Loading...
2023-06-08 PC APPROVED SIGNED MINUTESI. II. IV Special Meeting Minutes Spokane Valley Planning Commission Room 109 — Centerplace Regional Event Center June 8, 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, absent Karl Granrath Walt Haneke Bob McKinley Nancy Miller Daniel Wilson, absent Kelly Konkright, Contract Attorney Chaz Bates, Planning Manager Lori Barlow, Senior Planner Chad Knodel, IT Specialist Marianne Lemons, Administrative Assistant There was consensus from the Planning Commission members to excuse Commissioner Dimitrov and Commissioner Wilson. AGENDA: Commissioner Delucchi moved and it was seconded to approve the June 8, 2023 agenda as presented. There was no discussion. The vote on the motion was five in favor, zero against, and the motion passed. V. MINUTES: Commissioner Haneke moved and it was seconded to approve the May 11, 2023 minutes as presented. There was no discussion. The vote on the motion was four in favor, zero against, and the motion passed. Commissioner McKinley abstained from the vote because he was not present at the meeting. Commissioner Haneke moved and it was seconded to approve the May 25, 2023 minutes as presented. There was no discussion. The vote on the motion was five in favor, zero against, and the motion passed VI. COMMISSION REPORTS: Commissioner Delucchi reported that she looked at other Cities land uses while traveling. She thinks that Spokane Valley could update their code in a way that doesn't sacrifice the beauty of the Valley for economic growth. VII. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: Planning Manager Chaz Bates reported that the City Council passed the Street Vacation for Oaks Academy that was reviewed by the Planning Commission. He also mentioned that there was a parcel that was missed during the noticing of the Comprehensive 6-08-2023 Planning Commission Minutes Page 2 of 4 Plan Amendment Update so that item will be reheard by the Planning Commission at the next meeting. VIII. PUBLIC COMMENT: There was no public comment. a. Motion Consideration: Planning Commission Rules Of Procedure Amendment Contract Attorney Kelly Konkright presented a proposed amendment to the rules of procedure. He explained that City Hall remediation work is currently being performed in the Council Chambers. To accommodate the work, it is necessary to temporarily relocate the regular meetings of the Planning Commission to CenterPlace. The Planning Commission Rules of Procedures includes the date, time, and location of its meetings. The proposed amendment to the Rules of Procedure will change the location of the regular meetings from City Hall to CenterPlace Regional Event Center, 2426 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley, Washington. The dates and times of the meetings will remain the same, the second and fourth Thursday of each month beginning at 6:00 p.m. This change will benefit the public by increasing efficiency of Commission business and will alleviate staff time associated with setting special meetings. Commissioner McKinley moved and it was seconded to waive the rules and recommend approval to the City Council to amend the Planning Commission Rules of Procedure to change the location of meetings to Centerplace Regional Event Center. There was no discussion. The vote on the motion was four in favor, one against with Chairman Granrath dissenting, and the motion passed 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. 6-08-2023 Planning Commission Minutes Page 3 of 4 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. Ms. Barlow explained that there has been more of a demand for the ability to build an ADU in the Single -Family Residential neighborhoods without the restriction of one of the units being occupied by the owner of the property. This change would allow an additional opportunity to help fill the gap of needed units and allow residents in the lower median income bracket to live in single-family home neighborhoods. Commissioner Haneke stated that he would be in favor of changing the code to allow an ADU to be built simultaneously with a new build home. However, he is opposed to removing the owner occupancy requirement because it would allow for two rentals on one property. Ms. Barlow outlined that the proposed draft regulations: • 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. She also noted that Spokane County and the City of Spokane do not currently have the owner -occupied requirement for ADU's. Ms. Barlow stated that the benefits of the change to the code would add diversity in housing options, provide a housing type that blends in with existing single-family neighborhoods, would cater to changing demographics such as seniors or smaller households, would provide housing that is typically more affordable than single family homes, would remove a known barrier to ADU production and would be a gentle approach to accommodating the housing demand. She explained that the purpose of the proposed amendment would increase the overall housing supply and variety of housing, would encourage infill development, would reduce the need for additional land because the ADU's would utilize available area within established neighborhoods, and would provide for a greater opportunity for housing options. Ms. Barlow stated that the Public Hearing will be held on June 22, 2023. 6-08-2023 Planning Commission Minutes Page 4 of 4 Commissioner Granrath asked what prohibits a property owner from building an ADU at the time of a new build. Ms. Barlow answered that the staff interpretation of the code is that an ADU cannot be built until there is a "primary" residence. Commissioner Delucchi left the meeting at 7:04 p.m. Commissioner Granrath commented that he thinks it could be a good idea to allow some speculation builders to build ADU's at the time of new build. But he also thinks it might be good to keep ADU construction under the current more stringent requirements until the new legislation goes into effect in the year 2026. Commissioner Haneke stated that allowing developers to build ADU's along with new build Single - Family homes would force the City to look at traffic, utility capacity, parking, and infrastructure development. He pointed out that allowing double the number of units could be a huge impact. Commissioner McKinley commented that he feels that property owners should be allowed to develop their property as they see fit but he doesn't want to see every single-family home become a rental property with the addition of an ADU. Commissioner Miller stated that the change will encourage more rentals in single-family neighborhoods, and she doesn't think it is necessary to make that change currently. X. GOOD OF THE ORDER: Commissioner Granrath stated that he will not be at the June 22, 2023 meeting and may have to miss the first meeting in July. XI. ADJOURNMENT: Commissioner McKinley moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:23 p.m. The vote on the motion was seven in favor, zero against, and the motion passed. Karl Granrath, Chairman Date Signed Marianne Lemons, Secretary