Although the process has already taken four years, it will be at least another few months until the Edmonds City Council will address the fate of zoning changes aimed at providing more mixed-use development for the Westgate commercial area.
The main sticking point during a lengthy council discussion Monday night was the amount of setback that should be required for rezone. The current requirement for the area is 20 feet, but the staff and city Planning Board favored 12 feet, based on recommendations from the University of Washington-led team that conducted the original redevelopmentstudy . After it was clear that there were concerns by some councilmembers about the 12-foot proposal, Council President Diane Buckshnis “split the difference” and suggested 16 feet. Councilmember Strom Peterson then offered another idea — to limit the 16-foot requirement to the four corners of the intersection at State Route 104 and 100th Avenue West, but apply the 12-foot standard to the rest of the Westgate commercial area.
However, there was further dissension, which led to amendments by Councilmember Lora Petso regarding both the setback amount and the number of parking spaces required. Thrown into the mix was an amendment by Councilmember Kristiana Johnson — supported by a majority of the council — that the council leave the 20-foot setbacks in place until an SR 104 traffic corridor analysis currently underway is completed — probably in the first quarter of 2015.
That “idea that we are bickering over four feet” led a frustrated Peterson to move that the entire discussion about Westgate be tabled until the traffic corridor analysis is finished.
The council also approved by a vote of 5-2 (Councilmembers Petso and Bloom opposed) a zoning plan for Highway 99 that would permit residential-only development along the Edmonds section of the corridor. It was a move championed by Councilmember Adrienne Fraley-Monillas, who lives a few blocks from the highway in the Lake Ballinger neighborhood. Noting that the area is “a transit hub,” Fraley-Monillas said the change would encourage mixed-use development in an area where development has been stagnant in recent years. In opposing the measure, Petso said she feared that allowing residential-only uses might mean that Highway 99 car dealerships would be replaced by housing, and the city would lose a lucrative source of sales tax revenue.
In addition, the council:
– Approved by a 6-1 vote a six-month contract for Edmonds to provide contract police services with the Town of Woodway. This has been a hot-button issue with some councilmembers; in 2012, Petso, Fraley-Monillas and Bloom voted against the contract renewal because they said Edmonds taxpayers were subsidizing Woodway residents. Under the new contract, Woodway’s monthly amount of $3,060 would be adjusted yearly after the first year for inflation based on the Consumer Price Index. Councilmember Tom Mesaros said he has been working with Woodway to address council concerns regarding the contract; the council agreed to approve a six-month, rather than the proposed three-year contract, so that those discussions could continue.
– Approved renewal of the City of Edmonds contract with the Lighthouse Law Group for city attorney services.
The council met on Monday night instead of the usual Tuesday due to the November general election. Mayor Dave Earling noted that next week’s meeting would also be on Monday, Nov. 10 due to the fact that Veterans Day falls on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
Great work by all of our Council. Thank you to all of you for doing such a good job and working out complicated issues for our town. Kudos!
Change and growth is coming, regardless. Specific to Westgate, what we are witnessing here is “good intentions” getting in the way of “well qualified and expert” recommendations. “Such a good job” certainly is dependent on what scale one uses to make that determination…and compared to what? No decision?
More delay. No big surprise from this City Council noted for delay and more delay. There an old saying “Delay is the
deadliest form of denial” Let’s sprinkle some more technical holy water on this issue so the issue will become more confusing so this Council will find more excuses to delay. Edmonds needs decision makers.
Haste Makes Waste – thank you again for our Council taking the time to make sure this long term major change to our community will work for our coummunity
Haste Makes Waste…..Thank you again to our Council for taking the time to get this right
English
Proverb
haste makes waste
One makes mistakes when being too hasty.
Synonyms
look before you leap
Translations
one makes mistakes when being too hasty
haste makes waste
fools rush in
Contents
1 English
1.1 Proverb
1.1.1 Synonyms
1.1.2 Translations
1.2 See also
1.3 References
English
Proverb
haste makes waste
One makes mistakes when being too hasty.
Synonyms
look before you leap
Translations
[show ▼]one makes mistakes when being too hasty
See also
more haste, less speed
more haste, less speed
Fools Rush In
rush
vb
1. to hurry or cause to hurry; hasten
2. to make a sudden attack upon (a fortress, position, person, etc)
3. (when: intr, often foll by at, in or into) to proceed or approach in a reckless manner
4. rush one’s fences to proceed with precipitate haste
5. (intr) to come, flow, swell, etc, quickly or suddenly: tears rushed to her eyes.
6. to cheat, esp by grossly overcharging
7. (tr) US and Canadian to make a concerted effort to secure the agreement, participation, etc, of (a person)
8. (American Football) American football (intr) to gain ground by running forwards with the ball
n
9. the act or condition of rushing
10. a sudden surge towards someone or something: a gold rush.
11. a sudden surge of sensation, esp produced by a drug
12. a sudden demand
adj (prenominal)
13. requiring speed or urgency: a rush job.
14. characterized by much movement, business, etc: a rush period.
[C14 ruschen, from Old French ruser to put to flight, from Latin recūsāre to refuse, reject]
ˈrusher n
fools rush in
Not only delays but what appear to be tactics and intentional delays. These tedious attempts to disrupt the process and stall it out may be clever lawyering, but it is not good governance. This city does deserve decision makers.
And is it just me who notices, or do some council members appear to be confused a lot ?
Tactics and intentional delays? Disrupt the process? Clever lawyering?
Related to your conclusion: Would it not be more fair to identify who you are talking about so as not to cast aspersions on all 7 Council members?
Great comments and observations, Mike, John, and Matthew. And Ken, the likely cause of concern here are those councilmembers who consistently vote in block to obstruct well thought-out and citizen-created and vetted development concepts because they simply do not accept that growth is inevitable and that it is their job to manage it responsibly to the benefit of the majority of our city’s residents. We don’t need to identify them by name. Their records and votes stand for themselves.
Our city is growing and will continue to grow. All of our council members should recognize this fact and start responding accordingly. And some appear to be more capable and willing than others of making the necessary decisions and compromises necessary to take our growing city forward.
With the majority of council members up for election in 2015, we will have another opportunity to put responsible leaders, compromisers, and decision makers in office. I, for one, am looking forward to the prospect and outcome.
Steven – Are you saying that the unnamed Council members that you accuse of consistently voting “in block to obstruct” are the same Council members that Matthew believes he is noticing “appear to be confused a lot”?
As Matthew did not identify who he notices appearing to be confused, how can anyone know who he is talking about? Is confusion a trait associated with calculated action and clever lawyering?
My point is simply that I believe it would be more fair of Matthew to identify who he is is noticing “appear to be confused a lot” so as not to cast aspersions on all 7 Council members.
Yes our City is growing and must continue to grow to meet state-mandated targets. And it grows because folks want to live here. So why delay these needed decisions and projects? Even if the Council had agreed on the Plan last night, dirt may not be dug for several years and a Westgate make-over will not be completed for many years to come. Mr. Chave mentioned Hillsboro, Oregon as a good example of what can happen in Edmonds. Being a Portland native, I know that the Hillsboro work began in the ’70’s and the last bit of work is only now finished. It took that town 35-40 years to complete the plan officials and citizens agreed to, and the key to their success is they agreed to do it and make it work. If the Westgate project hinges on a transportation report that has no certain due date, we’re in a heap of hurt and it’s a costly shame.
It does not take a rocket scientist to follow the path of those (posse) that continue to trash the hard work of our Town Council members and why they do this.
Again, the citizens of Edmonds did not just fall off of a turnip truck………….The citizens will be represented, and not the select few. ………….. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe one person here has a financial interest of this online news source or is connected to one. This looks to me that it could be a conflict of interest, and particularily when the same publisher owns news sources in Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, and Edmonds. And I get the more clicks, the more advertizing dollars. ……
so try to divide the citizens.
Again, the citizens of Edmonds did not just fall off of a turnip truck.
Edmonds Spring
Tere, Please give us names in the posse and the select few. I find M.E.N. to be very factual and unbiased. Nobody is forcing anybody to read it.
Mr. Underhill (Nov 4, 10:20 PM),
Council member Johnson moved to maintain the current setbacks at Westgate (20 ft) until the Westgate portion of the SR 104 transportation corridor study is completed, in the first quarter of 2015. The motion passed 4-3, council members Peterson, Buckshnis, and Mesaros voting no. Council member Peterson subsequently moved to table the discussion of the Westgate plan until the completion of the corridor study in early 2015. The motion passed unanimously.
The City Council was right in tabling this matter until the traffic study has been completed. The setback issue is important and a completed traffic study will help the council to make a better decision.
A reduced setback may mean more money for commercial real estate companies like Bartell/Henbart, but it also creates a more congested and claustrophobic experience for those who navigate the area
I’ve talked to dozens of Edmonds residents and those I’ve spoken to overwhelmingly favor maintaining the current 20 ft. setback. We got a sneak peak at the impact of narrow setbacks and 4 story buildings when the Compass building went up on Edmonds Way and no one I’ve spoken to is pleased.
Thank you again for the great work our Town Council always does. There is an interesting article (Atlantic Monthly, November, Urban Future) regarding what appears to me to be this type of development coming our way, and regarding the issue of it being placed along-side of a state highway ……., pedestrian friendly appears to be very important and somehow changing that highway (dividing it up some) to make it pedestrian friendly as part of the whole development idea of getting people out of their cars…..This also appears to be experimental at this time……Something to keep in mind while moving forward with any major change……Haste makes waste!