Title
Update on the Planning Commission's 2014-2015 Work Plan
Report
Issue:
Discussion of the current OPC Work Plan, including what is scheduled for the next 5-8 months and some specific questions for OPC
Staff Contact:
Presenter(s):
Amy Buckler
Background and Analysis:
One of the common concerns Commissioners expressed during their annual retreat is confusion about the OPC Work Plan, how it is developed in conjunction with other City work plans and where we are now in fulfillment of the Commission's 2014-2015 Work Plan (Attachment 2).
The City's new Action Plan will hopefully provide a stronger tool for identifying and prioritizing actions that involve advisory boards, and thus inform their future work plans. Staff will also work with the Commission to create a better process for development of the 2015-2016 Work Plan; the Commission will begin this discussion early next year, following the City Council's annual retreat, which usually takes place in early January.
The following are items from the currently approved work plan that are still outstanding, including when they are generally scheduled to be on the Commission's agenda.
July-August 2014:
· Complete deliberations on Rezone Criteria (completed)
· Retreat Recap (in progress)
· Capital Facilities Plan (CFP) - Public Hearing (Aug 4)
· Retail Cannibus Code Public Hearing (Aug 18)
September-December 2014:
· AT&T Wireless Code - Public Hearing and deliberations (Sept 8 & 22)
· Deliberation on Cannibus Code (Sept 8)
· Deliberations on CFP recommendation (Sept 8, 22 and Oct 6)
· OHC Code Amendment - Public Hearing and deliberations (Oct 6 and 20 - See next section for an explanation)
· Neighborhood Centers (Oct-December; see Attachment 3)
· Downtown Master Plan briefings (late 2014/early 2015)
o See section for further information
January-March 2015:
· Campus Master Plans Briefing & Public Hearing (January 2015)
· Project Review Time Limits (first quarter, 2015)
· Code Amendments for Implementation (first quarter of 2015; priorities to be determined as part of the Action Plan)
o Home Occupation Code
o TENTATIVE: Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Code (Could fit well alongside Home Occupation Code. The public has expressed interest in a review of the ADU Code - the parking and 16' height requirement in particular have been discussed with OPC before. Is OPC interested in requesting a referral for this to be addressed concurrent with the Home Occupation Code?)
o Expand Design Review to all commercial (to include DR administrative refinements )
Not being scheduled at this time:
· Amend environmentally sensitive areas - clustering (Will be addressed as part of the Low Impact Development updates later in 2015 - OPC will receive an update on this project on August 18, 2014)
· Homeless/Group Homes (probably on hold long-term)
· Special Project Close-Outs (probably none for this work plan cycle)
Unknown:
· PO/RM amendment
o OPC placed this on hold. What does OPC want to do with this?
· Next steps on Climate Change
o On July 7, the Commission decided to follow-up their panel discussion with further discussion of next steps. Please provide staff with direction on this item. What further information do you need? Is there a specific code section or type you want to explore?
OLYMPIA HERITAGE COMMISSION (OHC) PROPOSED CODE AMENDMENT
This year, the Heritage Commission had two items on their Work Plan, which - in working towards achieving stated goals - resulted in the following proposal:
OHC's first work item was to assess the status of properties on the Olympia Heritage Register and Olympia Historic Inventory, and to actively expand the list of Inventory properties. Questions came to light over the role of these lists (Regulation? Information? Other?) as well as what their criteria for selection are and what the public processes in developing them are. OHC advised that these questions remain unanswered in Olympia Municipal Code, and require clarity.
At the same time, OHC began addressing another related work item: conduct heritage-related ordinance review and monitoring. They looked carefully at OMC 18.12.100 B, which regulates Inventory properties. OHC determined that the main impact of this regulation would be to delay a proposed demolition, but that demolition could not be prevented. Thus, Commissioners determined that this regulation does not support their goal of promoting historic preservation. Following discussion on May 28, 2014, OHC unanimously requested OMC 18.12.100 B. be removed from the Code. Their preference is that this be considered sooner rather than later, to avoid any public confusion over the import of heritage inventory regulations.
Changes to the development standards require a public hearing and recommendation from the Planning Commission.
NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS CODE
Staff and the Leadership Team have the following proposal for a process for the Neighborhood Center Code review:
Problem: We have not achieved development of neighborhood centers as outlined in the CP.
Goal: Articulate a clear process, regulations and incentives for how neighborhood centers can be developed as outlined in the Comprehensive Plan - this may include recommending Code changes.
NOT included in this scope:
· Comprehensive Plan policy
· Visioning or master planning for specific neighborhood centers
· Regulations for neighborhood centers located within master planned Urban Villages or Neighborhood Villages (these areas all have approved master plans)
Guidelines for the Process:
· Clearly define, communicate and stay within the project scope
· Work with CNA steering committee
· Create a clear public participation plan with certain dates advertised well in advance
· Create Plain Talk materials for neighborhoods
· Finish by the end of 2014
Process:
· Staff - Information Gathering (July-September)
o What are the obstacles?
o What are other cities doing?
o Meet with CNA Leadership for input on public engagement
o Interviews with property & business owners
· Public Process (October-Nov)
o Bring Info back to OPC (early October)
o Hold a information public meeting or workshop (end of October or early November; Potentially with CNA)
o Hold a Public Hearing, if needed (Nov)
o Potentially provide other form(s) of outreach (to be determined during info gathering and with LT/CNA)
· Wrap it up (December)
o Deliberate on any recommended code changes (December)
DOWNTOWN PLANNING NEXT STEPS
The draft Comprehensive Plan includes a policy which outlines the minimum topics to address in a downtown plan: PL 17.1: Adopt a Downtown Plan addressing - at minimum - housing, public spaces, parking management, rehabilitation and redevelopment, architecture and cultural resources, building skyline and views, and relationships to the Port peninsula and Capitol Campus.
The City Council has directed that scoping for the Downtown Planning process will occur during the first 6 months of 2015; followed by 12 months of planning to include a the public process involving diverse stakeholders. Recommendations about the process would be premature at this point, since Council intends to craft the process during the scoping process.
The Planning Commission is eager to begin work on this item. As a next step,
Here are five possible and related next steps:
1. Scope, design and host 1-3 briefings regarding topics related to downtown during the first quarter of 2015. OPC has included a set of downtown briefings on this year's work plan, which are generally scheduled to begin at the end of 2014 or beginning of 2015. These could be structured to help to inform the City Council's scoping process.
2. A joint meeting between OPC and the City Council is being scheduled for the Fall. A main topic of the joint meeting could be something like, 'Discussion of OPC Suggestions for How to set up the Downtown Scoping Process.'
3. Prior to the joint meeting, OPC could have an agenda item at a regular meeting to discuss ideas or questions to present and discuss with City Council. This could include a proposal regarding OPC's upcoming downtown briefings, with an invitation for the City Council or other downtown stakeholders to attend.
4. Chair Brown proposes that OPC host an 'expert panel' later this year to help illuminate the steps which a development team goes through when designing, financing and reaching out the public regarding a project for downtown Olympia. Potential invitees include representatives from:
· Real Estate Company
· Real Estate Broker
· Architect
· Developer
· Financer
· Member of the public
5. Individually, begin to study downtown topics of interest to you. Unfortunately, CP&D is not able to support new subcommittees at this time. However, it may be possible for a Commissioner to study a downtown topic with another Commissioner or member of the public as long as there is no violation of the Open Public Meetings Act. Upon request of the Commission, staff can look into this further and provide guidance for OPC to discuss at a future meeting.
Staff is also preparing the 74 previous downtown studies and reports in a format accessible to Commissioners to the public.
INFORMATION BRIEFINGS REQUESTED
OPC's current Work Plan included the following briefing requests:
· Stormwater 101 (completed)
· How the Development Code Works (completed)
· Infrastructure Planning (incorporated into CFP subcommittee process?)
· Development Community/Economic Factors
o Michael Cade briefed OPC on May 5
o 'Expert panel' on downtown development project later this year
o Potential briefing on downtown economy specifically
· Downtown Issues (To be scoped by OPC this Fall)
In addition to the briefings included in the Work Plan, individual Commissioners have requested the following information briefings. The full Commission should discuss these ideas, and provide direction to staff regarding which are priorities for the body:
· Westside Olympia TIGER Grant application
o Thera Black to provide "hidden issues' regarding West Olympia
· Training in Code Writing
· More Open Public Meetings Act Training (or Q&A with City Attorney)
· Form Based Code for the Tumwater Brewery
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
None known at this time
Options:
Discuss the current Work Plan with each other and staff.
Staff has the following specific questions for OPC:
1. PO/RM amendment - OPC placed this on hold earlier in the year. What does OPC want to do with this?
2. Please provide guidance to staff on the desire and expectations for Climate Change next steps.
3. Any comments or concerns about the proposed Neighborhood Center Code process?
4. Any comments or ideas regarding the Downtown planning items?
5. Is OPC interested in requesting a referral for the ADU Code to be addressed concurrent with the Home Occupation Code?
6. What suggested briefings are your top priorities for this work plan?
Financial Impact:
OPC's Work Plan Items are included in the Base Budget.