Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

So, uh, question, you are on live, so you just a question. Okay. Traffic cams. Yes. Uh, so if you're coming 28 by the new car wash and you're heading towards the post office. Yes. There's going to be a red light cam right there. Yes. Yes. Then they need to adjust that intersection because if you stop at the white line, you can't even see over to the left on the rockery if somebody's coming. If you stop and then roll four, I believe you will be fine. Okay. Okay. It's the blowing through that we're trying to California stops not. Okay. Well, it is 606. I call this meeting to order. Start with the flag salute. I allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right. Okay. And then we're going into green is moving. Okay. Roll call. Commissioner Bole here. Commissioner Oler excused. Commissioner Johnson present. Commissioner Murray present. Commissioner Zaro excused. Vice Chair Whan is present but will be returning in momentarily here. And Chair Elliot is present. Um but uh while we wait for Vice Chair Whan, we do have a quorum so we can continue on with our meeting and keep going. Uh do we have to excuse the these two officially? Yep. Yeah, we are free to, but um since they called ahead, I I marked them as excused. They both um any additions, deletions, or corrections to tonight's agenda?

All right. Uh public participation. Uh we are live. No comments there. Uh we do have one member in the audience. Um, and you are free to come to the podium if you'd like or are you free to to abstain? I'm sorry. Yes. To the minutes. I just went got the minute. We're still on we're still on the agenda. Public participation. Now we're going to minutes. I'm back. All right. All right. So, um, now we are on to approval minutes. Are there any comments um, regarding the minutes of May 14th, 2025? Sorry, your hair looks nice. Thank you, Commissioner Johnson. The um on the regular agenda under PLN25, Title 16, I thought we added uh open space to that line. So, you're talking about agenda? Yeah. And I just can't I can't rem, you know, because we put it in the in the title of open space for the special plots, the family plots. Well, is that why it says as amended? Yeah, amended the draft to add other common areas. Oh, okay. So, other for title 16 and I thought it was a section that said common area are areas and we put in and open space. Open space. Am I wrong? I may be thinking different. You've got the memory. I was not present so I cannot speak to that. Um Jacqueline, do you does anybody Commissioner Bole? Well, it does say as amended at the end of that motion. So I'm looking up I what I gave council to see what I did. Ordinance. ordinance the move to amend

to move to amend the draft to add other cont there was a change or there there was I think what went to council was correct okay yeah so what went to council was additional owned and common tracks created for access storm water facilities critical areas and or other open space okay that that's that's what I okay then I'm that's okay I just wanted to ask because I remember reading it at council and I thought oh Okay. Yeah. All right. Thank you. So, does any amendments need to be made to the minutes? I thought it was to add I I don't I didn't think it was other I thought the original was other common areas and then discussion was for something else. Why don't we hold this? We'll listen to the recording and we'll just bring it back. There's not no recording. Oh, there's no audio on the recording. Oh, loly. Cuz somehow it occasionally defaults to muted and even though I swear I looked at it about 3/4 of the way through or so I Yeah, this time I there's audio for maybe the last 15 minutes which it might be covered in the last 15 minutes because I think the motions I mean if we want I can No, I mean it's it's I think it's correct in the city one. So Okay. It's not a big thing. I just wondered if anybody recalled. So, we could go back and check the audio. Um, so we could table these minutes till next meeting. Sure. Does that work for And if not, I can make it match what we've all agreed to that what actually went to council. Yeah. If that would be helpful and then we could Yeah. Okay. So, we we'll table this to next meeting um while we go back and verify the audio and uh as well as what went to council.

Thank you. All right. So with that we go on to agenda item 6A um which is PLN 2025002 [Music] design standards and guidelines. This is an introduction and discussion and with that I will turn it over to staff. So the staff reports a little on the thinner side because I'm um this is sort of a broad nuke topic. There's no state mandate. there's no this is something that has come from various avenues and so um I did want to you know point out what I'm trying to do the first page page five kind of points out um what I think is our personal what I feel like is our goal is to create clear and objective development regulations that establish a positive visual aesthetic and complimentary interaction between uses. So that's what I felt like we were trying to accomplish. And then the the rest of that page is actually pulled from the comp plan. I figure we we just recently adopted the comp plan. It has visions. It has goals. Um it has standards. We should try to remember what those are. So that's what was provided on page five. Um from my first take as I was going through is we have the Milton Uptown design standards and guidelines. that is so uptown is basically Meridian to Uptown Coffee um not all the way at north and not all the way south but that huge trunk it hits um all of the main areas there so north of just north of Emerald and then down south and then they got kind of expanded in this last comp plan update so It seems like we sort of have this existing

document that probably could very easily be revised, expanded to apply to um potentially all commercial and multifamily in the city. Um so that's up for discussion. Um we I did include um at the kind of the end of the packet some of the stuff we had talked about um in that was sort of carried over. So starting on page I think 12 talks about we had talked about maybe some outdoor storage outdoor sales drive-throughs adding some more um and again there are some in the uptown design standards and guidelines that does address some of those things. So should they be again if we're going to do one design standards and guidelines for the city? Um maybe we mesh all that in. Um and then how does so these are things I guess I figured for discussion for thought I you know is also how much does landscaping blend with this that um you know our landscaping chapter some of it has to do with parking lot what a parking lot looks like what a perimeter looks like but then other parts deal with tree protections and um really kind of storm water stuff. So, does it make sense to try to blend some, you know, some of that together or do we keep that separate um parts of it? So, it's kind of all up for discussion. This is going to be a little bit different than what we've done the last couple years. Um some parameters as we start in on this is any design review that um governs the exterior design does have to apply clear and objective development regulations. So we want to be as clear and objective. Um we can't have design standards that force um a reduction in

density, height, bulk, scale than what we allow normally. Um and then there's that whole shed may encourage our suggestions shall, will and must are mandatory. So um a thing to think about is there's a way because you on one hand you want to make sure that they are that a development is hitting your objectives but you don't always want to be so prescriptive that there's no way to have flexibility if they have a great idea. So I kind of in the box try to toss out some ideas of you know like the objective should be like a must and this is an an example. All sides of a building within public viewing must have visual interest and continuity of pedestrian oriented building scale. And then maybe under that you have a standard that says walls within public view must have two or more elements. And then the guidelines are more of a may elements may include. So you've suggested some elements but if they have a different element that they have an idea for um there would be flexibility. So, so those are some of the ways you're sort of trying to balance those two. Um, so and then, um, I tried to give out a few examples that I popped up from from some of my looking at things. Um, and then I did so the little bit of red red line that I gave um is more we have a chapter 1743 that is design standards and guidelines. It's a little My feeling again is it's sort of for the most part it's adopting the um uptown design guidelines. Um but there was language that was a little I'm like but does what applies to

everything else? So I think this is the chapter we use. Um and when as we figure out what we want to do for design, then this is the chapter that we will use to put those together. So this was sort of my early kind of looks. I'm not sure if this is what we'll stick with or not. Um maybe there's different maybe resident, you know, maybe there's a different residential code from others, but this was sort of my initial kind of trying to get thoughts out looking at what other people have done. Um what so there's a couple places that are green and I'm not really sure why. So if you see green on there, I don't know if I made a note comment and it just didn't show the comment or what it did. So, it's a broad this is not me saying I think this is it's sort of open. So, I don't know if we want um chair if you know how you want to go with just getting people's initial take of what they think design guidelines are or what they're hoping to get out of it might be a good place but I'll leave some of that up to you. Okay. Um so, and if there's anything we decide we want to look at on the screens, I can pop things up. Yeah. So, as far as kind of organizing our thoughts and the and the process a little bit, I started kind of just writing what I thought would might be good discussion questions or or ways to go about it and then we can start looking into how do we want to deep dive into these more. So, some of the the questions I'm hearing you have for us are um do we see this being more of a one design standard or multiple? Um do we need to revise the Uptown standards? What are some of our priorities? What questions or homework do we have for staff or council? Um, and then one other thing I'm thinking of that we may want to discuss early is we do have

Milton days in August is do we need to do any sort of community outreach or requests for input from the community if we're trying to update standards. Um, so that's kind of just me throwing out like these are my first thoughts that come with this as far as what things we may want to discuss. So I think without getting into the deep dive of nitty-gritty on things, I think probably just a round of my first thoughts on things that we'll want to discuss so that we have some organization as we dig into this because we really haven't had a process for let's come up with something from from scratch or that's not assigned to us. Correct. So um does anyone feel comfortable kind of stating their first thoughts and then we can round robin from there? Yeah, Vice Chair Oler. Uh, yes. Um, I think the first thought for me is what about our design standards in the Uptown District now that we've had development and we've had redevelopment. So, from staff's perspective, one of the questions is what's worked, what isn't, h functioning well, what's been confusing, that that sort of thing. Um, and I had to do a little research to find my vision in print and the Uptown guidelines. Um, just as a reference. My thoughts were design standards and I appreciated the goal and the description of how it adds value to a community, makes it more interesting. Uh, I think it's something that has merit and I I think we should be having it apply to at least all of our business areas

and multif family because they are such large buildings. I there should be something about a design standard um where it's breaking up the facade different colors something like that. I don't think I go so far as uh neighborhood residential. Uh so I I I would be thinking the neighborhood commercial, uh the mixeduse district, um the business district. So I'm I'm you get the gist. And I would think there's something appropriate for light manufacturing as well in terms of screening. Um breaking up vast expanses of parking lots. Um so I see there's merit to it. I think there's value in it. And um initially the the shall the must I I think it might be helpful especially for new folks to understand how our design standards are already set up. Working from memory I'm thinking there's the shalls and the musts and they'll might say something like you must pick five out of these 10 uh mitigation uh ideas. So there's a shall but there's a menu they choose from kind of a thing. Has that been working well because I can see the merit of flexibility and if it's all entirely administrative it can get a little you know arbitrary or like you say you want it clear but yeah so I would suggest um I mean the overall concept works well. Yes. Um,

I would say for if you're out and about, um, look at, um, the brand new car wash, which did a fabulous job and has some really fun features. Um, and where is that one? That one is on Emerald by McDonald's and it's right across from Taco Bell. It's the brand new Glacier Car Wash. Okay. So, um I I think um I think we've the coffee shop that's now closed next to the post office. Um it's a pizza place now. What? That's a pizza place now. Yeah, that's going to eventually someday be a pizza place. Um it's okay. Um, I think we missed a couple No, I just think we missed a couple things at the staff level reviewing. Um, I don't know if it was the standards or again, it's hard because it I do think there's a few things that I do think we need to look at a little bit better is how to deal with things like drive-throughs a little bit better because some a lot of the standards are designed to be the idea of you're trying to make things pedestrian friendly, which I totally understand and I totally support, but that doesn't work if you're doing a drive-thru or a car wash. So trying to make sure that there's that. How do you blend those two into it? Um I was thinking there was Yeah. And making sure that the uses mesh with what our design standards because it seems like there's it's a little better now that we've redone our use table, but there's a lot of things that were listed in the use table that weren't practical to do for some of the design standards that we required. So that would be good to look at. Um, yeah, I think it needs an updating, but I think the concept would work really well and we did use it for it has been used for both multif family and it does

have residential sections for multif family and it does have sections for commercial. So, I think that's a great base to start with. Um, I can think again I I would Yes, I will go I would be and I've started sort of marking things that I think might be worth clarifying or updating or doing differently or needs to be added to. Um, so but I would like I said I I think Glacier did a really nice job with some of their outdoor areas and some of the way they did stuff. So that's that's I think what we could be. We also used it for the um hops and drops um not completely but since they wanted they were remodeling the outside too the um design standards kicked in as available to improve some of that. So we used it to get a little bit of landscaping get some better outside stuff. So look at those see how you feel like did that are those good are those adequate? Um so yeah it's my initial uh the other um uh comment has to do with thresholds for when someone is doing a remodel. I noticed that it was at 50% and that was another question in in mind about is that the right threshold? is someone doing uh enough to justify having to up their game, so to speak? I mean, there are things they've got to do by code, of course, but uh I think that's something else to to consider if the 50% was workable. We've had some significant building redoss at the Surprise Lake Plaza. And while I'm thinking of it, um I wished our standards included a responsibility to do a uh parapit around giant vents and air conditioners and and

uh roof equipment, I guess you call it. I don't I don't know if it's got a special kind of name for screening, but screening, is that the word? So yeah, so to to help make sure everyone's on the same page. So right now, yes, if you were to build something brand new, you'd have to screen things. You do certain things. If the Safeway complex is doing interior work, it doesn't necessarily kick in that they have to do anything on the exterior. Um, so where is that cut off point? Um, so Commissioner Bole, uh, along what, uh, Commissioner Whan was saying is, uh, Canon Electric, how much uh, was their improvements did the city have say in because I know it was basically a derelic building for 10 years and they you know we were just begging for someone to come in and how much say did the city have with their designs on their building because I mean fortunately I think it looks pretty pretty good. Yeah. So they they actually they don't fall under any design guidelines so the outside of the building was all them. So, um, we had control. We had like they had to meet landscaping. So, the landscaping was from our standards. I don't know that anything on the outside was from standards as much as just it does look really nice. They did a nice job. So, that is one that might be a good model for certain things, too, is to see how they did things. And also, uh, Uptown Coffee was they weren't far after the Well, they were a few a few years after the uh adoption of the Uptown design standards. And I mean, while I'm speaking, uh well said all all the points that you brought up um I

agree. Um and were all things that I would like to see just gone over a little bit. And uh I know just so people know that the Uptown standards that we adopted cost a lot of money. We had consultants in here for months and months and months. And so I mean if you see it's totally needs to be revamped that's something to think about the cost of something like that. But if we have to tweak something it's not going to hurt my feelings. It was very expensive. That's all. Thank you. Yeah, Commissioner Johnson. Okay. I agree with a lot of the points. Threshold 50%. I don't know what's the correct one, but um what I like is the concept of clarity of shell may will. And I think that's really important in our code and our designs that you there's a really clear understanding as what you've got an idea. Yeah. But you have to do it this way. You know there's the I like the mandatory very clear a shell will and must and suggestions you know are encouraged and the ability that if it's a suggestion that sort of blends in with ours to have the flexibility. I like that. Uh the one thing on um the design is the egress areas and the business areas. Um I find a lot of times landscaping grows past the height limit that we want and so you're egressing from a parking lot and to the left or the right you're not able to see up the road to see if a car is coming. And specifically, I talk about uh the Planet Fitness uh area. If you're coming out to Milton Way and wanting to you have to turn right, you can't see when those

bushes grow up. They're they're correct in what they they planted, but they don't keep them down far enough. And for a while, they had grown so big you couldn't even see if the light was green or red. So, they had adjusted that. But how do you maintain somebody that you have to keep these at a level all the time? So what type of plannings do you really want to put in? One that you have to come in during the summer every week to trim down or the beginning of the year or whatever or ones that only lay down um lower. And um I found it when we looked at the examples uh I was looking at the 20 23 U population of the cities and um Sumner is larger than Milton then Furrest and then Totem Lake. But yet Totem Lake looks so much bigger space-wise when you went and looked at their plot of their their property for their uh their business sections. Um, when we get over to page seven, I had forgotten the term human scale for some reason. I'm thinking over with the elves or something that we have to build, you know, with a height limit or something with doorways. But, um, it's what we sort of look at in business for attracting people to come into a business. uh you want a people- centered approach, right? And we want people to feel they belong there. They're coming to the store, they're coming to the building because, oh wow, it's giving me a sense I belong belong here in Milton. Um it satisfies their psychological needs. It has a sense of belonging. Um the main thing is the ease of navigating through our uptown area. you know, uh, right now it's hard to

navigate because they won't open the road from the dock to the pro property management through to the parking lot or a light to turn left. So those people from the dock, if they don't go out to Taylor, they're going to go right on Meridian Way rather than risk their life trying to turn left. So that's it. But that's Edgewood, you know, the streets Edgewood. And then um again the welcoming atmosphere um and pedestrian the pedestrian aspect is in our urban area is really important to maintain when things are being built and bikable and walkable um um input from the people. So during the hearing on the 16th, correct? June for the hearing. Is there a hearing on this on the We're not doing No. So I'm assuming this will be several months of us Okay. talking, thinking, finetuning. So I don't expect a hearing for because like I said, this is not my traditional here, let's go move forward. So um and like I said, I'm not even sure the red line it was stuff I started when I started messing with this. So we'll see. Well, when Tom was bringing up about the previous I was going, oh, vision of two 20 2012. Whoa. Arcane and I said, why not to comp plan? But the update be the update before that was like unknown. Right. Right. And I'm not saying that, but here it is. So, I circled the vision and that's probably why that like that one is one of those is green. So, it was probably me going yes, we'll need to Right. So, but shouldn't our comp plan our camp plan should be that vision? Yes. That will be incorporated into our RCWs, which we know if it's not in the RCW, it doesn't

carry any weight, I don't think. Okay. And uh Okay. Page nine under E one. A I mean 3 A1 exterior alterations to detach. And excuse my voice. I'm sorry. Exterior alterations to detach single family residential buildings and other additions. Is there something that um saying something you can't do or can any how do you approve the situation if somebody is wanting to change the facade of their house through the design? So what can be allowed? What can't be allowed? I mean what if they wanted boo polka dots? So this would be if we decided and like I said this was sort of my initial but I and I debated should I even include it but figured the more you guys have to look at. So if we decided to um create um some sort of guidelines for detached single one you know single families one and two family dwellings then those things would apply. If we don't have anything specifically for single family and duplexes, then none of that language would matter. Well, I guess my question is should there be a facade design that is not allowed in the city to follow I mean or somebody could let's say they want I know where and I lived in Indiana somebody decided to make the facade of their house like a boat totally out of out of the neighborhood. That happens. People have lots of thoughts and creative thoughts. So, I don't know where that goes, but it's just a question I'm putting out to and that's a little bit of the question of it gets you're likely to get a lot more probably push back if you start missing with people's houses. Um, and I don't know how many like I said the majority of

developers are going to go with standard. Um, if somebody wants to paint or do something is that or you know I that would be up to us. There's also, you know, is there any minimum things you'd want? Like I I was um you know, sometimes a city will simply say if you have a um a wall that you know that faces any wall that faces similar to um some other things. My example is even with a house, let's say if a wall faces um a public street like so if it's your sidewall, you need to have at least two to um um there's a term for it that's blanking, but basically two or three depending on the width or whatever of things that break it up. So maybe, you know, a window, different sighting, a belly band, a So, or we fine with the houses that we get within Milton. Um, and we don't necessarily want to mess with that other than what we've already done. It It's a Milton, I guess, is a very eclectic as it is. I mean, for the most part, we've got different parts, different things, different sizes. is not, you know, we don't have a lot of we have some blocks, but they're still not that like traditional city block where all the houses are a certain type. So, it may be that like you, you know, um maybe that we don't need anything for the neighborhood residentials, one and two family houses that we don't even address that, which is fine. um and just stick to multifamily which for us would be trip uh triplexes and greater and our commercial districts, business districts. Um on page 11, the only other thing I have right now is F and the third line from

the bottom findings one through four. You mean E1 through four, right? where at the last line it says E1 through five of this section and then it says findings one through four. So I was trying to say is that the one through four over here under E on page 10. So director a written request that addresses required findings one through four. In making this decision, the director shall enter findings of fact and substantial similarity to those found above in subsections E1 through five. But I don't know where one I'll need to just for that's existing language. So yeah, um I'll do some digging. That's it. Of what they're referencing and what they're thinking about. Um, so it could be 174320 A1 through4, but um, the only comment I would like to make in in reference to what you you um I agree with. I think it would make sense to for the comp plan um to be more the new vision and all the this stuff. I do think somehow we will still need to keep so there is that sort of vision for traffic circulation and different things for the uptown district. So maybe it's a section within the section of that specific area because there is all that of trying to how you do the streets and how those all connect and everything. So that still needs to probably stay in some level. But I do think I mean because for public works there's and we're actually it's a great timing because we're um working with our engineers to update their standards and so that'll deal a lot of with frontages and the street widths and

all that kind of stuff and it's all in one document that someone goes to and I think there is value for us to say okay this is our design guidelines and standards and then yeah maybe within it it's like okay these are more these are from these are special, you know, these are for everybody, these are for multif family, these are or maybe a certain zone has certain things. But I think there's that. But I agree, we've just done all this work with this great comp plan for the city. I think that becomes our new main vision and goals, but we also need to um we'll keep a section for the other. All right, Commissioner Murray. Um hi, first of all, thank you for letting me join you all. Welcome. Um, I just got my email set up today. So, to be honest, I have not gone through all of the details of of this being the first meeting. Um, so I don't have anything to contribute fully today, but I do listening and and kind of skimming through uh I do hear and agree with a lot of the things that the other uh members are are speaking to. [Laughter] All right. [Laughter] He's like, "Yeah." So, what I'm hearing is abuse. Oh, can we go around again? I wanted to make sure to hear from Yeah. I think I started with some of my stuff and so I wanted to kind of get a good summary of like what I heard some of the hot points are and then we can get into a little bit of what some of our goals are with this. Um, I'd like to for tonight be able to walk out with a little bit of what what information would be useful for us to continue this discussion. I think would be a good objective when we get to the end of this. Um, but from what I'm

hearing so far, um, some good targets or hot points are drive-thru. Um, making sure that zones mesh with standards, that we have screening standards, um, that we're looking at our egress sight lines and navigation with coming in and out and making sure that, uh, it's like a multimodal. So whether it's pedestrian, bicycle, that we're we're looking to make sure that we've got several ways of egress access, um so that we have more of that community feel from it because the target is really community welcoming um without being maybe like overly burdening and getting into, you know, design colors and and and that level of it for like especially residential allowing some level of eclectic. Um, and then some things that I'm thinking of as far as thoughts as we continue this discussion is just what what would be useful from staff. Um, so just marking that down so maybe towards the end of the meeting we can have a roundroin of that. um what visuals might be good as we're digging through because I think it might be good to have large printouts of our zones and like a little reminder of what our different zones are as we're discussing because I always have to kind of go back to that. Um and then also if there's input that we want from community or the board. Um, so that's kind of just what I've heard so far is our targets. Do you want to kind of do a summary of what you're hearing? That's exactly what I was wanting to get. So that was perfect. Okay. So with that summary of kind of some of our targets or hot button issues, are there others that you guys as we're starting to dive into this?

Again, I'm just trying to keep it high level so that we can be more targeted as we proceed. Yeah, vice chair. So, as I was listening to other commissioners, I was thinking of my earlier statements of thinking business would be the place for this focus. And then I for design standards and then I got to realize there might be value in infill standards in residential areas. And it's one of those things where I've driven around a few neighborhoods and it's just this extreme shift from uh ramblers and craftsmen and suddenly it's what I would call houses that look like picket fences. It's a garage and enough like for getting up the stairs to get upstairs. It's either very skinny houses, three stories tall, and it's just your classic standout like a sore thumb kind of thing. And these are single family residences. And driving around other areas of Tacoma that are redeveloping and just thinking, gosh, this just looks so harsh and uh discordant and it's it just looks really sad. So maybe uh for those of us that have an interest in this level is maybe taking some pictures of things that are gee is there a way we can avoid this type of concept particularly with unit lot development I see that there will be a lot of infill happening and I just may and maybe that's a separate target of its own perhaps breaking this into what would we do for business and multif family because we're talking about bigger buildings, we're talking about pedestrians circulating and then uh the idea of thinking about infill

development and how do you help things soften the hard edges would be the word. I mean it could be simple like everybody has to plant a tree in their front yard or as you said everybody's got to have at least you know two or three openings in the front facade. So, but I think that's that's something that we might want to keep separate so we can get through this commercial side of uh the work. Um, so thinking about business, I was reading in what was in the packet where there was a discussion about outdoor sales versus sidewalk sales. And I got a little lost and what's the difference and then I know in our code flea markets are not allowed and I often think about the old drive you know drive-in movie theaters and the flea that's the flea markets that I know of around here so could you speak a little bit about that outdoor sales versus so this so starting on 12 um when we were doing the use table um we' separated out a couple things that we determined were sort of accessory uses to ex to a primary use. So in this case, you know, um if you're a contractor yard, your business is, you know, your building and everything and then your outdoor storage is you're storing all your stuff. And so you would your permitted use is contractor yard and then you're like, okay, but I'm also going to have outdoor storage. So that would be the accessory use that would be allowed if it's allowed in that zone. And then it would be like, okay, so since you're doing that, this is kind of what we're looking at. And so then the sales is the same idea. So like trying to get a difference between a

Safeway who might occasionally put their plants out front or their pumpkins out front, which is sort of just sort of that sidewalk. They're just sort of got a little bit going on versus um maybe something that is a more um car lot. Car lot or um well like what if Ace wanted to add like a garden center? Yeah. So if like Ace had a whole another section that they could, you know, have a whole outdoor area like you would see at a Lowe's or a Home Depot or something. And so the idea that I was trying to find that um the idea is you know if if they're just putting stuff out front I don't really you know I don't want them to have to do a lot but if they have like a whole section that is outdoor how do we make it so that it's screened or looks decent or you know so that was sort of where I was going with the outdoor sales um for and again the difference between that and outdoor storage that hopefully hopefully helps. That helps. But and the outdoor storage issue, I think, is a very important thing to take a look at only because not everybody wants to live next to stuff that's being stored out there in a contractor yard, you know, when we've got neighborhood commercial. And I don't have my table of uses to know exactly where that contractor yard storage is allowed. don't think it's allowed in the mixeduse district, but anyway, right now, yeah, like right now outdoor storage is only allowed in industrial and um community facilities. Um M1, M1 and CF is industrial. Sorry, manufacturing. Yes. Light. Yeah. Okay. Thank Commissioner Murray, I saw you. Yeah. I just had a like clarifying question for like outdoor sales. my

brain goes to like in Edgewood they have the like storage sheds like is that kind of where we're talking about like it's an outdoor place would it have to be like fenced off cuz right now it's just like a open field with like storage units that you could like put in your backyard. Is that kind of the outdoor sales or could that be included in the outdoor sales because it's not inside a building. And it is just a open lot selling items or like Yeah. So the outdoor sales um another example like F used to have like the playground equipment. It was like a building and then all the like assembled playgrounds were like in the parking lot. Yes. Fenced off. So in that kind of a mentality is that where am I correct in thinking those Yeah. That would be the more the the Yes. the more permanent outdoor sales. Um whether that's cars, whether that's Yes. equipment or some sort of um so the idea being that you would have your primary which would be um a merkantile and then if you had the outdoor sales it wasn't all in a building then yes the idea being that um what are those standards to make it feel a little bit nicer okay or protect or again it's both that visual but it's also like um a little bit of buffer from you and whatever's next to you, whatever their business is. So, yeah, thank you for for that. Great, Commissioner Bole or Commissioner Johnson, as far as any other hot topics or things we want to make sure we dig into. Go once. Along the lines of your uh of your points, uh I'm going to be looking at some of these links that were I

didn't catch in the packet uh of looking at other cities and other businesses. And same thing like you guys are saying, the best thing you can do is just drive around and look at make notes of what you like, what you don't like. And everything's kind of interpretive. You know, I might like polka dots, you don't like polka dots, you know what I mean? So it it's all, you know, kind of a person's opinion. and there's seven of us and uh 12 years ago there was, you know, five other people here, you know, and a different planning manager. So, uh it could all be totally different. But I would look at the uptown standards and kind of see where they for Milton, they were a huge step. I mean, it was like, you know, you look around, you're like, God, we've got this same these same buildings here just falling apart and everything. how do you want it to look? And so we were forced to go around and look at different cities and see what they're doing and what their standards are. And uh it's really helpful. Yeah. Commissioner Johnson, I think what we're doing is so important because of the times and change and people have come to me and it's really interesting. I know of the original plan uh talking about the intersection at 11th and Milton Way and two people have told me why can't we call that Oldtown and do a historical thing there. We don't have any historical designated places in Milton as an original Miltown. It's not in a comp plan either, but their their discussion with me is that when Milton was founded, that area at

11th in the intersection, that was Milton's town area. And so their thought was, couldn't we just rename it Oldtown Milton and have like a historical marker that this was where businesses started in Milton? and as a design thing and I said I would bring it to planning tonight for them. Um it probably should have been brought up during the comp plan. Um so I don't know. Um so in the comp plan there's two areas that we identified for future sub area planning. The one is along the Pacific Avenue business corridor. Um, but the other was sort of that like central uptown, right? Or not uptown. The the Daves the Yeah. No, I was trying to remember. We I thought we had a special little name for it. Do we say it downtown? I don't know. It's downtown. I thought midtown. Midtown. Well, it's like that's the other problem. Nobody knows what to call it. So, oh, Milton, you know, because Oldtown might be a great name for that. So um it is tagged in our plan to do sort of that like sub area to again I think that idea that every there was sort of a drawing once but nothing followed up with it. So that is definitely an area that probably could would be great to start engaging. Um obviously there's some great things there. There's some challenging things there but um have that. So yeah I'll add on Yes. Yes. Uh Milton's history has been a u a hobby interest for myself and uh I think before um what happened around Dave's area

which was sort of the 40s 50s60s was the when you really saw things happening and we the newspaper articles in the Tacoma News Tribune 1948 the new building in uh next to Dave's kind thing, one story. It had insurance, uh, a lawyer. I mean, it was just all compressed. But I think our original town center is down on Porter Way with the inner urban trail that used to act when the when the train was running or the inner urban railway was running. Uh, there was a power station to the it's like where the ball field is. There used to be a power station for it and there's been some pictures I've seen them at Safeway in their nod to being in Milton uh showing boardwalk and you look down and you see uh a few boardwalked buildings right along Porter Way. Um where the old Smith building I think is right now. Uh so um I've heard an idea of going for the 40s or the 50s theme in uh center of Milton there. So um yeah, lots of ideas, but I I think to get this just launched, I would suggest we just think about what would be a good universal starting point. Maybe Uptown's got stricter standards because of how automobile centric that area is for protection of pedestrians and uh just think about businesses in general and large multif family. Um I don't know if it would even go for community facilities for I don't think the school is going to be rebuilding anytime soon, but would that be a place for design standards? Uh

so I think the scope of it and um keeping it more straightforward and then coming back and working sub area plans and getting a little more uh creative. But um I will do some photographs too of things liked and not liked to try to contribute. Yes, Commissioner Johnson. Uh following up with Commissioner Whan, um do we have anything that says we can't have busing parking lots in the city? Can't have what? Busing parking storage in the city. Bus parking as in if the school district Mhm. Not clearly one way or the other, I don't think. Okay. I know they've discussed doing that. Okay. Of transportation facility for the district. Okay. Uh yes, Commissioner Bole. What I find interesting about the uh Dave's complex is how long it's been there, right? It's been there since the 40s. and just the foresight of the building itself with the businesses below and residential above and how we're all pushing for that now. Just maybe a newer maybe a newer version, but to think that somebody was thinking that that long ago uh is kind of interesting to me. In the west in all the old cities, the bar was below and everything else was upstairs. That was for others. We're not I'm only going I'm only going back I'm sorry I'm only going back to the 1940s not the 18 back in your day Susan. So am I hearing a lot of maybe next

meeting we just have a lot of pictures. Yeah. So kind of what I'm hearing might be uh for next meeting. So, the things I'm hearing is that we are probably interested in multiple design standards, but maybe starting with the Uptown District and businesses, kind of finessing that first, and then that can inspire us to figure out what other zones we want to tackle um or or set priorities for because we have several different options. And I know that was part of our comprehensive plan was uh we looked at Uptown, what we're now kind of referring to as maybe Oldtown um and mixed right now. Town Center, but Town Center, that's what it is. It could use a better name. Yeah. Um so yeah, maybe finding a fun name for that. And then the 99 corridor. Um I think those are probably the three zones we're we're most looking at. And then from there, if we want to do some universal design standards or anything like that um to go from there is what I'm hearing. So I think for like next meeting it'd be really good to have examples of what we do and don't like about Uptown, what's working, not working on a plan review um viewpoint. Yeah. And I I think what I'll um if this sounds I think this sounds what I'm hearing is I think I'll take the current up down standards and sort of piece it out so that um one let's maybe start with the commercial buildings and um because it does have some pictures and so kind of piece out sections. So, one it doesn't feel like this huge I mean feel free to read it but um have piece it out as well as any pictures that that I find or you find that we can liter I mean maybe it's we

put stickers on we like these you know maybe make it more of a workshop kind of feel um I would also say you for those of you who do know what our uptown who were here during that do you feel like we're accomplish you know I like I said I There might be a few little things, but um do you feel like it's accomplishing what that vision was? Absolutely. Um buildings I've seen really hit what we're looking what we were looking because I think we're just looking for tweaks. So then and then but if is do we want to try to have anything more for existing buildings to That's a tough one. Yeah. So yeah. Okay. And that's what I'm hearing is I will I think we're at the stage of a lot of visuals and understanding what standards might get you know this is what got us this. Yeah. Then we could use those visual examples to bring it to the community at Milton Days and you know we won't have to do things twice or you know they'll have all that information ready. They get an idea of what we're shooting for get some feedback. Yeah. Currently now in the uptown are they allowed to do anything they want to rechange the facades and the buildings under our current rules or do they have they seek the permitting to do it? I thought they had to seek Yes. So if they're doing anything on the outside, right, then yes, they need a permit. We go through the design. So, if you, like I said, if you look at um Hops and Drops, that was was it a Burger King? No, it was an Arby's. Yeah, Arby's. Um because they were doing on the outside, we were able to and a total gutting the inside. We we used the design standards. We went back and forth making sure that they did the

things that they needed to do and try to hit those. Um yeah. And then um is there anything that I missed as far as like for goals or for kind of preparing for next meeting? I want to make sure I'm not monopolizing the process and just throwing things out there. So, uh yeah, vice chair. Uh to answer that question, uh I didn't hear anything about mixed use when we were talking about commercial. Is there it would seem to me that when you've got a building that is mixed use, it might be a more unique circumstance. Um so when you've got residential units above business first floor, we're seeing that happening in F. Um you know, I don't know if it really needs to have different standards because I don't know the degree how indepth we're going to go or it's simply going to be a reminder as well. What's the setbacks? You know, is it a business either is going to want to be pretty close to the sidewalk or we've got rules about how far away they can be with a small parking lot in front, etc. So, I think it'd be good to have a reminder of what some of that is. And as far as uh uptown design standards, the vision called for something that many people were rather doubtful of, but the way the consultant presented it on slides about how something could evolve, it could evolve. But when you look at the just the cover page of the city of Milton uptown design standards, it shows a beautiful entryway into the city on Milton Way where there's a landscaped island, there's parking on the street. I mean,

so that means taking away businesses to accommodate that width and building up so you've got a road. So, it looked real good in the slide presentation that it can happen, but but there are times when I go past u this surprise like shopping plaza where Safeway is. That parking lot in its entirety can be full. So, it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot of room to expand, but that to me was the one thing that was just it'd be interesting to see, but I don't Yeah, that pull in parking at the intersection, you're like there's no way that would fly with our current traffic. Some of those things. Yeah. when I is without tearing down like somebody coming in and saying I want to redo this whole area that makes it a little bit of a challenge and that's something to think about is is that beyond our is that vision just unpractical so is there something else like you said maybe we do focus more on the interior of these things um I do know I'll have to double check Dustin's out this week but I thought they just did the TI they were talking about through the tip and I still think there's a little bit of language in there about at least doing some things that I thought it was that intersection. Um, but I'll I'll double check. So, yeah, I don't know that it could ever be what that picture is. Such a struggle because we even discussed I remember that, you know, you've got about 15 feet of elevation difference from one side of the road to the other. This parking lot's up here and this one's way down here. Like, I don't know if you're going to get on street parking out of that deal. Yeah. Yeah. And like you said, you know, somebody's got to give up something. Yeah. For that on street parking. And developers aren't willing to do that. They want to keep as much as they can. Right. Well, and on street parking, I mean, I like the concept, but that turns into um a city management

issue as far as policing and that is long-term use or pedestrians. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It sounded like a great idea because you had storefront on Milton Way there. It could be a full daylight basement. I mean, it'd be a whole lower story in the parking lot. I mean, um, it would be great if somebody redid the whole thing. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, yeah. I think another thing would, and I don't know if you would necessarily hear it, but it are any of our current standards making it restrictive for developers to want to develop in Milton? And that way we can at least go, oh well good, because we don't want that kind of development or you know, oh shucks, we had we had our chance at Trader Joe's, but our design standards were too strict. The only thing that made me think of the one the one thing that um I think one of the things I think that needs to just be again modified a little bit is um it has that thing like you don't want the idea is to get was to not have like your McDonald's that looked like the party McDonald's, you know, and so it says not it it sort of says you can't have their traditional uh corporate [Music] like model of a business. Well, a lot of businesses now have moved towards a much more classic style. So, like gravity coffee technically that is what all of their gravity coffee looks like, but it's a nice look that fits within our design standards. Um, though the way the code says is you can't have their traditional thing and it's like, okay, that's not what it I'm sure that's not what it meant. So again, just some twe tweaking of whatever version they use needs to fit the, you know. Yeah. Were they trying to limit our McDonald's play because Well, it's just the idea that the out, you know, certain places

outside get a little, you know, they were a little crazy in the 80s. Yeah. Yes. Question. Paul, we're talking Uptown Standards and new construction. Uh, with Taco Bell, the degree to which our Uptown standards force changes on Taco Bell. Do any come to mind? I didn't process that one, so I would have to go back and look. Okay. If it did or not. Because you see Starbucks a lot. I mean, there's a lot of businesses now that are Yeah. They started, I think, in the 90s, they started having to come up with calmer versions of some of these restaurant, especially the fast food, because places were like, you know, we don't need the five different colors and the But if you look at uh taco time up towards Home Depot, that was nicely done. Um, so I don't know how ex unusual that is for their so I mean it can be done attractively so yeah exactly and I think we need to have that it's just the idea that the way it's written is almost like you can't have your stock model but if the stock model is very nice and professional looking then that's fine so just making sure there's again that flexibility to say oh yeah you have to use your version that fits us so all right Great. Um, anything like I said I it sounds like at this point um yeah that we'll just come back with a lot more pictures, break down some of the examples. Um maybe break apart um maybe break the current standards into chunks so we can explain them, talk about them a little more, see if we think we need the what's working. What's I have a question. Yeah, Commissioner. I'm curious to know how commissioners and staff feel about the idea of a

standard that would be triggered uh that would mean a business in uptown would have to put trees in their parking lot would have to what? Trees plant trees in their parking lot. So that's very common for a lot of municipalities to have tree standards or landscaping standards. I don't know if that fits into our zoning and our portion of it or more Dustin's and planning works. No, it's private because it's on private land. But we have Dustin and I have had um conversations also with the idea of sidewalks that there is nothing. There is no pedestrian access from our sidewalks on our street into any of the stores. You're basically walking right where the cars are. That's right. The meridian. So yes, I will be happy to look into um so trees and parking parking islands. Yeah. So basically in in what what could kick in parking standard improve parking lot improvements which would be pedestrians, trees, um parking lot standard kind of thing. Um, and would it fall under us or is that already under new building code as far as like electrical charging for parking like minimum standards for that? I think that's now under new building code or EV chargers. Yeah. I don't Do we And I don't know if that's something we want, but I'm just saying if it's over 50. I think we have what you have. We have one for every do we require. There is an EV. Yeah, I'll look. I'll double check. The other thing is that when a shopping center, if I may, I'm sorry. Um, aren't there require whatever you want or are trees

or EV chargers or whatever and sidewalks. The size of the business requires X amount of parking spaces too, doesn't it? In our code or does it except for the uptown zone? So, the up the uptown district has um flexibility because they're sort of existing. they are exempt from our normal standards and they just have to demonstrate that whatever is coming or going um fits within it. So it actually has it's its own little animal. Yeah. And I know which I said there is some things for the uptown that I don't that we need to keep. Yeah. That are more designed for things like the parking and the access and the Okay. But um but the design of the buildings I think are very transferable and I think that's a great like you said it would save us. It's always nice when you can start with something and yeah, use it as well. Yeah, I was like parking standards turns into its whole other thing, right? Because I know most cities are trying to get away from it and I'm more of like but delivery other area in the city that would be equivalent to the uptown sizewise. Right. Right. So, like I said, it is its own there are things that are unique to it that they I think we need to keep. Um but so I but I think we can use the building design stuff for other commercial buildings for multif family. I think that gives us um for just the building thing. I do think at some point it would be good to have the sub area plan for maybe town center whatever we end up calling it to get to go beyond just the building look but also just the what do we want for the feel. And then we're definitely right now we're working with a grant to try to get um some money to start a sub area plan for the along the PAC highway. Um because it's it's an area that's been so neglected. It's an area that Sound Transit's coming through. It's an area that we're all

concerned about with the speeds and the safety and we can't it's like this endless circle of we want the you know we'd love to lower the speed limits but the the state's like you can lower the speed limits but nobody's going to go slower because it's four-lane highway and people drive what they see and so you need to do improvements that you know you need to do changes traffic calming measures traffic calming measures and then we can help you by lowering the so it's like this whole cycle So that's why we feel like that's kind of our thing is let's look at that area. Let's start doing those kind of things. Yeah. And see if we can do that. Yeah. Commissioner Bole, is there a roundabout going on 99 where that old scale house is right now? I believe there is a roundabout going on the federal way side of 99. Yeah. So that's uh where the winery is, the junkyard. Yes, there's a junkyard there. Sure. And then there's I very seldom drive that road that direction. I've done it, but it's I don't know. Yeah, I thought I saw some signs come down about and part of it is roundabouts slow people down. Yeah. Yeah. I know that's been on the wish list for a long time and there Yeah, because people just because there's no I mean again talk about an area where there's not even businesses. So people just I will say publicly that I have noticed uh Milton police uh patrolling Highway 99 for the first time in about 30 years. Uh they're everywhere. I'm happy to see it. Even if they're not pulling people over, as long they're doing paperwork there, it works. It does. It worked for me. Whoa. Hit the brakes. Commissioner Johnson, I got a couple get out of jail free cards, but uh I don't want to use them. So, uh Oh my goodness. Um I I agree with Commissioner Whan about the trees. When you think about the history of Milton and the old growth trees in this city and and trees do help

shade people in parking lots with their cars like at the post office, you know, you got this couple and I I will say with the church property I was still one part disappointed me is they were not required to put in as many trees as they took down. They kept the front part, but that back area, there's other areas that I still think there should be a requirement of x amount of trees you take back. You got to sort of put more put the same amount sort of in. Yeah, Lakewood's got some creative tree rules and they were big growth trees. So, on a side note that I was going to do under my staff report, but I this is as good as any. Can I read your mind? No. Well, I agree that um we are going to get to, like I said, we want to get to the landscaping tree standards. Um I ended up at a um urban forestry workshop that was put on by um Pierce County, city of Tacoma and the Department of Natural Resources. It was a fabulous workshop and again talking about urban forestry trees in your cities. And one of the things that several of us were talking about is we have properties, you know, we have our tree replacement standards, but there is no physical way to actually do those tree. You know, if you're if you have 50 trees, our code says you have to replant 150. Well, then there's no place for the business that they were going to do in the first place. So, one of the and again it's going to take a while to get there, but one of the things that several of us were talking about and checking out to see what other cities do is is there a way kind of like we do street like sometimes we make people build put in sidewalks sometimes make people donate the money and we put sidewalks where we're connecting sidewalks and and so one of the things

that I am hoping to look into is can there be a tree fund so you're taking out this number of trees for the business you have to replant this yes you feasibly cannot replant every tree that it says you need to. Um, but you're going to donate x amount that value into a fund that maybe we give trees to residents to put in their front yard or we maybe we do, you know, work on a project with Safeway to put trees in their park. You know, I don't know all the ins and outs. I don't know how we completely but um I think there like I said I know we're it's you know it's a great that you have a standard but if it's not feasible and so that's why if we can use that someplace else or maybe you know if there's parts of city property where we could plant great but again we have a lot a lot of you know our one park has tons of trees um so that is one of the things I'm playing with and I do think it um I will do we're are going to do some urban forestry information at Milton Days as well. Just again starting to that communication with residents to get them thinking about why trees are good, why trees are um all the benefits. Um and then we'll So that's a whole another side project that I'm going to take on. So look at our in my spare time. Look at our logo. I know it's not polka dots, it's trees. And I do with a community down with you with a community like Milton, you know, overall we have great tree canopy in most places, but my fear is if you don't protect them or have certain replacements or whatever, they start to come down and come down and come down. Yeah. Yes. Um fully agree with the trees. Um I don't have my parkboard notebook, but I think Milton is about 11 acres in the deficit for public park spaces. So what we can do to bring any sort of nature and trees, plants,

whatever we can do in that sense to bring that into the city as much as possible. Um because we don't have 11 acres to just create public space where we can add these trees. So really utilizing I love the idea of like a fund where we can use it down the Milton the inner urban trail sections where we can do some tree planting programs or um I know there's businesses um that hand out like saplings for Earth Day and things like that like what if we were to create a fund where swing by city hall and grab a tree sapling for your yard and it was funded by that that you know account. Um but yeah, anything that we can do to bring trees and and things into the urban side of it is huge because we don't have the public space um that we should have to to integrate it into the city. Great. Uh I I would think on the urban forestry front front there's the whole issue of it may be that we end up with trees in the landscape strips only. So, when it comes to neighborhoods and what I've witnessed in my neighborhood where, you know, a lot that was densely treed, totally deforested. Um, and I can see it from the builder side, you know, gives them maximum flexibility to place things, but it's been an impact to the neighborhood. I mean, you lose you lose the cooling, you lose you lose a lot to it. So it I I hear your point of it's a a tough tough balance. Well, I think that's compounded by the fact that in essence our landscaping says single family lots it doesn't apply, right? And that and I think that is something at least at a stop gap. we should when we get you know and again some of this we may we may not

have to finish design depend you know I feel like design's going to be so long I'm going to have to probably bring some like we need critical areas done here at you know so but yes I think there's a few things that I think a true urban plan is going to take a couple years but I do agree I think there's some little things that we could do to slow down some of this because yeah I had another one like I And it they were only taking down one tree, but I was like, there's nothing that makes me that gives me the authority to say, "Okay, but plant two or three more, please. I suggest it, but there's nothing that requires it." Yeah. And there's all sorts of concerns about trees falling and all. I mean, it it's quite a quite a mixed bag, but I've been in communities that were working hard to be designated as Tree City USA, and there's that might be a resource for um Arbor Day Foundation, maybe another one. Yeah. But really promoting that whole idea of trees. But back to design standards, I think if we do keep it more to the commercial, like let's just do that chunk and maybe some simplistic uh if we're able to um infill standards. But for me, the concern is this idea of neighborhood commercial where you have residential and business mixed. Um, I think that that's uh an a zone we should really take a look at. So that it is very welcoming, pedestrianoriented, uh, comfortable. Uh, so it is that vision of well, just go downstairs and get my uh, fresh roasted coffee, you know. So thank you, Commissioner Johnson, then Commissioner Boy. I remember a couple years ago the issue in DuPont, the trees that were planted in the strips between the sidewalk and the properties and the roots and it all fell on the owners because the city said it

wasn't their responsibility and that's sort of true I think in a lot of places. So we have to be careful where because the roots do and it was so nice to see the part of the trail from Kent down to Porter where they got rid of that big hump that was there from the tree roots and certain trees have higher roots than others. Yes. The right tree in the right space for the right future. Um we've I think cities and have learned a lot over the last couple of decades. Yeah. Um they're also again this workshop was fabulous there they and I passed it on to public works there's some new techniques to when you are planting trees to separate roots from sidewalks in a way that lets trees actually anyway it was this whole like vault for your trees versus you know it's like a shield that goes down. Well it's even more than that because that's what they've used but it's actually like you put a vault underneath and so you put all this wonderful dirt that makes the trees happy but it's se and but you so anyway all that to say is there's all kinds of learning and cool stuff and yes yeah the way that they used detention ponds to water and extract the roots yeah uh yes commissioner bole uh did anybody else notice this meeting that uh when we're working on something that's not mandated or that's brought to us by staff that has to be done. How much more homework there's going to be for It's not worth it. Yes. Yeah. Didn't want you to be bored. Um Yeah. So, I think as we're approaching 7:30, I just want to make sure we're clear on kind of homework for next meeting or or next task. So, um, some good visuals that I'd

like is just, um, if we can get plotted out our, uh, zone now and just a brief I think there was like a nice little one pager of like what each of our zones were because I with them being new, we just keep forgetting the name the new names. Um, I think as far as staff input, just looking at what in Milton Uptown design standards, the the likes and dislikes or what has or hasn't worked as far as your plan review and that perspective? Um, what else did people think of as far as homework for or prep for next meeting? If we had pictures of things we liked, dos, don'ts, I guess. Okay. If you want if you find things and you want to email them or text them to me or something, um the TVs yet or I can. Yes, we can use the TVs. Okay. I have the secret code. Cool. Um, yeah, if you don't have my work cell, I could give you the work self. If you're someone who takes pictures with your phone and you just want to text them and that's easier than emailing, I can I can handle that. Um, so yeah, if you happen to see something that you like or you're like, I really don't this is something I really don't like, then we could play with that. Okay. And next meeting's focus is going to be more on our commercial um standards, likes, dislikes. doesn't mean you can't provide input on that, but I think that'll be a little bit more of our focus. Commercial. Next slide. Yeah, commercial and existing. Commercial buildings, so retail, restaurants, offices, anything like that. Um, how do you feel about mixed use being involved in that discussion? I think

mixed use goes in that discussion. Okay. is and then multif family separate and then let's do yeah let's kind of start there because I think that'll be enough of a chunk um and then we can maybe the next month. Okay. Are there any like stop gaps while we're doing this that we need to start doing like smaller? I think we're okay for this. I do think um like I said I think there's some stuff in landscaping we we may want to adopt sooner rather than later and then I also need to work on critical areas so those will um come in the middle and it may be like I said there the landscaping is interesting because it may be because there's sort of a design portion of our landscaping section and then there's the protect the trees how you maintenance section And it maybe we can think about and I'll think about maybe does it make sense to take the design portion and move it in with this. So again it's one document that has everything but then the code specifically has the this is how you're protecting trees. This is our significant trees. This is our so okay we can play with that next meeting. Any other comments or questions about this agenda item? Everyone's feeling comfortable, excited. I know this has been uh as we were doing the whole comp plan, it was like, "What about our design standards?" So, um I think it's good that we're getting into this. All right. Well, with that, we'll move it into staff reports. So, you took my one that I did the um urban tree um forestry, like I said, workshop. Really good. Um it's they kind of it's kind of they kind of had their one model was

sort of four steps and really we're sort of at step one. So really step one is public engagement um as well as starting to get an inventory of what we have. And so that's where I'm going to start. My banking and all that is really in that step three or four. But I know that's where I think we want to go. So, um, as I have time and as I, um, like I said, the there was a gal at my table from Department of, um, natural resources. Um, she volunteered to come to Milton Days. She's sent me a bunch of stuff. She's really excited. So, I'm going to use those resources. I best, um, I can um, and see what we can do there. U, couple other just things. Um, the fire department is moving forward. They've been buying land kind of behind Dave's. Um we will need to do um a comp plan zoning change which I knew was coming. We tal I talked with them last year once they figured out what properties. So we get to do one comp plan kind of update a year. So that um will come later this fall um to change the map because it really should be community facilities I would believe. Okay. Um, and then, um, I think that's probably I'll double check, but if anyone thinks of anything else in the comp plan that you felt like we sort of may, you know, I everything I think, oh, did we include that? I go look and we do talk about urban forestry. We do talk about stuff, but if there's something that you feel like on a goal or policy we may want to tweak, let me know. Um, and then with the um there's a few little things that maybe the zoning use table needs to be um now that I'm starting to try to administer it. I'm like did we really mean that? Do we you know just some little stuff? So you think on that um I

would like to do one kind of towards the like I said fall we'll do something to kind of cover them. Um got we've had How's your new building inspector? Oh he's fabulous. Yeah. So, um, our building inspector started a couple weeks ago. Um, like I said, he came out of more the um structural for large buildings. Um, actually worked on some um building he worked for the contractor who was building some of the buildings for Sound Transit, which I thought was a great because we're going to have to deal with Sound Transit. Um, so he's he's already gotten his um so all of his like certifications are more in like the structural cement big building stuff. Um, but he already passed his um residential building code inspector, so he's got that. Um, he's working on he's he's taken a few others, too, that he's just he's if he's not inspecting, he's not helping, he's studying and doubleeing that he knows everything. Um, we're, like I said, we are using our third party inspectors to finish up the warehouses and to finish up Meridian at Stone Creek because those are so detailed and it to not be at the ground level when those went up is really challenging. So, that's exciting. Um, but yeah, he's I think he's he's a great fit for us and he's um all I've so far everything I've gotten is really good and he has no qums about calling people, telling them what works, what doesn't work when they when he has to tell them no. Um, you got to be a good bad guy. Sometimes you got to be a bad guy. I I know. Um, anything else? Like I said, we have had a couple pre-applications for some various um possible multif family things, town houses, that kind of stuff. So, all within the right zoning and stuff. So, um yeah, staying busy. I'm

seeing a lot of real estate signs for those open lots of plans. Oh, we did get a preliminary plat application. Um I think they still have to pay for the property north of Hill Tower Park. Which one is that? Emerald 19th 19th in Emerald that big property that's sort of on the hillside that I know which property for year. Yeah. So okay. Um so yeah I think um just houses culde-sac but so that wetlands there there's wetlands on across the street but because the streets there it in essence doesn't 13 or 14 I'll have to look it's not as many as the first ones that would try to come in and cram things in and I'd be like you're not hitting any of our standards. So, no. So, I'll Yeah. Anyway, so we're definitely busy. Uh, commissioner reports. I won't put you on the spot. We'll start this way and then we'll Yeah, you're going to start over there. No, I'm gonna start with you because I didn't want to put them on the spot. You can set the example because then I can just copy what you say. Susan, I'm just trying to stay out of trouble. Okay. Well, Susan doesn't have anything. I uh Commissioner Johnson, please. I don't know you that well. Anyway, um you know, we're losing a store, right? Aid the 25th and so any right aid is pulling out of olive. Yes. And so, uh, they've reported, I've heard to me, uh, all meds, excuse me, all meds will be going

down to Fred Meyer and you have to request if you want it someplace else. And, uh, that was directly from the horse's mouth of somebody there. And, uh, I'm wondering, have we heard anything of a possibility of it being bought out or the property management say anything at this time? I have not heard anything. Okay. The other thing I ask is, did I hear a rumor at the council meeting about a temporary activity for Fourth of July tent or something happening in Milton? So, um, at the Hollywood video property, there will be a fireworks sale tent. Um, it's a fundraiser for a youth group or something. Oh, okay. Good. Um, they're aware that they can only sell the fireworks that we allow, right? And they've gone through all the proper licensing with the state and the fire department and everything. So, thank you. I just want to know people got the real facts. Yeah. And um the mayor did um email the property owner and said and sent pictures. So, they did they at least cleaned it up because we're like, man, if you have people going in there. So, um, there are a couple businesses that keep or developments that keep talking. So, we are keeping an eye on that property and hopefully I will just say that on the record for now. But yes, we are we are keeping an eye on that property. Okay. The question I have on that property, does a management company own it or who owns that one area? I thought it was the whole the manage the company that owns the shopping centers or is it a separate owner? Correct. So um see uh

the um yes the same people that own everything else except for Safeway owns that one. That's what I thought as well. So it's Surprise Lake Square LLC. Right. Anything else? Right. Commissioner Bole. Uh, thank you. Along lines of the Wraid, uh, I was informed that last week they had their 50% off liquor sale and, uh, I was not able to catch that, but I got mine. Some friends of mine uh, attended the event and said that when people were leaving the park the the store with their cars, they're all going clanky clanky clank clank. I thought I thought that was kind of funny. Uh so they're having big they're slashing prices at the old ride aid. Um uh the conversation we had about the new car wash uh I have sampled the car wash in two of my vehicles and uh I compared it to another car wash down in F. And pros and cons, this car wash is much more difficult to get in and out of if you have a bigger vehicle. I noticed the new curbing all the way around. And as I the days go by that I get another car wash, there's more and more black marks on the curbing. So, be careful with the with the curbs. But, uh, very good car wash. Very, very good car wash. I even went as far as uh um got the unlimited where you can go in every day if you want. Um, so a good addition to the city. Um, I joke I went to the uh stage uh ribbon cutting. Um, I had told a bunch of friends that uh Aerosmith was reuniting for the ribbon cutting and they were quite disappointed, but it was

nice to have the Surprise Lake band there. Uh, it was pretty good turnout. It was fun. Yeah. Shark dance. Uh and lastly, I wanted to welcome our new commissioner. Um the hazing starts now and uh immediately following the meeting. No, welcome aboard. Yeah, that's all. Thank you. Uh vice chair. Oh, thank you. Um, let's see. Vacant buildings. A long time ago, the planning commission worked on code for vacant buildings in terms of what would help the police department uh, manage negative circumstances and it just seems to have never gone anywhere. So at leadership, could you bring that up to um the team and see if it's something that that uh leadership just said no, don't we're not going there or uh because the commission put a lot of work into it. We did forward it on. Uh so thinking about a major store leaving our shopping center just brought back um some history. Um, one of the things I'm wondering is if we could go to a methodology with our documents where the margin is numbered, each line as a way to navigate a document. It's pretty I mean, it was easy with my Microsoft Word. You just number the lines and you can number per page or number all the way through the document. But it's the sort of thing you see legal documents and just a just a uh suggestion to help us find where we're where we wanted to focus more quickly. We could just say a line number

and it's a lot easier to locate. And what else? Well, last but not least, welcome to our new commissioner. Thank you for being willing to serve and uh imagine a better future and and work to uh uh find that balance of where we protect what we really value and that's often the intangible u and u so welcome and thank you for your thoughts and your your willing to do homework willingness and and uh help us come up with great ideas. So, thank you. All right. And our brand new commissioner, go for it. Um, just once again, thank you for for tonight and uh letting me uh contribute in the ways that I can and looking forward to what the future can bring for the city of Milton. Um, it's a home for me and so many other community members. So, looking forward to learning from all of you as well as providing my insights, uh, my background and my expertise. and uh blending this with the current commission to see what we can do to move forward with with the city of Milton and being able to present our our ideas and and and conversations to city council. So, thank you all and looking forward to the future. Um for myself, I definitely want to say welcome to the the group and also um thank you just for community involvement. It's always great to have public participation. So, uh, I just look forward to continuing to hear more voices and and getting more perspectives on how we can, uh, better envision our our city long term. Um, so that is awesome. Um, I had pros love the stage. That's cool. Uh, Milton Days is coming up, so there's still plenty of volunteer

opportunities. I know I got yelled at plenty of times last year as a traffic person, but yet I'm probably gonna or road blockade ranger or something like that. Um yeah, but yet I'm I'm gonna probably volunteer again and and just not get yelled at hopefully as much. Wear a mask to help with the anonymity. You can't do it anymore on the street. Um, and then yeah, I did see that about the writing that that's a bummer that I was just thinking like, man, it feels like Hollywood videos like the only really empty building like that yarn shop's gone in. That's cute. You know, Canon did a great job. I saw across from the ball fields that someone's occupying that building and you started feeling, man, the city's like really getting fully occupied. Um, and then you see that circumstances beyond our control. for I'm hoping that we'll have a a quick turn on that vacancy would be really nice. Um so that is all I have for commissioner reports. Everyone's gone around. Next meeting is July 9th and with that it is 7:45. I call this meeting adjourned.