HomeMy WebLinkAbout022725 Special Session City Council (City Council Joins PC) Meeting MinutesCITY OF PORT TOWNSEND
MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL
SESSION OF FEBRUARY 27, 2025
CALL TO ORDER
The Planning Commission met in special session with the City Council on February 27,
2025, in the City Council chamber at 540 Water Street. Chair Rick Jahnke called the
meeting to order at 6:30pm
Commissioners present at roll call were Andreas Andreadis, Samantha Bair -Jones, Bob
Doyle, Rick Jahnke, Stephen Mader, Viki Sonntag, and Lois Stanford.
City Council was called to order at 6:45.
Council members present at roll call were Monica MickHager, Owen Rowe, Ben
Thomas, and Libby Urner Wennstrom.
Staff members present were City Manager John Mauro, Public Works Director, Steve
King, Planning and Community Development Director, Emma Bolin, Long Range
Planner, Adrian Smith, and Deputy City Clerk, Lonnie Mickle.
ACCEPTANCE OF AGENDA
The agenda was accepted by consensus.
Galen Goodwick discussed the future of homes for the working class residents in the
city. Pete Langley mentioned taxes and alternative housing. Gary Rieger discussed
underutilized lots, the city manager's pay and smaller homes. Jude Rubin asked what
the Climate Action Committee and the Planning Commission would do with both the
food security and climate resiliency layer map and how to help the farms and food
producers in the city.
Planning and Community Development Director Emma Bolin responded to public
comments.
NEW BUSINESS
Reviewing Current Comprehensive Plan Goals and Policies
Planning and Community Development Director, Emma Bolin and Long Range Planner,
Adrian Smith reviewed the Policies in the Adopted Comprehensive Plan. Adrian Smith
introduced the SCJ Alliance consultant, Bill Grimes. The Long Range Planner recapped
how each of the different reports and checklists work together. This portion of the
presentation covered the growth management report, the housing needs assessment,
land capacity analysis, the income band analysis, the racially disparate impacts
analysis, and the adequate provisions checklist.
Council members and Commissioners discussed the income band analysis, land use
analysis, subsidized housing, the inclusion of the risk displacement map, and the
barriers to housing.
Emma Bolin and Adrian Smith continued the presentation with the adopted land use
map, a comparison between the zoning map and the land use map, the required future
land use map, and how other cities changed their maps.
Discussion ensued about changing the city's maps, growth of the city, and simplifying
each different map.
Steve King mentioned the different processes to change maps, and the ability to
generalize zoning codes to have more allowances for changes.
Bill Grimes summarized the community engagement. Mr. Grimes mentioned refining the
community statement, and the policy for community direction.
Discussion ensued about the goals for the encouragement of higher density residential
development within the City limits with gradual phasing outward from the urban core,
the consideration of the need to adopt and implement a right -to -farm ordinance in order
to protect agricultural uses in certain residential zones, and the assurance of a wide
range of housing opportunities throughout the entire community, while preserving and
creating distinct residential neighborhoods.
The Council members and Commissioners discussed the encouragement of higher
density residential development in areas where the existing development patterns or
terrain are conducive to walking, bicycling, and frequent transit service, and the
dispersion of multi -family housing and special needs housing throughout the City
rather than in isolated developments.
The Commissioners and Council members then discussed the development of housing
by designating and zoning smaller multi -family residential districts in many locations and
encouraging building design and landscaping that will help housing blend into or
improve neighborhoods.
They also discussed pursuing strategies to discourage nonlocal traffic through
residential neighborhoods and to plan adequate off-street parking to encourage
narrower streets in new and redeveloped residential areas.
Adrian Smith presented goals and policies for housing.
Discussion ensued about providing an adequate supply of housing for residents of all
income groups, including sufficient housing affordability to low and moderate income
groups, ensuring that implementing regulations allow experimentation in newer forms of
residential development where clustering, density bonuses, and other incentives help to
achieve affordable housing and open space goals, encouraging accessory dwelling
units (ADUs) and other innovative techniques for providing affordable housing, and
considering permitting affordable housing "demonstration projects" in which
development standards may be negotiated without sacrificing public health and safety,
in order to provide lower cost housing.
The Commissioners and Council members discussed the city's community driven
development, the work being done in partnership among various levels of government
and with other public and private agencies to address the city's housing needs, and the
consideration of all available local, county, state, and federal funding opportunities and
private resources in the development of affordable housing and the participation in
region -wide coordination of affordable housing related plans and programs.
They also discussed alternative organizational structures that may improve our ability to
meet affordable housing goals, the encouragement of clustering and small lot PUDs in
order to retain open space and promote the construction of affordably priced attached
single-family houses, and the recognition that an adequate supply of affordable housing
is directly linked to economic development.
The Council members and Commissioners then discussed promoting a balanced,
affordable, reliable, convenient, and efficient transportation system that supports the
Land Use Element and Community Direction Statement of the Port Townsend
Comprehensive Plan to ensure that transportation system improvements are compatible
with adjacent land uses, the provision of a transportation system that enhances
neighborhood development and infill, and to coordinate with affected agencies to design
regional transportation systems to support urban growth within designated urban growth
areas.
They also discussed developing a comprehensive Transportation Demand Management
program and other incentives to improve the efficient use of the transportation system
and to achieve Port Townsend's land use objectives.
OLD BUSINESS
There was no old business to discuss at this meeting.
UPCOMING MEETINGS * THURSDAY MARCH 13 PLANNING COMMISSION
MEETING CONTINUING DISCUSSION OF TOOLS FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE
PLAN INCLUDING EXISTING GOALS AND POLICIES IN RELATION TO GOALS
SET BY THE PRELIMINARY DOCKET. * WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26 PUBLIC
WORKSHOP ON IMPLEMENTATION OPTIONS * THURSDAY MARCH 2
PLANNING COMMISSION & CITY COUNCIL JOINT MEETING ON DRAFT GOALS
AND POLICIES RELATED TO HOUSING AND DENSITY AND ON
IMPLEMENTATION OPTIONS, * THURSDAY APRIL 10, PLANNING COMMISSION
MEETING CONTINUING DISCUSSION OF EXISTING AND DRAFT GOALS AND
POLICIES IN RELATION TO GOALS SET BY THE PRELIMINARY DOCKET
COMMUNICATIONS
There was no communication for this meeting.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:08 pm.
Clerk's Office