January 7th, 2019 Council Meeting Summary

January 7, 2019

Councilmember Taylor moved, and Councilmember Kennedy seconded, to approve the consent agenda.  MOTION CARRIED 7-0.

APPROVED

Mark Henderson, manager of the discharge permit for the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, presented the “Golden Plunger” award to Mike Olinger, Public Utilities Superintendent. In order to earn this award, the treatment plant must achieve 100% compliance with all requirements set forth by the Department of Ecology.

INFO ONLY

North America’s fastest growing Native tradition brings thousands of people and hundreds of canoes together to honor the water and celebrate Indigenous values. This year, the journey will be hosted by the Lummi Nation. Freddy Lane and Beth Brownfield spoke about the journey, which will take place from July 24 – 28, 2019. The Canoe Journey will see between 70 – 100 canoe families and an estimated 10,000 visitors per day. 5,000 meals will be served each day, and the Lummi Nation will be making 10,000 handmade gifts for the Potlatch. The event is free and open to the public. Camping space, showers, portable toilets, electricity, Wi-Fi, and traffic control will all be provided by the Lummi Nation.

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Public Works Capital Projects Manager Katy Radder presented an update on the following capital projects:

·         Final paperwork is being completed on 2018 projects, including Washington Street, Cherry Street Sidewalks, and Pioneer Pathways.

·         First Avenue Pedestrian Safety Project – Currently in the design phase.

·         Pump Station #19 Decommissioning (Malloy Village) – Currently in the design phase.

·         Thornton Road Overcrossing – Currently in the right-of-way phase, and the City is working on acquiring the necessary property for the project.

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The comprehensive plan is the long-range guiding document of the City and is fully updated every five to eight years in cooperation with other local jurisdictions and Whatcom County. In the intervening years the City or private applicants may propose amendments no more than once per year unless an emergency situation exists.

At the December 3, 2018 City Council meeting, Councilmembers moved to close the public hearing associated with the 2018 Comprehensive Plan Amendment docket, with the expectation of approving all of the proposed amendments with the exception of the proposed modification to property on Thornton Street. At the Planning and Land Use Committee meeting on January 2, 2019, committee members expressed continued concerns with modifying the land use and establishing a development agreement so far in advance of a development proposal. Having reached the same conclusions independently, on January 3, 2019, the property owner formally withdrew her rezone proposal. As a result, the following items are proposed for the 2018 Comprehensive Plan Amendment docket:

1.       Removal, modification, or renaming of the floodway land use designation. With this modification, properties currently subject to the designation would instead be designated based on the adjacent land use designations, and the properties would also be rezoned to the adjacent zoning designation.

2.       Comprehensive plan land use map change: South Portal. The recommendation is to change the land use designation in this area from Commercial to Medium or High Density Residential. In recent years there has been a significant shift in ownership in the area and some of the long-term uses have ceased or may soon cease. The existing Commercial land use designation anticipates a variety of uses for an area that does not appear to be conducive to those uses.

3.       Comprehensive Land Use Change: Donna Lane. This amendment would change the land use designation of this property in the vicinity of Thornton Street from Commercial to Low Density Residential, consistent with adjacent residential properties to the west. The zoning will be RS medium.

Councilmember K. Hansen moved, and Councilmember Kennedy seconded, to approve the agenda bill. MOTION CARRIED 7-0.

APPROVED