In 4-3 vote, City Council includes 2-foot base measurement increase in coastal areas

The Edmonds City Council approved by a 4-3 vote Tuesday night a motion to incorporate into the draft critical areas ordinance a 2-foot-higher construction base in the city’s coastal high hazard areas.

Those supporting the idea said that the increase in base measurement was designed to accommodate rising water due to global warming, but councilmembers opposing the move said they wanted more information on the effects of sea-level rise before making a decision.

Several residents also showed up to speak against the idea of allowing the additional 2 feet of base measurement. One of them, Doug Swartz, said he feared that the change would “open the floodgates” for building height increases throughout the city. Swartz and other speakers also reminded the councilmembers of their pledge during last year’s elections to not raise building heights.

But City Councilmember Neil Tibbott said the proposal is aimed at “simply adjusting the way we measure the base for new buildings in the flood plain. It does not apply to other parts of city. The building heights will be the same as they’ve always been,” Tibbott said.

The Edmonds Planning Board started work on the critical areas ordinance update in 2014 and presented its recommendations to the city council in September 2015. Among them was a recommendation to change the base measurement to accommodate increasing water levels in the city’s flood plain areas.  The council made its own amendments and approved the ordinance on Dec. 15, 2015. The mayor then vetoed the council-approved ordinance and the council has been working to submit new amendments.

The council approved three amendments March 15 and five more on April 12. On Tuesday night, the council first approved an amendment aimed at providing additional tree canapy coverage, then addressed the final — and most controversial — item: where the base measurement of new construction should be located.

Council President Kristiana Johnson suggested that the base measurement issue be excluded from the current critical areas draft, proposing that the council review it later. That idea failed on a 3-4 vote, with Councilmembers Tom Mesaros, Diane Buckshnis, Dave Teitzel and Tibbott voting no.

A focal point for moving ahead with the higher base measurement has been a plan by the Edmonds Senior Center to build a new community center facility on the Edmonds waterfront. The senior center hopes to begin the permitting process soon, and resolving how tall the building can be in the context of sea level rise has been a key component.

However, Councilmember Adrienne Fraley-Monillas, who serves on the Senior Center board, advocated for doing more research on the issue. “I will not be held hostage to the senior center in telling me they will not build if they don’t get exactly what they want,” said Fraley-Monillas. “I think that’s blackmail at its best.”

In the end, the council voted 4-3 (Councilmembers Fraley-Monillas, Johnson and Mike Nelson opposed) to approve a motion by Councilmember Tom Mesaros to have City Attorney Jeff Taraday draft a final critical areas ordinance that includes the Edmonds Planning Board recommendations on the height exception.

The critical areas ordinance is required by the state’s Growth Management Act and must be updated every 10 years. It governs the city’s wetlands, streams and geologically hazardous and frequently flooded areas.

The council also:

– Heard a presentation from a Sound Transit representative regarding the ST3 draft plan, which proposes adding 58 miles of light rail, along with 39 stations, plus bus-rapid transit at a cost of about $50 billion. During the public comment period, Edmonds resident Maggie Fimia of SmarterTransit.org suggested that citizens take a look at both Sound Transit’s performance and costs.

– Heard Mayor Dave Earling issue a proclamation in honor of Earth Day, April 22.

– Passed a resolution stating that the City Council will recognize and support efforts to pursue Zero Waste, defined as a holistic approach to preventing and reducing waste materials and pollution, as well as redirecting discards to become resources.

– Unanimously approved a final plat for Seabrook Estates at 860 Caspers St., the property located next to, and formerly owned by, the Edmonds United Methodist Church.

– Approved Edmonds-based questions that will be asked as part of the National Citizen Survey.

– Unanimously authorized an additional $115,000 to build a downtown public restroom in the parking lot just south of Edmonds City Hall. The council had originally budgeted $275,000 for the project but revisions — including better landscaping and the addition of a family restroom — increased the cost estimate to $390,000.

– Approved reclassification of the city’s accounting manager position to assistant finance director.