Title
BranBar Rezone Proposal - Follow-Up Discussion
Recommended Action
Move to recommend that the Hearing Examiner proceed without recommendation from the Planning Commission.
Report
Issue:
BranBar, LLC has submitted a request (File # 15-0130) to change the land use zoning of an approximately five-acre parcel located just west of the Cooper Crest subdivision from one low-density zoning category to another. This proposal will be presented by public hearing to the Olympia Hearing Examiner before making a recommendation to the City Council. The Olympia Planning Commission will continue its discussion on whether to provide comment on the proposal to the Hearing Examiner.
Staff Contact:
Michelle Sadlier, Associate Planner, Community Planning & Development, 360.753.8031
Presenter(s):
Michelle Sadlier, Associate Planner, Community Planning & Development
Background and Analysis:
City staff presented this proposal to the Planning Commission at their February 22, 2016 meeting. During the meeting, Commissioners raised a number of questions that required further research from staff. Below is a summary of the questions and responses:
1. Is clustering possible in Residential Low Impact (RLI) zoning districts?
The Comprehensive Plan refers to clustering in the following goals and policies:
• GL1: Land use patterns, densities and site designs are sustainable and support decreasing automobile reliance.
o PL1.8: Buffer incompatible industrial, commercial and residential uses by requiring landscaped buffers or transitional uses, such as plazas, offices, or heavily landscaped parking; use natural buffers where possible and require clustering where warranted.
• GL16: The range of housing types and densities are consistent with the community’s changing population needs and preferences.
o PL16.3: Allow ‘clustering’ of housing compatible with the adjacent neighborhood to preserve and protect environmentally sensitive areas.
As described in OMC 18.04.080, clustered housing is not tied to particular zones so would, in theory, be possible in either the current or proposed zoning district.
Clustered housing is mandatory under the following conditions:
• In wellhead protection areas;
• To enable retention of windfirm trees;
• To accommodate urban trails identified in the Comprehensive Plan;
• To preserve scenic vistas described in the municipal code; or
• To create a buffer between incompatible uses.
Optional clustered housing may be possible under the above conditions, as well as to avoid developing on slopes greater than 20%, to preserve natural site features (e.g., rock outcrops) or enable land to be made available for public or private open space.
Whether clustered housing is required or possible would be assessed at the time a land use application is submitted.
2. How many units are being requested for the proposed Parkside development nearby? How many acres?
The Parkside preliminary plat application proposes a development of 75 single family lots on ca. 30 acres on the corner of 20th and Cooper Point Road. It was received in 2014 and is still under review. The proposal may be heard by the Hearing Examiner as early as June or July 2016 pending further details to be submitted by the applicant.
Review for this application has included the following areas:
• Application of various sections of the Unified Development Code
• SEPA
• Critical areas
• Engineering, including application of Engineering and Design Standards (EDDS) and a traffic study
• Urban Forestry, including application of OMC 16.54 Tree Protection and Replacement for Green Cove Basin
In addition to City of Olympia staff, reviewers of the proposal include staff from Intercity Transit, Olympia Fire Department, and Olympia School District.
3. At the time of annexation of the BranBar parcel and since, have there been any proposals to increase density?
Community Planning & Development records indicate that at least one previous application proposing a zoning map change from R1/5 to RLI has been submitted prior to this application. As was required under the existing Comprehensive Plan at the time, the application was submitted as a Comprehensive Plan amendment, with no proposed amendments to Comprehensive Plan or Unified Development Code text. This application was submitted by the current applicants in 2008. The application was withdrawn before staff analysis was completed.
A Comprehensive Plan amendment is not required for a proposed rezone under the current version of the plan.
4. What are the tree requirements for RLI zoning?
Olympia Municipal Code 16.54 addresses tree protection and replacement for Green Cove Basin. Some key points are that the minimum tree density is 220 tree units per acre (vs 30 tree units elsewhere), and that the preservation of existing trees is prioritized over removal and replacement. Attachment 1 identifies the boundaries in which this section of the code applies.
The regulations outlined in OMC 16.54 apply under both the current and proposed zoning. Tree requirements are evaluated and determined at the time a proposal for development is submitted.
5. Can you provide a projected roads map for the area?
Attachment 2 is the Westside and Downtown Transportation 2030 map from the Comprehensive Plan (amended January 2016). The BranBar parcel is marked with a black arrow. This map outlines Olympia’s current and projected transportation network. The dashed lines indicate minimum projected street connectors required to meet future development needs. Additional streets may be required depending on the intensity of a specific proposed development.
Actual street locations and numbers are determined at the time an application for proposed development is submitted using the EDDS.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
Cooper Crest Neighborhood Association and individual residents have expressed concerns about transportation impacts that would result from development of the site should the rezone be approved. A neighborhood meeting was held on December 10, 2015.
Options:
1. Recommend approval of the proposal as requested by the applicant.
2. Recommend denial or an alternative land use zone.
3. Recommend that the Hearing Examiner proceed without recommendation from the Planning Commission.
Financial Impact:
No direct impacts on City finances. Changes in zoning may affect property values in the area and, upon future development, are likely to result in different demands for public services.