Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Well, good evening, everybody. It is Thursday, September 10th. I'm calling this session of the Ridgefield City Council to order. Would you please rise and join me for the flag salute led this evening by Councillor Ryan Davis.

I pledge 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.

Thank you and be seated. All right. Mr. Lee, would you please call the roll?

Council Member Davis.

Present.

Council Member Fevella. Here. Council Member Wells. Here. Council Member Burkle.

Present.

Council Member Hamilton. Here. Mayor Pro Tem Chipman.

Here.

Mayor Cole.

Here. Thank you very much. Mr. Stewart, any late changes to the agenda tonight? No late changes, Mayor. Okay, great. We have to start this meeting off again with, on a lighter note, on a bittersweet note, I guess I will say, our deputy city manager, Leigh Nottenaris, who's here with us this evening, is retiring after 14 years in service to the city, and we're grateful for her, and I see a lot of you here are here in support of her, so we're gonna give everyone an opportunity to speak. We're gonna do a special public comment section But as we do that, we have a couple of gifts we do. You're not going to get away without presenting a few goodies to you. And so I guess we can start with that. First and foremost, do we have a city collage? Okay. Not even spoiled yet. So it's not a collage. It's just wrapped up. I'm going to have you come up, but we have a couple. Well, yeah, come on up.

What is it?

Shake it.

Y'all are like kids at Christmas.

I know.

So a couple of gifts for you. First and foremost, this is from all of the city. So thank you for your service. And you can't open it. You should open it in front of everybody.

You should open it. Yeah. It's awkward.

Yeah, we got you.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, don't go far, because there's a couple more things here. You know, I don't want to say it's an underspoken job, because it's a very important job within our city, and while we do an awful lot of work here, Lee does an awful lot to make sure things run smoothly, and so on behalf of a grateful council, we have a couple of things for you as well. First and foremost, our friends at Ridgefield Floral put together a fantastic arrangement for you. And within that, there's a card in here, and there's also a gift card so that you can actually get a decent bite to eat now that you're not in public service. But please take this as on behalf of all of the city council. And you don't have to open it and read it and everything like that, but you can just take that and do that on your own time. We'll let you have a seat for a moment. I'm gonna invite you to speak in just a moment, and there's gonna be some other people I wanna speak to, but before we do that, I wanna give members of council an opportunity to say a few words that they would so like. So, I don't know if somebody wants to start, or, yeah? Yeah. I can start. Yeah, go ahead.

No, I appreciate that. As I was thinking about Lee and her role with the city, I started thinking about the primary things she does and the impact. And when we talk about what makes our city special, what makes it stand out among other communities, towards the top of the list are the actual community events that we do and our people. You know, and the very fact is that Lee has had such a direct involvement and impact on both of those areas of our community. And, you know, I'm just really thankful for the leadership that you've had in those two areas especially. And we will miss you. Thank you. Thank you, Councilor. Councilor Novello.

I echo a lot of those same sentiments. Lee, there is nothing that I can think of that I don't associate your name with, whether it's Main Street or an event or just being around town and seeing your smiling face or passing out hot cocoa at the tree lighting ceremony. mean you are deeply embedded into everything that we do and you do it with so much kindness and like this just excitement to get things done and be there for the community and I'm excited to watch you go into retirement but I'm glad that you're still in the community so that we can still see you around because I know you're not going away you're still gonna be around So I hope you enjoy kayaking and doing all the fun things that you want to do. You will be greatly missed. Yes, we will have somebody else in your position, but you will never be replaced. So I appreciate you.

Thank you, Jocelyn.

Lee, when I think about you, I think about someone who's very calm and measured, and I've never seen you really flustered, no matter what the situation is. And I know you have been a huge support to our city manager and to all of us. But in every situation that we've been in, I have never seen you lose your cool or, you know, be terribly upset. And I think it just has lended a sense of calm to everyone else then around you and just that we've got this covered. And I just appreciate it so much. It's been great to work with you. Thank you so much for everything you've done for us.

I've got a little more of a serious note. We have got to be thankful for Lee. It's on. She's the one that brought First Saturdays to Ridgefield. We did not have those before she initiated them. The other thing that she's been really involved in was the Main Street organization. And the third thing is every time I came into the office, even if she had somebody in her office, she would beckon me to go ahead and come in with the door closed. I mean, the door was closed. And I would go in. And the reason I would go in on the top of her file cabinet, she had a little bowl. And that ball had M&M peanut candies in it. And she knew, and even every time I wrote something down, I called her Miss Yellow, because she always got the yellow, yellow for me. So thank you, Lee, so much.

Lee, I would just like to thank you for everything you do. And oftentimes, it's... Unseen you do it Because you want to and you do one heck of a job at it We're really really really going to miss you, but I want to tell you something You are about to embark on the best part of your life Good luck my dear. Thank you

Okay, the crier up next. I was thinking about when I first started, geez Louise, and Julie, our amazing city clerk who has worked for the city for 20 years, like 21 years, so has seen a lot in her career, and one of the first things she did was compliment you and how much you do. And so I think the sign of a really good leader is the way your team feels about you and the way you make other people feel seen, and you've done that for our community, and you've done that for your team that showed up for you tonight. And so I just echo every single thing that's been said up here so far and want to really, really thank you for everything you've done.

Thank you, Counselor. And obviously, Lee, you have a lot of support here, and you have definitely made a difference in our community. And so at this time, we had a couple of people say, hey, we really want to say something, and there's a lot of public comment this evening. So I want to open a special public comment period tonight. If you have something that you would like to offer for Lee, keep it relegated just to that, and we'll do the same thing, save your name, keep it to three minutes. But yeah, thank you so much.

Thank you, Mayor Cole. My name is Charissa Martin Cairn, and I'm a citizen of Richfield. And probably you've seen me around. But anyway, good evening. I want to take a couple of minutes to recognize Lee as she prepares to retire after 14 years with the city of Ridgefield. I first came to know Lee through Ridgefield Community Dragon Boating. And if you know Lee, you probably won't be surprised that I came to know her as the person working quietly behind the scenes figuring out how to make things happen. For our dragon boating program, this has meant finding winter storage for our boats, figuring out how to get boats moved to and from out of the water, connecting us with resources, solving problems, and helping us grow into the robust community program that we have today. And I think that says something important about Lee. She understands that building a community isn't simply about creating programs. It's about giving people opportunities to continue to connect with one another, and then doing all those practical, often invisible things that allow those connections to happen. Dragon Boating is only one example. You can see Lee's influence throughout Ridgefield, in Main Street, in First Saturdays, Big Paddle, the Multicultural Festival, our downtown businesses, and so many more that I don't even know about. But I know her through dragon boating. And because of her work, people who might never have otherwise have met one another, have climbed into a boat together, learned something new, laughed together, worked together, and become friends. And that is a wonderful legacy. Lee, thank you for all the things you have done that we can see, and especially for all the things that you've done that most of us never saw. You help make Ridgefield not simply a place where people live, but where people belong. Thank you. Congratulations on your retirement, and I'll see you on Lake River.

Sandy Schill, Ridgefield. Thank you, mayor, council, and city staff for allowing us to come and show our appreciation for Lee. I'm going to face you, dear Lee. I had to write this down so I could do it properly. You joined our city during a period of growth and development bringing all the skills needed to not only adapt to the changes but to shape and guide what was best for our community. You were my go-to for legal logistics whenever I was planning an event. I could always brainstorm ideas with you and your input consistently made every project better. When the Ridgefield Main Street program was initiated, we were all figuring out what needed to be done and you were there from the start. You always steered us in the right direction and actively drove the effort forward as the most qualified person to get our program off the ground. Ridgefield Main Street program would not be what it is or have achieved its current success without you. Our community is truly better because of your involvement and your work in creating events like Big Paddle, Farm to Table, Ron, turn your phone off. First Saturdays, putting up with my husband, to name a few. On top of that, you have stepped in as a neutral referee for more than once to help others find common ground for the good of Ridgefield. Part of that calm. You have been one of the trailblazer female figures in our city of Ridgefield. We often probably have overlooked that because you're an employee, but it's your work that brought you here, but it's you that made so much happen in this city that we have to give you credit and always hold you up high as one of our outstanding females of Ridgefield. As you move on to retirement, I must thank you for making Ridgefield a better place than it was before you. Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening, everyone. My name is Heidi Stigman, and I'm the president of Paddle for Life Clark County. and in, let's see, fall of 2019, all of the older board members of Paddle for Life quit, and there were four new board members, myself included, and we also were having troubles with our previous location for our Paddle for Life race event, and so we decided we wanted to try to move here to Ridgefield, and I think it was November of 2019, that I sent a message to Lee saying, would you be willing to come to one of our meetings and explain and talk to us a little bit about Ridgefield? I have since become a resident of Ridgefield as well, so I think Lee had something to do with that, and all of you probably. And not only did she say she would come to the meeting and talk to us, but she said, I think I'm happy to be a part of your team, which was just amazing. because we were kind of shooting the dark at the moment. So it was really nice to have your guidance and your knowledge. Just to fast forward a little bit, we in August had our sixth successful paddle for life event down on the waterfront um and you know we couldn't have done it without the support of lee um and uh you know it seemed like giving us the keys to the kingdom at a time and telling us who to talk to and just trusting us in our event um and so i thank you very much for that um a very recent update um our beneficiary now is the catch 22 ospreys which is um our cancer survivor or breast cancer survivor paddling team. They just returned this week from internationals in France where they were number five in the world and number one for the United States. So I think you should own some of that, Lee. I think you should, and we're very proud of them, and thank you again for your support. On behalf of Paddle for Life, I would love to give you a gold medal to say thank you for your support.

Hey, I'm Josh Olson from Ridgefield. I really got to thank Lee for all her help with the Lions Club. So I guess I'm here on behalf of the Lions Club as well. And when we do our events and the help that she gets and the prod that she pokes at me to get things in. Also got the pleasure of driving her around for the last two years with the Ridgefield Walkabouts. And that was just gonna be a one year deal because I was gonna do the hood to coast. And well, she arm wrestled Steve and I guess she's got more power and I ended up driving again. So thank you for the fun times that we've had. Thank you for all the help that you do in our community. And I know that you have more help in our community even without a job, so.

Good evening Rick Huffman for a Ridgefield resident Lee Julie wanted to be here tonight, and she really had something she had to be too. She apologizes and wishes you well I'm here on behalf of the Ridgefield farmers market Mayor and council members the Ridgefield farmers market would like to honor Lee not nurse for her service to the city of Ridgefield and as deputy city manager and express our sincere appreciation for her support of the farmer's market. Lee's cooperation, leadership, dedication have resulted in highly effective and productive partnership between the market and the city. Specifically, she's helped us recover from the challenges of the pandemic, supported the growth of the market by letting us move to Davis Park, assisted with the grants that have really supported the market with safe operations and continued growth, that included funding for signage, market support, and equipment, and much more. Lee has also built bridges between the market and other city department personnel, including public works and the community events coordinator, Ireland Coleman, and her staff. Her willingness to collaborate and her excellent communication have helped us promote the farmer's market, support local business, and foster a strong sense of community. We are grateful for Lee's many contributions and the positive impact she has had on the farmer's market and the Ridgefield community. We wish Lee a retirement filled with health, happiness, and many wonderful years. Thank you.

What? My name is Ron Onslow and I'm a resident of Ridgefield. Uh, I was mayor at the time that we hired Lena Neris and we were growing like crazy. I can, I'm going to bring up two items that that speak of her and one of them was every year and Lee, uh, Wells can attend to this. Every year, we had a negotiation with the police department and the contract that they had. I will say this at that time. Every time that we signed a contract, it was over. In other words, we always signed the contract for the police department after that we negotiated on. And we were like, we could not get ahead of it. We hired Lena Neris, or we, Mr. Stewart hired Lena Neris. And she went to work with the police department. And lo and behold, We had a contract, and we still had time left for the contract. It was like, oh my god, this is magic. This was something that we could not get done.

Lee Nottenerris handled that.

The other thing that I'd like to bring up is there was a very strong organization that was working on the Overlook Park. And Lee Nottneris went down there to talk to them about putting stakes in the ground for the tents that were going up. And Lee said, you can't put the tent there, and you cannot put the stakes there. And she was very nice and calm about it and said, this needs to be like that. read her the riot act up one side and down the other. And she just stood there, took it all.

Never said a word.

And I thought, wow. I went up to that individual afterwards and I said, do you know who you're talking to? The deputy city manager. Well, that person was really upset. But I will say this. I think we hired her after I had been on the council for like six years, something like that. And Lee Notteneris, I could walk in until yesterday I walked in, and she said, get out. I'm having a meeting. And so up until that time, I could walk in almost any time I wanted and get whatever I had on my mind off. And she was there always. And she was always calm and always collected. And we're going to miss the hell out of her. And she just did a fabulous job while she was here. and I'm here to tell you that she did.

Thank you, ma'am. Is there anybody else who would like to speak? Okay, I'm gonna say a few words and then Lee, we're gonna make you come back up and do a photo op. Oh, there is one person, okay. Oh yes, we can't not have Gail come up and speak.

I first met Lee 14 years ago. and was at one of our first big, big meetings for Big Paddle. And oh my gosh, I've been connected to you ever since. So it's been with just tremendous joy to spend 14 years planning and collaborating and having vision for Big Paddle that's now in its 15th year and then for the community dragon boating. Lee has embraced us all. She has welcomed our ideas. And together we have created visions, built lasting relationships, and partnered with each other to grow programs that support the very spirit of our people. Lee truly knows the power and impact of saying yes. Over and over again, she has quietly stepped in to remove the obstacles. With her leadership and with a deep mutual respect for each other, we have been able to work through the hardest challenges while always carrying the ultimate vision forward. Lee, thank you. Thank you for your teaching. your mentoring, your unwavering support, and the confidence you have placed in us. Working alongside you has been a dream I could never have imagined. Because of you, so many of us have found the opportunity to embrace our courage, to build our own confidence, and to create new possibilities.

OK. Maureen O'Reilly, resident. I'm totally winging this, but I'm not a crier. I met Lee probably when we first moved into Ridgefield, and she's just been a quiet supporter of the Arts Association. Yeah, by the way, I'm president of the Arts Association. And she worked behind the scenes. Probably many of you didn't see our Halloween haul around for five years. Lee quietly dressed as a witch to make sure everything was okay. She was behind the scenes. She cleared obstacles, all these wonderful things that people have been saying. It's all true for every organization, I think, in this city. One year I thought things were going to collapse, and she managed to scrounge up 15 fire extinguishers when the fire department was about to shut me down. She just made things happen. And like you said, calmly, I don't know, just calmly. So I'm kind of glad you're stepping out, but you're not moving away. And I plan to see you on my deck with a bottle of wine. I've left you one. So let's open that soon. And thank you, Lee, for everything you've done.

Yeah.

Mayor Liaison Lee. I'm a Ridgefield resident. I own the building that has that Dragon Boat mural on it. And I've worked with Lee on several projects with the Main Street program and independent programs. And one of the things that captures my heart is Lee is a rare person in that she totally includes everyone. Everyone is equal. Everyone is welcome. And she has these great ideas. And she just quietly gets to work. She's like, well, Marilee, we've talked about having a mural on your building for a long time. So let's just grab a bunch of people and pick their brains on what they'd like to see. And so we got some artists and people walking by. And we stood by the wall. And everybody threw in their thoughts of what we should have. And we're going to have dragon boats. And we have to have roundabout red. And anyway, she just orchestrated that whole thing. but she refused to have her name anywhere on that mural. She never wants recognition. She just quietly includes everybody, hears everybody. You're always seen with her, and you're always validated. So I'm so glad that you're a good friend, and I look forward to spending time with you in your retirement.

Thank you all so much for your comments this evening and just for so much support for somebody who has made a lasting impact on this city. And Lee, we're gonna make you come up here and probably say a few words at the end and council's gonna take this opportunity to have a photo op with you. But before we do that, I just wanna have a couple of words as well. You know, I was thinking about this and leading up to Lee's retirement and I was thinking about all the things that go into what makes a city a city and how a city functions. And usually we think of things like making sure that roads are paved and sidewalks are intact and that parks are clean or that permits are reviewed. Those are all functional baseline services that a city offers. But Lee decided, I think, that that wasn't a whole job because I think that you can see through her contribution over the last 14 years that other things, and you guys have all mentioned them. You've mentioned things like a Dragon Bro program. a main street organization, a first Saturday, a farm to table. I heard Halloween Town in there. I heard all of those types of things. And I would argue that those are actually things that a city should be doing too. Those are the things that provide color and life and culture in a city that desperately needs it. That's what brings community together. Yes, we have to provide the services, but also providing the color and character that comes with that as well. So the proof is out there that she has made a lasting impression. And what I like about this is what you all touched on, too. Lee started things, and then she handed each one of those things off to people who would love it and take care of it. And that's a powerful thing, because anybody can launch something, but not everybody's always willing to let go of the thing that they launched. And Lee, time and time again, handed it off. I mean, you look at First Saturdays and the farmer's market. We had testimony about that tonight. We talked about the multicultural festival that started just as that. a city organization that is now its very own nonprofit organization through the Ridgefold Multicultural Initiative. And you don't have to go look far because just five days ago, downtown was packed with life and vibrancy and color and all of the things that came as a result of what RMI is doing, but would never have happened had Lee not contributed to it as well. So that's what a finished job looks like. In addition to curating the character and color of the city, Lee kept our employee relations high. Former Mayor Onslow talked about that, the labor relations, making sure that the administration runs smooth. All of those things was about empowering community, for us to be able to take ownership over a city and to show up as our best selves. So Lee, you didn't just run programs, you gave the city its color, you gave it its rhythm, and you gave us reasons to show up every weekend, time and time again, so thank you. The best we can offer is a thank you, but we know that's not enough. Thank you for leaving a lasting imprint on the city, and we wish you all the best in retirement and all the paddling and all the traveling you're gonna do, but we hope to see you around town, but thank you so much. And as a token of that, when you come up here, when I became mayor, I wanted to have a coin. I'm a military guy, and I did this to Chief Doria, too, but there's a make a difference coin, and that's what we called it, And it's kind of ironic giving this to Lee because Lee was really instrumental in making sure that this whole thing happened. So you get the copy of one of the coins that you helped create. But I would like for you to have one of these as well. But again, thank you so much for your contribution to the city. Now, if you'd come up and join us, we want to get a picture with you. You good? Do you have a few words you want to say?

There's not enough time and not enough words to say, and what the community has shared and what you've shared is brilliant and captures so much. So I've already said some words. I would say more, and I wouldn't make it through the meeting. So thank you.

Thank you. OK. Well, give us one second if you want.

Everybody's leaving the dais. There you are. I know.

The floor is yours, ma'am.

I'm having a hard time deciding what I need to say other than thank you. I moved to Ridgefield about 30 years ago when I was pregnant with my second child, and I had an opportunity to be a part of this community. I helped in the classrooms. I helped with sports teams. I watched my kids in the Fourth of July parade. I watched them graduate from Ridgefield High School, and they're proud to say, even though they don't live here, they are spotters. But I did not know the depth of this community until I became an employee with the city of Ridgefield. This community embraced me. I was lucky enough to have people walk in my door and say, I have an idea. And I got to say, I want to be part of this. Let's make this happen. I was lucky enough to have people walk into my office and say, I have a problem. And I was be able to be a part of a resolution of that problem. I, and every single one of those people, I know why they were there. They had passion about this city. They had passion about this community and that permeated everything that I was able to be a part of and able to do. So I'm the lucky one here. I am the lucky one here to be able to have worked with all of you. And it is so rewarding to look at those events and look at those murals and watch the paddle boats and the dragon boats happening. That is what makes this community special. And that is what makes people want to live here and want to visit here. The most important thing is you. It's the people. That is what makes this place so unique and so special and makes people want to come here. So for me to be able to be a part of that and continue to be a part of that, I'm leaving the job, not the community, but for me to be able to continue to be a part of that has been an honor. And I want to thank all of you for allowing that. I want to thank all of you for letting me be a part of it. And I want to give a special shout out to all of the administrative services department that I am also a part of. This is the best team that you could ever work with. They are powerful behind the scenes and they will continue to be that way. So thank you. Thank you, Steve. Thank you, Julie. Thank you everyone. I'm still here, I'm still part of the community, I am just gonna be a part of it differently. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. Now we get to move on with business. It's always hard to do that. Yeah, I'm gonna give like two, three minutes for people to clear out. I know that people came here just for that. So we'll resume business in about three minutes at 7.10 if you wanna clear out or if you wanna get some photos or something like that. And we'll come right back. It's the day, Ron.

Ron, happy birthday.

Okay, we're gonna bring this back to order. Let's see here, we got it. Yep, we're right on time. Okay. We're now going to move into public comment. And before we do, I know that I recognize there's a lot of people here, again, from our Preserve Waterfront group. And we've been listening to all of you provide comments to this council for the last five, six months, I think now. And you've heard it time and time again. We hear you. And your voices are an important part of this process. And so council has been talking about, well, when do we get to say something about this and what's necessary to say at the right time. And as a part of that too, we've said all along that it's gonna take a developer agreement and some other things that come in place before an application is filed and before we weigh in. But I think that that would be too long because that's kind of down the road still and there's still a lot of work to be done and a lot of public commentary to be had. So earlier today, We had the city manager transmit a copy of a letter that drafted by the city council that will be submitted to the port commission. And then as we go into public comment, I would like to read that letter just to enter it into the record. And then that will be actually transmitted formally tonight to the port commissioners. We will make it available on the city's website, as well as distribute hard copies at this meeting once we all sign it. So without further ado, before we go into public comment, I'm gonna read the letter, and then we'll go into the comment period. The letter's dated today, September 10th, and it reads, Dear Port Commissioners, On behalf of the Ridgefield City Council, we'd like to thank you for all the work you've done on the Ridgefield Waterfront property. You have turned a contaminated, abandoned mill site into a remediated waterfront that provides our community with a blank canvas to imagine how it might be instead of what it once was. It is a gift that has taken 30 years and almost $100 million to bring to life. And yet here we are, and we are all grateful for such an amazing opportunity. And with that gift comes a responsibility for all of us as elected officials to hear and reflect the voices of our shared constituents as they seek to help define what will best serve the future of our city and the people living in it. As you have correctly said many times, we only get one chance. for this project to get this project right for generations to come. It is in that vein that we reach out today. Over the last six months, at every city council meeting, council chat, public event, and in hundreds of direct communications, we have heard from our constituents. We have heard their values to preserve and enhance our connection with the natural environment and the small town charm embodied in our historic downtown, and we share those values, not as an exercise in determining the ultimate facts and figures of the waterfront development, but instead, we stand in support of assuring that whatever those details are, they should be driven by the truth of who we are and what makes us so special. As you evaluate the thousands of voices we've jointly heard, we ask that you integrate these values into your concept plan. First, to maximize our connections with the natural environment in the park we jointly planned, enhance motorized and non-motorized boating opportunities, integrate green infrastructure, and blend any density away from our wildlife refuge. Second is to maximize compatibility and positive impacts for our historic downtown with design, scale, scope, and uses that complement the extensive work already being done with our partners, projects, and plans, including the downtown sub-area plan that is just getting underway. In addition to the shared values we've heard and reflect, we've also heard our constituents' fears. Traffic bottlenecks, disproportionate housing densities, impacts to our downtown and the wildlife refuge, and diminish access to unique boating along Lake River and beyond. These are valid concerns that we need answers to. Once you have a refined plan ready to review, the city stands ready to work with you on applications and agreements that will help address and alleviate those fears, including a formal master plan, traffic impact analysis, which includes parking plans, intersection improvements, multimodal connections, and impacts beyond the downtown core. An economic analysis analyzing potential impacts of waterfront redevelopment for downtown businesses which might complement downtown merchant offerings and the economic potential created by enhancing our unique connections to the water, to the wildlife refuge, and neighboring waterfront communities. Design details to show how the waterfront will fit into the downtown. And 3D rendering showing how the heights and alignment of waterfront structures might affect the downtown viewshed scope and scale. And lastly, a full environmental impact analysis. We know you've also heard our community's values and fears through your extensive public engagement work this summer. We've been actively following and waiting for it to conclude before weighing in. Based on the completion of your public survey on August 17th, the Q&A port staff released on August 31st, and your evening meeting last night on September 9th, we believe the time is now to go from listening and reflecting to acting. We look forward to how the redevelopment concept crystallizes into a project that will serve our community for generations to come. Again, we are all grateful for the decades of work your team has undertaken to give our community this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we look forward to talking with you soon about those next steps and delivering on that promise. Signed, all seven members of the Ridgefield City Council, starting right now. Do you want a pen? As members are signing that letter, we're gonna go into public comment. So anybody wishing to address City Council regarding items not subject to a specific public hearing may come forward at this time to the podium or use the raise hand feature located at the toolbar at the bottom of your Zoom screen. For controls over the phone, press star nine to raise hand and press star six to mute or unmute. And please state your name and limit your comments to three minutes. Is there anybody wishing to give public comment this evening?

All right, first I'll talk by saying that Lee Nottingeris is one smart cookie, and she secretly ran the city. No defense. And thank you City Council for hearing us. That's a huge relief and I'm sorry that I'm gonna repeat things that you just said that you were already gonna say. So last night the Port of Ridgefield held a meeting at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. They supposedly selected that location to accommodate a large crowd and they didn't even have a microphone. Luckily Steve provided one. But even Ron Onslow got up to let them know you couldn't hear in the back. In the final few minutes of the meeting, of which 95% were public comments against their plan for the waterfront development, we were informed that Palindrome is the developer and there will be apartments. All of the reaching out of the public was a farce. Their summer of engagement made it seem they wanted ideas of what we wanted to see down there. No, they just did that to keep us quiet for a while and stop the pressure from the public and the city was giving them. They state that they needed to create jobs. Well, they are. They have created 1,400 jobs, of which they stated last night, on other pieces of property that they own. An apartment building is not going to create jobs. It's going to be a cash cow for Palindrome. With that money heading out of state, those apartments can be located elsewhere. Open areas and parks have huge value to our city. You even require developers to set aside 25% of open spaces. This development does not belong at our waterfront. Let's preserve the natural area that houses the wildlife refuge with almost 200,000 visitors a year. The Friends of the Wildlife Refuge has come out with a notice of saying how detrimental the traffic construction and noise will be to the migrating birds. We have a river with endless potential for recreation. There were two ladies last night that came all the way up from Portland. They were in their 80s, and they come up to go kayaking on our river. There are fishermen who don't have choices to launch their boat between anywhere from Ridgefield to Washougal. All summer long, pleasure boaters and paddleboarders are down there enjoying Lake River. This area can be a jewel for Ridgefield, where visitors will want to come for all the amenities it offers. This land was contaminated, and now they want to dig into the ground. I am here to plead for you. Find a way to downsize this ridiculous development. Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you, Ms. Haig.

Anybody else?

Good evening, Robin Knight. Thank you so much for what you shared. Last evening, many of us at the report commission meeting moved to the WDFW offices to accommodate attendance, but with no plan for sound, despite assurances made that all venues would support effective public comment. We were supposed to get updates on the waterfront redevelopment, But we're told we can only use the first public comment period to speak about the waterfront and then informed at 20 to 8 that the room was only available until 8 p.m. The last few minutes went to Commissioner Hughes retelling the history of the waterfront remediation followed by a story about his late wife who in her final years couldn't walk the waterfront. So he drive her down in a golf cart offered as the reason for this development for people who can't walk there. and for the rest of the district who weren't in the room. But developing the waterfront won't give anyone more access to that piece. If the port wanted that, they'd build for public access and recreation, not hospitality and residential. Meanwhile, I'm hard pressed to believe the data Preserve Ridgefield Waterfront has collected doesn't represent a sample of our community's feelings on this matter. But you don't have to take my word for it. Just go out and talk to people. And since we're bringing all of our trauma to the discussion, I'd like to share mine. In 2011, I lost my full-term daughter, my only child, to an unexplained stillbirth. I can tell you honestly that no one ever gets over the loss of a child. You learn to live with it, and you do so by finding the things, the places, people, and practices that help you do that. When I moved here, away from the family and friends who carried me through that tragedy, The beautiful natural spaces in Ridgefield are what kept me tethered. Sorry. I've gone to the waterfront more times than I can count to cry to pray to find my footing again. So when I hear about losing it to a hotel and apartments with a sliver of public park left along the slope, I feel that loss more than most of you will ever understand. Personal tragedy can break your heart, or it can break it open. My daughter would never want me to be someone who let mine stay closed. So that's why I'm here, to ask for your help. Not for myself, but for the port. They have become their own worst enemy in all of this. And as someone who does genuinely care about other people, it's hard watching it happen. Please use whatever influence you may have before this becomes a wound this community carries as deeply as I carry mine. Thank you.

Nancy Bacon, Richfield resident. Thank you. I mean, I'm over there blubbering, but thank you. So that's number one. Thank you for your words. Number two, Steve, thank you for the microphone. I'm hearing impaired. I asked them before the June 17th meeting for a microphone. They didn't provide it. We asked them again for the one meeting last night. They didn't provide it. So thank you. Because of you, I could participate. And I'm actually going to file a complaint about for ADA noncompliance. And also your Public Works Department. I live off of Hillhurst and Sevier by Cheeky Noodles, which is really good.

Ms. Fagan, could you say your name for the record first before you continue?

I'm sorry?

Could you say your name for the record?

I did, Nancy Fagan.

Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't hear that. Thank you.

But we have a new traffic pattern trying to come out there, and we're getting used to it. But I called a week ago, and I said, there's a tree that has fallen over on the easement there, and it's blocking the view. I mean, in no time. You guys came out, I don't know who to thank, specifically you, okay, thank you. They not only took care of that tree, they took care of two more. And so now I can pull up to that really weird traffic pattern, and I can see where I'm going, so thank you. So this is just a joyful evening for me, thank you.

Good evening, I'm Wendy McIntyre, Ridgefield resident. I'm just feeling all the emotions today at this meeting. First, I didn't know Lee, but hearing all the contributions that she made to the city just got me very reflective of my gratitude for everyone in the city and the community and the culture that we have here. And then also hearing your statement today, Mayor, that really means a lot and shows what an amazing community we have where we're willing to come together. You guys are listening and we so appreciate that. and collaborating all the collaboration that we've heard about that have made so many things possible. This is what makes this place so wonderful. And this is why we are fighting so hard to keep Ridgefield the way that it is. And, and for, you know, one of the precious things that makes it so special, the waterfront. Um, so originally I was going to share, I sent an email out to all of you, or I just, I copied you on an email that I had sent the port. And I won't read all of it. I don't know how many of you got to read it yet, but I do appreciate Mayor Matt Swift's reply. But I did just want it on the record. At first, I detailed a bit of the meeting that we went to last night, the disappointing meeting that we were there for almost two hours, giving our public comments only to be told that the room was only reserved till 8 and it was about 10 minutes to 8 when they told us this. So we didn't get to any of the agenda. We didn't get to hear the summer of engagement results or anything that we all had gone to hear. So what I had said, I will skip to the last part. This process that we have been doing is not building trust. It is eroding trust and more and more residents are filled with frustration. I am copying city leadership because I also believe it is time to consider a different approach. What has happened over the past five months has been incredibly frustrating and ineffective. I would strongly encourage the city and port to jointly host a town hall with concerned residents specifically focused on the waterfront. Not another three-minute public comment session with no response, but a moderated forum where residents can ask questions, the port and city can respond, the port can clarify any misconceptions, the results of the engagement process can be discussed openly, and ideally together we can find a clear path forward. The city has valuable insights and a huge stake in this project as well. We can't ignore that. It makes sense for them to be a part of this conversation now. There is an enormous amount of community concern, but we have always been willing and wanting to have an open conversation and hopefully reach an understanding where we aren't left feeling disregarded. We need that for him. The port has repeatedly said it wants to listen and engage. The community has not felt the process has been meaningful or constructive, and last night was a clear demonstration of that. A genuine town hall with the city, the port, and the community at the same table would be a meaningful step toward honoring that commitment. So again, I thank you for your comments today. That means a lot that you want to reflect the values that we're standing up for as well. And we hope that we can continue this conversation. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Hillary Wheeler. I had no intention of being here tonight until those last 10 minutes of the meeting last night. Thank you for that letter. I'm still going to read my prepared statement, but know your professionalism, compassion, and care for this community is so greatly appreciated. That meeting was just another sham in their shell game. Their community engagement has been a joke this summer. It has been full of meeting spaces too small, no microphones, spinning community feedback to fit their narrative, and the lack of basic decorum that should be a bare minimum for any of our elected officials. They continue to share, they continue to outline basic rules for engagement with them, but do not reciprocate it back. Last night they were, they never disclosed that the space was only rented until eight. They all listened to our testimonies with a disgusted, disinterested, and annoyed face. At the end of the public comment, rather than use the remaining 10 minutes to go over the waterfront survey results, which was the next agenda item, Scott decided to go on a rant about how we did not do our homework. I think we have been doing plenty of homework and have been seeking as much information as possible about this proposed development, the history behind it, city codes, and how it's all interconnected. I'm tired of being treated like I am lesser or not capable of comprehending RCWs. After Scott engaged a community member during his rant, he immediately cut the meeting off saying, time's up. So now the whole reason we asked for a 6 p.m. meeting so we could all attend, that agenda is now pushed to next month, which I am sure is a 3 p.m. meeting that the majority of the community is unable to attend. How convenient for the port. Mayor Cole, I know that through public records requests that you did indeed address the port in an email back in May when we were all in an uproar. and I thank you for your assistance with that email. Now I ask the rest of you for your help again. We need your help and support demanding that the port does better by their constituents. I could not imagine any of you or our city employees acting the way that they are through this process. They lack professionalism. Though you are separate entities, you are still partners and to the average person you are connected. They are responsible for losing this community and I don't want them to bring you down with them. Also, Steve.