Residents advocate for less-dense North Bowl Hub during Edmonds Council meeting

Key takeaways:

• North Bowl residents suggest amending Comprehensive Plan to reduce density in neighborhood hub.
• Parks and public works departments present their long-term capital projects.
• Staff updates Council on right-of-way code changes.
• Finance director presents third-quarter report.

Citing concerns about traffic and quality of life, members of Edmonds’ North Bowl neighborhood Monday night offered public testimony in favor of amending the City’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan to change the zoning and thus reduce density there.

The Edmonds City Council held a public hearing Monday on a permanent ordinance that would make amendments to the Comprehensive Plan for the North Bowl Hub, based on a recommendation from the Edmonds Planning Board. The meeting was a day earlier than normal to avoid conflicting with Tuesday’s General Election.

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 a top priority for 2025 Comprehensive Plan amendments.

Planning and Development Director Mike Clugston explained that the Planning Board proposed removing from the hub all of the gray parcels shown on the map below, including Grandview Street along with several other parcels adjacent to that. Still included in the hub, under the Planning Board proposal (in red on the map), are parcels north of Puget Drive that were formerly zoned BN (neighborhood business) along with the parcels south of Puget Drive, Clugston said.

During the public hearing, residents living south of Puget Drive expressed their opposition the proposed map, citing the potential traffic increases and related safety hazards that increased density would bring to their neighborhood and also their worries that future development would block their views. They advocated instead for returning to Option 2, one of four options the Planning Board considered, that would limit the North Bowl Hub to properties previously zoned as BN (seen in red on the map below).

No decisions were made Monday night. The Council is expected to discuss the matter further at a future meeting, with the goal of passing any proposed 2024 Comprehensive Plan amendments Dec. 9.

In other business, the Council received a presentation by the Parks and Recreation and Public Works Departments regarding the 2026-2021 Capital Facilities Plan (CFP) and Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Deputy Public Works Director and City Engineer Mike De Lilla explained that the CFP is a planning tool related to growth while the CIP focuses on maintenance of existing facilities.

Deputy Parks Director Shannon Burley said the biggest challenge for the parks department is deferred maintenance, especially in light of increased expenses and recent staffing cuts due to the city’s budget shortfall. “We take really great pride in the parks that we service, but deferred maintenance is piling up faster than we can respond to it,” she said.

One of the top priorities, Burley said, is Shell Creek Restoration — a priority for two years but delayed due to staffing bandwidth. It includes an existing conditions analysis focused on habitat and environmental protection and enhancement in the entire Shell Creek Valley, which includes Yost Park. Areas to be studied would include mitigation, restoration and appropriate trail, bridge and boardwalk locations to address stream degradation; replacement, reallocation or elimination of pedestrian bridges, trails and boardwalks; and removal or modification of the aging concrete structures

Another major project is the installation of six safety marker buoys along the Edmonds Waterfront: one at the Fishing Pier, one off Brackett’s Landing South and four at the Underwater Dive Park. Installation of the buoys will ensure the City remains in compliance with federal and state regulatory requirements. They also serve as navigational aids, keeping swimmers and divers safe in areas where boating is not allowed, along with protecting sensitive marine environments.

Both De Lilla and Transportation Engineer Bertrand Haus described a range of CFP/CIP projects on the Public Works side, including pavement preservation, street overlays, and pedestrian and intersection improvements, along with stormwater maintenance projects, reservoir upgrades and water and sewer replacements.

A City Council public hearing is scheduled Nov. 25 on the CFP/CIP projects with adoption set for Dec. 9.

The Council also:

• Received an update on proposed City code updates to help Edmonds manages its right of way. Staff said the code revisions being proposed address specific requirements for construction permits, including areas such as emergency response work and pavement cut restrictions. There are also regulations regarding the location of utility wires and poles and replacement of existing poles. The City has been working with utility companies to collaboratively address concerns expressed about code updates. Adoption is scheduled for Dec. 2.

• Issued a proclamation for Native American Heritage Month in November, which Mayor Mike Rosen presented to community leader Diana White. An enrolled member of the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Indians, White worked with other community members to create the “stubus – Indigenous Walking Tour,” which launched Oct. 13 in observation of Indigenous Peoples Day. It highlights 16 sites throughout Edmonds, including murals, art and other topics that dive deep into understanding the lives of the Coast Salish people and the region’s importance to them. Leaders who helped create the tour — including those from the Edmonds Waterfront Center, Edmonds Historical Museum and Edmonds Marsh Advocates — were present with White Monday to accept the proclamation.

• Received the September 2025 quarterly financial report from Finance Director Richard Gould. Gould noted that the third-quarter report was robust, increasing from 21 pages to 43, to ensure the council and public get key information about the city’s finances. Among the highlights:
  • Interest income: It’s down 1.6% — or almost $37,000 — due to multiple bonds with higher interest rates maturing and falling interest rates.
  • Labor costs: The vacant but funded employee count of 26 employees (as of October 16) comprises 11.6% of the entire staff, Gould said. However, some of these positions were on staff during 2025. That — combined with payouts to staff who left the city — is why labor costs are under budget by only 6%, Gould said.
  • Sales tax: September 2025 “was almost equal to 2024,” Gould wrote in a memo the council. Although October’s taxes were higher than 2024 — by $41,000 — they are still down by .10% — or $9,500 — in 2025 compared to 2024. “We are still projecting that yearend [sales tax revenue] will come in well under budget, by $900,000,” Gould said. “We are also decreasing the 2026 sales tax budget to match that of 2025, a decrease of $1.3 million. This could trend lower depending on the next few months of sales tax receipts.”
  • Development services: This area of the city is over budget by 26%, due to increased permitting activities.

  You can see Gould’s complete report here.