Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Good evening. I'd like to welcome everybody to tonight's meeting. It is July 13th, and the time is now 6 o'clock exactly. This meeting will come to order. Tanya, will you please call the roll?

Yes. Ali Shasti?

Here.

Ben Reed is excused. Brian Kesterson?

Here.

Justice Phelps? Here. Sandra Pereira-Reynolds? Here. Todd Oyafeso? Here. Bonnie Williams.

Here. Thank you. Are there any added items or changes to the agenda from staff?

NO ADDED OR CHANGED AGENDA NO ADDED OR CHANGED AGENDA ITEMS. ITEMS. I DO WANT TO NOTE ONE THING FOR I DO WANT TO NOTE ONE THING FOR THE PLANNING BOARD. THE PLANNING BOARD. OUR FORMER CHAIR, A MEMBER, OUR FORMER CHAIR, A MEMBER, SANDRA PEREIRA-RENO, THIS WILL SANDRA PEREIRA-RENO, THIS WILL BE HER LAST MEETING. BE HER LAST MEETING. SHE HAS MANY EXCITING obligations that she's balancing and so we just thank her so much for the time that she's been part of this board thank you so much for representing the west hill and providing your expertise about that neighborhood as well as just bringing a level of enthusiasm and excitement for the future of our city and you led us through the comprehensive plan update You took on a lot of many different efforts recently, and so we just really appreciate the service that you've given to the city, and thank you so much.

Of course. Thank you. She made it sound mysterious. I'm doing a master's program and working full-time, so I don't...

I'm just a little busy right now. I wasn't sure what level of detail you wanted to give. I was like, she's popular.

All right. Are there the minutes for the previous meeting have been presented to the board? I call for a motion to approve the minutes of June 22nd, 2026 as presented. This is Justice Phelps.

I move that we approve the minutes as presented.

This is Sandra Pineda Reynolds. I second.

Is there any discussion? The motion on the floor is to approve the minutes of June 22nd, 2026 as presented. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed say nay. The ayes have it. Tonight we are holding a land use and planning board meeting in which staff will give presentations on the downtown plan, recode central key zone, rezone, and the 2026 annual docket. If there's no objections from the board members at this time, we are ready for the presentation on rediscovered downtown plan briefing two. Staff, you may begin. Yay.

OK, awesome.

Wonderful. Is that the right one?

okay maybe the date system perfect okay uh well we are here to um continue our review of the draft uh rediscover downtown plan we'll give you a brief update on some of the public review public comments that we received um and then jump back into the overview of the document and then share with you a few next steps that will lead us toward the adoption process. Just as a reminder to anyone who is watching or for you all as you're able to share this information with anyone in your network, we do have the draft plan posted. The link is on our engagement website, engage.kentwa.gov slash downtown. So far, we have had 193 readers and a total of 50 comments, only six commenters. We would love to see more comments, but we are glad that the plan is getting distributed and people are seeing it. So, again, please continue to share this information out. Public comments will be open until our next meeting on the 27th. So we started our review of the document last meeting. We went through chapters one, two, and then part of chapter three. So today we're gonna jump back into chapter three, which is the meat of the plan, where we go through each goal and the strategies and actions that will help us achieve those goals. We'll also give you a little insight on what's included in chapter four, which is sort of the urban design framework that we've all worked on together and really looking at how the plan can take shape in the public realm, the physical design of the plan. And then we'll look at the implementation chapter, chapter five, which is a matrix essentially of all of the strategies and actions in the plan, discussing how we intend to move forward in achieving those. So just as a reminder, tonight will will cover chapter goals for five and six goals. One, two and three were covered in our previous meeting. Happy to answer any questions as we go through. My plan is to kind of go through a couple of strategies at a time and then we'll pause and allow you to answer any questions or allow my allow me to answer any questions that you might have. So for goal four, this is really our equity and environmental goal for the downtown. It's to transform downtown by embedding health, equity, and sustainability into every project, program, and action, building a community where people and the environment thrive. Our strategies that are associated with this goal include creating a climate resilient downtown. As part of that, we are looking toward updating the comprehensive plan climate element specifically, which is also going to be a requirement to meet some new state laws. We're looking at reducing the impact of urban heat island, so we're looking at ways that we can expand our tree canopy and use other interventions to help reduce heat island effect. And then the third action under strategy 4.1 is to continue our comprehensive flood management. So we all know we had some flooding events last year. We certainly want to make sure that we're looking at the impacts in the downtown and coming up with some strategies that will help us make sure that we're able to manage any impacts that we anticipate. Strategy 4.2 is to improve access to food, pharmacies, parks and open space. So the first action here would be to retain grocery stores and pharmacies. We have a number of really interesting grocery stores and other ways that people are able to access food in the downtown. We certainly hope to retain those and to build upon those as we go forward. The second action is to expand connections to parks and open space. This is something that's also part of PSRC's requirements as well as ours. So we already have a number of parks and open space areas in the downtown. We have a number of strategies for improving those parks and open spaces, but specifically in this chapter, we're going to be looking at ways that we can connect these spaces through the downtown. And then action C is going to be encouraged development to include rooftops and other publicly accessible open spaces. So this is to continue to build out access to open space throughout downtown. So if we have new housing developments or other projects that come into the downtown, ensuring that we're considering ways that we can incorporate publicly accessible space in those projects where possible. Uhm, before I move forward, are there any questions or comments or observations? As you had a little bit more time to look over the plan document itself, are there other things in this area that you wanna? Ask or discuss at this time. Keep going. So 4.3 is to support safe, healthy, and green buildings. So action A here is to improve existing housing conditions. Action B is to encourage green building materials. And C is to integrate sustainable transportation features into development. Strategy 4.4 is to proactively address vacant and neglected properties. This is a really important one that we've, it really connects across many different areas of the plan, but we're housing it in this section. So action A here is to improve the appearance of vacant sites. Action B is to develop a mix of incentives and penalties that seek to eliminate long-term vacancies in the downtown. And then action C is to pilot a code enforcement program focused on eliminating blight. So this would be utilizing the downtown to kind of workshop and think about the way that we do code enforcement in this area and to test out some new ideas to the approaches that we're taking using downtown as a pilot area. Are there any questions or thoughts related to these strategies or actions? Yeah.

And I don't know, Caroline, this might be for you or it might be for Kristen. On 4.3 with C, I know it says encouraging electric vehicle charging. Didn't the legislature already pass a bill that requires that? And what I don't remember is, is it for new development or for...

Yeah, so the state building code has requirements for new builds and substantial remodels This also is thinking not just on private property But is this something that there's gaps that the kent network? transportation network or metro or others should be looking at as well and So the private sector is going to build, typically they build the bare minimum of what's required by the law, and so that we're assuming is a given that's going to come in. This would be any other things of what else do we need to do? So electric charging, there's also things like bike parking, other things that aren't necessarily mandates, but are there pieces in our transportation network that we need to strategically think about or add as requirements if it's certain development of a certain size or other things, especially knowing that since parking is being reduced and we can't require There's no allowance for the city to require parking in most of downtown starting in a couple years. It's also likely people will be using other modes or have other needs as well.

Okay, perfect. As long as we make that clear that we're not continuing to target private businesses but are looking at the entire system because private businesses already have that requirement.

To the right. To the right of the main text, there's a segment on vacant building ordinance, and it goes into, we passed something in 2009, I guess, and says what it's doing, which is all well and good, but it's kind of, I'd be looking for something of how does the ordinance need to be updated or changed, given that it's not working.

This is an example from the city of Everett that they've passed. So we don't currently have this in place in Kent.

Oh, the city of Everett.

We're looking toward one of our neighbors to see kind of what they've done. And we've seen some benefits. We're curious to see if this is something that might work in Kent.

So, okay.

But that's why it's kind of off to the side because we're using that as a model. We're looking into this. Okay. Yeah.

So what is the height or storage limit in downtown area? And when you talk about building a green building, are you talking about green roofs or that's something different?

I might defer to, yeah.

Yeah, so Deja's presentation actually has this as a comparison, but generally most of downtown is zoned DCE, which stands for Downtown Commercial Enterprise, and that does not have a height limit with it. So we are seeing typically a maximum of seven stories that are being built right now, and that's really because of building code standards, if you go over seven stories, the materials that are required are much more expensive. When we talk about green building materials, that could be everything from cross-laminate timber, which is a newer emerging product on the market. It could be adding in additional sustainability features. It could be adding public gathering spaces on rooftops that also has more green features to reduce impacts from heat. So it's a variety. This is... INTENTIONALLY WRITTEN BROAD BECAUSE, AGAIN, THE PURPOSE OF A DOWNTOWN PLAN OR SUB AREA PLAN IS TO POINT THE DIRECTION OF HERE'S WHERE WE WOULD LIKE TO GO OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS AND THEN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CODE CHANGES WOULD BE WHAT FOLLOWS THROUGH THAT. OR DESIGN STANDARDS IN THIS CASE.

ANYTHING ELSE ON THESE ITEMS?

OKAY.

EXCELLENT. Goal 5. Goal 5 is our sort of transportation and connectivity goal. So it's to make it simple to get to and around downtown, whether by walking, biking, transit or car with convenient parking and connected routes that link people to parks, shops and destinations. So strategy 5.1 is to improve connections to and through the downtown. So action A is to plan for a transportation network that serves all users. So we're really looking at ways that we can approach decision making around our infrastructure, looking at all different modes simultaneously. So we're not wanting to prioritize one or the other, but really make sure that we're creating a holistic system that's going to work for everybody that may look different kind of in different parts of the downtown. B is to prioritize connections that increase access. So. We are looking at some key streets that might have lower speeds that might be more appropriate for walking and biking, for example. And so we're going to continue to evaluate those. This is kind of our again, our policy direction to point us in the right way. TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE CONSIDERING THE CONNECTIONS THAT WOULD BE MOST APPROPRIATE. ALONG THE SIDE OF THE SCREEN, YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THOSE THAT ARE INDICATED FROM OUR URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK. SO THAT'S REALLY WHAT'S GUIDING THIS PARTICULAR ACTION ITEM. SO THERE'S A LOT MORE DETAIL THAT'S BEEN INCLUDED IN THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER ON THIS ITEM. And then an action C is to improve Central Avenue to draw people into downtown. So again, this is directly related to that urban design framework as well. And really is a key piece of what we're going to start moving forward on, which is why we're going to be bringing to you that rezoning that we'll discuss later on tonight. Strategy 5.2 is to create inviting people focused streets So we want to create recognizable entrances into downtown To develop a clear and easy to follow Wayfinding system for the downtown and to design and construct destination streets. So this this particular strategy is really our wayfinding gateway signage and Gateway elements beyond just signage. Like, what, what does that look like thinking creatively about that? And then it's also. Our destination streets, which are discussed further in the urban design framework, but really we're looking at ways that we can. hone in on the streets that are most appropriate for public gatherings, events in the downtown, and making sure that we are constructing those streets to accommodate those uses and so that we can really kind of focus in and hone in on where we want to see those kinds of things happening in the downtown. strategy 5.3 is to improve parking management to support downtown activity. We know that parking is a really important point for many of our businesses in the downtown, so we have a specific strategy related to that. A is to update parking policies and regulations. B is to embrace a park once strategy, which we also recognize is directly correlated to some of our other actions being implemented to increase safety and some other things that are maybe preventing people from parking once and walking throughout the downtown. So we want to make sure that we're looking at that from a broader POINT OF VIEW, BUT WE WANT TO HAVE A SPECIFIC POLICY DIRECTION HERE IN THAT. AND THEN C IS TO DISCOURAGE SURFACE PARKING LOTS ON KEY STREETS. SO PARKING ALONG THE STREET, THERE ARE OTHER KINDS OF PARKING THAT WE CAN LOOK AT IN CERTAIN AREAS. WE WANT TO BE CREATIVE ABOUT HOW WE ACCOMMODATE PARKING AS WELL AS PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLE-ORIENTED CONNECTIVITY. and make sure that we're also providing adequate parking on surface lots where it's appropriate. So it's really about choreographing that, looking at the parking analyses that have been completed in the past in the downtown and making sure that we're looking holistically about why people are parking where and where they might feel comfortable parking downtown. Are there any questions up to this point on these? Excellent. Strategy 5.4 is to work together to address mobility challenges and create solutions. So some of this we're already seeing in action. We may actually have to revise part of our plan to look at this. A is to reduce rail-related impacts downtown, which is both a requirement and also something that we've been actively working on. We know that we have the quiet zone, which has been noted there in the blue. Block at the bottom of this page in the plan that we've been working on this for quite some time. We know that that is then that we've officially achieved that. And so we want to celebrate that with all the staff across the city that have been working on that for a number of years. We want to coordinate with our partners for robust mobility options. So we recognize that like our city public works department is really only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to looking at downtown. So we have many other agencies that we need to build relationships with and make sure that we are aligning with in order to achieve some of our goals and improving infrastructure downtown. And then C is to prepare for current and emerging modes of transportation. So this is where we want people to sort of think. And as staff members, as we implement this plan to make sure that we are always looking at what is coming as well as kind of what we know now. So for the lifespan of this particular plan document, this will help us continue to look forward and make sure that we are anticipating what we might see coming in the downtown. Any questions on that item? I believe we're about to move into the following section. So goal six is really where we hope to see everything come together. So it's about infrastructure. It's also about coordination in order to implement the plan itself. So goal six is to coordinate investments in infrastructure and capital facilities today to anticipate future growth and development in downtown. So strategy 6.1 is to build the long-term capacity to implement the downtown vision. So the first action item here is to consider the establishment of a downtown program manager. B is to strengthen cross department coordination. C is to strengthen community partnerships and collaboration. And then D is to create a culture of long term stewardship. So making sure that we are working again with all of our partners to ensure that we have plans to maintain anything that we're able to make happen in the downtown. We know that sustainability in terms of being able to afford ongoing maintenance costs and other things are going to be really important to whatever we implement downtown. So we have this policy direction in place to help us. Strategy 6.2 is to improve communication, accountability, and public awareness. So we want to provide updates and build trust. So we want to make sure that we're reporting back to you on our progress as the downtown plan is implemented. B is to be flexible and willing to adjust strategies as conditions change. So again, these are just guidance for us as we think through decisions that we'll have to make as we implement the plan. And then B or C is to promote downtown investments and opportunities. So we want to make sure that we're highlighting the new things that come to downtown, that we're really telling the story of what's happening in the downtown over time in a way that we have the ability to highlight all the good things that are going on. And then strategy 6.3 is to coordinate infrastructure investments to support future growth. So again, A is to position downtown for redevelopment. And B is to align capital projects across departments so. All of these are working in concert. It's really sort of just reminders to us and all of our partners of the way that we want to work toward implementing the plan. Are there any questions about these items? Or anything that. Any comments? So far, OK. Strategy 6.4 is to expand funding and financing strategies to realize downtown's vision. We've recognized as we've had many, many conversations across the city and with our partners that we need to be looking at ways to fund the things that we want to see happen downtown. So we're going to have to think creatively. There are some obvious avenues that we have pursued in the past and there are new things that we might be able to pursue together. So a is to strengthen the tax base and sustain long term investment. We know that as we've looked at the downtown over 60% of our land area is non taxed. And so we want to make sure that we're looking at uses that we can bring into the downtown that might help us have a revenue stream to support the services that we want to provide in the downtown. B is to expand and diversify our funding sources. So looking at a diverse mix of local, state, federal, private funding strategies. We want to leverage grants. We want to look at infrastructure funding and public-private partnership opportunities to really maximize funding. our opportunities to afford what we want to do downtown. And then C is to explore financing tools to accelerate transformation. So we know working with Bill and our economic development team, he has a number of tools that he advocates for us considering in the downtown. We want to look at some of these opportunities in a real way and analyze what the cost benefits would be of pursuing those. seeing what we can put in place to support the recommendations in the plan overall. Any other questions or comments before we jump in to the next chapter?

Yes. I have just a question about retention. We've seen some existing businesses close down here, some of our, in Kent, not necessarily in downtown, but is there any... Anything in the plan that maybe addresses just kind of retention efforts like trying to make sure that we're retaining the businesses that maybe especially those that are are tax paying entities to help keep them here.

Most definitely and so. Goal 3, which is our kind of economic development goal and the plan we get to that section. Has a specific. portion that addresses business retention. So it's really about, we want to look both at retaining existing businesses that are in the downtown and also attracting new investment. Those two things work really well together once you get things rolling. So we do have strategy 3.1 is to support and retain small businesses downtown. So we've got a series of four strategies, or four action steps in place specifically addressing that um my glasses i'm sorry you guys this is new for me um so we're looking at expanding our small business support programs we have a suite of those but they're not as well publicized as we'd like for them to be some of them may need to be fine-tuned as well so we want to work with our business partners to make sure that we're really Providing the tools that they need and able to promote them in a way that they can access. Reducing barriers for new businesses. So we're looking at things like a first year free business license program for certain types of new ventures. So we're exploring ways that we can also support entrepreneurs as they're starting in addition to retaining the businesses that are existing in the downtown. We are exploring a micro enterprise and food truck hub concepts. So we have some ideas for ways that might make entrepreneurship more possible, some smaller scale footprints and things that might make business more accessible for people who are wanting to start something new. And then supporting local businesses during construction. So as anything happens downtown, we want to make sure that we're communicating and core basically coordinating really well with the businesses that are downtown, which we feel like we could do better. We want to make sure that whether it's a public works like a sidewalk improvement or if it's a full roadway that's being improved or if a new developments coming in that we're really communicating well with our existing businesses and making sure that they have what they need in the middle of any change that happens downtown. So we do have some direction in here specifically aimed toward that. It's definitely an intention of the plan to make sure that we are focused on that. So whoever picks up the plan in the future, whether it's this downtown program manager or whatever shape that takes, our goal is that this document will guide the work that they do. So they would be charged with that going forward, figuring out what the best way is to do that.

Okay.

Thank you. We might have covered it at the last meeting. No, no, you're good.

I feel like the last meeting, you didn't have it all in front of you either. And so any questions that you all have about any of it, I'd be happy to address.

It does sound like it's hitting on more of the small businesses. I guess I would just say maybe it should be all encompassing of any small or larger businesses. We really just want to make sure that folks that come in, that we can get them to stay. So that's my only feedback. Thank you.

Yeah, certainly.

I know the right side are kind of examples of the different programs that we could access or could do. The one that's giving me a lot of trouble is actually the PDAs. Yeah. Which is so entertaining to say. I know. But I have seen those where they've actually hurt cities and have had to have legislative authority to actually dissolve those and so I would just be really cautious about doing that and making sure you know if we're if that's something that the city's looking at that they get a ton of buy-in and I know that they will but just a ton of buy-in I I've watched cities go down a path where they've done that and then all of a sudden we're having to have legislation to bail them out because they're three or four billion or million dollars in the hole and it's a city over in eastern Washington. Kristen, I see you kind of going through the, oh, okay. But it just, it gets a little nerve-wracking when we start doing that because, yes, they have their own governance structure and they have their own finances, but does that also mean that they can pass taxes on? And are we, as we're trying to encourage development, are we now going to be taxing our small businesses even more? So, just food for thought on that last one.

I think that those are excellent points and we'll take note of those as we explore these options. We certainly aren't prescribing, one of the reasons why we're kind of intentionally leaving some of these Actions broader than we might even like to in the downtown plan is really because we want to create space for conversation and continued exploration to make sure that we're being wise about the directions that we pursue. And so we we feel like. As we move forward, any of these, whether it's tax secret financing or the business improvement districts or the PDAs, they're all strategies that have been mentioned and discussed, but we know that they all need further exploration before we would commit to any one of them.

The first two I love. I think those work. They work great. It's just that bottom one that gives me concern.

Yeah. I also, this is me, but anecdotally, I previously served on multiple boards for a few of those in other states, so not in Washington state, but I've seen some ways that can be a really productive way of approaching redevelopment in downtown, but I also hear your concerns, so I We would be sure to explore what exactly it would look like. There would be lots of conversation before anything would move forward, for sure. I appreciate that insight though, that's helpful. Yes.

So from what I've heard, there are some issues with some of the buildings about not being able to do some improvements because of insufficient electrical power infrastructure and so and i don't know to what extent other infrastructure is problematic but i mean those are old buildings with old infrastructure and i'm sure electrical power and specific is probably VERY DIFFERENT NEEDS TODAY THAN THEY WERE WHEN THOSE WERE PUT IN. IS THERE ANYTHING IN HERE ABOUT HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE DEVELOPMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE?

I BELIEVE, KRISTEN, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER INSIGHTS ON SPECIFIC PIECES THAT MIGHT?

YEAH, SO I'M MOST AWARE OF ISSUES WITH INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE INDUSTRIAL VALLEY WHERE IT'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, LARGE MANUFACTURING THAT WANTS TO COME IN AND THEY NEED THE WATTAGE AND and that power instantaneously and the assurance that it will be there. I think for the older buildings and that that is more of a building retrofit issue and more of a. investment in maintenance and upkeep. And so I haven't heard specifically about issues where that is the only limiting factor for business. But I think it's something a lot of times there's many things that happen that get triggered when a new business wants to come into an old building that can add up substantially. And so some of this we've talked about is how much of it is supporting the existing building to be renovated versus supporting that specific business itself and looking at different programs. And we have a lot of partners that our economic development team works with that are. supports for small businesses and for community groups that are wanting to start, that are a little bit more grassroots, if you will. And so there's a lot of resources and connections out there that are already being made. If there's a specific instance where I think what happens is the state building code gets to a point where it triggers a lot of requirements and energy is one of them, but then there's a lot of other things and it's death by a thousand paper cuts. And that's unfortunately not something that we really have a lot of leeway over because it's a state building code issue. I know there's been some pilot programs to try to lessen those requirements, but it requires a lot of

Coordination with other agencies that are the regulators that we just we implement what their regulations are Kristen so kind of tying that back and I know all of these kind of interweave with each other Couldn't that example be a good one where we have the green infrastructure kind of coming in like could we encourage? if we need to really retrofit the building could we encourage them to I and I'm trying to recycle the concrete if we can, or do certain activities within that, could that be kind of an encouragement or an incentive that we give them of like, we can help with the tax part of it if you do X, Y, and Z?

Yeah, so all of that comes at kind of a what moves the needle for that project. So right now Tacoma has a pilot product. I don't know. I think it's a pilot program where they're saying exactly that thing of if you are agreeing to do recycling of your construction materials will move you to the front of the line for permit review. So could be a good thing. It adds several days extra for demolition of a building and so that may be something that a a business or property owner is okay with accepting that delay because they think they're going to get it back or they may get it back by having their permits moved up it may also be something that it just isn't worthwhile and so that's where when we get into then how the how the implementation is where we'll start weighing and evaluating but there are there's a ton of different examples like that and it's just seeing what actually

works in our kent market for that okay so i i'll wrap up by sharing with you um a few of the examples from chapters four and five i know chapter four is really focused on the urban design framework and we've kind of gone through that In previous meetings and so I'll I'll brush through it. Any questions or comments that you have would love to hear your feedback on that and then we'll look at the implementation matrix as well in Chapter 5. So one of the key components of the urban design framework is looking at these destination streets that we've identified and working with the community and our partners and our staff. So we're looking at Meeker Railroad and then this sort of connection from show where to Kent Station to the historic part of the downtown. These are the areas where we see the most possibilities for events and other kinds of activities. We also recognize that some of these corridors, you know, there may be parts of them that are good candidates for certain types of uses and other parts that maybe aren't. So we want to make sure that we're working with businesses and other property owners along these rights of way. But we want to look at and explore how destination streets could occur along these corridors. We currently do have some funding through our brownfields grant that may allow us to explore this specifically. So we're kind of that's one thing that we're looking at right now. That would be an early way for us to move forward and explore exactly what that could look like on these streets. The next piece of it is really focused on other key connections. So in purple, there is Central Avenue. We recognize that that's a unique corridor in the downtown that we want to make sure that we are prioritizing. And then we have in yellow. These are our existing and areas where we might have some gaps in some of our multimodal networks that we want to look at how we help people who are traveling on these existing multimodal paths, how they make connections through that could look different in different parts of the downtown. And then these green dotted lines are really looking at key park destinations and public space destinations in the downtown, recognizing that we want to connect those, but we're not sure exactly what those paths are going to look like. Again, this is an area where we currently do have a grant through our Public Works Department to look at specifically the connection from Earthworks Park into the downtown. So that's one piece that we could start to move forward on and really put some additional design thinking behind. But we also want to look at connecting up to Kent Memorial Park and town square plaza area over to uplands so there are some some key pieces here that we want to make sure we're looking at how how we help people access our parks and open spaces then we have our way finding which again we had discussed um in the policy piece pieces of the the document this is sort of describing where we've identified that major gateway entries key signage and wayfinding and other light treatments or art might be helpful. This is not to say that these are the only places that you would see wayfinding elements. For example, those tend to be a little bit more ubiquitous that you need to think about different kinds of wayfinding in the downtown. And so these are some key intersections and locations where we know we'd like to see more. Any questions about these before I move forward?

Yeah. So I'm assuming because they're highlighted that they're going, they're higher impact in some way, these particular intersections and areas. Could you give a really quick overview about why those, like why we feel that those are going to be super helpful to finding? Oops.

Yeah, so these are like many of them are going to be intersections of higher trafficked streets. So either like the intersection of James and Central is a very visible one as you approach the downtown along Central as you get on and off of 167. I mean, that's a very visible potential entrance into the downtown as you approach show where I mean, that's that's the destination that we want to make sure we're really highlighting. And so we see that as a place where we could establish a gateway as you're you're traveling along James. Uhm, and then there are some smaller circles here, like along the Interurban Trail. For example, we want to make sure that we are connecting to the Interurban Trail and that people who are traveling along it know how to get in and out of the downtown and what things they might want to access.

Because again, that's like a regional. Yes, people like to go and do right.

So any major visible location Smith is another one that we know is is an important one as people are traveling into the downtown so. We've we've worked. with our partners and with our advisory group and some others to try to establish where we think the best locations might be. We also anticipate developing a more robust wayfinding plan. So I think, you know, there is some possibility that we would see, like, again, a hierarchy of wayfinding through the downtown and there might be other places where you'd see things on the ground or things that are signage in different ways. So...

My question is more of a brainstorming question or concern. So since all of these plannings relate to the future improvement, have you considered or explored autonomous vehicle? Because it's going to be here before we know it. And they require different type of facilities. So I know I don't want to make the things more complicated, but it is what it is.

Yeah, I think that is something that in the urban design framework itself, I don't think we've identified anything specifically that would steer us in one way or the other, but it certainly would be housed in that recommendation that we had in Chapter 6 where we're trying to anticipate new modes. Or was that in Chapter 5? Was that in Goal 5? Kristen, I think you were on that one.

Yeah, so in some ways, autonomous vehicles, you know, they're not flying, so they're still going to need roadway, so some of that won't change. They also will likely be increasingly electrified, so all of that is some of it. The plan does not specifically say autonomous vehicles in it, but it's forward-looking, so anticipating different modes of transportation or how splits may evolve in the future i think what we'll find is that there's already pilots tests that are going out on other jurisdictions and so as those needs evolve the market does a pretty good job when it wants something it finds a way to do it but i think what we'll have to look at is within our own right-of-way what does that look like do we need to address queuing and waiting for vehicles we don't want people running out obviously into the middle of crossing but a lot of that transit and other vehicles already, we have other procedures that we can follow and adapt in some of this. So I think there's also things like drone delivery and things that the core again on the sub area plan is to keep our brains thinking in a growth and curiosity mindset as opposed to this is how it is at 2026. And so this is the way it's going to be another 10 years. So that principle of thinking about future transportation modes. any emerging trends is there.

All right. Any other comments or questions? There are also some very early sorts of development concepts that are incorporated into the plan. These are by no means meant to suggest development that will occur, but it is to indicate where we have vacant and potentially redevelopable land to show examples of how we could see some infill happen. So it really is a way for, it was a way for us to start to think through what kinds of things we might want to accommodate or what things we might do in order to plan for those kinds of infill. So again, these are not specific developments that are intended to occur in any literal fashion, but these are ways to help us guide our thinking. So we have some in the core of the downtown study area, and then we have some over on the west side of 167. So you might see here a lot of this is the area where the Kaiser Permanente site exists. So it's just thinking through that is likely at some point to emerge as something new. And so what could that be? So these are just to indicate where we see areas where site assembly could start to happen or to sort of energize some of our thinking. Any questions around these? They're not really descriptive enough, or I feel that they're really compelling for you all to respond to, but anything that you have to share or any observations, we would welcome. All right, so the final chapter of the downtown plan is really an implementation matrix. So this is where we take all of the strategies and actions in the plan. We lay them out in a way that's essentially a work plan for those who are gonna pick up the document and move forward with it. It is also very broad in some respects, but it does indicate some of the people that would need to come to the table for certain actions or strategies that we've implemented. Developed so it tells us our timing. Is it a short range? Action steps of something that we could do within the next five years Is it a medium range something within five to ten long range ten to twenty or is this something that's going to be? Continuing like ongoing or is it more opportunistic as we happen to find funding we kind of proceed as we have availability and And then the implementers, we have kind of a catalog of partners, both internal to the city, but also our community partners and other public agencies that we work with as well. So this includes all of our community members and our business owners and people who have been involved in the plan process or who we anticipate could be going forward. So this is kind of to give you an example of how this could be used. So we have, you know, an action that we've identified that we maybe have an opportunity to work on. We are able to go back to chapter three and read with a little more depth what that particular action is intended to do. And then we have on that same page, we have some additional information that's maybe related to that action. So this would be a way that the person picking up the plan who's in charge of implementing it would be able to come through the plan and say, okay, I know a little bit about what conversations were had around this item and what direction I should start. Any questions about chapter five or any comments or observations that you have for the plan as a whole? Thank you all so much for allowing us to walk you through this document. It's a very lengthy one, and it's definitely still, I think, a work in progress. It will be something that as we adopt it, the implementation of the plan will continue the work. So we see this as a start, certainly not an ending to this work. So for the next steps, on the 15th, so a couple of days from now, we have heard that we will receive comments from PSRC. So they are reviewing the plan and they'll let us know what they see in the plan that is an alignment or not. So we anticipate not a lot of comments based on our conversations with them ongoing, but we certainly wanna make sure that we're addressing any questions or concerns that they would have to ensure that we're able to be re-designated as a regional growth center. And then on the 27th, we'll be coming back to you. We have a public hearing scheduled for that date. That is also our deadline for public comments that want to be incorporated into the official record. So at 4 p.m. on July 27th would be that date and time that we would like to see all public comments come through if possible so that we can incorporate those into the plan, include them in the official record. We also have heard from the Department of Commerce and some of the other state departments that we anticipate comments prior to that time as well from them. And then depending on what we receive from everyone and how much work we need to do, we anticipate moving forward through to council in August. That's subject to change if we need more time to address comments. But our goal is to get everything cleared and adopted prior to September 17th, which is the date that the Growth Management Policy Board reconvenes and has an opportunity to redesignate our downtown as a regional growth center. So those are expected next steps.

Yeah. So quick question on comments. I'm about halfway through the document myself. As we have comments, do you want us to just put them in on the website or do you want us to handle them someplace different?

I think that would be just fine. Kristen, do you have a preference on the board, the way the board addresses?

Yeah, so you all are members of the public, so you're welcome to add your comments in there as well. They will be reviewed and weighed, and this gives the benefit of the rest of the community can see comments. I would say if you have something that you feel really strongly about, please reach out to us and talk to us about it. If you're like, this is absolutely the wrong direction or this needs, you know, if you're, if you have something where you're like, I really need to understand where this is coming from, or I really disagree with this. We are happy to talk about those questions as well. And those sometimes may be a better like phone call or email of, Hey, can we meet up and discuss this? Whether, IT'S VIRTUAL OR IN PERSON, WE'RE HAPPY TO DO THAT. GENERALLY, THOUGH, WE LIKE TO HAVE THEM AS IN THE DOCUMENT. WE ARE ALSO RECEIVING WRITTEN COMMENTS, AS CAROLINE SAID. SO WE'VE HAD A COUPLE PEOPLE SEND E-MAILS. ONE OF THEM WAS, I THINK THIS IS GREAT. ALSO, DON'T FORGET ABOUT OTHER AREAS OF TOWN. AND WE'RE LIKE, GREAT. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PLAN IS THIS, AND WE'RE DOING OTHER AREAS AS WELL. SO WE UNDERSTAND IT. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CAN PROVIDE COMMENTS IN A VARIETY OF WAYS, BUT WE ARE ASKING AND POINTING TOWARDS IN THAT DOCUMENT SO THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN ALSO HEAR AND SEE FROM EACH OTHER AS WELL.

YES. AND ON THE SCREEN ARE ALSO OTHER WAYS THAT WE'RE RECEIVING COMMENTS FOR THE PUBLIC OR ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE. SO ONLINE IS WHERE WE ARE ABLE TO HOUSE THAT interactive sort of commenting on the plan. So you're able to see other people's comments and respond to them or thumbs up or thumbs down what you see. And then in email form, you can email futurekent at kentwa.gov. People can mail us comments if they would like to. And that addresses on the screen again, we'd like any of those comments, whether it's online email or by mail, we'd love to see those come in before the deadline on the twenty seventh if possible. And then in person as well, people can come and show up at the public hearing as well. And that is at six p.m. your next meeting on the twenty seventh. So. We would encourage anyone and everyone in your network and certainly all of you to let us know anything that you see or have questions about.

Yeah, so Caroline said we would like in order to be included because we have deadlines at 4 PM for any written comments and then in person we will be providing you a packet with a summary of what we received throughout that document and then any emails or mailed comments will transmit those to you directly as well. Yes.

That is all that I have. Here is the email or the address again for the plan.

Thank you very much. If there are no objections from the board members at this time, we are ready to begin the presentation on Recode Kent Central Rezone. Staff, you may begin.

Good afternoon, everyone. Deja Mitchell here to give a briefing on our Central Ave corridor rezone. So this kind of piggybacks off of Caroline's presentation, but I do want to give a broader context of our downtown area and the corridor. So our downtown area is one of 30 designated PSRC regional growth areas. So what that is is PSRC has designated locations within Puget Sound where they anticipate future population growth, and employment growth to occur. So that is our downtown here. Our downtown is one of the PSRC's regional growth area. So this is basically the long-term growth strategy to maximize and prioritize public investment. Our 2044 comprehensive plan and more particular our goal E3.4 calls for continued planning and investments in Kent's regional growth center. So we do technically have to. We have one in our industrial area and then we have the downtown. We're focusing on downtown tonight. However, the purpose of this goal is to help those areas realize the visions and focal points for planned housing, economic development, and infrastructure investment. So the Central Rock Corridor is a key route or thoroughfare through downtown Kent, and it's an important focus of recommendations for our Rediscovered Downtown Plan, which Caroline did just talk about. So a part of implementing our Rediscovered Downtown Plan, the city is proposing zoning changes for properties along our corridor, or Central Rock Corridor. I think this works. So this little purple line here would be we're proposing zoning changes, and these changes are intended to support the vision for a vibrant mixed-use downtown. So both our 2044 Comprehensive Plan as well as our Rediscover Downtown Plan encourages increased density, broader potential for housing, as well as mixed-use development within the downtown. So jumping into more specifics about what we're actually wanting to do. So of course, we're wanting to increase housing opportunities, like I said, that mixed-use development, and provide more neighborhood-serving uses. And we intend to do this by addressing regulatory barriers that we have in our Kent City Code. So the proposed amendments would rezone properties along that corridor, which I just showed you all, and more specifically in this darker red area here. So from James Street to Titus Street, sorry. All of that would be rezoned. DCE, so that would be downtown commercial enterprise. And sorry, I forgot to mention that currently our existing zoning is general commercial mixed use, so that's GCMU. We also have downtown commercial enterprise or transitional overlay, so that's DCET. And then we have general commercial. So all of those zones will be changing to DCE. We do have one additional parcel at the bottom here. This parcel here is actually changing from GC, so general commercial, to commercial manufacturing. And that's so we can maintain consistency with the surrounding areas. As you can see, it's the only red square and the sea of gray here, but also so we can maintain consistency with the underlying land use designation. So I'm sure y'all are wondering why not just change it to DCE like all the other ones. So when a parcel is proposed to rezone, it has to have the same land use designation. So this area that is DCE is actually designated for land use urban or urban center is its land use designation. Whereas here in CM, the designation is commercial. So we would have to maintain Zoning that is in that same land use designation for commercial. So we aren't able to change a DCE, but CM is pretty much was already around it. So we figured that's the best bet. Um, so currently zoning in our central or central commercial or general commercial and our general general commercial mixed use was just an overlay of general commercial. It's way more restricted, restrictive, has less housing options, and it allows a lot of manufacturing and industrial uses that just don't fit in with a vibrant downtown, nor are they consistent with our rediscovered downtown plan. So jumping into our updates here. So I'll go through these really quickly because the next couple of slides will explain what exactly is changing. So we have about five major code updates. The first is allowing more residential housing options. I mentioned how our general commercial and general commercial mixed use has less housing options. So we're really opening up for more housing types. We're also reducing industrial uses, reducing wholesale retail uses. And reducing service land uses, we will also be increasing light area site coverage in yard setbacks as well as height. So now we touched on that a little bit and Caroline's project. So, jumping into residential uses. So the proposed zoning change would essentially allow for townhomes, multifamily, and all residential facilities within the DCE zone or within that corridor zone, opposed to allowing it only in an overlay zone, which is just a lot more restrictive and lessens the amount of housing we get. It also has less regulations for residential facilities, so making it easier to get those permits, opposed to having to jump through a bunch of hoops to be allowed in the zone. So it's principally permitted at this point, or once we allow for the zoning change. I do want to note that there are some changes for the CM zone versus the GC zone, but these are geared more towards manufacturing because the area is already a manufacturing hub. or to some extent since the surrounding area is already GC. So it's going to be a lot different than DCE, but again, the surrounding area is already CM.

And it's only one parcel.

Yeah.

So it's really minor compared to the DCE changes along that corridor.

Now jumping into our industrial uses here. So we did get rid of a lot of industrial uses. There will not be any more heavy equipment or truck repair, research, development, and testing, industrial laundry, dyeing, contractor shops, mini storages, all those things that can be kind of an eyesore when you're downtown. There will be some light manufacturing, but that light manufacturing is permitted under certain conditions. So that's if it's research or development. That heavy industrial use is still not allowed. So there are a ton of regulations for this light manufacturing. So it just won't be a bunch of manufacturing along downtown. So it has to meet particular criteria. Moving on to wholesale uses, we did get rid of, or not necessarily got rid of, but with the change, they are no longer allowed. So there will no longer be a lot of bulk retail. So farm equipment, retail sales of lumber, cars, boats, gasoline services, things that you don't necessarily want in your downtown. So we've gotten rid of that. Drive-thru restaurants will technically be allowed, but only if the building has two stories. Who's to say if that will happen, but they will bill out. Aside from that, a lot of our wholesale uses have been removed as far as switching over from DCE from GC. Yes.

So I have concerns with the last two. Why are we excluding pet shops and computer and electronics?

I will say I think Caroline and Kristen are working towards the director's role or a change for that. It's just a matter of switching over. That's what the code now allows. So I kind of have to present it. But we are working towards allowing cash shops.

I was going to be like, hold up. Deja's like, don't shoot the messenger. Y'all are going to fool. So this is an old vestige of code. And it has actually come up recently where we're like, PET RETAIL AND PET SHOPS AREN'T ALLOWED OR DOGGY DAYCARES AREN'T ALLOWED. SO WE ARE WORKING A PHASE, REMEMBER, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DOWNTOWN. WHAT WE ANTICIPATE AFTER ADOPTION OF THE DOWNTOWN AND AFTER REZONE IS ACTUALLY LOOKING THROUGH THE USES THAT ARE AND ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE DCE ZONE. and aligning those more closely. My understanding is that pet shops were a really controversial issue about 20 years ago because they also included kennels and boarding facilities where dogs were outside. And you can imagine a lot of barking. We know that train horns travel uphill for sound. It was the same issue. And so there's... WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THERE'S REFINEMENT OF THE ALLOWED USES, BUT THAT'S A SEPARATE ISSUE THAN THE LARGE SCALE ZONING AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS. SO THE FIRST STEP IS LET'S MAKE THAT AREA CONSISTENT ACROSS THE BOARD. WE NO LONGER NEED THIS WEIRD SKUNK STRIP OF DIFFERENCES running a lawn central if we truly want to see opportunities for redevelopment and then later this year we'll be coming back with a more thorough evaluation of the uses in that zone and so I hear you on computers and electronics and pet shops and I think some of this is just old vestige of code that you know as we we're updating the vision next we'll update the uses and and follow suit.

Okay. Perfect. As long as it's happening this year. Cause that, I mean, we want to encourage development. You're cutting out where people go.

Yep. Same with like bakeries and confectionaries. We would never say no. Like we have sweet themes currently existing in the down, the DCE zone. This is talking more about large scale, um, You know, they make all of the McGriddles for all of the McDonald's in the western U.S. We wouldn't necessarily want that in our downtown where it's not customer generating and revenue for activity on the street. So, again, clarification of these will be incredibly helpful.

Just an education, I guess, opportunity is how does These changes affect businesses that may fall under these categories today being not allowed in the future.

So they would still be allowed. They would just be non-conforming uses. So they would still be allowed to operate as normal. It's more so if they ever leave for, I think, a period of six months, go away, the business sells or whatever, then that use is gone from that property. But if they continue to stay in that area or whatever parcel they're in that got rezoned, there'll be a non-conforming use. Okay. Thank you.

And it's an existing legal non-conforming use, which is a slight variation than a non-conforming use that wasn't existing or permitted. So our code looks at it two ways. If you're existing non-conforming, you're You existed before we made you non-conforming, and so you're allowed to continue operating. As long as you're operating under what the code requirements were, that business would be limited from expansion if it's out of alignment with the new code. So if you had used car sales, you couldn't expand the footprint of the lot that you're selling cars on, but you can stay within your existing building footprint. You could also, as Deja said, you could sell the business. It could continue as long as there's not a gap of six months of it operating. And then it would just be no new uses of that type are permitted to come in. So there's two different types of non-conforming uses. This is the type where the city changed things, not that they came in illegally and established when they weren't supposed to be there in the first place.

WHEN YOU ARE REVIEWING USES, IT SOUNDS LIKE, AND WE DON'T WANT TO PICK EVERY SINGLE ONE, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE MAYBE SOMETHING YOU COULD CONSIDER IS, FOR THE DIRECTOR'S ROLE, A QUESTION OF SCALE. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, I PERSONALLY LOVE A NURSERY PLANT SHOP, AND I IMAGINE AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE TYPE ONE IS NOT WHAT WE WANT IN DOWNTOWN, BUT A MILLENNIAL LOVES A PLANT, YOU KNOW? RIGHT? You mentioned confectionaries. There's a bunch of them. So just note scales if that is something that can be figured out.

Yeah, that's a good idea.

That's great. We also have the flexibility. We could consider that retail. So if it's moving into the first floor of a building or into the historic core and they're truly just selling plants, they're not doing all of this fertilizer and moving aggregate materials around and using all the large BP construction things to load into people's trucks. That is different than... We're a retail shop, and we happen to sell plants. So we already have some of that nuance and discussion. Same thing, we're not going to tell if there's a pet shop or a mud bay who wants to come in. They're not actively selling pets at this point. And so it would be that is retail of items that happen to service plants. pets and other things. So we do have some of that flexibility already that we're just distinguishing between.

I think also it might be important though to clarify that. Like, so if I'm a person who wants to open a pet related shop that is not selling pets and I were to do my due diligence, and do some research, you might want to put a little asterisk, like, talk to us, or these, again, scale. These types of sizes of businesses are something that we would, you know, strongly encourage, that type of thing, just for the public who are not you and don't have, like, that knowledge, you know?

Okay, so one more question. So an observation being frequent in Kent is that we have an imbalance, I'd say, with maybe our services, some of our services, non-profits. You go through parts of Kent and it's just completely closed over the weekend. Is there any way to develop as a part of this plan a way that we would cap out a percentage of certain types of businesses in our downtown corridor?

I'm not too sure that we can do that, but I will say On the next slide, we are not allowing some of those. So for instance, opioid treatment programs, boarding kennels, the auto repair washing services. I know they're not exactly the same, but opioid treatment is somewhat similar. So some of those uses won't be there anymore. I'm sorry, they will still be there. There'll be existing legal nonconforming uses, but new ones won't be allowed to pop up. I'm not too sure if we can restrict the ones that are already there.

It just seems like we have an imbalance in comparison with other cities. How do we have a better balance so that if you don't come into an area of downtown Canton, it's just completely closed. Everything's closed for the weekend. I'm curious to see what other cities do to help mitigate that.

This goes back into our downtown plan nicely. Not part of a rezone process. Definitely something that we've talked about about vacant spaces, underutilized spaces, as well as an The concentration, we've been calling it the over-concentration of properties that are exempt from property tax, but it also ties in because they're nonprofits and service providers and things. And so we share that same concern. There's some legality issues over operating and freedom of speech that we'd have to search out, but it's something that is called for in the downtown plan of actively trying to find USES THAT ARE BEYOND JUST THE EIGHT TO FIVE TIME FRAME MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

SO KIND OF TWO POINTS AND THE FIRST ONE I'M JUST GOING TO ASK KRISTEN REALLY QUICK. THE BOARDING KENNELS AND VETERINARY CLINICS ARE ALSO GOING TO BE A DIRECTOR'S DISCRETION TYPE DISCUSSION, CORRECT?

They'll be included in our update for code. Yeah.

Perfect. The second part of that, and correct me if I'm wrong and I'm going back to Blake, but weren't we forced to do opioid treatment and all of that within part of Central Ave? Or is that further down?

We are required by state law to allow them as essential public facilities. And as a city, we get to pick where those locations for essential public facilities go. So this will not affect the designated areas are north of downtown into the industrial Valley as well as on the West Hill. that this rezone won't affect any of those locations.

We didn't do any in South. I thought we had a little section of Central Avenue.

You're correct. That is south of downtown. Thank you. I forgot about that.

Okay, good. But this won't affect?

Nope. It doesn't change any of it. Okay. This location of the rezone is outside of any of those designated areas.

Okay. And it triggered me with that little tiny area that we're changing to CM.

Yep. Outside of that.

Okay.

Thank you.

Yeah.

I should note that it wasn't allowed in general commercial before. I only put it up there because of the CM change.

So one other item for when you start reviewing these things, I noticed research development and testing. I mean, on one hand, I understand you don't want static firing rockets in the middle of downtown Kent, but on the other hand, an office building that does... He got that. I'm also wondering why it's like somebody who does an engineering firm doesn't seem like that bad of a neighbor.

I should note that I think it was in the industrial uses. So we will allow light manufacturing, which will include industrial research or development. So that kind of falls into the research what you're talking about, like an office use where they're doing research. They just limit to like not allowed outdoor storage, essentially not a lot of like industrial issues. It's leaning more towards research. It's allowed under light manufacturing. Okay.

I think it's the difference in are you an engineer doing those things or is it being manufactured or actually tested on that site versus what's happening on that site? Is it acting more like an office use or light use? testing versus bigger things that, yeah. So, yes, that distinction is already in code and would continue to be there and allowed.

That's already in there. Okay. Thank you.

When we're, so, and I guess this is for those of us who aren't in code every day, but, like, when you guys are developing the code and doing everything, are you also including, are you also including, um, definitions, because like in legislation we include the definition of blank means this. So then we're including that so that then the director's discretion can kind of be weaved in there and everything.

I would say sometimes it's including definitions. It may be creating new ones or updating the ones that we already have. I know a lot of these do already have definitions. So for this instance, or at least for this rezone, no. This is just really focusing on the rezone. I can assume maybe somewhere in the downtown plan there is some definitions or things being added as you go about updating KCC.

Yeah. So this is really, this is so justice. Your question is more about like how we draft code and construct code that definitely happens. And there's a whole process. Also, if you don't have a definition, what do you do for that? That is all covered in code. We are just highlighting to you right now what the uses that are being changed are so that you're aware of them and the intent behind why we're doing it. Again, we will be coming in more specifically with actual code updates. So this is really, if you think of it, we're showing you how by applying this change, it looks like we're just changing a color on a map, but this is tied to the existing regulations. we will be coming back to update those existing regulations. I know it's kind of confusing, but we just want to make sure when we say we're rezoning something, you understand the intent and generally the direction that it's moving for the uses that will or will not be allowed in the future. And then their development standards, which I think Deja is about to get to next.

No, and that makes sense. We get into changing stuff, and public asks questions, too.

Okay, lastly, we have updates to our development standards. So our first change is reducing the minimum lot area. So we go from 10,000 square feet for a minimum lot area to 5,000 square feet. I should know that if it's a multifamily residential development, that minimum 5,000 is not required. So that really helps bolster our housing. Secondly, we're increasing site coverage. So that's the building footprint. So we're now allowing for a bigger footprint. So now it's at 100% or it will be at 100% site coverage, whereas it was at 40%. Next, there will no longer be yard setbacks. So that would be mostly your rear and your side. However, if a project or development is next to a residential district, we will require a 20-foot setback. So just having that transition between both uses. And then lastly, any new development within the DCE area is required to have downtown design review. So that's pretty standard. That's what we have now. So it's a whole lot of other requirements that a developer would have to go through. And that is all I have as far as adoption process. This does follow our rediscovered downtown plan. So we will be back or I will be back on the 27th to do a hearing and then a committee of a whole on the 4th and then council adoption on the 18th.

Thank you very much. All right. If there are no objections from the board members at this time, we are now ready to begin for the presentation of the 2026 annual docket. Staff, you may begin.

So I'm here to present a briefing for our 2026 Comprehensive Plan Amendments, which we also call the annual docket. So just getting into some background on updating and the process of updating the comprehensive plan. So every city and county planning underneath the Growth Management Act are required to do an extensive cop plan update every ten years. So our next update is 2034. We did our last one in 2024, so that would be our 2044. Comprehensive plan, which is our newest one in between there. We have a mid cycle progress report, which is due in 2029. So, between those two midpoints, if we have some smaller comprehensive plan amendments that need to happen, we're allowed to have 1 complaint amendment per year. So that's essentially why we're here today. We have some complaint amendments that we need to go through. And there is a standard for review with those comp plan amendments. So these yearly amendments or whatever amendment we have for each year must not adversely affect the public health, safety, or the general welfare of the public. They must be based upon new information or circumstances that have changed since we adopted our 2044 comp plan. They also will result in a long-term benefit for our community. And then lastly, they must be consistent with our goals and policies within the comp plan. Touching on our process here and just going through how this usually goes. So usually this process would start last September, would have started last September if we had an external applicant. So maybe a rezone or something that they would have applied for and they would have applied for that by September 1st. This year it's been a lot of, or it's only staff recommendations or proposals. So right now we're in our little orange circles here. So we've done presentations to committee of a whole. And currently we're doing a hearing, which kind of splits in right here. And then again on the 27th, or on the 27th rather, I'll be back to do a hearing for our docket as well. So jumping into our docket items here. So we only have three, they weren't really extensive this year. So our first one is update to our land use map. Our second is updates to our future land use designation table. And then our last one is update to our functional roadway classifications map. so the first one you see here it's really just a simple update so we noticed during our comp or after our comp plan adoption that we had actually presented the zoning designations for our industrial area So this circle, so where you see the I2, I3, I1, that's actually the zoning designations. And it should be I and MIC, which is Industrial and Manufacturing Industrial Center. So it's really just swapping out those maps. Everything else on the map is the same. It's really that section of our industrial area that needs to be changed. So it's a simple swap there. Next, we have updates to our future land use designations table. So, on the left. Our land uses, and here are our implementing. Circling red are implementing zones, so it's really just updating those zones as you all remember. Last year, we did do on our phase 1, and we consolidated a lot of zones and renamed a bunch of zones. So. Those zoning names or zoning mechanisms that you see circled are no longer valid, so it's just updating them to reflect if it was SR 4.5, it's now NR 2. And last, we have updates to our functional roadway classification map. So currently, our map classifies Veterans Drive, which is circled here, as a minor arterial. However, public works staff proposed to change this to a major arterial or principal arterial, which is why it's red currently. And that is because... Oh, go for it.

No, no, I feel like you might answer my question.

Okay. That is because before we adopted our comprehensive plan, Veterans Drive was closed off. It now connects to I-5 and has a lot more volume than it did when it was closed off. So it's definitely changed as far as being a principal versus a minor. So the breaking point for this will be West Valley Highway there and then to the east of it, to the east will still remain a minor arterial. However, this section here that connects to I-5, which has increased in volume and need, it's now, or they are proposing to be, for it to be a principal arterial. And this alignment does, or this change does align with our comprehensive plan transportation element.

Fabulous. So what does that mean? Is it just meriting more focus now from our colleagues in transportation? Or is it like changing speed limits or additional development required?

Yeah, I'm actually not sure. Maybe Kristen, you can speak.

Yeah, so the the classification is really a lot of a reflection of the volume of of travel on that roadway and because it's now connecting that it has an honor up for other 509. So thinking about the freight no longer has to go all the way around up to Renton and over it can now go straight to connect to the airport and the ports. IN SEATTLE. SO THAT IS BASICALLY THE CLASSIFICATION SHOWS THAT OUR PLANS AND THE LONG-TERM PLANS ARE SHOWING THAT WE ANTICIPATE MORE ROADWAY TRAFFIC ON THAT ROUTE BECAUSE OF THIS NEW CONNECTION. SO FUNCTIONALLY WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ON OUR DAY-TO-DAY BASIS? THE PUBLIC ISN'T REALLY GOING TO SEE MUCH DIFFERENCE. IT'S REFLECTING THAT THE CAPACITY OVERALL IS ANTICIPATED TO CHANGE, OR THE TRAFFIC VOLUME IS ANTICIPATED TO CHANGE, AND THEN IF REDEVELOPMENT HAPPENS, SO WE HAVE A LANDFILL SITE AND SOME OTHER SITES AS YOU GO DOWN THE HILL, THOSE WOULD BE REQUIRED TO DO THE HALF STREET IMPROVEMENTS THAT REFLECT THAT HIGHER TRAFFIC VOLUME. SO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FEEL IT AT ALL, BUT WE DO HAVE DIFFERENT ROADWAY DESIGN STANDARDS FOR THE DIFFERENT CLASSIFICATIONS TO REFLECT WHAT THE ANTICIPATED TRAVEL GROWTH IS.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

I JUST WANT TO FOLLOW UP THAT QUESTION. IT DOES CHANGE SOME OF THE PERMITTING CRITERIA BECAUSE THE ACCESS COULD BE MORE LIMITED VERSUS THE OTHER ONE WITH LOWER CLASSIFICATION. SO IT COULD BE SOME OF THE PERMITTING CHANGE

Right. So at time of development, those will change. But it's not all of a sudden you're not going to see public works coming in and limiting access or changing things. Yeah. Thank you.

Isn't that the road, and I'm trying to remember where it's at, but isn't that the one where we had the apartment complex get developed and some development happening right at the top almost where you could either turn left or right? Okay, so that's that same area. So we've already had major development done in that area. Right.

There's already been some. There's more opportunity on the other side.

Okay, perfect.

So that's actually all I have for you all. As far as timeline, this also follows the same timeline as the other two presentations tonight, so I'll be back on the 27th for a hearing, and then we'll also have Committee of the Whole on the 4th and Adoption on the 18th. Thank you.

Is there any further business to bring before the board?

No.

And since there is no further business, this meeting is adjourned.

Have a good night guys.