>>> ALL RIGHT, GOOD MORNING. THE
APRIL 30th, 2025 SPECIAL LAND
USE COMMITTEE WILL COME TO
ORDER. IT IS 9:37 A.M. I AM MARK
SOLOMON. CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE.
WILL THE CLERK CALL THE ROLL.
>> PRESENT.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IF THERE
IS NO OBJECTION, THE AGENDA WILL
BE ADOPTED. THE AGENDA IS
ADOPTED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE
COMING THIS WEDNESDAY MORNING.
TO DISCUSS LAND USE. THANK YOU
FOR HELPING US TO PREPARE FOR
TODAY'S MEETING. WE WILL NOW
OPEN THE HYBRID PUBLIC COMMENT
PERIOD. PUBLIC COMMENT SHOULD
RELATE TO ITEMS ON TODAY'S
AGENDA. AND WITHIN THE PER VIEW
OF THIS COMMITTEE. CLERK, HOW
MANY SPEAKERS DO WE HAVE SIGNED
UP FOR THIS MORNING? OKAY. TWO
IN PERSON, TWO REMOTE? THANK
YOU. EACH SPEAKER WILL GET TWO
MINUTES. AND WE WILL START WITH
THE IN-PERSON SPEAKERS FIRST.
CLERK CAN YOU PLEASE READ THE
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PUBLIC
COMMENT PERIOD? [ CLERK IS NOT
MIC-ED. ]
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND GOOD
MORNING CHAIR SOLOMON. I'M LILY
HAYWARD EXPRESSING OUR SUPPORT
FOR PROPOSED CODE AMENDMENTS FOR
STREAMLINING LIGHT RAIL. THE DHS
WORKING WITH STAKE HOLDERS, ARTS
AND CULTURE ORGANIZATIONS,
PROPERTY OWNERS. COMMUNITY
LEADERS TO ENSURE THAT LIGHT
RAIL CONSTRUCTION DOESN'T UNDO
THE INVESTMENTS MADE. SEATTLE'S
DOWNTOWN IS THE ECONOMIC
TRANSPORTATION CORE OF OUR
REGION HOME TO 337,000 JOBS, 108
THOUSAND RESIDENTS AND HOSTS
OVER 10 MILLION VISITORS EVERY
YEAR. AS THE BALLARD AND SEATTLE
LINK EXTENSIONS MOVE FORWARD, WE
APPRECIATE THE CITY'S
LEADERSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP WITH
SOUND TRANSIT AND THE PERMITTING
FRAMEWORK DELIVERED EFFICIENTLY
AND EQUITABLY. WE ARE HERE TO
SUPPORT THIS PROGRESS AND WE
URGE THE COUNCIL AND THE CITY
SOUND TRANSIT TEAM TO REMAIN
LASER FOCUSED ON MITIGATION. THE
SCALE AND DURATION EXPECTED TO
LAST A DECADE OR MORE CALLS FOR
A COORDINATED STRATEGY THAT
MAINTAINS MOBILITY, PROTECTS
BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS AND
ENSURES DOWNTOWN CONTINUES ITS
STRONG RECOVERY. WE ASK THE CITY
BUILD ON THIS PERMITTING REFORM
BY ENSURING ROBUST MITIGATION.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME
TODAY.
>> THANK YOU.
>> NEXT UP, WE HAVE STEVE.
>> IT DOESN'T REALLY FEEL LIKE
A SPECIAL MEETING TO ME AS THE
LAND USE HAS HAD ONE REGULARLY
SCHEDULED MEETING IN FIVE
MONTHS. I THINK WE SHOULD TAKE A
LOOK AT A COUPLE OF THINGS FOR
THE GENERAL PUBLIC. LOOKS LIKE
YOU ARE DOING MAINLY
HOUSEKEEPING RIGHT NOW. THIS HAS
BECOME A VERY MINIMALIST
COMMITTEE. I SEE A PROBLEM WITH
THE MHA FEES GETTING HOUSING
EXACTLY WHEN THE BUILDINGS COME
ONLINE INSTEAD OF TWO TO FIVE
YEARS LATER AND I UNDERSTAND
THAT THE MAIN REASON FOR THIS IS
NOT JUST THE DEVELOPERS DON'T
WANT TO PAY. BUT THERE ARE
PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT, PEOPLE
WHO MAKE EVEN LESS THAN I DO IN
THEIR COMMUNITY LET ALONE IN
THEIR BUILDING. SO, WHEN YOU
TALK ABOUT BEING PRO HOUSING, IT
WAS ONLY MEANT TO BE FOR A FEW
BUILDINGS THAT WERE GOING TO BE
VERY, PENSIVE. VERY LUXURIOUS.
AND NOW EVERYBODY BUYS OUT WHICH
IS HOLDING UP HOUSING AND YOU
ARE DESTROYING THE HOUSING THAT
THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE LESS THAN
100,000, LESS THAN $80,000 A
YEAR FORMERLY USED TO LIVE IN
AND YOU ARE JUST NOT REPLACING
IT. AND TREES, ONLY GOT A FEW
SECONDS LEFT. WHEN THE LAST TREE
IS DOWN, THAT IS PROBABLY WHEN
YOU ARE GOING TO REACT IT LOOKS
LIKE. YOU ARE EQUALIZING THE
NORTH END AND THE SOUTH END AS
YOU PROMISED BUT THE PROBLEM IS
THAT THE NUMBER IS ZERO YOU ARE
GOING FOR. WE SHOULD BE SAVING
TREES, LARGE TREES. SHADE TREES.
TREES THAT ARE GOOD FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT.
>> THANK YOU. WE WILL NOW MOVE
ONTO VIRTUAL COMMENTS. FIRST UP
WE HAVE DAVID HANES.
>> HI, THANK YOU. HOW MUCH
SALARY HAS SOUND TRANSIT ST3T
POCKETED OVER THE LAST FIVE
YEARS ACTING LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN
WORKING TO STREAMLINE THE
PROCESS? YOU THE TELL WE HAVE
THE WRONG PEOPLE IN CHARGE
BECAUSE THEY THINK IT IS MORE
IMPORTANT TO COMPETE WITH AN
ALREADY ESTABLISHED AND
OVERPRICED RAPID RIDE SEED BUS
THAT ALREADY GOES TO THE SAME
AREA OF WEST SEATTLE THAT CAN
PROBABLY BEAT THE TRAIN IF YOU
STARTED FROM THE ENTRANCES TO
THE FUTURE TUNNEL. AND THE RAPID
RIDE D BUS THAT GOES TO THE SAME
AREA OF BALLARD. WHAT IS
DUMBFOUNDINGLY ILLOGICAL IS THE
FACT WE NEED MORE DENSITY. YET
WEST SEATTLE HAS ALREADY BEEN
LISTED AS A SMALLER NEIGHBORHOOD
RESTRICTING FUTURE LEVELS OF
DENSITY NEGATING THE
JUSTIFICATION TO PUT AN
OVERPRICED TRAIN IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD THAT STILL REQUIRES
A BUS TRANSFER TO GET TO ALKI
BEACH. THIS PROJECT ORIGINATED
FROM THE SAME PROGRESSIVES WHO
LIVED IN THE AREA WHO WANTED TO
USE BILLIONS OF TAX DOLLARS TO
BUILD THEIR POLITICAL RESUME
WHEN YOU ALL ARE GOING THROUGH
WITH IT TRYING TO FORCE IT.
SEATTLE CANNOT FIX ANY OF THEIR
BRIDGES PROPERLY. THEY HAVE TO
PATCH WORK FIX THEM AND YOU WANT
TO BUILD A BRIDGE FOR ANOTHER
MISERABLE TRAIN COMPETING WITH A
RAPID RIDE BUS. WEST SEATTLE AND
BALLARD COULD BUILD HIGHER WITH
NO RESTRICTIONS WHERE A WHOLE
BUNCH MORE PEOPLE COULD LIVE,
THIS WOULD BE MORE OF A
JUSTIFICATION OF THE TRAIN OR
BECAUSE WEST SEATTLE HAS ALREADY
BEEN LISTED AS A SMALLER
NEIGHBORHOOD ON THE
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND RAPID
RIDE HAS ALREADY BEEN PAID FOR,
YOU ARE FOOLISHLY GOING THROUGH
WITH IT. MAYBE IT WOULD BE
BETTER TO CANCEL ST3 AND HAVE
BETTER OVERSIGHT OF SOUND
TRANSIT 2 AND 1 AND FORCE THEM
TO FIX AND BUILD PROPERLY WHAT
THEY ARE STILL ATTEMPTING TO
OPEN THAT HAS BEEN DELAYED OVER
A YEAR BECAUSE OF CORRUPTION
INCOMPETENCE MAYBE WE NEED A
TYPE OF DOGE ON SOUND TRANSIT.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NO
ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS. WE WILL NOW
CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD.
AND PROCEED TO OUR ITEMS OF
BUSINESS. WILL THE CLERK READ
ITEM ONE INTO THE RECORD.
>> AGENDA ITEM 1. COUNCIL BILL
120949. AN ORDINANCE RELATED TO
LAND USE AND ZONING EXPANDING
HOUSING OPTIONS BY EASING
BARRIERS TO THE CONSTRUCTION AND
USE OF ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS
AS REQUIRED BY STATE
LEGISLATION.
>> PLEASE PRODUCE YOURSELVES FOR
THE RECORD. AND BEGIN WHEN YOU
ARE READY.
>> LISH WHITSON.
>> DAVID VAN SKIKE.
>> AND THIS IS THE THIRD MEETING
ON COUNCIL BILL 120949. IT WOULD
AMEND SEATTLE'ZONING
REGULATIONS TO COMPLY WITH STATE
HOUSE BILL 1337 WHICH WOULD MAKE
OTHER CHANGES TO THE ADU
REGULATIONS. YOU HAVE HAD TWO
MEETINGS ON THIS SUBJECT SO I
WON'T DIVE IN MUCH DEEPER BUT
WE ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY
QUESTIONS YOU HAVE.
>> ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR
OUR PRESENTERS REGARDING THIS
LEGISLATION? COUNCILMEMBER
MOORE?
>> I HAD ASKED LISH IF THE ADUS
ARE COUNTED WAR THE CITY'S
HOUSING GOALS. AND YOU RESPONDED
THAT THEY ATTACH, DETACH
ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS ARE
ESTIMATED SEPARATELY AND WENT
ONTO SAY THEY ARE COUNTED TOWARD
REACHING THE CITY'S HOUSING
GOALS WHEN THEY ARE BUILT. CAN
YOU JUST CLARIFY WHAT THAT
MEANS?
>> THE OFFICE OF PLANNING AND
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT HAS A
DEVELOPMENT MODEL WHERE THEY
ESTIMATE HOW MUCH GROWTH WILL
HAPPEN IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE
CITY. THE MODEL DOES NOT ASSUME
THE ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS
WILL BE BUILT. BUT WHEN THEY ARE
BUILT, THEY ARE COUNTED TOWARD
THE CITY'S ACHIEVEMENT OF ITS
HOUSING GOALS SO ON TOP OF THE
BASE AMOUNT OF GROWTH THAT THE
CITY IS ESTIMATING CAN HAPPEN IN
NEIGHBORHOODS.
>> SO, THE CITY IS ESTIMATING
ZONING CAPACITY FOR 300,000
UNITS, ADUs ARE NOT INCLUDED IN
THAT?
>> CORRECT.
>> OKAY. SO WE ARE ACTUALLY
GOING TO GET QUITE A BIT MORE,
ASSUMING THAT WE PASS THE COMP
PLAN AS IS, WE WOULD ACTUALLY
GET QUITE A BIT MORE CAPACITY ON
THE GROUND WITH THE ADU
LEGISLATION?
>> AS YOU REMEMBER, FOUR UNITS
WOULD BE ALLOWED ON EVERY
NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTIAL LOT.
WITH ADUs AND THEY ARE COUNTED
TOWARD THAT FOUR UNIT TOTAL SO
THEY ARE CAPTURED WITHIN THE
ESTIMATES WE HAVE.
>> OKAY. SO, YOU ARE SAYING THEY
ARE JUST A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE
FOUR UNITS PER LOT?
>> RIGHT.
>> BUT THEY WILL SHOW UP ONCE
THEY ARE BUILT?
>> RIGHT.
>> OKAY. THANK YOU.
>> ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS?
THANK YOU CHAIR. I BELIEVE
CHAIR, THIS IS THE THIRD TIME WE
HAVE HAD THIS IN COMMITTEE?
>> CORRECT.
>> THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS
FORWARD. OFTEN TIMES WE ARE
PROVIDED STATE REGULATIONS
COMING FROM OLYMPIA THAT THE
CITY HAS TO COMPLY WITH LEAVING
US LITTLE ABILITY TO CHANGE
MODIFY, OR REJECT. THIS IS ONE
OF THOSE MOMENTS. AND WE
FULFILLED THE REGULATIONS AND
DAVID, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR
WORK ON THIS AND LISH. SEEMS
LIKE I WILL BE VOTING YES. THERE
IS NOT AN OPTION TO MODIFY OR
CHANGE. ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR
QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE? IF
KNOWN, THEN, I MOVE THE
COMMITTEE RECOMMEND PASSAGE OF
THE COUNCIL BILL.
>> SECOND.
>> IT HAS BEEN MOVED, SECONDED.
TO RECOMMEND PASSAGE OF THE
BILL. ARE THERE ANY OTHER
COMMENTS? AND, I THINK I KNOW
WHERE YOU ARE GOING. WHICH IS
THE AMENDMENT. I MAKE THAT
MOTION NOW TO AMEND THE COUNCIL
BILL 120949 TO ADD A PROVISION
THAT THE AFFECTED DATE OF THE
BILL WILL BE JUNE 30, 2025. AND
THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE
AMENDMENT THAT HAS BEEN
CIRCULATING.
>> SECOND.
>> WE HAVE A SECOND ON THAT.
GREAT. IT HAS BEEN MOVED AND
SECONDED TO AMEND THE BILL AS
PRESENTED. ANY FURTHER
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? ANYTHING WE
NEED TO ADDRESS? OR, SHALL WE
MOVE TO THE VOTE? WILL THE CLERK
PLEASE CALL THE ROLL ON THE
ADOPTION OF AMENDMENT ONE?
>> STRAUSS?
>> YES.
>> MOORE.
>> AYE.
>> RINCK.
>> AYE.
>> RIVERA.
>> AYE.
>> SOLOMON.
>> AYE.
>> AMENDMENT ONE IS ADOPTED. ANY
FURTHER COMMENTS ON THE BILL AS
AMENDED? HEARING NONE, WILL THE
CLERK PLEASE CALL THE ROLL ON
THE RECOMMENDATION TO PASS
COUNCIL BILL 120949 AS AMENDED?
>> VICE CHAIR STRAUSS?
>> YES.
>> COUNCILMEMBER MOORE?
>> AYE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER RINCK?
>> YES.
>> COUNCILMEMBER RIVERA? AYE.
>> CHAIR SOLOMON.
>> AYE.
>> HE'S JUST SO EXCITED.
>> CHAIR SOLOMON.
>> AYE.
>> FIVE VOTES IN FAVOR AND ZERO
OPPOSED.
>> IT WILL BE SENT TO THE MAY 6
CITY COUNCIL MEETING. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE YOU BEING
HERE. NOW MOVING FORWARD. WE
WILL MOVE TO OUR NEXT ITEM OF
BUSINESS AS REFLECTED ON THE
AGENDA. WILL THE CLERK PLEASE
READ ITEM 2.
>> AGENDA 2, COUNCIL BILL
120975. AN ORDINANCE RELATING TO
THE LAND USE AND ZONING
ADDRESSING SIGNAGE, CLARIFYING
REQUIREMENTS AND SUPPORTING
EFFICIENT PERMITTING PROCESSES
FOR LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT
FACILITIES.
>> SO I SEE THAT WE ARE GOING TO
HAVE BRIEFING DISCUSSION AND
POSSIBLE VOTE ON THIS. VERY
GOOD. OUR PRESENTERS HAVE JOINED
US AT THE TABLE SO WILL YOU
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELVES FOR
THE RECORD AND BEGIN WHEN YOU
ARE READY?
>> I GUESS I WILL START DOWN
HERE. KELIT FREEMAN.
>> SARA MAXANA.
>> ANGELA BRADY. DIRECTOR
OPPOSITE OF IS WATERFRONT.
>> LINDSAY KING.
>> AND A PRESENTATION HERE.
>> JUST A FEW INTRODUCTORY
REMARKS HERE. THIS IS AN INITIAL
BRIEFING. THIS WOULD AMEND THE
LAND USE CODE AND ALSO TITLE 25,
THE CITY'S ENVIRONMENTAL CODE
TO FACILITATE SIGHTING. THIS IS
NOT UP FOR A VOTE TODAY. A
PUBLIC HEARING IS SCHEDULED FOR
MAY 29th.
>> THANK YOU FOR THAT
CLARIFICATION.
>> EXCELLENT. ALL RIGHT, WE'LL
GET STARTED. THANK YOU COUNCIL
MEMBERS FOR HAVING US HERE TO
PRESENT OUR CODE AMENDMENT
LEGISLATION FOR YOUR
CONSIDERATION. AS YOU MAY KNOW
IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR, THE
MAYOR ANNOUNCED THE EXPANSION OF
MY OFFICE TO INCLUDE THE SOUND
TRANSIT PROGRAM. WE HAVE
DELIVERED MAJOR TRANSFORMATIVE
PROJECTS LIKE THE CITY'S
WATERFRONT PROGRAM AND I INTEND
TO HARNESS OUR COLLECTIVE
EXPERIENCE AND TALENTS TOWARD
DELIVERY OF THE ST3 PROGRAM WITH
YOUR PARTNERS AT SOUND TRANSIT.
ONE OF THE KEY COMPONENTS OF OUR
OFFICE'S WORK IS TO LEAD AND
MANAGE THROUGH AN
INTERDEPARTMENTAL TEAM AND
MATRIXED EFFORT. THIS
LEGISLATION WE ARE BRINGING
FORWARD TODAY INTENDS TO
STREAMLINE THAT PROCESS FOR
SOUND TRANSIT AND THE CITY. SARA
AND LINDSAY AND OUR TEAM HAVE
WORKED HARD ON THESE CODE
AMENDMENTS ALONGSIDE SOUND
TRANSIT AND IT IS WITH GREAT
PRIDE THAT I HAND THIS
CONVERSATION OVER TO SARA TO
TELL YOU WHY THIS LEGISLATION IS
SO IMPORTANT TO LIGHT RAIL IN
OUR CITY AND LINDSEY WILL FOLLOW
ON THE MORE SPECIFIC DETAILS OF
THE CODE AMENDMENT.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
US HERE TODAY. I CANNOT
UNDERSTAND OVERSTATE WHAT AN
INCREDIBLE MILESTONE THIS IS FOR
OUR TEAM AS WE ARE PREPARING TO
SHEPHERD LIGHT RAIL THROUGH THE
CITY OF SEATTLE. OUR TEAM HAS
BEEN WORKING OVER FIVE YEARS ON
THIS PACKAGE OF CODE AMENDMENTS
AND IT IS A CRITICAL STEP FOR
THE PLANNING PERMITTING AND
DELIVERY OF THESE INVESTMENTS IN
THE CITY. MAYBE IF WE COULD GO
TO THE AGENDA SLIDE I WILL WALK
THROUGH WHAT WE ARE PLANNING TO
COVER TODAY. TALK A LITTLE BIT
AS ANGIE NOTED ABOUT THE
IMPORTANCE OF THIS WORK TO OUR
CITY TEAM. TO OUR CITY AT LARGE.
WE WILL START A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
JUST, WE ALWAYS LIKE TO COUCH
ALL OF OUR PRESENTATIONS IN THE
SOUND TRANSIT 3 VOTER APPROVED
PACKAGE. AND OUR ST3 CITY TEAM.
WE WILL TALK A LITTLE MORE
IN-DEPTH ON THE LIGHT RAIL CODE
AMENDMENTS INCLUDING AMENDMENTS
INTENDED TO IMPROVE THE PROCESS
AND IMPROVE THE OUTCOME OR THE
BESIGN WE SEE IN THE LIGHT RAIL
FACILITIES AS THEY ARE
CONSTRUCTED THROUGH SEATTLE AND
WE WILL WRAP UP WITH NEXT STEPS
AND ADDITIONAL LEGISLATION LATER
THIS YEAR. SO GOING TO THE NEXT
SLIDE, WE ALWAYS LIKE TO START
OUT BY TALKING ABOUT ST3 AND
THAT IT WAS PASSED BY OVER 70%
OF SEATTLE VOTERS WHO SAID YES
TO THAT PACKAGE IN 2016. THE TWO
PRIMARY PROJECTS WE ARE SEEING
REPRESENT THE LARGEST
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN THE
CITY'S HISTORY. AND THEY BRING
JUST TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY TO
RETHINK HOW COMMUNITY MEMBERS
ARE ACCESSING THEIR JOBS. THEIR
DESTINATIONS. THEIR RESIDENCES.
HOW THEY ARE GETTING AROUND OUR
REGION. HOW THEY ARE ACCESSING
DESTINATIONS. AND, THEY ALSO
BRING THE REAL POTENTIAL TO HAVE
IMPACTS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AS
THESE PROJECTS WILL BE DEVELOPED
THROUGH THE FABRIC OF EXISTING
COMMUNITIES SO OUR TEAM HAS BEEN
WORKING VERY HARD WITH SOUND
TRANSIT AND COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS AND STAKE HOLDERS
TO LOOK AT HOW THESE PROJECTS
WILL BE FOLDED OUT INTO THE
CITY. TO LED BY THE OFFICE OF
WATERFRONT CIVIC PROJECTS, WE
ARE ABSOLUTELY DEPENDENT ON THE
INVOLVEMENT OF DEPARTMENTS
ACROSS THE CITY. WE ARE JOINED
TODAY IN THE GALLERY. BY THE
SEATTLE SIGN COMMISSION AND
MEMBERS OF SDOT AND SDCI WHO
HAVE ALL BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN
MOVING THIS PARTICULAR MILESTONE
FORWARD. I WILL HAND THINGS TO
LINDSEY TO TAKE US INTO THE
DETAILS.
>> GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS,
THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE
TODAY. MY NAME IS LINDSEY KING.
I WORK FOR THE SEATTLE
DEPARTMENT OF CONSTRUCTION AND
INSPECTIONS. TODAY I HAVE THE
HONOR OF PRESENTING THE CODE
AMENDMENTS TO SUPPORT STREAMLINE
PERMITTING. BEFORE I DO, I WANT
TO TAKE A MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE
THE EFFORTS OF MY COLLEAGUES.
FOR THE LAST FIVE YEAR,S, THE
CITY OF SEATTLE STAFF HAVE
WORKED TIRELESSLY TO HELP
STREAMLINE THE PERMITTING
PROCESS TO SUPPORT DELIVERY OF
LIGHT RAIL 3 PROJECTS. WHILE WE
HAVE A CORNUCOPIA OF TOOLS TO DO
SO, LIGHT RAIL CODE AMENDMENTS
ARE A CORNER STONE OF OUR WORK.
THE LEGISLATION YOU WILL SEE
TODAY WAS DEVELOPED IN
COORDINATION WITH SUBJECT MATTER
EXPERTS ACROSS MANY CITY
DEPARTMENTS. THE LEGISLATION WAS
INFORMED BY COMMUNITY MEMBERS,
BUSINESS LEADERS, AND STAKE
HOLDERS ACROSS THE CITY WHO HAVE
PARTICIPATED IN A MULTIYEAR
PLANNING ENGAGEMENT. OUR WORK
WAS DONE IN COLLABORATION WITH
SOUND RAN IT IS. THIS WORK IS
SOLID. GROUNDED IN THE
COMMUNITY'S BEST EFFORTS AND
WORKS WITH THE CITY OF SEATTLE
TO MITIGATE THE PROJECT AND DO
SO QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY.
WHILE I HAVE THE HONOR TO
PRESENT OUR WORK TO YOU TODAY. I
CHAMPION THE THE WORK OF THOSE
WHO HAVE CHAMPIONED A STRATEGY.
WHAT YOU WILL SEE TODAY IS NOT A
REDUCTION IN REGULATORY
AUTHORITY. BUT A REVISIONING OF
HOW REGULATIONS APPLY. I HOPE AT
THE END OF MY PRESENTATION, YOU
WILL SEE THE VALUE OF THE CODE
AMENDMENTS AND DO YOUR PART TO
BRING THEM TO THE FINISH LINE SO
THAT WE CAN PERMIT THE PROJECT.
MY APOLOGIES. WHY ARE WE
PURSUING CODE AMENDMENTS? OUR
CODE AMENDMENTS HAVE TWO GOALS.
WE MOVE CODE CONFLICTS AND
STREAMLINE THE PERMIT PROCESS.
LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT FACILITIES
ARE CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL PUBLIC
FACILITIES. THEY ARE A
DESIGNATION GIVEN AT THE STATE
LEVEL TO FACILITIES THAT ARE
TYPICALLY HARD TO CITE BECAUSE
THEY DO NOT FIT IN THE BUILT IN
ENVIRONMENT OR PEOPLE DO NOT
WANT THEM IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE STATE STATUTE REQUIRES LOCAL
JURISDICTIONS DO NOT PRECLUE THE
SITING. WE ARE TO DETERMINE IF
THERE ARE CONFLICTS IN CODE THAT
WOULD PREVENT US FROM PERMITTING
THE PROSECT. THE SECOND
PRINCIPLE IS BASED ON
PARTNERSHIP IN 2018, THE CITY OF
SEATTLE AND SOUND TRANSIT
ACKNOWLEDGED DELIVERING LIGHT
RAIL IN A BUILT ENVIRONMENT
WOULD BE DIFFICULT IF WE DO NOT
WORK TOGETHER. TO THAT END, WE
HAVE SPENT YEARS ALIGNING THE
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS WITH OUR
PERMITTING PROCESS SO THAT WE
CAN DELIVER LIGHT RAIL ON TIME
WHILE STILL APPLYING
REGULATIONS. THESE CODE
AMENDMENTS REFLECT OUR WORK.
LET'S DIVE IN. OUR CODE
AMENDMENTS CAN BE CATEGORIZED
INTO TWO THEMES. PROCESS RELATED
IMPROVEMENTS AND DESIGN RELATED
IMPROVEMENTS. PROCESS RELATED
INCLUDE EVASIONS AND
OPTIMIZATION OF THE PROCESSES
AND REGULATIONS WE APPLY ALREADY
TO LIGHT RAIL R. A TREE AND
VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN.
DESIGNED IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDE
THE STANDARDS. HOW WILL IT BE
DESIGNED TO FIT? WE WILL CREATE
NEW LIGHT RAIL DEVELOPMENT
STARTS AND REVISE THE BICYCLE
PARKING REQUIREMENTS. I'LL GO
INTO EACH IN DETAIL. BEFORE I GO
INTO THE PROCESS, I WOULD LIKE
TO GIVE YOU AN ORIENTATION TO
THIS AT A GLANCE SLIDE. FOR EACH
TOPIC, I WILL ADDRESS THE INTENT
OF THE CODE AMENDMENT. THE
CURRENT STATE. AND I WILL
ADDRESS THE NEW CODE WE ARE
PROPOSING. HOW IT WILL WORK, AND
THEN, THE BENEFITS OF THE
PROPOSED CHANGE STARTING FIRST
WITH THE MASTER USE PERMIT
PROCESS. STCI ISSUES MASTER USE
PERMITS ANYWHERE THAT LIGHT RAIL
TOUCHES A PARCEL. ALL WORK THAT
EXISTS OUTSIDE THE RIGHT OF WAY.
FOR THE WEST SEATTLE LINK
EXTENSION WE ANTICIPATE 59
MASTER USE PERMITS FOR THE
BALLARD LINK EXTENSION, THERE
WILL BE MORE. STCI PERMITS
INCLUDE A RIGOROUS PUBLIC
PROCESS. OUR GOAL IS TO CREATE
AN EFFICIENT PERMIT PROCESS WITH
CLEAR REGULATIONS AND ENSURE
THAT WE MAINTAIN THE PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES. THE
PRIMARY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
CURRENT STATE AND THE PROPOSED
CODE AMENDMENTS ARE THE CHANGE
TO THE APPEAL PROCESS. MUPS ARE
APPEALABLE TWICE GENERALLY.
THROUGH THE CODE AMENDMENTS. IT
WILL BECOME APPEALABLE ONCE. WE
WILL MAINTAIN ALL EXISTING
PUBLIC TOUCH POINTS. THE LARGE
WHITE SIGN. THE MAILED NOTICE.
THE COMMENT PERIOD AND OUR LAND
USE DECISION. FOR KEY PERMITS OF
BROAD SIGNIFICANCE LIKE
STATIONS, WE WILL ADD A PUBLIC
MEETING. EARLY IN THE PERMITTING
PROCESS, SO WE ARE IN COMMUNITY
SHARING THE PROJECT AND ABLE TO
RECEIVE FEEDBACK WHEN IT IS MOST
TIMELY. IT MAKES APPEALS
EFFICIENT BUT DOES NOT DETRACT
THE ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
THE PRELIMINARY CONSTRUCTION
MANAGEMENT PLAN WAS DEVELOPED IN
RESPONSE TO CITY OF SEATTLE AND
COMMUNITY MEMBER CONCERNS
REGARDING THE IMPACTS OF LIGHT
RAIL CONSTRUCTION. SPECIFICALLY,
MULTIPLE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
OCCURRING AT THE SAME TIME IN
THE SAME PLACE. OUR GOAL IS TO
CREATE A STRATEGY THAT SHOWS HOW
MULTIPLE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES
CAN OCCUR AT THE SAME TIME. THIS
APPROACH TO ASSESSING IMPACTS OF
CONSTRUCTION IS IN CONTRAST TO
THE CURRENT REQUIREMENT TO
ASSESS IMPACTS PERMIT BY PERMIT.
FOR A PROJECT OF THIS SCALE,
WITH THE NUMBER OF PERMITS
REQUIRED, A NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL
STRATEGY IS CRITICAL. THE PCMP
IS A TOOL THAT CAN BE USED BY
SOUND TRANSIT. CITY OF SEATTLE
STAFF AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO
BOTH UNDERSTAND CONSTRUCTION
ACTIVITIES AND DEMONSTRATE HOW
LIGHT RAIL CAN BE BUILT WHILE
MAINTAINING PREDICTABLE MOVEMENT
OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS. WE WILL
REQUIRE A PRELIMINARY
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT PLAN TO
BE SUBMITTED AS A PART OF THE
MASTER USE APPLICATION.
THAT WILL ALLOW A PLAN TO BE
AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC VIEWING.
THE PRELIMINARY CONSTRUCTION
MANAGEMENT PLAN WILL ININCLUDE A
LIST OF ALL THE REQUIRED PERMIT
INS THE NEIGHBORHOOD. A STRATEGY
FOR HOW CONSTRUCTION WOULD BE
SEQUENCED. INFORMATION ABOUT THE
STREET CLOSURES. IT WILL INCLUDE
THE LOCATION FOR CONSTRUCTION
STAGING AND HAUL ROUTES. WHAT IS
IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS IT IS A
STRATEGY FOR CONSTRUCTION. SOUND
TRANSIT WILL CONTINUALLY BE
REFINING MEANS AND METHODS TO
OPTIMIZE COST AND SCHEDULE. TO
THAT END, A FINAL CONSTRUCTION
MANAGEMENT PLAN WOULD BE
APPROVED PRIOR TO COMMENCING
CONSTRUCTION. THE PCMP WOULD BE
PROVIDED AT THE BEGINNING LAYING
OUT A ROAD MAP FOR CONSTRUCTION.
A FINAL CMP WOULD BE REQUIRED TO
COMMENCING SIMILAR TO A PCMP, WE
NEED TO THINK ABOUT TREES AT A
PROJECT LEVEL. THERE WILL BE A
TREE AND VEGETATION MANAGEMENT
PLAN. ONE FOR WEST EATABLE
SEATTLE AND ONE FOR BALLARD.
THIS IS IMPORTANT WHEN YOU
CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE. WHILE
I HAVE IDENTIFIED THAT 59 MASTER
USE PERMITS ARE NECESSARY FOR
THE WEST SEATTLE LINK EXTENSION,
THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE ALL OF
PERMITTING. WHEN YOU ADD DEMO
GRADING PERMITS. THEY WOULD BE
ASSESSING TREE IMPACTS ON EACH
OF THE 300 ANTICIPATED PERMITS.
2 INTENTION IS TO DO SOMETHING
BETTER. CREATE ONE DOCUMENT WITH
CONSOLIDATED TREE MANAGEMENT
INFORMATION. REVIEW AND APPROVE
THE DOCUMENT WITH PUBLIC INPUT
BEFORE PERMITTING AND APPLY THE
DOCUMENT THROUGH ALL OF THE 300
PERMITS. THE TVMP IS A TOOL THAT
ADDRESSES TREE MANAGEMENT
BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER
CONSTRUCTION. ALLOWS COMMUNITY
MEMBERS TO PARTICIPATE AND
COMMENT ON A PROJECT LEVEL TREE
PLAN AND IMPROVES THE DELIVERY
OF EXISTING TREE POLICIES
BECAUSE IT APPLIES POLICIES
COMPREHENSIVELY. EARLY,
INTEGRATED INTO THE PROJECT
23509 PRINT. IT ALSO PROVIDES A
VEHICLE FOR THE CITY AND SOUND
TRANSIT TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY.
ALL RIGHT, I WANT TO TAKE A
MOMENT TO ADDRESS THE CITY OF
SEATTLE'S TREE POLICY. THE
EXPECTATION IS THAT DOING SO AT
A PROJECT LEVEL WILL ALLOW FOR
TREES TO BE MORE THOUGHTFULLY
INTEGRATED INTO THE PROJECT
AREA. THE TREE AND VEGETATION
MANAGEMENT PLAN WILL SHOW HOW
SOUND TRANSIT WILL RESTORE
ECOLOGICAL FUNCTION, REPLACE
LOST TREE PANTY AND CREATE NEW
TREE CANOPY AND REPLACE LOST
TREES WITH A MINIMUM OF 3-1. WE
WILL REQUIRE THEM TO LOCATE
TREES AND HIGH OPPORTUNITY AREAS
SUCH AS ALONG PUBLIC STREETS.
AND WITHIN PARKS. SO, WHAT WILL
BE IN A TVMP? THE PLAN WILL
FOCUS ON THE PROJECT FOOTPRINT
BEING DEVELOPED BY SOUND TRANSIT
AND INCLUDE AN ENTIRE INVENTORY
MAP OF TREES. INCLUDE
DOCUMENTATION OF THE PROTECTION
METHODS FOR THOSE TO BE
RETAINED. ALONG WITH A
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED TREE
MITIGATION. IT WILL INCLUDE THE
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND
SITE RESTORATION REQUIREMENTS.
THE TREE AND VEGETATION
MANAGEMENT PLAN WILL SHOW POST
CONSTRUCTION. SOUND TRANSIT IS A
LONG TERM LANDHOLDER WITH GUIDE
WAY. THEY WILL BE REQUIRED TO
MAINTAIN THEIR TREES DURING
PERPETUITY OF THE PROJECT.
FINALLY, AND JUST AS
IMPORTANTLY, WE HAVE HAVE TO
DEVELOP A STRATEGY FOR TREE
REPLACEMENT THAT CANNOT FIT IN
THE PROJECT FOOTPRINT. SOUND
TRANSIT WILL BE REQUIRED TO
REPLACE MORE TREES THAN THOSE
THAT ARE LOST. A GOOD PERCENTAGE
OF THOSE TREES WILL FIT WITHIN
THE PROJECT FOOTPRINT BUT NOT
ALL OF THEM. THE BELL THAT, THE
TREES THAT CANNOT FIT WILL BE
COORDINATED WITH THE CITY OF
SEATTLE AND PRIORITY GIVEN TO
REPLACE THOSE TREES EARLY WHILE
LIGHT RAIL IS STILL UNDER
CONSTRUCTION. SO THIS IS WHERE I
PIVOT FROM PROCESS TO NEW
STANDARDS FOR SOUND TRANSIT.
LIGHT RAIL FACILITIES NORTH TO
SOUTH WILL PASS THROUGH 19
ZONING DESIGNATIONS. EACH OF
THOSE HAS A UNIQUE SET OF
STANDARDS THAT HAVE BEEN
DEVELOPED TO SUPPORT
RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, AND
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT. THEY
WERE NOT DESIGNED FOR LINEAR
TRANSPORTATION FACILITY. OUR
GOAL FOR THE CODE AMENDMENTS IS
TO CREATE ONE SET OF STANDARDS
GUIDING LIGHT RAIL DESIGN
REGARDLESS OF THE LOCATION. THIS
WILL CREATE EQUITABLE AND
CONSISTENT SET OF STANDARDS
ACROSS THE CITY. PROVIDES
TRANSPARENCY FOR THE PUBLIC.
CITY STAFF, AND SOUND TRANSIT ON
THE EXPECTATIONS FOR FUTURE
LIGHT RAIL DESIGN. IT WILL
MINIMIZE THE REQUEST TO MODIFY
STANDARDS ON INDIVIDUAL PERMITS
WHICH HAS SLOWED THE PROCESS IN
THE PAST. STANDARDS PROVIDE A
MINIMUM BASELINE REQUIREMENT
THAT IS QUANTIFY ABLE BUT THOSE
STANDARDS WILL BE SUPPLEMENTED
BY DESIGN GUIDELINES THAT
SPECIFY THE ASPIRATIONAL DESIGN
QUALITIES OF STATION DESIGN AND
I WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT WHEN
I TALK ABOUT THE SEATTLE DESIGN
COMMISSION. THE LIST OF
STANDARDS REPRESENTED ON THIS
SLIDE IS NOT COMPREHENSIVE. BUT
IT DOES GIVE YOU A FLAVOR OF THE
TYPE THINGS THAT WE WOULD
REGULATE FOR LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT
FACILITIES. A BIG PORTION OF A
USER EXPERIENCE IS HOW SOMEONE
ACCESSES A STATION. WE WILL
REQUIRE FULL STREET IMPROVEMENTS
AROUND LIGHT RAIL STATIONS BUT
ADD NEW PEDESTRIAN LIGHTING
REQUIREMENTS. SOUND TRANSIT
FACILITIES ALSO PROVIDE MANY
DRIVEWAYS, PEDESTRIAN AND
BICYCLE PATHWAYS ON THEIR SITE.
WE WILL DEFINE THE STANDARDS. WE
WILL PROVIDE STANDARDS FOR SIGNS
AND WAY FINDING. MOVING TOWARD
THE BUILDING WE WILL CARE ABOUT
THE DESIGN QUALITY. WHETHER THE
ENTRANCES ARE VISIBLE AND HOW
PEDESTRIANS MOVE AND FEEL AROUND
A STATION ENVIRONMENT. SAFETY
BEING A PRIMARY KEY. WE WILL
DELIBERATE AND PROVIDE STANDARDS
ON THE QUALITY OF STATION
FACADES THAT ARE ALREADY
REGULATED IN THE CODE. WE WILL
PROVIDE PROVISIONS FOR
LANDSCAPING AND STREET TREES AND
WEATHER PROTECTIONS A SUBSET OF
DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS IS BICYCLE
PARKING. THE CURRENT BICYCLE
PARKING REQUIREMENT THAT EXISTS
IN THE LAND USE CODE HAS NEVER
BEEN APPLIED TO A LIGHT RAIL
TRANSIT FACILITY. IT WAS APPLIED
AND LACKS KEY DEFINITIONS THAT
WOULD ALLOW US TO PERMIT IT FOR
THE ST3 PROJECT. IT IS A ONE
SIZE FITS ALL APPROACH AND LACKS
KEY DEFINITIONS. THE REQUIRED
AMOUNT OF BIKE PARKING WOULD
EXCEED THE ANTICIPATED DEMAND TO
GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE FOR THE WEST
LAKE STATION WHERE THE PRIMARY
MODE OF TRANSPORTATION TO A
STATION IS WALKING, WOULD
REQUIRE NEARLY 650 BICYCLE
PARKING STALLS. WE DON'T NEED
650 BIKE PARKING STALLS AT WEST
LAKE. BUT WE DO NEED MANY AT
BALLARD AND ALASKA JUNCTION
WHERE THEY WILL BE THE PRIMARY
MODE OF TRAVEL OR ONE OF THE
PRIMARY MODES WOULD BE BICYCLE.
OUR NEW CODE REQUIREMENT WILL
TAILOR THE AMOUNT OF BIKE
PARKING FOR STATION LOCATION AND
RIDERSHIP PATTERNS. WE WILL
REQUIRE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT
BIKE PARKING STYLES TO BE
PROVIDED AND INCLUDE SPACE FOR
MICRO MOBILITY. WHEN WE WERE IN
COMMUNITY, ONE OF THE BIGGEST
CONCERNS WE HEARD WAS BICYCLE
PARKING BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE
ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BIKES
THAT COME TO A STATION. CARGO
BIKES BEING A MAJOR ELEMENT. THE
BENEFITS OF OUR CODE AMENDMENTS
WILL BE THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO
TAILOR THE BICYCLE PARKING
REQUIREMENTS TO MEET THE
ANTICIPATED DEMAND FOR THE LIFE
OF THE STATION. BUT WE WILL GO
ONE STEP FURTHER. WE HOPE FOR
MORE BIKE RIDERSHIP THAN WHAT IS
ANTICIPATED. WE HAVE A BACKUP
PLAN. IF THE AMOUNT THAT IS
PROVIDED A DAY OF OPENING. MEETS
OR EXCEEDS, IF DEMAND EXCEEDS
THE AMOUNT WE PROVIDE AT THE DAY
OF OPENING WE WILL PUT AN END
RESERVE REQUIREMENT IN. I WILL
TALK THROUGH WHAT THAT LOOKS
LIKE IN A SECOND. OKAY. SO, THIS
SLIDE, YAY FOR PICTURE, SHOWS
THE LIGHT RAIL STATIONS NORTH TO
SOUTH. AND IDENTIFIES THE FOUR
STATION TYPOLOGIES THAT WE WILL
CREATE FOR BIKE PARKING. I'LL
START AT THE TOP. THEY HAVE A
LARGE AREA FOR RIDERSHIP AND WE
ANTICIPATE AN INCREASED
RIDERSHIP PATTERN. IF NEEDED IT
WILL GO TO A 7% TOTAL
REQUIREMENT. ON THE OPPOSITE END
OF THE SPECTRUM AT THE BOTTOM
YOU HAVE YOUR CENTRAL STATIONS.
THESE STATIONS ARE LOCATED IN
THE DOWNTOWN URBAN CENTER. THE
WEST LAKE AND PIONEER SQUARE
STATIONS. THESE STATIONS
PRIMARILY HAVE RIDERSHIP THAT IS
WALKING. THEY ARE ALL WITHIN A
10 MINUTE WALK SHED OF ONE
ANOTHER. THEY HAVE THE LEAST
AMOUNT OF ANTICIPATED PARKING
NEED. WE WOULD DO 1% DAY OF
OPENING AND 2% TOTAL. WE HAVE
DEFINED A NEW MID CENTER.
STATIONS WITHIN A HALF MILE OF
THE DOWNTOWN URBAN CENTER. THEY
ARE DEVELOPED IN LARGER DENSER
AREAS OF THE CITY. FROM MID
CENTER YOU HAVE YOUR LOCAL
STATIONS. THEY ARE PRIMARILY IN
RESIDENTIAL AREAS. INNER BAY AND
SODO ARE ALSO UNIQUE. WE
PROVIDED A LARGER REQUIREMENT AT
5% DAY OF OPENING AND 7% TOTAL.
EACH OF THESE STATIONS HAS
VARIATION OF RIDERSHIP. A NEW
MINIMUM REQUIREMENT REGARDLESS
OF RIDERSHIP. 54 BIKE PARKING
SPOTS PER STATION. OUR LAST
TOPIC IS THE ADVISORY REVIEW
BODY. IT IS NORMAL FOR A PROJECT
OF THIS SCALE TO HAVE AN
ADVISORY REVIEW BODY. WE USE THE
LIGHT RAIL REVIEW PANEL WHICH IS
MOSTLY THE SEATTLE DESIGN
COMMISSION SUPPLEMENTED BY OTHER
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. WE ASKED
THE SEATTLE DESIGN COMMISSION TO
ADVISE ON THE ST3 PROJECTS AND
OUR LIGHT RAIL CODE AMENDMENTS
WILL DEFINE THE SUBJECTS OF THE
PER VIEW AND INFORM OUR
PERMITTING DECISIONS. THE
BENEFITS OF IT ARE NUMEROUS. IT
FACILITATES A SPECIFIC RESPONSE
FOR LIGHT RAIL DESIGNS. IT
CREATES BASELINE EXPECTATIONS
WHERE THEY CAN REVIEW THE
STATIONS BEING PROPOSED IN THE
CONTEXT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
APPLY LIGHT RAIL DESIGN
GUIDELINES TO INFORM THE DESIGN
QUALITY CONTEXT TO THAT LOCATION
AND ALLOWS A PUBLIC MEETING TO
ASSESS THE DESIGN QUALITIES.
THIS SLIDE DOCUMENTS THE TYPE OF
REVIEW THAT WE ARE ASKING THE
STC TO DO TO PROVIDE
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OUR
PERMITTING DECISIONS. WE ARE
ASKING THEM TO ADVISE ON
ARCHITECTURAL AESTHETICS.
TRANSPORTATION. PEDESTRIAN
ACCESSIBILITY AND CIRCULATION.
QUALITY AND TYPE OF PUBLIC
AMENITIES. THE VISIBILITY AND
LEGIBILITY OF ENTRIES AND THE
INTEGRATION OF PUBLIC ART. THAT
COVERS THE SIX TOPICS. I COULD
DO A WHOLE PRESENTATION ON ALL
OF THEM BUT TRIED TO SUMMARIZE
EACH WITHIN TWO MINUTES SO I
HOPE I HIT THE PRIMARY POINTS.
THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION WE
PROVIDED ONLINE TO HELP SUPPORT
THE PUBLIC'S UNDERSTANDING OF
OUR CODE AMENDMENTS AND YOURS.
I'M VERY PROUD OF THE WORK THE
CITY OF SEATTLE HAS DONE TO HELP
STREAMLINE THE PROCESS AND
CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT
OF CODE AMENDMENTS.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR
PRESENTATION. SO, ANYONE ELSE ON
THE PANEL WANT TO ADD OR WE WILL
JUMP RIGHT IN.
>> JUST REAL QUICK ON JUST
WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE
NEXT STEPS WE ANTICIPATE AND
OPEN IT UP TO, EAGER TO HEAR
YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. WE
ARE ANTICIPATING BEING BACK IN
FRONT OF YOUR COMMITTEE IN MAY
FOR CODE LEGISLATION AND WILL BE
PREPARED TO BRING ANY ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION OR REQUESTS YOU HAVE
AT THAT TIME AND HAVE A PUBLIC
HEARING SCHEDULED FOR MAY 29th.
THEN LATER IN Q2 WE WILL BRING
SEPARATE LEGISLATION TO CITY
COUNCIL. THIS WOULD BE TO MOVE
FORWARD ON ADOPTION OF THE WEST
SEATTLE LINK EXTENSION PROJECT.
THAT IS DONE BY ORDINANCE AND
RESOLUTION. IT FOLLOWS A KEY
MILESTONE OF THE FTA AND SOUND
TRANSIT THAT WAS JUST HIT
YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. THE RECORD
OF DECISION FOR WEST SEATTLE
LINK EXTENSION THAT WILL ALLOW
THE CITY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH
THE CITY'S ACTIONS. WE
ANTICIPATE FOR WEST SEATTLE LINK
EXTENSION WILL BE SOME TIME IN
Q3. NEXT SLIDE TAKES US TO
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND
COMMENTS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
HAVING US HERE TODAY.
>> THANK YOU.
>> COLLEAGUES, ANY COMMENTS OR
QUESTIONS FOR OUR PANEL? OKAY.
NOT SURE WHO WENT FIRST.
>> THANK YOU CHAIR. AND, THANK
YOU ALL FOR TODAY'S
PRESENTATION. I HAVE A COUPLE OF
QUESTIONS FEW FOR TODAY. WHAT
METRICS SHOULD WE LOOK AT TO
DETERMINE IF THIS PROPOSAL WERE
A SUCCESS ONCE WE HAVE THE DATA
TO ACCESS?
>> THAT IS A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
THE PARTNERING AGREEMENT SET A
BAR WHERE WE WOULD ISSUE MASS TO
USE PERMITS WITHIN 120 DAYS. WE
WERE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE
PERMITS. THOSE SHOWS ON AVERAGE
OUR PERMITTING DECISIONS WERE
240 DAYS. SO OUR GOAL IS TO
ACHIEVE MASS TRANSIT PERMITTING
IN 120 DAYS.
>> HOW MUCH FASTER DO WE
ANTICIPATE THIS PROPOSAL TO SAVE
OUR LINK AT A HIGH LEVEL AND
UNDERSTANDING AT A HIGH LEVEL
HOW MUCH TIME LOSS DO WE
ANTICIPATE COULD BE PROJECTED IF
WE WERE IN OUR CURRENT PROCESS.
IN OUR CURRENT STATE.
>> I THINK WE WOULD ANTICIPATE,
WE WOULD BE CLOSER TO 240 DAYS
FOR THOSE 59 MASTER USE PERMITS.
THE APPEAL OPPORTUNITY WOULD ADD
SIX MONTHS SO IN TOTAL, THAT A
QUITE A NUMBER OF DAYS WE ARE
TRYING TO SAVE FROM THE PROCESS.
>> CERTAINLY. WE LIKE TO KEEP
PROJECTS ON A LIME LINE AND
DELIVER. THAT IS A PRIORITY FOR
OR OFFICE. AND MY FINAL
QUESTION. BEEN USING MY BIKE TO
BIKE TO PLACES AND BRING IT ONTO
LIGHT RAIL. ARE THERE CAR
PARKING REQUIREMENTS FOR SEATTLE
STATIONS.
>> THERE ARE NO CAR PARKING
REQUIREMENTS FOR LIGHT RAIL
STATIONS.
>> OKAY. THAT CONCLUDES MY
QUESTIONS. THANK YOU CHAIR.
>> THANK YOU. COUNCILMEMBER
MOORE?
>> THANK YOU CHAIR. THANK YOU
FOR THE PRESENTATION. A LOT
THERE. JUST AN INITIAL REACTION.
AND I WILL GO TO DISCUSSION OF
TREES. I'M NOT GOING TO ASK ANY
QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT. BUT
MORE TO MAKE A COUPLE OF
STATEMENTS AROUND WHAT I THINK
OF THE THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO
SEE THERE WHICH I KNOW YOU HAVE
CAULKED ABOUT THE TREE AND
VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN WOULD
MAINTAIN EXISTING CITY POLICIES
FOR TREE REPLACEMENTS. WHAT I
WOULD NOTE IS THERE'S I THINK
SOME SKEPTICISM AROUND WHAT
THOSE REPLACEMENT PLANS ARE. AND
WE HAVE THE EXAMPLE NOW AT
GREENLATION OF A GIANT SEQUOYAH
BEING REPLACED WITH TWO SHORT
PINES. THEY ARE NOT COMPARABLE
BY ANY STRETCH OF THE
IMAGINATION. SO, WANTING JUST TO
MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE ARE
TALKING REPLACEMENT OF TREE
CANOPY. WE ARE LOOKING AT IT
HOLISTICALLY. NOT IN A NARROW
DEFINITION OF WHAT CONSTITUTES
COMPARABLE. WE NEED TO LOOK AT
HEIGHT. AGE, VOLUME. THE WHOLE
THING. SO THE OTHER THING I
WOULD LIKE TO HAVE EXPLORED IS
LOOKING AT ACTUALLY MAKING AN
EFFORT TO TRANSPLANT THE TREES.
THERE HAVE BEEN SOME DISCUSSION
ABOUT TRYING TO MOVE THE GIANT
SEQUOYAH AT GREEN LAKE LIKE THEY
DID AT BOISE. WE DIDN'T START
SOON ENOUGH. BUT I DON'T THINK
THAT OPTION HAS BEEN UTILIZED
ENOUGH. IF WE ARE LOOKING AT
HAVING TO TAKE DOWN A LOT OF
MATURE TREES YOU KNOW. EVEN TIER
THREE TREES OR TWO. MAYBE
BECAUSE THE REPLACEMENT IS NOT
COMPARABLE IN A LONG RUN BECAUSE
IT WILL TAKE SO LONG FOR THOSE
TREES TO GROW. GIVEN WHAT WE ARE
EXPERIENCING WITH CLIMATE, WE
DON'T HAVE THE SAME KIND OF
HOSPITABLE CLIMATE. IN FACT WE
HAVE A HOSTILE CLIMATE. TO THE
EXTENT WE CAN ACTUALLY PRESERVE
WHAT WE HAVE BY MOVING THEM TO,
PAS AND THE RIGHT OF WAY. WE
SHOULD LOOK AT THAT. IT IS
EXPENSIVE BUT ULTIMATELY WORTH
IT. IT IS ANOTHER OPTION WE
SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT. AS FAR
AS WHO GETS TO BE PART OF THE
CONVERSATION, I WOULD ASK THAT
THE COMMUNITY GROUPS WHO HAVE
BEEN VERY ACTIVE ABOUT THE WAYS
THE TREE ORDINANCE IS NOT
WORKING CURRENTLY. BUT ALSO IT
WOULD BE NICE TO BRING
CREATIVITY TO THIS DISCUSSION AS
WELL. THOSE ARE SOME OF MY
HILLEL THOUGHTS AND POINTS AT
THIS POINT. AND THE OTHER THING
I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT, UNIVERSAL
DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND HOW THOSE
WILL BE APPLIED TO THE
DEVELOPMENT DESIGN OF THE
STATIONS. AND HOW ARE WE MAKING
SURE WE ARE GETTING ELEVATORS.
GETTING ESCALATORS WIDE ENOUGH
FOR PEOPLE SO HOW ARE WE
UTILIZING UNIVERSAL DESIGN
PRINCIPLES?
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE
AND ALSO FOR BRIEFING ME ABOUT
THIS EARLIER. I'M GOING TO
RAISE A COUPLE OF POINTS THAT I
MADE WHEN WE ALL MET. BUT, FIRST
I WANTED TO ECHO THE SENTIMENTS
OF MY COLLEAGUE COUNCILMEMBER
MOORE IN TERMS OF THE TREES. WE
HAVE SIMILAR CONSTITUENTS WHO
CARE ABOUT TREES AND WE HEAR
ABOUT TREE REPLACEMENT AS OH, WE
WILL TAKE DOWN A TREE BUT PUT
FIVE MORE. IT DOES NOT, IT IS
NOT A PROPER SUBSTITUTE. BECAUSE
WE TALKED ABOUT THE FACT THAT IT
TAKES SO LONG TO FRO A TREE.
JUST HAVING THAT, MAKING SURE AS
YOU ARE PUTTING THIS PLAN
TOGETHER. I WAS HAPPY TO SEE
THERE WAS A PLAN IN HERE TO
VEGETATION AND TREES MAKING
THUNDERSHOWER THAT WHAT IS
GETTING REPLACED IS COMPARABLE.
IF WE CAN SAVE THE TREE, THAT IS
ALWAYS PREFERABLE. SO MAKING
SURE WE ARE DOING THAT WORK CAN
COMMUNITY ON THE FRONT END. IT
WILL BE IMPORTANT. THE OTHER
PIECES I KNOW I RAISED WITH YOU
ALL IS THE DISPLACEMENT OF
RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES AS THIS
WORK IS HAPPENING. AND WHAT WORK
ARE WE DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE ARE PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES
TO OFFER FOLKS WHO ARE GETTING
DISPLACED. AND I AM NOT SURE YOU
KNOW. I HAVE NOT HEARD SPECIFICS
ABOUT THAT BUT I WOULD LIKE TO
BEFORE WE VOTE ON THIS
LEGISLATION. AND THEN.
COMPLIMENTARY TO THAT IS THE
OUTREACH YOU HAVE CURRENTLY DONE
AS YOU PUT THIS PLAN TOGETHER OR
YOU PLAN TO DO BEYOND THE PUBLIC
HEARING. I KNOW THERE IS A
PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED BUT WHO
HAVE YOU DONE THE OUT REACH TO
AND WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD AND WHAT
WE CAN EXPECT TO HEAR FROM
RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES AT THAT
PUBLIC HEARING. IT IS GOOD FOR
US TO KNOW AHEAD OF TIME WHAT
THE OUTREACH HAS BEEN AND WHAT
WE HAVE HEARD TO DATE. AND THE
OUTREACH SHOULD BE ROBUST BUZZ
THIS IS A BIG PROJECT. I WANT TO
MAKE SURE WE ARE ADDRESSING
DISPLACEMENT AND OTHER ISSUES
AND HOW DO WE MITIGATE FOR THAT
VERY IMPORTANTLY. AND THEN THE
LAST THING I WILL SAY WHICH IS
PROBABLY LESS RELATED TO YOU
ALL, BUT STATING FOR THE RECORD
THAT WE ARE EXPANDING LIGHT
RAIL. WE HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES
CURRENTLY ON LIGHT RAIL. AND I
WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW SOUND
TRANSIT, THE WORK THEY ARE DOING
TO MITIGATE FOR THE CURRENT
ISSUES WE SEE ON THE LIGHT RAIL
INCLUDING THE ESCALATORS BEING
BROKEN. ELEVATORS OUT OF
SERVICE. WE ARE PROVIDING THE
SERVICE SO IT WILL BENEFIT
PEOPLE AND MAKE THEIR LIVES
EASIERS AND TAKE PEOPLE OUT OF
THEIR CARS AS MUCH AS WE CAN AND
IF WE DON'T PROVIDE A SYSTEM
THAT IS SAFE AND USER FRIENDLY
AND RELIABLE, FOLKS ARE NOT
GOING TO GET OUT OF THEIR CARS
AND USE THE SYSTEM. SO THAT
NEEDS TO BE PART OF THIS
CONVERSATION AS WELL. SO THANK
YOU. THANK YOU CHAIR.
>> THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT.
COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS.
>> THANK YOU CHAIR. AND,
COUNCILMEMBER RIVERA. I WOULD
JUST START RESPONDING TO SOME OF
THE THINGS THAT YOU SHARED. YOUR
COMMENTS WELL RECEIVED. NOT SURE
THE CITY FAMILY IS WHERE YOU CAN
DIRECT THAT TOO. I KNOW
COUNCILMEMBER SAKA HAS BROUGHT
SOUND TRANSIT TO THE
TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE. I HAVE
CARRIED SOME OF THE ISSUES YOU
HAVE JUST RAISED TO SOUND
TRANSIT ON BEHALF OF OUR CITY
AND ONE OF THE CONCERNS WAS
RELATED SPECIFICALLY TO THIS.
WHAT WE HAD THE CONVERSATION
ABOUT IS SAFETY, RELIABILITY,
RESILIENCE. THE ESCALATORS AND
THE ELEVATORS. AND THAT IS WHAT
I'M HEARTENED TO KNOW. THAT
SOUND TRANSIT IS DOING A BETTER
JOB LOOKING IN THE FUTURE OF
THOSE. SPECIFICALLY ONE OF THE
PROBLEMS WE HAVE IS THE DOWNTOWN
TUNNEL. THIS COMES FROM IT BEING
BUILT BEFORE LIGHT RAIL WAS A
REALITY. IT WAS FUTURE PROOFED.
BY PUTTING THE RAILS INTO THE
CONCRETE WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN
IF THEY WERE TO BUILD A TUN
UNTIL TODAY. THE REASON THEY
WERE IN THE CONCRETE TO USE THE
BUSES IN THE MEANTIME. I CAN
TELL YOU WHETHER IT IS THE HEAD
HOUSE THAT IS IN CITY HALL PARK
THAT CREATES BLIND SPOTS IN A
PARK THAT SHOULD BE OPEN OR SOME
OF THE ACCESS POINTS IN AND OUT
OF THAT TUNNEL. I GOT A LOT OF
ISSUES WITH IT. I HOPE AS WE
CONTINUE BUILDING FORWARD WE ARE
ABLE TO MITIGATE SOME OF THOSE
FROM THE LESSONS THAT ARE NOT
GOING WELL. SO I SAY, AND I
TALKED TO COUNCILMEMBER SAKA
ABOUT BRINGING SOUND TRANSIT
BACK. WE ARE LAND USE AND WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT PERMITTING THE
NEXT. ARE WE ABOVE $20 BILLION
OF CONSTRUCTION THAT IS COMING
TO THE CITY OF SEATTLE. YEAH.
BUT AS WE TALK ABOUT IN THE
BUDGET COMMITTEE ABOUT THIS
SITUATION WE ARE IN NOW WITH
REDUCED SALES TAX REGARDING
CONSTRUCTION. WE HAVE BEEN
BUOYED IN PUBLIC WORKS. THE
CONVENTION CENTER, THE
WATERFRONT. THESE ARE ALL
PROJECTS THAT HAVE CONTINUED
THROUGH THE PANDEMIC AND
CONTRIBUTED NOT ONLY TO UNION
WORK FORCES BUT UNION JOBS AND
OUR SALES TAX REGARDS
CONSTRUCTION. WE RIGHT NOW DO
NOT HAVE A CIVICS PROJECT OF
THAT SCALE GOING ON, I'M
EXCITED FOR MEMORIAL STADIUM
SOON. WHAT WE HAVE BEFORE US
ONCE IT GETS UNDERWAY IS GOING
TO BE LARGER THAN THOSE TWO
PROJECTS THAT WE JUST DISCUSSED.
SO I WANT TO COME BACK HERE
BECAUSE WE'LL HAVE A DECADE OF
IMPACT IN DOWNTOWN SEATTLE.
LIGHT RAIL CONSTRUCTION IS NOT
FAST. IT TAKES A LONG TIME. AND
SO, THE MITIGATION STRATEGIES
AGAIN, I KNOW SOME OF THAT LIES
IN THE PERMITTING PROCESS. AND,
SOUND TRANSIT WILL NEED TO DO
MORE THAN WHAT IS NECESSARILY
REQUIRED IN THESE PERMITS. YOU
ARE NOT SOUND TRANSIT. YOU ARE
SIMPLY THE PERMITTERS OF THEIR
ACTIVITY. I WANT TO JUMP INTO
SOME QUESTIONS HERE. ONE OF THE
THINGS I HEARD IS PERMIT APPEALS
TO PERMIT DECISIONS ARE STILL
APPEALABLE. THEY ARE BEING
REFOCUSED IF THAT'S THE RIGHT
WORD. CAN I CONFIRM ANYTHING
THAT CAN BE APPEALED TODAY IN A
PERMIT WILL STILL BE ABLE TO BE
APPEALED ONCE THIS BILL PASSES?
THE ONLY THING THAT CHANGES IS
THE VENUE OR THE FACT WE HAVE
BATCHED THESE APPEALS TOGETHER.
IS THAT A CORRECT UNDERSTANDING?
>> YES.
>> AND THIS GETS BACK TO TIME
AND CONSTRUCTION. TIME IS MONEY
WHEN IT COMES TO SOUND TRANSIT.
HOW MANY OF. DID I RECALL IT
WENT FROM 120 APPEALABLE VENUES?
EXPLAIN IT TO ME. DOWN TO 6?
HELP ME UNDERSTAND THIS BETTER.
>> IF YOU TAKE THE MASTER USE
PERMITS AND ROUND THEM TO 60,
YOU WOULD HAVE 120 APPEAL
OPPORTUNITIES. IN A FUTURE STATE
SCENARIO, THEY WILL BE
APPEALABLE ONCE. STILL
APPEALABLE, BUT 60 TIMES RATHER
THAN 120. SO IT IS A HALF.
>> AND THIS IS BECAUSE WE ARE
SENDING IT TO SUPERIOR COURT
RATHER THAN THE HAIRING
EXAMINER. IS THAT CORRECT?
>> CORRECT.
>> AND IF WE WERE TO SEND ALL OF
THESE APPEALS TO THE HEARING
EXAMINER, AGAIN, YOU ARE NOT THE
HEARING EXAMINER. WHAT TYPE OF
TIME IMPACT WOULD THAT
POTENTIALLY HAVE ON THAT OFFICE?
MAYBE WE WILL FOLLOW UP. I
ILLUSTRATE THIS POINT TO SAY
THAT WE UTILIZE THE HEARING
EXAMINER ON SO MANY DIFFERENT
FRONTS WHETHER IT WAS THE
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN APPEALS THAT
WE RECENTLY HAD. THE LIST GOES
ON AND ON AND ON. THEY ARE
ALREADY AT THEIR MAXIMUM. IF WE
WERE TO ADD ALL OF THIS WORK, WE
WOULD EITHER HAVE TO SAD STAFF,
ADD DATA BASE CAPACITY ONLY FOR
A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. IT IS
MORE OF AN EDITORIAL. NOT FOR
YOU TO ANSWER. I'LL COME BACK
TO TREES. WHAT WE HAVE BEFORE US
IS A BILL ABOUT PROCESS AND NOT
PERMITS. COLLEAGUES ALL OF YOUR
COMMENTS ARE WELL TAKEN. AND
THOSE WHO HAD CONVERSATIONS THAT
WILL BE HAD DURING THE
PERMITTING PROCESS. I WANT TO
HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE THINGS YOU
HAVE DONE WELL HERE. YOU ARE
REQUIRING TREES TO BE PLANTED
BEFORE THEY ARE CUT. THAT IS NOT
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS AND
COULDN'T HAPPEN WITHOUT THIS
CHANGE. AND THAT YOU CHANGED IN
THIS LANGUAGE FROM A THREE TO
ONE REPLACEMENT TO A MINIMUM OF
THREE TO ONE REPLACEMENT. WHILE
THAT MIGHT NOT SEEM SIGNIFICANT,
IT DOES SET US ON A BETTER
PLAYING FIELD TO HAVE LEVERAGE
TO GET MORE THAN THREE FOR ONE
REPLACEMENT. WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
THE TEAM MADE THE SLIGHT CHANGE.
I COULD SIT HERE ALL DAY. BIKE
PARKING. YOU DID MENTION WE WILL
BE SETTING UP DIFFERENT TYPES OF
PARKING. WE RAN OVER THIS PRETTY
QUICKLY. ARE WE NOT BUILDING
BIKE PARKING THAT WILL BE ABLE
TO BE USED BY CARGO BIKES AND
BIKES FOR CHILDREN. WHAT'S THE
PROBLEM? AND FOR THE RECORD I
KNOW THE ANSWER BUT I WOULD LIKE
TO GO INTO DETAIL MORE.
>> THE GENERAL PERCEPTION FROM
THE PUBLIC WAS THEY WANTED BIKE
FACILITIES CLOSER TO STATION
ENTRY. HAVE GOOD VISIBILITY AND
ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE A NUMBER OF
BIKE PARKING SIZES. DEPENDING ON
HOW THE BIKE PARKING IS SET UP
WHETHER IT IS ON THE WALL OR
CONTAINER, THOSE FIT OR DON'T
FIT THE BIKES COMING TO THE
STATIONS. WHILE WE DON'T KNOW
WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE BEST
TECHNOLOGY FOR SUPPLYING BIKE
PARKING THE EXPECTATION IS THAT
THE BIKE PARKING ROOMS WILL BE
ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE ALL THE BIKE
PARKING STYLES RELEVANT AT THAT
POINT IN TIME. NOT SURE IF THAT
MEETS YOUR EXPECTATIONS.
>> THAT IS HELPFUL. I CAN TELL
YOU GETTING A CARGO BIKE INTO A
STANDARD BIKE PARKING SPOT IS
NOT EASY AND WE ARE SEEING
CONTINUED ELECTRIFICATION. I
DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO SO
HERE WE ARE LIVE ON TV. YOU
SHARED WITH US THAT WE HAVE
MINIMUM BIKE PARKING STALLS AT
THE OUTSET. AND IF WE SEE A NEED
TO INCREASE THOSE BIKE PARKING
SPACES THAT IT CAN BE INCREASED.
HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND THIS.
BECAUSE FROM MY UNDERSTANDING
ONCE WE ISSUE A PERMIT WITH
SPECIFICITY ON ANYTHING, WE
CAN'T COME BACK TEN YEARS LATER
AND SAY OOPS. CAN YOU ADD 15
FEET TO THAT LOADING DOCK SO WE
CAN PULL THE DELIVERY TRUCK OUT
OF THE ALLEY WAY.
>> THE BENEFIT ABOUT SETTING UP
EXPECTATION AT THIS POINT IN THE
PROCESS, THEY CAN ENVISION WHAT
IT WOULD LOOK LIKE NOW. WHETHER
OR NOT THEY ARE UTILIZING THE
SPACES THEY CAN USE IT FOR
SOMETHING ELSE. BUT THERE NEED
TO BE SPACE RESERVED TO
ACCOMMODATE ADDITIONAL PARKING
BUILT IN AT THIS POINT IN THE
DESIGN. WHAT WE WILL DO IS YEAR
LEISLER SAYS. WITNESS WE TRIP
THE LY UTILIZING RATE . IT IS IN
THE CODE.
>> SO IT IS IN THE CODE THAT WE
CAN COME BACK AND REQUIRE THE
CHANGE.
>> YES.
>> AND IF THEY DON'T.
>> AND WE COULD ALSO CONDITION
THE PERMIT TO DO THE ANNUAL
SURVEY AND AT THE POINT OF 85%,
PROVIDE ADDITIONAL BIKE PARKING.
>> FANTASTIC. THANK YOU. THE
LAST BIT IS JUST APPRECIATION
FOR THE UNIFORM DESIGN AND
BUILDING STANDARDS ACROSS
DISTINCT ZONING DISTRICTS. THE
REASON I SHARE THIS WITH YOU IS
THE SAME REASON COUNCILMEMBER
SAKA BROUGHT COLLEAGUE INS TO
DESCRIBE AND DISCUSS THE
DIFFERENT CHANGES SOUND TRANSIT
IS MAKING. COLLEAGUES ARE WEST
SEATTLE IS WAY OVER BUDGET.
BALLARD IS OVER BUDGET. NEITHER
OF THESE PROJECTS HAVE BEEN
BASELINED. I'M EXCITED TO HEAR
THE RECORD DECISION HAS BEEN
MADE FOR WEST SEATTLE. AND WHAT
SOUND TRANSIT IS LOOKING THROUGH
IS HOW DO YOU MAKE THE SUPPORT
COLUMN SMALLER. CAN WE HAVE
PRECAST CONCRETE INSTEAD OF
POURING THE CONCRETE IN THE
GUIDEWAYS AS WE ARE BUILDING IT?
THESE TYPES OF BUILDING CHANGES
HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO REDUCE THE
COST OF CONSTRUCTION. AND THE
BUILD BEFORE US WILL THEN
LEVERAGE THAT AS WELL. BECAUSE
RIGHT NOW, IN SOUND TRANSIT'S
BOARD MEETING LAST WEEK, THERE
WAS ALREADY DISCUSSION BUILDING
MINIMUM OPERATING STANDARDS.
WHICH IS NOT GOOD. WE NEED TO DE
OTHER AGENCY SOUND TRANSIT TO
REDUCE THE COST OF THESE
PROJECTS. NO QUESTION THERE
CHAIR. APPRECIATE YOU HAVING THE
BILL BEFORE THE COMMITTEE.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH
COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS. THERE IS
SO MUCH. THERE WAS A LOT OF MEAT
IN THAT PRESENTATION. SO, THANK
YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. AND
THERE IS MUCH ABOUT THIS
PARTICULAR PROJECT THAT I HAVE
QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT ARE MORE
APPROPRIATE FOR SOUND TRANSIT TO
RESPOND TO. SO I HAVE TO BE
MINDFUL FOR OUR PURPOSE IT IS
REALLY JUST LOOKING AT THE LAND
USE ZONING STUFF. AND NOT THE
OTHER STUFF. WHICH IS DIFFICULT.
BECAUSE IT IS HARD TO SEPARATE
THERE. NOT ONLY DOES THIS
PROJECT IMPACT LAND USE, IT IS
TRANSIT. AND, IT IS ALSO PUBLIC
SAFETY. I HAVE HAD THE BENEFIT
IN MY PREVIOUS ROLE OF LOOKING
AT THE STATION DESIGN. AND
LOOKING AT THE DESIGN FOR THOSE
PLACES. WITH THE PUBLIC SAFETY
LENS. ALL RIGHT? SO, WHAT I'M
SEEING, WHEN I'M SEEING YOUR
SLIDES 13. ABOUT THE DESIGN
STANDARDS AND SLIDE 17, I AM
SEEING CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH
ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN BAKED INTO
THAT. SO, GIVEN MY BACKGROUND,
THAT REALLY APPEALS TO ME SO I
WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT. AT
THE SAME TIME, I'M HEARING THE
CONCERN ABOUT TREE REMOVAL AND
TREE REPLACEMENT. I WOULD LIKE
TO EMPHASIZE WHAT COUNCILMEMBER
MOORE SAID. TREE RELOCATION. IF
IT IS POSSIBLE TO RELOCATE THE
EQUIPMENT TO MOVE THE TREE CAN
ACTUALLY GET THERE TO MAKE THAT
HAPPEN SO THERE MAY BE SOME
LOGISTIC THINGS TO TAKE INTO
CONSIDERATION. BUT GIVEN WE HAVE
AN OVERABUNDANCE OF HEAT
ISLANDS. LESS TREE CANOPY THAN
WE WANT. THE MORE WE CAN
RELOCATE A MATURE TREE AS
OPPOSED TO REPLACING IT WITH A
SAPLING THAT WILL NOT GIVE US
THE BENEFIT FOR 30 TO 50 YEARS.
I THINK IT IS WORTH SPENDING
THAT MONEY. TO DO THAT. AT THE
SAME TIME, THIS IS MORE FOR
SOUND TRANSIT THAN IT IS FOR
THIS BODY. THE CONCERN
COUNCILMEMBER RIVERA MADE IS
SOMETHING I EXPRESSED AS WELL.
IS MAKING SURE THAT THOSE
BUSINESSES AND HOMES DISPLACED
BY THIS PROJECT ARE MADE WHOLE.
THERE WILL BE A LOT OF
DISRUPTION TO A LOT OF FOLKS.
HOW DO WE MITIGATE THAT? HOW DO
WE MAKE THE PEOPLE WHOLE WHO
WILL LOSE THEIR HOMES AND
BUSINESSES BECAUSE OF THIS
EXPANSION? WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN
IN MY DISTRICT, WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN LIGHT RAIL COMES IN AND
PEOPLE ARE NOT MADE WHOLE. WHEN
COMMUNITIES ARE DIVIDED BY LIGHT
RAIL RUNNING DOWN THE MIDDLE OF
THE STREET. SO I WOULD LIKE
THOSE EXPERIENCES NOT TO BE
REPEATED IN OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS.
PROBABLY A THING MORE FOR SOUND
TRANSIT THAN YOU. BUT A THING I
WANT TO GET ON THE RECORD. I
DON'T THINK I HAVE ANY MORE
QUESTIONS FOR YOU. WE HAVE HAD
AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK BEFORE.
I DO APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE
BEEN ABLE TO GIVE US TODAY.
FOCUSING ON WHAT IS THE CHARGE
FROM YOU IN FRONT OF THIS
COMMITTEE REALLY DOES COME DOWN
TO THE CODE CHANGES. THE ZONING
STUFF. THE SPECIFICS OF THE
PROJECT THAT ARE SOUND
TRANSIT'S TO ANSWER. MAYBE THIS
COMMITTEE WILL BE INTERESTED IN
HAVING SOUND TRANSIT COME BEFORE
US. ESPECIALLY WHEN WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT STAKE HOLDER
ENGAGEMENT. SO, DID YOU HAVE
SOMETHING ELSE COUNCILMEMBER
RIVERA?
>> IN RESPONSE TO SOMETHING YOU
ARE SAYING. AND I AGREE WITH ALL
THE POINTS YOU MADE. AND I
APPRECIATE YOUR LEADERSHIP AND I
WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE I HAVE HAD
THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH
ANGIE BEFORE IN HER ROLE. SHE
WAS VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN THE
WATERFRONT. SO I AM REALLY
PLEASED TO SEE YOUR PARTNERSHIP
IN THIS NEW ROLE AND ALSO YOUR
OFFICE BEING OUR ONE SEATTLE
WORKING WITH ALL THE CITY
DEPARTMENTS AND BEING A
CENTRALIZED LOCATION FOR ALL OF
THIS WORK. AND SO I WANT TO
ACKNOWLEDGE YOU AND YOUR TEAM.
AND I AM HAPPY TO SEE YOU ARE
TAKING THIS ON. I WANT TO SAY,
CHAIR, THAT YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY
RIGHT. THESE THINGS CAN'T BE
SEPARATED. SOUND TRANSIT IS A
SEPARATE ORGANIZATION. OUR ROLE
IS TO GIVE THE PERMITTING AND
THOSE PIECES OF IT. AND WE OWE
IT TO OUR RESIDENTS TO MAKE SURE
THAT ALL THESE OTHER ISSUES ARE
BEING ADDRESSED. THAT WE ARE
CLEAR, THAT WE ARE PERMITTING A
PROJECT THAT IS GETTING DONE IN
A WAY WE DISCUSSED TONIGHT. I
WON'T GO THROUGH ALL THOSE
POINTS AGAIN. SO TO ME, IT IS A
DUE DILIGENCE AS PART OF OUR
WORK TO PERMIT THIS PROJECT I
BELIEVE MANY OF US ARE IN
SUPPORT OF AND MAKING SURE IT IS
DONE RIGHT. SO TO ME IT IS NOT A
SEPARATE ISSUE. IT IS VERY MUCH
THE SAME ISSUE AND WE REALLY
NEED TO HAVE THOSE QUESTIONS
ANSWERED INCLUDING THE IMPORTANT
OUTREACH PIECES. GAUZE THAT IS
HOW WE TAKE CARE OF OUR
RESIDENTS, OUR HOME RESIDENTS
AND OUR SMALL BUSINESSES.
ESPECIALLY WHO ARE VERY IMPACTED
BY THESE PROJECTS. IN OUR CITY.
THANK YOU CHAIR.
>> ANY FURTHER COMMENTS OR
QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE?
OKAY. HEARING NONE, I WANT TO
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION
TODAY. I KNOW WE WILL HAVE YOU
BACK AND I LOOK FORWARD TO
HEARING FROM YOU AGAIN.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANKS SO MUCH.
>> ALL RIGHT. SO. WE HAVE
REACHED THE END OF TODAY'S
MEETING AGENDA. OUR NEXT MEETING
IS MONDAY, MAY 12th, 9:30 A.M.
IS THERE ANY FURTHER BUSINESS TO
COME BEFORE THE COMMITTEE?
HEARING NONE, UM, WE ARE
ADJOURNED!