2023-05-11 PC APPROVED SIGNED MINUTESI.
II.
IV.
Meeting Minutes
Spokane Valley Planning Commission
Room 212 — Centerplace Regional Event Center
May 11, 2023
Planning Commission Chairman Karl Granrath called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. The
meeting was held in person and via ZOOM meetings.
The Commissioners, staff, and audience stood for the Pledge Of Allegiance.
Administrative Assistant Marianne Lemons took attendance, and the following members and
staff were present:
Susan Delucchi
Val Dimitrov
Karl Granrath
Walt Haneke
Bob McKinley, absent
Nancy Miller
Daniel Wilson
Tony Beattie, City Senior Deputy Attorney
Chaz Bates, Planning Manager
Lori Barlow, Senior Planner
Levi Basinger, Planner
Nikki Kole, IT Specialist
Marianne Lemons, Administrative Assistant
There was consensus from the Planning Commission to excuse Commissioner McKinley
from the meeting.
AGENDA: Commissioner Delucchi moved to approve the agenda for May 11, 2023 as
presented. There was no discussion. The vote on the motion was six in favor, zero against
and the motion passed.
V. MINUTES: Commissioner Miller noted a scribner error on page 5 of 5. Commissioner
Haneke moved to approve the April 13, 2023 minutes as corrected. There was no discussion.
The vote on the motion was six in favor, zero against, and the motion passed.
VI. COMMISSION REPORTS: Commissioner Delucchi reported that she is reviewing
HB 1337 that was passed by legislation. Chairman Granrath also reported that he is
reviewing the newly passed house bills.
VII. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: There was no administrative report.
VIIL PUBLIC COMMENT: There was no public comment.
IX. COMMISSION BUSINESS:
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a. Findings of Fact: STV-2023-0001: 22"d Avenue & Glenview Circle
Planner Levi Basinger presented the Findings of Fact for STV-2023-0001. The request is a
privately initiated street vacation to vacate 6,900 square feet of public right-of-way south of
the intersection of 22" Avenue and Glenview Circle. He explained that the Planning
Commission held a public hearing on the proposed street vacation on April 27, 2023. The
Planning Commission deliberated on the street vacation request and voted unanimously to
forward the request to the City Council as presented. He explained that the Findings of Fact
will formalize the recommendations that were made at the public hearing.
Commissioner Miller moved to approve and forward the Findings of Fact to the City
Council as presented. There was no discussion. The vote on the motion was six in favor,
zero against, and the motion passed unanimously.
b. Study Session: CTA-2023-0002 — Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Regulations
Update
Senior Planner Lori Barlow presented a staff report. She stated that CTA-2023-0002 is a
city -initiated code text amendment to revise Spokane Valley Municipal Code (SVMC)
19.40.030 as it related to ADU standards. The proposed regulation change will eliminate the
requirement that the property owner occupy the primary dwelling unit or the ADU and other
matters related. Pursuant to SVMC 19.30.040 modification to SVMC Titles 17 through 24
are classified as a Type IV development application and require the Planning Commission to
provide a recommendation to the City Council.
Ms. Barlow explained that the reason for the change is that the requirement creates a barrier
for the construction of ADU's to be constructed at the same time as a new home build. It
also negatively impacts opportunities to provide affordable/flexible housing options.
Ms. Barlow stated that the premise for the regulation was that ADU's were historically
intended to allow for family members needing care. There are also some apprehensions
about noise and negative impacts that may be caused by unsupervised renters. It allowed
cities to limit the frequency of ADU's.
Ms. Barlow said that the Washington Department of Commerce has identified a housing
crisis and has provided a breakdown of future housing needs. The breakdown estimates that
Washington will need 1.1 million housing units in the next 20 years.
Ms. Barlow explained that the City developed a Housing Action Plan (HAP) that stated that
the City would need 6,660 additional dwelling units by 2037 for a forecasted population of
109,913 people. However, the City is already at 107,100 people as of April 1, 2022 which is
97% of the 2037 forecasts. There have been 3401 dwelling units built since the HAP was
approved so the City needs 3,059 additional dwelling units to meet the proposed need for the
current population of the City.
The draft regulations will be as follows:
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Page 3 of 4
• One ADU per parcel.
• One off-street parking space per ADU.
• The ADU must be at least 300 SF but less than 50% of the primary structure.
• The footprint of the ADU cannot exceed 10% of the lot area or 1000 sf, whichever is
greater.
• The ADU cannot have more than 2 bedrooms.
• The entrance must be located on the side or rear of the primary structure.
• The ADU must be set behind the front building setback line and meet all side yard
setbacks.
• The ADU will only be allowed on lots with a single-family dwelling unit.
• A title notice is required.
Ms. Barlow highlighted that the only change to the code would be to remove the owner
occupancy requirement. From 2013-2022, the City issued a total of 76 ADU building
permits.
Commissioner Haneke requested a breakdown of how many housing units have been built
each year for the past five years.
Commissioner Delucchi suggested only removing the owner -occupied requirement for new
builds but keep the requirement for established neighborhoods throughout the City. Ms.
Barlow responded that the City Council determined that this requirement is a barrier within
the City limits and specifically requested that this code text amendment be developed and put
through the amendment process. Ms. Barlow stated that she would look at neighboring
communities that have eliminated this requirement from their code and see how many
additional ADU dwellings have been permitted since the change.
Commission Dimitrov asked if Homeowner's Association (HOA) covenants would
supersede this amendment to the code. Ms. Barlow answered that subdivision covenants or
plat notations prohibiting ADU's within a development would supersede but would have to
be enforced through civil action because the City does not enforce covenants.
The Public Hearing for this item will be held at the May 25, 2023 Planning Commission
meeting.
X. GOOD OF THE ORDER: There was nothing offered for the Good Of The Order.
XI. ADJOURNMENT: Commissioner Haneke moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:24p.m. The
vote on the motion was six in favor, zero against, and the motion passed.
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Karl Granrath, Chairman Date Signed
Marianne Lemons, Secretary