, so citizen concerns will be incorporated into later actions. Motion Commissioner Probst moved to amend the motion to approve Case Number L25-0032 draft code amendments and to forward it to the CC for their adoption. Commissioner Ho seconded the motion. Motion carried. 2. PUBLIC HEARING #2: Title 18 — Community Residential Rezone Map and Code Amendment - L25-0030 The proposal applies to land currently zoned Low Density Residential (LDR) and Medium Density Residential (MDR). Phone: 206-433-1800 • Email: Mayor@TukwilaWA.gov • Website: TukwilaWA.gov Planning Commission Minutes 4/25/25 Meeting Page 5 Senior Planner Neil Tabor provided background on the Community Residential (CR) Rezone Map Code Amendment, noting that its intent is to consolidate the current Low Density Residential (LDR) and Medium Density Residential (MDR) zones into a new CR. This change was envisioned by the Comprehensive Plan. The PC had no clarifying questions. Recommendation: Staff is requesting that the PC forward a recommendation for adoption of the draft code amendments to the CC. Public Hearing Chair Durant opened the public hearing. Staff noted that no public comment letters on the hearing item were received prior to the meeting. Public Testimony 1. Sam Pace, Housing Specialist, Seattle King County Realtor, said he represents 6,000 realtors in King County. Mr. Pace requested during his testimony in the first hearing that his comments be carried forth to the subsequent hearings tonight. Please reference minutes for Public Hearing #1 for those comments. 2. Gina Bernhardt Nielsen, Resident Ms. Bernhardt Nielsen commented that the combination of changes into one zone was too extensive. She said that people who may have recently purchased homes in neighborhoods with large parcels may be assuming that their property would be protected from the result of the proposed zone change. These property owners could experience new, more intensive development in their areas as a result. She said the change may be more extensive than needed (i.e., the LDR/MDR zone changing to CR zone) and it should be re- evaluated to deteiiuine if it is necessary. Chair Durant closed the public hearing. There was no deliberation. Motion Commissioner McLeland Wieser moved to approve Case Number L25-0030 draft code amendments and to forward it to the CC for their adoption. Commissioner Ho seconded the motion. Motion carried. 3. PUBLIC HEARING #3: Title 18 — Title 17 Subdivisions and Plats - Code Amendment - L25-0031 The proposal applies citywide. Phone: 206-433-1800 • Email: Mayor@TukwilaWA.gov • Website: TukwilaWA.gov Planning Commission Minutes 4/25/25 Meeting Page 6 Senior Planner Isaac Gloor gave the presentation proposing two new street types: 1) Neighborhood yield streets with parking, landscaping areas and sidewalks; and 2) Living streets, shared streets with low vehicle volume. Also proposed are changes to the frontage improvements for projects that exceed a valuation of $700,000 and include minor edits throughout for consistency with new districts and teiiuinology in Title 18 and some changes to unit lot subdivisions. Clarifying questions were addressed from the PC. Recommendation: Staff is requesting that the PC forward a recommendation for adoption of the draft code amendments to the CC. Public Hearing Chair Durant opened the public hearing. Staff noted that there were no public hearing comment letters received. Public Testimony 1. Sam Pace, Housing Specialist, Seattle King County Realtor, said he represents 6,000 realtors in King County. Mr. Pace requested during his testimony in the first hearing that his comments be carried forth to the subsequent hearings tonight. Please reference minutes for Public Hearing #1 for those comments. Chair Durant closed the public hearing. Motion Commissioner Probst moved to approve Case Number L25-0031 draft code amendments and to forward it to the CC for their adoption. Commissioner Kaehler seconded the motion. Motion carried. 4. PUBLIC HEARING #4: Title 9 Vehicles and Traffic - Code Amendment - L25-0033 The proposal applies citywide. Senior Planner Neil Tabor provided background infoiivation on the L25-0033 proposal and the purpose of the public hearing. The code amendment is in a different title of the Municipal Code than the PC typically works with. This amendment is intended to ensure consistency with the proposed changes to the LDR and MDR zoning districts and modifying the language to reflect the new CR zone. There were no clarifying questions from the PC. Recommendation: Staff is requesting that the PC forward a recommendation for adoption of the draft code amendments to the CC. Phone: 206-433-1800 • Email: Mayor@TukwilaWA.gov • Website: TukwilaWA.gov Planning Commission Minutes 4/25/25 Meeting Page 7 Public Hearing Chair Durant opened the public hearing. Staff noted that there were no public hearing comments letters received. Public Testimony 1. Sam Pace, Housing Specialist, Seattle King County Realtor, said he represents 6,000 realtors in King County. Mr. Pace requested during his testimony in the first hearing that his comments be carried forth to the subsequent hearings tonight. Please reference minutes for Public Hearing #1 for those comments. Chair Durant closed the public hearing. Motion Commissioner McLeland Wieser moved to approve Case Number L25-0033 draft code amendments and to forward it to the CC for their adoption. Commissioner Ho seconded the motion. Motion carried. IX. Director's Report Director Gierloff said all the PC hard work was appreciated and she knows it was a big lift. The amendments will go to the CC and, hopefully, they will adopt the draft code, and the city will meet the state deadline. A couple of housekeeping items will be coming to the PC soon. The big thing coming up is the revisiting of the planning for the Tukwila International Boulevard areas. Staff were geared up and ready to go in March 2020, but the pandemic and other things happened. X. Adjournment Commissioner Probst moved to adjourned. Commissioner Kaehler seconded the motion. The Commission adjourned at 7:38 p.m. Submitted by: Wynetta Bivens, PC Secretary Adopted: 5/22/25 Phone: 206-433-1800 • Email: Mayor@TukwilaWA.gov • Website: TukwilaWA.gov