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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Minutes 2022-12-28MINUTES PLANNING COMMISSION Hybrid Meeting – In Person and Virtual City Council Chambers: 321 E 5th Street, Port Angeles, Washington 98362 December 28, 2022 6:00 p.m. REGULAR MEETING CALL TO ORDER Chair Stanley opened the regular meeting at 6:01 P.M. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Benjamin Stanley (Chair) Andrew Schwab (Vice Chair) Tammy Dziadek Marolee Smith James Taylor Colin Young Commissioners Absent: Richie Ahuja - excused City Staff Present: Ben Braudrick (Senior Planner) Holden Fleming (Housing Coordinator) Norman Gollub (Interim Director of Community and Economic Development) Zach Trevino (Assistant Planner) Public Present: Steve Workman Richard S. Kelly G. Commissioner Taylor, who began serving on the Planning Commission in December 2022, briefly introduced himself to the Commission after roll call. Each Commissioner present briefly introduced themselves to Commissioner Taylor. PUBLIC COMMENT Chair Stanley opened the meeting to public comment. Steve Workman provided comment thanking the Commission for working to facilitate more housing and encouraged the City to utilize permit-ready plan sets. He explained that short-term rentals (STRs) are more profitable than long-term rentals, so their proliferation are contributing to a lack of available housing. He encouraged regulation of STRs by the City. Chair Stanley closed the meeting to public comment. DocuSign Envelope ID: A5DE8BCD-987E-4E1E-925B-7151D8013FFE Planning Commission Minutes December 28, 2022 Page 2 APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Smith moved to approve the minutes from the December 14, 2022 regular meeting of the Planning Commission. Commissioner Dziadek noted that it would be helpful if staff could make requests for Commissioners to take action prior to a meeting clearer in future email communication. The motion was seconded and passed by unanimous consent (6-0). DISCUSSION ITEM 1. Pursuing Housing for All Code Amendment Process Chair Stanley noted that Commissioners Smith and Dziadek had submitted comments to the Commission addressing community diversity in relation to this discussion item. Planner Braudrick introduced the discussion item, providing an overview of the staff memorandum included in the agenda packet. He explained that the memorandum ordered suggested code amendments by priority based on Commissioner feedback at the December 14th meeting. He provided a brief overview of each identified priority to enable the Commission’s discussion of each item. Finally, he acknowledged that some items were deemed to be outside of the scope of Pursuing Housing for All and will not be included in this code amendment. Planner Fleming provided an overview of proposed changes to ADU design standards, including the addition of commercial caretaker unit standards. He also addressed conversion of commercial structures to residential uses, providing examples of what that might entail. He recommended that the Commissioners consult the American Planning Association Planning Advisory Service Report Number 472 for more information. Chair Stanley asked for staff clarification on the timeline of the process. Planner Braudrick explained that 2023 will involve review of draft code language and a public workshop on January 23rd from 3:00 - 7:00 PM. Staff intends to have a first reading of draft code at the February 8th meeting. Commissioner Smith requested that the City prepare pre-approved plan sets and suggested that the City utilize Clallam County’s existing plan sets. Following staff clarification of process timeline and expectations for this meeting, Chair Stanley invited each Commissioner to provide input regarding the discussion item. The commissioners proceeded to provide their feedback on the priorities identified in the staff memorandum and a discussion lasting approximately two hours ensued. Main ideas expressed during the Commission’s discussion include the following ideas: • A rental inventory is needed in the City to enable an accurate count of existing rental units in the City’s housing stock. The creation of a rental board could help facilitate this. • Screening elements and window placement can help mitigate the impacts of increased infill development on neighbors. DocuSign Envelope ID: A5DE8BCD-987E-4E1E-925B-7151D8013FFE Planning Commission Minutes December 28, 2022 Page 3 • The accommodation of four dwelling units on one 7,000 square foot lot may necessitate modification to setback requirements, which staff will consider as the code language is drafted. • Some Commissioners expressed that Significant Priority #4 should not have been identified as significant, as the Commission believed that incentivizing smaller dwelling units is a better way to achieve the goal of facilitating attainable housing than directly disincentivizing larger dwelling units. • The Commission emphasized its support for Significant Priority #5, while acknowledging that additional research would be needed to understand how this could be implemented. The discussion involved consideration of prevailing wages required in Washington State per RCW 39.12.010. • The allowable size of ADUs should be increased to allow for more bedrooms and the ability of families to utilize ADUs as a housing option. Incentivizing local ownership of infill housing units, including ADUs, was noted as being important. • Minor Priority #4 should be elevated to be a significant priority, replacing Significant Priority #5 in the list of top priorities. • Vice Chair Schwab suggested that an inexpensive business license be required for all businesses in the City to enable tracking of the types of businesses in the community. • Commissioner Young noted that the relationship between STRs, multi-family housing, ADUs, and hotels can be speculated, although the exact trends are not known and will require additional research. In response to this, Planner Braudrick provided an update on recent lodging tax trends, which are at record high levels of growth. • Staff providing examples of manufactured homes at a future meeting will help the Commission understand what types of structures can be permitted and meet the standards of the International Residential Code. The ideas expressed by the Commissioners during the discussion were acknowledged by staff and will inform the specific code amendments that are proposed when the language is drafted. The Commission’s discussion ended with a mention of rent control, which is not allowed to be imposed in Washington State. Finally, the racial composition of Port Angeles was discussed among the Commissioners, in response to Commissioner comments about racial equity in relation to the proposed code amendments. STAFF UPDATES City staff provided the following two updates to the Commission: • Planner Braudrick announced that Planning Division staff will be visiting the Winter Ice Village in downtown Port Angeles on December 29, 2022 from 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM to engage with the public on the Pursuing Housing for All process. The goal of this DocuSign Envelope ID: A5DE8BCD-987E-4E1E-925B-7151D8013FFE Planning Commission Minutes December 28, 2022 Page 4 engagement is to collect feedback and invite people to attend the workshop scheduled for January 23, 2023. • Planner Fleming announced that the next Housing Solution Committee meeting will be January 6, 2023 at 9:00 AM and recommended that interested Commissioners attend the meeting. REPORTS OF COMMISSION MEMBERS • Vice Chair Schwab announced that he has applied for the vacant City Council position for the City of Port Angeles. Should he be appointed to the position, he will need to resign from serving on the Planning Commission. • Commissioner Dziadek noted that the Pursuing Housing for All website launched by staff is a good resource that helps the public outreach process. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Smith moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously (6-0). The meeting adjourned at 8:56 p.m. Zach Trevino, Secretary Ben Stanley, Chair MINUTES PREPARED BY: Zach Trevino, Secretary DocuSign Envelope ID: A5DE8BCD-987E-4E1E-925B-7151D8013FFE