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HomeMy WebLinkAbout012816 CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF JANUARY 28, 2016 CALL TO ORDER The Port Townsend Planning Commission met in regular session on January 28, 2016, in the Council Chambers at 540 Water Street. Vice Chair MickHager called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m. ROLL CALL Commissioners present at roll call were Kirit Bhansali, Rick Jahnke, Monica MickHager, and Paul Rice, with Nan Evans, Douglas Frick, and Dwight Nicholson excused. Staff members present were Planning Director Lance Bailey, Planning Manager/Senior Planner Judy Surber, City Attorney Steve Gross, and Deputy Clerk Amber Long. ACCEPTANCE OF AGENDA Motion: Rick Jahnke moved to accept the agenda. Kirit Bhansali seconded. Vote. motion carried unanimously, 4-0 by voice vote. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - JANUARY 14, 2016 Motion: Paul Rice moved to approve the minutes of January 14, 2016. Kirit Bhansali seconded. Vote: motion carried unanimously, 4-0 by voice vote. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT Liz Berman spoke about affordable housing. NEW BUSINESS GMA Periodic Update - Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element - First Touch In response to an inquiry from staff, the Commission agreed to have Old Business listed before New Business on future meeting agendas, to match the agenda order in the Planning Commission Rules of Procedure. Senior Planner/Planning Manager Judy Surber explained that even though a strike-out-and-underline version of the Land Use Element has been provided to the Commission at this meeting, at future meetings the strike-out-and-underline language would not be provided until an element is the core topic. Ms. Surber read from an email sent by Commissioner Evans, who was absent, asking whether the proposed revisions adequately provide for the resiliency Planning Commission Meeting January 28, 2016 Page 1 of 3 component. Ms. Surber confirmed that resiliency has been incorporated into the Land Use Element based on input from the Local 20/20. There will be an opportunity after the GMA update process to look further into the resiliency aspect of the plan. Introduction (p. 1) - The Commission generally agreed that the first (new) sentence might be good place to add language as suggested by the climate change guest speakers from the prior meeting, such as adding ". . .and changing conditions" or ". . .anticipating climate change conditions due to global warming" to the end of the sentence. Introduction (p. 2) - In response to a question about whether "urban" is an appropriate term for Port Townsend, staff clarified that "urban" is used in the GMA. Land Use Designations, C-II (p. 10) - Staff stated that "local or city-wide market area" is not defined in the City's code, but the public's input on this issue is currently being solicited through SpeakUp. Staff will review the 1999 and 2003 ordinances mentioned in this section and discuss internally before coming back to the Commission. Goals & Policies (p. 18) - The Commission would like to specifically mention recent community involvement, such as the town meeting. Policy 3.2.6 (p. 21) - Staff will research whether a reference to Conservation Futures should be added. Policy 3.6.2 (p. 22) - The Commission discussed the word "support" in this policy. Staff explained that "support" could indicate technical assistance or sponsorship for grant applications. It enables, but does not obligate, the City to assist. Policies 4.1.2 and 4.1.3 (p. 23) - It was noted that these policies do not include changes from the second page of the Parks, Recreation, and Tree Advisory Board's public written comment (from 9/10/15 meeting packet). Staff clarified that the term "provide" does legally obligate the City. Not all commissioners were comfortable with the word, wondering if it might be misunderstood by the public. Policy 8.3.4 (p. 28) - There was some support expressed for removing this policy as suggested by staff. Policy 17.4 (p. 40) - In response to a question, staff confirmed that 50 years old is the standard for historic structure eligibility. Public Comment. Debbie Jahnke spoke as a member of the Parks, Recreation, and Tree Advisory Board. She reminded the Commission of the Board's suggestions that had been previously provided as a written comment and requested that an explanation be provided to the Board for why certain recommendations were not accepted. OLD BUSINESS GMA Periodic Update —Amendments to the Development Regulations Ms. Surber provided the Commission with a table summarizing the proposed code changes listed by docket number. The Commission expressed general agreement with the changes; however, there was extensive discussion on the following subjects: Item 49 (battery charging stations) - Staff answered questions about battery exchange stations and electric vehicle infrastructure. The Commission was divided on allowing battery exchange stations in a commercial district. It was agreed that the Planning Commission Meeting January 28, 2016 Page 2 of 3 technology is new, and the code language may need to be amended as the technology advances and changes. The Commission discussed electric bicycles, which staff explained are not considered "vehicles." Item 51 (commercial kitchens/food hub) - Staff has requested, but not yet received, feedback on the proposed definitions from the WSU extension and the local food policy council. Ms. Surber shared that she had spoken with a consultant who works with the Baltimore Food Hub and other food hubs nationally. The consultant suggested that, due to the truck traffic associated with a food hub, the City may want to rethink allowing it in a C-II general commercial zone. The Commission generally agreed to allow food hubs under a conditional use permit in the C-II zone. In response to a question from staff, the Commission agreed to receive only the changes to the code at the next meeting, instead of the entire code sections. For the Comprehensive Plan elements, the Commission will receive the entire element, because there will be changes on nearly every page. Public Comment: Liz Berman spoke about higher density zoning and unopened right of ways. The Commission clarified that, other than in the context of the Housing Element, the issue of affordable housing will not be discussed until after the 2016 GMA update process has been completed. The City Manager has also been directed by City Council to begin addressing affordable housing within the scope of existing law. OTHER BUSINESS - NONE UPCOMING MEETINGS - NONE COMMUNICATIONS - NONE ADJOURNMENT Motion: Kirit Bhansali moved to adjourn and Paul Rice seconded. Vote: motion carried unanimously, 4-0 by voice vote. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:51 p.m. Attest: Plannin'g Commission Chair City Clerk's Office Planning Commission Meeting January 28, 2016 Page 3 of 3