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2008, 07-23 Study Session MinutesMINUTES Special Study Session Meeting City Council Wednesday, July 23, 2008 Spokane Valley City Hall Council Chambers 11707 E. Sprague Avenue, Spokane Valley, WA. Attendance. City of Spokane Valley Dick Denenny, Deputy Mayor Rose Dempsey, Councilmember Bill Gothmann, Councilmember Gary Schimmels, Councilmember Steve Taylor, Councilmember Diana Wilhite, Councilmember Absent: Rich Munson, Mayor Special Guest: Michael Freedman, Freedman, Tung and Bottomley (FTB) 6:00 p.m. City Staff Dave Mercier, City Manager Mike Jackson, Deputy City Manager Greg McCormick, Planning Manager Scott Kuhta, Senior Planner Neil Kersten, Public Works Director Mike Stone, Parks and Rec. Director Mary Kate Martin, Building Official Christina Janssen, Assistant Planner Lori Barlow, Associate Planner Greg Bingaman, IT Specialist Carolbelle Branch, Public Information Officer Deanna Griffith, Administrative Assistant Deputy Mayor Denenny called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m., roll was taken and Deputy Mayor Denenny invited Senior Planner Kuhta to begin the meeting. Mr. Kuhta introduced Mr. Michael Freedman, from Freedman, Tung and Bottomley, consultant for the Sprague /Appleway Revitalization Plan. Mr. Kuhta explained that Mr. Freedman is here to assist the City Council with any questions they have regarding the items in the plan and the recommendations of the regulations. Items under discussion between Council members, staff and Mr. Freedman included the following topics: • Parking, shared parking, minimum and maximum spaces required for specific development types, public parking, what are industry standards, urban standards, how parking spaces are dedicated to the seven days surrounding Christmas, more spaces cost money, how the impervious surfaces affect the environment, and that handicapped parking is governed by law. • Lot coverage and frontage requirements, how to deal with retail that has specific requirements, certain percentage of frontage coverage, sidewalk improvements, and behind the planting strip. • Mr. Freedman made a statement that regardless of the standards that the Council decides on they have to be something they are comfortable enforcing, and should stick to those standards and not bend them after they have chosen them; as once one standard is bent then every project will become a negotiation and the standards will begin to fall. Cutting edge is a judgment call and determine what you are comfortable enforcing, and stand by it. • The benefits of Mixed -Use Corridor are the ability to add residential to the area. Residential boulevard allows more than residential uses, office, lodging. Uses are restricted to certain areas to help generate economic development into centers. Zoning typically does allow uses in certain areas and not in others. Forms of the building are more important than the uses, the priority is the City Center. Mixed -Use is as important as the City Center in order to help focus the market differently. Special Council Study Session 07 -23 -08 Page 1 of 2: Approved by Council: 08 -12 -08 AT • Language in the code allows for payment of a fee in lieu of construction based on where the development occurs for street improvements. This is so that if street improvements are not forth coming and would impair traffic, a fee can be paid and the improvements can be made later, or if the improvements are put in at the time of development and then the City upgrades the street or improves it, the development gets some of the money back. It is an easy way to handle the fact that everyone must pay for improvements. • Row housing and Planned Residential Development requirements for five parcels, these requirements are not in the subarea plan; row housing is still permitted as a multifamily unit, based on the state code it must meet certain codes, but is still treated as separate lots and different homes. • Prelocated streets and how the City hopes to try and conform with them: Mr. Freedman stated that connectivity is important and that in order to accomplish this, some new streets would need to be added. The corridor had been looked at and places where it appeared that future development could prepare for new streets is where staff and the consultants thought that the prelocated streets should go. • Sign regulations: if these regulations were different than the Uniform Development Code, how the code would trigger a change in the regulations and the need to conform with the new regulations. Change of use does not trigger conformance. • Question of philosophy of changing from regional mall centers to city center development. Shopping period has entered a period of great change, some people are sticking to old standards, some of the biggest names in suburban development are making commitments to no more malls, others are still staying with the old stand by, and the market is changing. FTB believes that the smartest thing a City can do is not try to zone something that the industry does not want to do. That leads to land that they will fight you on or they will not invest in. What is the trajectory of the shopping. It is going away from auto oriented, covered malls, to clustered shopping that is pedestrian oriented. Decide what you think is innovative for tomorrow, get your vision and then move forward to force change the way you want it, and you force change through zoning and capital improvements. • None of the changes that were proposed by the Planning Commission were seen as issues that Mr. Freedman reviewed. • Two -story in the City Center was a definite issue in the beginning, however the market has changed and at this time FTB does not believe that two story is necessary and that one story would be acceptable and still get a nice City Center development. Bob Gibbs has recommended not to change it. Hold to the other standards and not require two stories. There being no other business the meeting was adjourned at 7:45* R" and Munso �ayor pristine Bambri. ge, City Clerk Special Council Study Session 07 -23 -08 Approved by Council: 08 -12 -08 Page 2 of 2: