Council OKs interim ordinance for North Bowl Hub — but questions remain

Key takeaways:

• Councilmembers approve an interim ordinance to remove properties from the North Bowl Hub — although the meeting ends before they can address clarifications about an amendment.
• Amendment to the police department’s Flex Fund designated for helping individuals who are homeless is also approved.
• The council hears about progress on updates to the city’s co-living housing and critical areas ordinances.

The Edmonds City Council on Tuesday night approved an interim ordinance removing properties from the North Bowl Hub zoning, but the meeting ended abruptly before a proposed amendment to the ordinance could be finalized.

Council President Neil Tibbott at the start of the meeting moved to add the interim ordinance to the council agenda, as it hadn’t been included in the packet that was published last week. When it came time to consider the matter — the last item on the agenda — City Attorney Jeff Taraday explained that interim ordinance would temporarily rezone “several parcels” in the North Bowl from their current centers and hubs mixed-use designation to low-density residential. The idea is to prevent any development applications from moving forward until the Council can take final action on the Edmonds Planning Board recommendations to remove the properties, Taraday said.

The interim ordinance identified 13 North Bowl parcels land to be rezoned — on Grandview Street and nearby — the same ones that the Planning Board had identified in their earlier recommendation. Councilmember Vivian Olson then introduced an amendment to the ordinance, which she had emailed to councilmembers earlier Tuesday, asking that an additional six parcels in the hub’s south section also be included. The result would be to temporarily “go back to having everything be low-density residential as it was before the Comp Plan amendment,” she said.

Olson made the case that while the council had “a fair amount of discussion” about the Planning Board’s recommendation about the North Bowl Hub, councilmembers had not voted on the matter. “It seemed like there were maybe properties that had not been included, that we might want to include, and properties that were excluded that we thought [might want] to be retained by at least some of the councilmembers,” Olson said. Given that the Council is scheduled to adopt the Comprehensive Plan amendments by Dec. 9, which would void the interim zoning ordinance, “it’s just seems prudent for us to take the most conservative approach,” she added.

The North Bowl Hub is one of five hubs and four centers that Edmonds created as small-scale multifamily housing and neighborhood commercial areas under the City’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan update, required by state law. In addition to North Bowl, the hubs are West Edmonds Way, South Lake Ballinger, Maplewood and East Seaview, while the centers are Westgate, Five Corners, Medical District Expansion and Firdale.

North Bowl Hub residents in 2024 raised concerns about the impact of the zoning change on their neighborhood and in response, councilmembers included further evaluation of the hub as one of two top priorities for 2025 Comprehensive Plan amendments. (The other priority was updates to the city’s critical areas ordinance, which the council also discussed Tuesday night.)

After discussion, the council approved Olson’s amendments by a vote of 4-3, with Councilmembers Chris Eck, Susan Paine and Jenna Nand voting no.

“I think that this is just…trying to reduce housing opportunities, particularly next to an elementary school,” Paine said. “I think that that’s that short-sighted. This is a 20-year plan, and this [the additional parcels] doesn’t need to be included in this interim code.”

As the meeting neared the official 9 p.m. stopping point, councilmembers voted to extend the meeting to 9:15 p.m. to get the work done. However, after the council unanimously approved the interim ordinance, Attorney Taraday asked for clarification about two whereas clauses — meant to support Olson’s amendment — that were included with her written motion to amend.

Further discussion revealed that not all councilmembers realized those amended clauses were part of the amendment. Olson then proposed an amendment to clarify the matter but Nand weighed in, stating her frustration with the process.

“I did not understand that I was voting on additional whereas clauses,” Nand said. “And I think that this is a very dangerous practice for us to start adopting, where somebody can incorporate a text by reference that has something verbally stated from the dais.”

With the clock approaching 9:15, Mayor Mike Rosen asked for a meeting extension until 9:30 p.m. Such an extension needs a supermajority of five or more to pass, but the vote was 4-3. Then Nand moved to table the matter until a future date, stating “I don’t think that three minutes is enough time to discuss these amendments thoroughly, and I prefer that we not rush this process.” The motion to table passed by a vote of 4-3, with Olson, Tibbott and Councilmember Michelle Dotsch voting no.

Taraday noted that as a result of the council vote, “we’ve got a sloppy ordinance, which is an ordinance that the mayor can sign. So I just want to make sure everyone understands that.”

After the meeting, Planning and Development Director Mike Clugston said he wasn’t clear about the impact of the interim ordinance, as approved, adding he would need to review it further on Wednesday.

The council also:

• Received a proclamation for National Arts and Humanities Month, which was read by Mayor Rosen and accepted by Edmonds Arts Commission Chair Richard Chung and Vice Chair Katie Leute.
• During public comment, heard concerns from several Edmonds residents living in the Meadowdale area regarding the $250 million planned expansion of the City of Lynnwood’s wastewater treatment plant, which is surrounded by Edmonds homes. John Quast, Meadowdale Community Club board member, asked if the City was aware of the project and the future impacts the work would have on Edmonds residents, including roads, traffic, noise, dust and local streams.
• Learned more from Planner Rose Haas about planned updates to the City’s co-living housing, required by state law. Edmonds already has co-living regulations as part of its development code, but state House Bill 1998 requires changes to allow co-living as a permitted use wherever multi-family units of six or more would be allowed. Co-living housing means a residential development with sleeping units that are independently rented and lockable and provide living and sleeping space. Residents share kitchen facilities, and may share bathroom facilities, with other sleeping units in the building.
• Heard from Senior Planner Brad Shipley regarding work to update Edmonds’ critical areas ordinance. Critical areas include streams, wetlands, landslide hazard areas, and other environmentally sensitive features. Under the Growth Management Act (GMA), all Washington cities and counties must adopt development regulations that protect these areas. The GMA also requires that these protections be based on the best available scientific information. One major change is that Riparian Management Zones — lands that occur along the edges of rivers, streams, lakes and other water bodies — “now are considered a critical area, not just a buffer for a critical area,” Shipley said. Because the department is currently understaffed and there is no budget for consultants, Shipley worked closely with local environmental to review critical areas issues, test draft language, and refine provisions to ensure clarity and consistency with best available science. Shipley said he is also working to streamline the critical areas code to make it more user friendly. (Read more about that in our previous story here.)
• Approved an amendment to a Flex Fund contract with Snohomish County that allows the Edmonds Police Department to apply for reimbursement of funds spent toward homeless individuals’ emergency needs, including food and other necessities. Acting Assistant Chief Josh McClure said the department has not used the fund to the extent it initially thought it would, so Snohomish County is reducing the amount for the remainder of the year — from $7,500 to $4,500. The department says it has other resources to use for homeless individuals in Edmonds this year, but McClure said that in the future the department would educate officers about the fund so it is used.
• Adopted a one-year interim zoning ordinance for four parcels of land in the city’s Westgate neighborhood that are currently unzoned after being left out of the City’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan Update. The plan is to conduct further analysis on the parcel designations and have a review by the Edmonds Planning Board.
• Agreed to remove two items from the consent agenda and place them on a future agenda because additional information was need: One is a resolution aimed at clarifying City policy regarding priorities for repayment of a $6 million interfund loan and replenishment of reserves. The other is amendments related to Council Rules of Procedures.

The council’s next business meeting will be on Monday, Nov. 3 to avoid conflicting with Election Day Nov. 4.