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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06042001CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND MINUTES OF THE REGULAR SESSION OF JUNE 4, 2001 The City Council of the City of Port Townsend met in regular session this fourth day of June, 2001, at 6:30 p.m. in the Port Townsend Council Chambers of City Hall, Mayor Geoff Masci presiding. ROLL CALL AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Councilmembers present at roll call were Joe Finnie, Allen Frank, Vem Garrison, Geoff Masci, Syd Lipton, Bill Wolcott and Alan Youse. Staff members present were City Manager David Timmons, City Attorney John Watts, City Clerk Pam Kolacy, BCD Director Jeff Randall, and Public Works Director Ken Clow. CHANGES TO THE AGENDA Mr. Masci announced an additional item under New Business: Resolution 01-025 regarding the use of public rights of way for a motion picture production. The item will be addressed prior to the other new business. Mr. Frank also requested an addition to New Business (Item 10B) regarding projects to be tasked to the Planning Commission. PRESIDING OFFICER'S REPORT Mr. Masci read a proclamation in honor of H.J. "Jack" Carroll on his 90th birthday. He also reported on a very successful Sister City visit by representatives of Ichikawa, Japan. He noted that he and the mayor of Ichikawa had agreed to reduce the visitor exchanges to once every other year and to cut down on the obligatory gift giving. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT Mr. Timmons referred to a letter from Forrest Rambo requesting council action on revision or elimination of the municipal code provision which prohibits recreational vehicle occupancy for more than180 consecutive days. He added that if the council desired, the appropriate action would be to send the issue to the Planning Commission for review and comment. Motion: Mr. Masci moved to refer the question of eliminating 180-day limit on R V occupancy to the Planning Commission for review, comment and recommendation within the next 60 days. Mr. Lipton seconded. Public comment City Council Business Meeting Page 1 June 4, 2001 Forrest Rambo: speaking as private citizen, not as manager of Point Hudson Resort and Marina. Spoke in favor of eliminating the 180-day limitation; stated there is no justification for the limit and that the Port of Port Townsend, when they assume control of Point Hudson, should be able to make their own determination on recreational vehicle time limits, without restriction by city zoning regulations. Public Comment: None Mr. Watts addressed clarification questions from council members, noting that this is a common zoning tool for cities and that any city ordinance applies to all lands within the city whether they are owned by the port, state, county, or school district. Vote: The motion carried unanimously, 7-0 by voice vote. Regarding the intergovernmental elected officials meeting scheduled for June 5, the discussion topic to be presented by the city will be recreation issues/YMCA proposal. Mr. Masci, Mr. Finnie, and Mr. Frank will represent the city. Six-year Transportation Improvement Plan: consensus of the council was to set a public hearing on the plan for the regular meeting on June 18. Mr. Timmons stated he will forward two items to the Finance Committee on June 14 if the council is agreeable: 1) an uptown promotional plan in preparation for the "F" Street closures; 2) a partnership with Main Street for a FEMA funded project impact proposal. Consensus was to docket these items for the June 14 Finance Committee meeting. PUBLIC HEARING (Open Record) ORDINANCE 2766 AN ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING THE SUM OF $367,924 TO THE GENERAL FUND; $10,219 TO THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUND; $3,635 TO THE STREET FUND; $740 TO THE WATER FUND; $629 TO THE STORMWATER FUND; AND MAKING FINDINGS AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY. Mayor Masci opened the public hearing and outlined the legislative public hearing procedures. He asked if any council members had any interests, financial or property, to disclose. There were none. Mr. Timmons introduced the ordinance, noting that the vast majority of expenditures were related to adjustments for the reconciliation of billing for county jail services. He also stated that current reserves were sufficient to account for the expenditure and after the adjustments for the supplemental budget items, the targeted goal for reserves (5-8%) is still intact, at 8.3%. City Council Business Meeting Page 2 dune 4, 2001 He noted the remainder of the items were primarily grants which have revenues offsetting the expenditures and items called forward from the council's discretionary fund. Mr. Masci asked if any written materials had been submitted in regard to the issue. Ms. Kolacy stated that there were none. The floor was then open for public comment. There was no one wishing to comment. Motion: Mr. Frank moved to suspend council rules and that the first reading be considered the second, and the third by title only. Mr. Wolcott seconded Vote: The motion carried unanimously, 7-0 by voice vote. Motion: Mr. Frank moved to adopt Ordinance 2 766. Mr. Garrison seconded. In response to a question posed bY Mr. Finnie, Mr. Timmons stated that more significant increases were expected for county services next year and that the process of negotiation would begin in July. Vote: The motion carried unanimously, 7-0 by roll call vote. CONSENT AGENDA Motion: Mr. Frank moved to approve the following items on the consent agenda. Mr. Garrison seconded Approval of Bills, Claims and Warrants Vouchers 87234 through 76402 and 76416 in the amount of $284,704.88 Bo Approval of Minutes Workshop Session of May 14 Business Meeting of May 14 C° Authorize the City Manager to execute a property purchase contract (Anthony DeLeo property - tax parcel 948-300-203) Do Authorize the City Manager to call for and award bids for water and wastewater treatment chemicals mo Authorize the City Manager to execute a professional services agreement with Shannon & Wilson to perform geotechnical studies on Monroe Street settlement and the City Hall Annex site. Authorize the City Manager to execute professional services agreement with Gray & Osborne for engineering and consulting services on various water related projects City Council Business Meeting Page 3 June 4, 2001 Go Authorize the City Manager to contract with the State Office of Procurement to bid a street sweeper Mr. Lipton asked for correction of a typographical error and requested that staff include estimated costs within the water contract. Vote: The motion carried unanimously, 7-0 by voice vote. UNFINISHED BUSINESS ORDINANCE 2767 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND, WASHINGTON TO ADD SECTION 10.04.192 ESTABLISHING EIGHT- HOUR PARKING ON CALHOUN STREET BETWEEN WATER AND FRONT STREETS ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF THE STREET, AMEND SECTION 10.04.190 ADDING CALHOUN STREET BETWEEN WATER AND FRONT STREETS ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE STREET TO THE TWO HOUR PARKING LOCATIONS IN THE CITY, AND AMEND SECTION 10.04.202 ADDING A NO PARKING ZONE ON SR20 FROM THE FERRY TERMINAL TO KEARNEY STREET Public Works Director Ken Clow presented the ordinance. He explained that in reaching this recommendation, staff had considered five issues brought forward by and to the council: line of sight issues in that section of SR 20; ferry traffic management; bicycle safety concern; parking for the Bayview Restaurant; concerns of the Bay Vista I and II condominium residents. He added that the alternatives considered included leaving everything as is, eliminating parking on SR 20, eliminating parking at specific times, and improving the line of sight by decreasing the parking zone. The recommendation before council calls for conversion of six of nine public parking spaces in the Calhous Street right of way between the two condominium buildings from two hour parking to eight hour parking and eliminating all parking on SR 20. Public Comments Lee Wilson: speaking as a concerned homeowner, resident of Bay Vista. He urged the council to keep the two-hour parking as is on Calhoun Street, noting it is the only place for daytime guests of the residents to park as well as for service people who are visiting the buildings. He also expressed concern about the danger when exiting from the parking lot onto SR 20. Shirley Browning: asked why the beach path sidewalk can't be used for bicycle traffic; stated that the Bayview needs the loading zone; stated the large number of Bayview employees take up a great deal of the parking allotted for the restaurant. Michael Pruitt after the last meeting, felt the safety of bicycle riders was being held hostage to a business which makes good waffles and needs five parking spaces. He has City Council Business Meeting Page 4 dune 4, 2001 since had occasion to observe the conditions for bicycle riders on that stretch of road. He stated that the situation is dangerous, and urged the council to deal with it the best they can but get parking off the street and make it safe for bicycles. Jon Muellner: very much in favor of staff recommendation, as an avid cyclist believes it is a good compromise to address both economic issues and safety issues. David McCulloch: noted that safety of cyclists and pedestrians is an issue that must be taken seriously and ultimately these concerns outweigh parking concerns. The issue has had much review and meets the standards of all city planning documents as well as Dept. of Transportation policies. He added that the police chief's recommendation to eliminate parking to save staff time is also a compelling argument. He urged approval of the ordinance. Sandra Stowe: in support of ordinance. Supports removal of parking, but not quite comfortable with dedicating public parking to a single business for employee parking; would like to see flexibility in ability to change back to two-hour parking if necessary. She stated that incentives for employees to use non-motorized forms of transportation should be encouraged; added that the waterside sidewalk is not a useful sidewalk as it currently exists. Motion: Mr. Frank moved to approve Ordinance 2767. Mr. Garrison seconded Mr. Finnie noted that the change to eight hour parking is clearly an accommodation to the business; he proposed the consequences be surveyed with the results brought back to council within the next six months. Mr. Youse noted he would vote against adoption because he believes it is premature to address this area before letting the Transportation Committee address the parking needs of the whole downtown area. Vote: The motion carried 6-1, by roll call vote, with Mr. Youse opposed ORDINANCE 2768 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND AMENDING CHAPTER 13.03, SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT CHARGES FOR WATER AND SEWER CONNECTIONS, BY ELIMINATING INTEREST CHARGES IN SECTION 13.03.110, SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT CHARGE, ON DEFERRALS FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSING City Attorney John Watts presented the ordinance. He noted that no low-income deferral applications have been received because the cost of interest is prohibitive; it is apparently cheaper to borrow the money to pay system development charges up front. Under the proposed ordinance, interest charges would be eliminated but the applicant would be required to submit annual proof of qualification; if the applicant no longer met the qualification, then the system development charge would have to be repaid within three City Council Business Meeting Page 5 June 4, 2001 years, drawing interest until paid. The ordinance eliminates the interest charge only, not the requirement to pay the deferred SDC. Public Comments Phil Watness: Noted he is on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity, but is not speaking on their behalf. He favored passage of the ordinance, and added that if the council really wants to provide low income housing, there must be some mechanism to get developers to provide land with infrastructure to organizations like Habitat. Example: a credit to a builder who provides one out of ten lots to low income housing. Michael Pruitt: spoke in support of adoption. Noted that the income level really describes "poverty" as opposed to "low income." Asked council to consider seting a "low income" level which would give a break to individuals who may actually have the economic means to build a house. Freida Fenn: Asked if it would be possible to extend deferrals to people who could qualify for affordable housing. Referred to Countywide Planning Policies (6.1) definition. Asked for consideration of any mechanism which would make deferrals available for a greater pool of individuals. Kees Kolff: Stated that affordable housing is a significant problem; supports adoption of ordinance as a good step. In answer to Mr. Garrison's question, Mr. Watts clarified that the state constitution prohibits gifts of public funds except to the "poor and infirm" which are not specifically defined. He stated he would report back to the council after researching the "gift of public funds" issue. Mr. Youse stated he does not want the city to set a precedent for gifting public funds. Motion: Mr. Finnie moved to suspend council rules, and that the first reading be the second and the third by title only. Mr. Garrison seconded The motion carried unanimously, 7-0 by voice vote. Motion: Mr. Finnie moved for approval of Ordinance 2768. Mr. Frank seconded Mr. Wolcott stated that the Community Development Committee can follow up on the idea of expanding SDC deferrals. Mr. Watts will present his research at the June 26 Committee meeting. Vote: The motion carried, 6-1, with Mr. Youse opposed City Council Business Meeting Page 6 June 4, 2001 ORDINANCE 2769 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND REPEALING CHAPTER 2.68, ARTS COMMISSION, OF THE PORT TOWNSEND MUNICIPAL CODE City Attomey John Watts presented the ordinance, noting that the Arts Commission was tasked by the council to discuss their status and has stated their desire to remain a citizen advisory committee rather than a private non-profit organization. As with other citizen advisory committees, the staff is presenting an ordinance repealing the Arts Commission from the municipal code and re-establishing it by resolution. Public Comments None Motion: Mr. Frank moved to approve Ordinance 2769. Mr. Garrison seconded The motion carried unanimously, 7-0 by roll call vote. RESOLUTION 01-024 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND, WASHINGTON, ESTABLISHING THE ARTS COMMISSION AS A CITIZEN ADVISORY BOARD Motion: Mr. Frank moved to approve Resolution 01-024, and approve the slate of candidates presented at the May 14 meeting. Mr. Garrison seconded. The motion carried unanimously, 7-0 by voice vote. Appointees to the Arts Commission are: 1. Eligius Wolodkewitsch 6. Barbara McLean 2. Miriam Lansdon 7. Nancy Stevenson 3. Sy Kahn 8. Patricia Spaeth 4. Sheila Smith 9. Don White 5. Arthur Reitsch NEW BUSINESS RESOLUTION 01-025 RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND APPROVING LICENSE TO USE PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY INCLUDING CITY DOCK AND UNION WHARF, AND AUTHORIZING CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE NECESSARY AGREEMENTS FOR PURPOSES OF FILMING A PORTION OF THE "ENOUGH!" FILM IN PORT TOWNSEND City Council Business Meeting Page 7 June 4, 2001 Mr. Watts announced that the film crew will be in town June 12-16 for the film project. He added that a town public meeting held last month was well attended. Traffic will be held up for no more than five minutes at a time and the motion picture company will reimburse the city fully for potential income lost from public facilities. Motion: Mr. Wolcott moved for adoption of Resolution 01-025. Mr. Garrison seconded The motion carried unanimously, 7-0, by voice vote. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS BCD Direct Jeff Randall referred to the memo included in the council packet, noting that the Community Development Committee had asked staff to address three tasks: summarize Port Townsend's current affordable housing strategy; suggest techniques which could be implemented in the next 3-6 months to promote affordable housing which are consistent with community values and the Comprehensive Plan, and determine the most significant issues that affect affordable housing but probably would require amendments to the Comprehensive Plan prior to implementation. He noted that he has addressed these questions in the memo and noted that if council desires to pursue any of the suggestions, the first step will be to refer them to the Planning Commission. Public Comment Freida Fenn: stated that none of the measure will be useful to encourage affordable housing unless "carrots" are embedded for encouragement; example: greater density bonuses for more units; incentives to developers oftownhouses to make some available for low income housing. Stated that SEPA category exemptions wouldn't apply at all to encouragement of affordable housing. She added that whatever incentives are in place, the low income housing stock must remain low income when property changes hands. Referred to Seattle Times Website article regarding East side affordable housing in King County. Also cited benefits to be derived from city/county cooperation and funding renovation of older buildings to encourage second and third story residential units in downtown buildings. Kees Kolff: applauded efforts of the Community Development Committee to look for creative ways to solve these issues; encouraged council to pursue others as well. Motion: Mr. Frank moved that issues of cottage housing, building setbacks for townhouses and rowhouses, and increasing SEPA categorical exemption for dwellings from 4 to 9 be forwarded to the Planning Commission for review. Mr. Finnie seconded The motions carried unanimously, 7-0, by voice vote. TASKING ISSUE TO PLANNING COMMISSION Motion: Mr. Frank moved to task the Planning Commission to develop an infill plan for areas with pre-existing infrastructure and in identifying the primary infill area, Planning City Council Business Meeting Page 8 dune 4, 2001 Commission should be sure to emphasize existing parks and non-motorized areas as well as utility and other infrastructure issues. The final work product should include: O detailed inventory ofbuildable lots in the designated infill areas; 2) possible incentives to encourage infill in the designated area; and 3) possible consequences for not participating in infill. He also requested that Planning Commission bring forward any other affordability concepts. Mr. Youse seconded Public comments Freida Fenn: Stated the Capital Improvement Plan targets projects and priorities for allocation of public funds; also these issues are related to the concurrency plan required under the Growth Management Act. Kees Kolff: Considers this an excellent concept and encourages support by the council. Mr. Randall noted that a definition of"buildable lots" must be established. Mr. Lipton, Mr. Wolcott and Mr. Finnie expressed concern about the implications of establishing punitive measures rather than incentives. Vote: The motion carried 4-3 by voice vote, with Messrs Wolcott, Lipton and Finnie opposed EXECUTIVE SESSION Mr. Masci announced that the council would adjourn to executive session to discuss personnel matters and litigation. He stated that he expected the session to last 30 minutes and that no action was anticipated following the session. The council went into executive session at 9:37 p.m. RECONVENE The meeting reconvened at 10:15 p.m. ADJOURN There being no further items for discussion, the meeting adjourned at 10:17 p.m. Attest: City Clerk City Council Business Meeting Page 9 dune 4, 2001