Loading...
PC APPROVED Minutes 06-09-16 APPROVED Minutes Spokane Valley Planning Commission Council Chambers—City Hall, June 9,2016 Chair Graham called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. Commissioners, staff and audience stood for the pledge of allegiance. Office Assistant Elisha Heath took roll and the following members and staff were present: Kevin Anderson Erik Lamb, Deputy City Attorney Heather Graham Lori Barlow, Senior Planner James Johnson Micki Harnois,Planner Tim Kelley Elisha Heath, Secretary of the Commission Mike Phillips Suzanne Stathos Joe Stoy—absent Commissioner Anderson moved to accept the June 9, 2016 agenda as presented. The vote was six in favor, zero against and the motion passed. Commissioner Anderson moved to approve the May 26, 2016 minutes as presented. Discussion on the minutes, Commissioner Johnson commented on page 3 of 5 the fourth bullet regarding housing that there were density bonuses for medium density not necessarily affordable housing. Commissioner Anderson added that the City currently has density bonuses for high density. The question of density bonuses for medium density was raised. Ms. Barlow stated that no one has taken advantage of the density bonuses to date. She followed up that density bonuses both multifamily zones and the mixed use zones. The vote was six in favor, zero against and the motion passed. Chair Graham asked for a consensus to excuse Commissioner Stoy from the meeting. Seeing no objections Commissioner Stoy was excused from the meeting. COMMISSION REPORTS: Commissioner Kelley reported he attended the Trader's Club Meeting. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: Lori Barlow, Senior Planner shared that the City held the ground breaking ceremony for City Hall and thanked those who were able to attend. PUBLIC COMMENT: There were no public comments. COMMISSION BUSINESS: Study Session: Comprehensive Plan—Tiny Homes Ms. Barlow offered context for the presentation reminding the Commission of the Citizen Initiated Amendment Requests to the Comprehensive Plan (CARs) presented to the Commission in 2015. Among those CARs two of the applications were from Greater Spokane Support Network. One request was to amend a Comprehensive Plan Housing Element Policy to allow for a greater diversity of housing types to specifically include tiny homes and other housing alternatives.Council directed staff to include the request in the update process for further analysis. The purpose of the presentation is to introduce the houses and other related housing trends in preparation for the goals and policies and development regulations review. Chair Graham stated that on June 8, 2015 the Commission excluded the two referenced CARs in their recommendation to the City Council. She asked if the Council had the option to still look at everything and move forward all of the CARs. Ms. Barlow stated that ultimately the Council directed staff to look at all of the CARs excluding only two CARs related to manufactured homes parks. Commissioner Anderson asked that there be clarification between using the term tiny home verses tiny houses since a tiny house is a type of tiny home.Tiny home is more encompassing of different types of housing. 06-09-16 Planning Commission Minutes Page 2 of 4 Micki Harnois,Planner,presented information on Tiny Homes beginning with emerging alternative housing trends. Some of the population are seeking small and practical housing including tiny houses,park model homes,accessory dwelling units and cottages.A tiny house is similar to an RV in that it is a vehicle structure,with electricity,water tanks and sewage tanks and usually on an axle and wheels. Generally it is not designed for permanent occupancy. Currently, to use the structure for full time occupancy it must meet the residential building code and or manufactured housing code standards. Commissioner Anderson asked if the code allows for a travel trailer to be used in the same manner. Ms. Harnois replied tiny houses are treated the same as an RV and may be placed in an RV park if they are self-contained or the park has a facility for sanitation.They are not allowed on a residential lot as a dwelling for more than 30 days. Pursuant to the Spokane Valley Municipal Code (SMVC), the ability to use the tiny home for permanent occupancy on a traditional residential lot is related to a requirement for permanent foundation and connections to utilities. Wheels, and sometimes axles, are removed. The code does not address development standards for the placing of tiny homes in regards to lot size. Recently, the state has adopted a new building code that states: Cities and counties are permitted the option of adopting exemptions from the state building code requirements for buildings whose character of use or occupancy has been changed in order to provide housing for indigent (impoverished)persons according to WAC 51-16-030. Ms. Harnois presented examples of tiny house communities in Olympia and Seattle as well as a concept being presented Spokane Valley to serve homeless needs. Park model homes were the next alternative discussed. Generally park model homes are a temporary,recreational vehicle that is built on a chassis, mounted on wheels and may be connected to utilities to operate the trailer's fixtures and appliances. Staff has received many inquiries from the public in regards to being able to place park model homes on individual lots. However they do not meet the manufactured home dimensions of at least 24 feet wide and 36 feet long so they are not allowed. The next alternative discussed was an Accessory Dwelling Units(ADU). According to SVMC an ADU is a structure that is subordinate and incidental to the main or primary dwelling unit located on the same property, providing complete, independent living facilities exclusively for a single housekeeping unit, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, cooking and sanitation. It can be an affordable alternative for seniors, single parents, or persons with disabilities. The ADU can be attached or detached from a residence, minimum of 300 square feet, a maximum of two bedrooms, be on a foundation, and be similar in appearance to primary dwelling. Chair Graham asked what size shops are allowed on a lot. Ms. Harnois stated ten percent of the total lot size. Discussion continued with an Administrative Exception Code Text Amendment that the Commission forwarded to Council. Staff noted that the work completed on that CTA would be included in the Development Regulation Update. Commissioner Anderson inquired if an ADU is allowed to be rented. Ms. Barlow stated that the owner can rent out the primary or accessory structure if they live on the site at least six months out of the year. Commissioner Kelley asked if the attached ADU had the option to have an entrance into the primary structure. Ms. Barlow stated that it could be possible but the ADU is designed to be a separate living unit. Cottage Villages are designed to be clustered around an open space or common amenity. Commissioner Stathos asked about minimum and maximum sizes for the dwelling. Ms. Barlow replied that a cottage village is more defined by the common amenity they share rather than specific size. Cottage housing provides opportunity for small,detached single-family dwelling units within existing neighborhoods. SVMC does not contain development regulations for cottages specifically, the Planned Residential Development regulations could be utilized so long as the final density is not greater than twenty percent of the underlying zoning district.In many circumstances this would not allow for a high enough density for a cottage development. 06-09-16 Planning Commission Minutes Page 3 of 4 Chair Graham asked if staff had hard numbers on the homeless population for Spokane Valley as well as the social services required to support a facility for homeless since the housing alternatives seem related to homeless issues. Specifically mental health and drug usage. Ms. Barlow added that staff is looking at these options as housing alternatives for more than just the homeless population and that at this time we did not have the information. Chair Graham mentioned that millennials trends indicate that they are seeking jobs to build wealth then move back home to raise a family. What is being done in the Comprehensive Plan to attract and retain companies with white collar jobs to keep millennials in the area?Ms.Harnois reminded the Commission that the population that would seek out these types of housing alternatives are looking for transit and amenities close to where they live so placement is key to these types of developments. Ms. Barlow stated that many of the goals and policies for Economic Development Element are focused on the attraction and retention of businesses and that Economic development in general is a key underlying theme within the Comprehensive Plan. Commissioner Kelley asked if tiny houses and RVs located on residential lots for more than thirty days, are allowed for storage. Mr. Lamb clarified that the reference is for living in a recreational vehicle for more than thirty days due to the sanitation issues and building codes. Commissioner Stathos stated she felt the tiny houses are a trend and a fad and that the community should be cautious about the types of developments. She also mentioned that homelessness is often linked to mental health issues and drug usage and that it is a much more in-depth issue than just providing homeless with a house. Commissioner Anderson disagreed with naming specific types of housing in the goals and policies of the Comprehensive Plan. He felt that each type could stand on its own once outlined and approved then added to the regulations. He presented information he researched on cost and size of tiny houses. He noted that cost is prohibitive without financing, and that recreational vehicles are more affordable and accessible. He recommended Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Planning Commission Ordnance for regulations and the other information on cottages. The site provides history, sizes, and rules. Ms. Barlow inquired if there were specific regulations that were notable. Mr. Anderson stated that they all had a minimum and maximum size, minimum lot size,minimum community area,home owners association,and hidden parking. Commissioner Graham cautioned that upscale developments like Kendall Yards could bring more property crime issues and questioned whether the City had the resources to deal with the increase. Commissioner Johnson asked about infrastructure and whether each cottage needed a sewer hookup or the development itself. Mr. Lamb said it depended on the nature of the property. If set up as individual parcels it would be on an individual home bases. Commissioner Johnson continued that the City has a large amount of open spaces within existing developments which could be an opportunity to create new developments. Commissioner Anderson asked if the park model home could be located in a current mobile home park since the individual sites could be divided to accommodate two units. Ms. Barlow responded that park models could be located in manufactured home parks. However, staff has not seen those type of changes come through. But, in the last year two older mobile home parks converted to RV parks. Commissioner Phillips commented that cottages, they could be used as a buffer between single family homes and apartment buildings. Discussion continued around current examples of assisted living that have cottages and apartment buildings. GOOD OF THE ORDER: Commissioner Johnson attended the ground breaking ceremony for City Hall and noted that it is an excellent example of how government is supposed to work. ADJOURNMENT: Commissioner Kelley moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:19 p.m. The vote on the motion was unanimous in favor, motion passed. 06-09-16 Planning Commission Minutes Page 4 of 4 (;(the}s3 (a/ 2-3 2,0 (a Chair Heather Graham Date signed 40 Secretary Elisha Heath