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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Minutes 2022-10-26 MINUTES PLANNING COMMISSION Virtual Meeting Port Angeles, Washington 98362 October 26, 2022 6:00 p.m. REGULAR MEETING CALL TO ORDER Chair Stanley opened the regular meeting at 6:05 P.M. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Richie Ahuja, Tammy Dziadek, Andrew Schwab (Vice Chair), Marolee Smith, Benjamin Stanley (Chair) Commissioners Absent: Colin Young - 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: Annie O’Rourke James Taylor John Worthington PUBLIC COMMENT Chair Stanley opened the meeting to public comment. John Worthington provided comment related to the City’s Comprehensive Plan. He expressed concern with a contract the City signed with ICLEI, which he considers illegal and opposes. He stated that the Comprehensive Plan was influenced by the World Economic Forum and international government, which defeats the purpose of having a Planning Commission. He also suggested that the Puget Sound region should invest in manufacturing more goods locally instead of importing so many by ship. Chair Stanley closed the meeting to public comment. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Smith moved to approve the minutes from the September 28, 2022 regular meeting of the Planning Commission. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously (5-0). ACTION ITEMS 1. Façade Grant No. 22-03 Peninsula Housing Authority: Lee Plaza and Annex Renovation, 108 West 1st Street DocuSign Envelope ID: BE0A77F0-A324-46B4-9D79-2F4260EAB722 Planning Commission Minutes October 26, 2022 Page 2 Vice Chair Schwab recused himself from this action item due to his business establishment being located in the building under consideration. Planner Braudrick introduced the item, providing an overview of the applicant’s request for a façade grant to fund façade improvements on two buildings. Following staff’s presentation of the proposal, the following questions were received from Commissioners: • Commissioner Smith asked about the purpose of the budget item allocated to electrical improvements. Annie O’Rourke of the Peninsula Housing Authority responded that it relates to new lighting proposed on the building façade. • Commissioner Smith asked about proposed signage. Annie O’Rourke explained that a sign will be placed along the front edge of the existing building entrance canopy. • Chair Stanley asked whether there are any underlying issues with the building or structural renovations that the grant is intended to fund. Annie O’Rourke stated that the goal is to incorporate durable products with structural rigidity into the improvements to ensure longevity and ease of maintenance. Annie O’Rourke expressed concern about condition #3 in the Staff Report, which Planner Braudrick acknowledged is unnecessary. MOTION: Commissioner Smith moved to approve Façade Grant No. 22-03 as presented, subject to all conditions recommended by staff except condition #3 in the Staff Report. The motion was seconded and passed by unanimous consent (5-0). Vice Chair Schwab returned to the meeting following consideration of Action Item #1. 2. Public Hearing: Climate Resiliency Implementation Plan Chair Stanley opened the public hearing to public comment. Planner Braudrick introduced the Climate Resiliency Implementation Plan (CRIP) by providing history of the climate planning process leading up to the draft being considered. John Worthington provided comment, explaining that he lives in Sequim but is affected by local and regional policies. In his comment, he raised the following points: • He asked the Planning Commission to end the ICLEI contracts and the agreement with Cascadia Consulting Group, due to too much international influence. • Emissions from ships are 260 times the amount of emissions from the world’s automobile fleet, but the policies subjecting people to emissions cannot be appealed. • The emissions and climate impact from shipping affect all people, but people have no recourse over international agreements or the NGOs that make international policy. • Port Angeles receives approximately 80% of its goods by truck from Seattle, but the residents do not have the opportunity to have the ships unload goods in the Port of Port Angeles on their way to Seattle or Tacoma to reduce overall emissions. • Serving an international community is treason since hundreds of cities have opted out of American sovereignty and into an international sovereignty. Chair Stanley closed the public hearing to public comment. Following the public comment period, the commission discussed the item, making observations and suggestions, including the following: DocuSign Envelope ID: BE0A77F0-A324-46B4-9D79-2F4260EAB722 Planning Commission Minutes October 26, 2022 Page 3 • Chair Stanley clarified that the CRIP is an optional document for the City and does not have the force of law. A global international government with political power would be helpful in enabling the tracking of shipping emissions. • Commissioner Smith stated that, due to declining tree canopy, an updated Tree Gap Assessment is needed. The City should have a goal of 40% tree canopy coverage. A Community Forester, as referenced in the Port Angeles Municipal Code, and a Tree Board to work on urban forestry issues under the supervision of the Planning Commission are necessary. The Tree City USA designation is meaningless without concrete action. The CRIP should be addressing climate hazards, such as fire, that the Olympic Peninsula faces. • Chair Stanley noted that some action items in the CRIP address the transit system, but it would be ideal to increase Clallam Transit bus capacity to accommodate more bicycles. This and other priorities should be discussed by the Commission soon as part of the larger implementation discussion. • Commissioner Smith recommended that a chain of command for disaster response among City departments be codified. Chair Stanley responded by stating that a hazard mitigation plan is a separate tool from a climate action plan. Commissioner Smith responded that they need to be integrated into a single plan. The Commission further discussed the draft plan, timing, and staff’s recommendation. Several Commissioners expressed an intent to submit written comments on the draft. Planner Braudrick confirmed that comment provided by the Climate Action Subcommittee members will be incorporated into the record and final document. MOTION: Chair Stanley moved to recommend approval of the Climate Resiliency Plan Implementation Plan to the City Council. The motion was seconded and passed by a roll call vote (5-0). DISCUSSION ITEMS 1. Building Residential Capacity - Code Amendment Process 2. Continued discussion of proposed changes to Port Angeles Municipal Code Title 17 Planner Braudrick introduced the items, providing context for the discussion and an overview of staff’s memorandum. He explained how the suggestions considered in the memorandum will be incorporated into the larger Building Residential Capacity code amendment process. The Commission’s discussion of the memorandum included the following observations: • Commissioner Smith believes the memorandum should be presented to the City Council. A joint meeting between the Commission and City Council would be helpful in making progress. Planner Braudrick noted that a public workshop and hearings are forthcoming as part of the process leading to a final City Council decision in March. • Chair Stanley advocated for changing the minimum residential lot size to allow for 1,750 square foot lots. • Commissioner Dziadek asked that staff choose the venue for the upcoming workshop to ensure ease of access for all attendees. Planner Fleming mentioned some of the barriers the City is facing to the production of more multi- family affordable housing. DocuSign Envelope ID: BE0A77F0-A324-46B4-9D79-2F4260EAB722 Planning Commission Minutes October 26, 2022 Page 4 Following the discussion, staff confirmed that the code amendment process would continue to move forward and will be discussed again at forthcoming meetings. STAFF UPDATES City staff provided several updates to the Commission, as follows: • The City has been selected by the Washington Department of Commerce as one of three communities in the State to participate in the Department’s Climate Pilot Program. The program will aid the City in integrating climate action planning and the Climate Resiliency Plan into the Comprehensive Plan during the next update in June of 2023. The result will be a plan that incorporates climate action throughout, rather than limiting it to a single element. • The Planning Division attended the Annual WA-APA Conference in Vancouver, WA. The conference focused on housing and provided many useful tools for staff to use. • Planner Fleming has been participating in Housing Solution Committee meetings, which are open to the Commissioners if they want to attend. The next meeting will be held on November 4th on Zoom. • Staff can ask the City’s communications team if it is possible to add an event-tracking calendar for use by the Planning Commission to keep the Commissioners updated on opportunities to attend relevant meetings. REPORTS OF COMMISSION MEMBERS • Commissioner Ahuja provided a list of reports that will be released in anticipation of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which he plans on attending. He will send links to these reports to staff through an email. • Commissioner Dziadek recommended Strong Towns as a useful educational resource and provided a description of their mission. • Chair Stanley expressed support for the establishment of an outreach team to reach out to the community and discourage tree removal in the City. ADJOURNMENT Chair Stanley moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously (5-0). The meeting adjourned at 7:54 p.m. Zach Trevino, Secretary Ben Stanley, Chair MINUTES PREPARED BY: Zach Trevino, Secretary DocuSign Envelope ID: BE0A77F0-A324-46B4-9D79-2F4260EAB722