February 10, 2009 City Council Action

Ordinance No. 825, Critical Areas Development Regulations adopted. The City is required by the State of Washington to adopt Critical Areas Development Regulations. These regulations are applicable to areas such as, coastal bluffs, wetlands, streams, habitat conservation areas and geological hazardous areas. City Staff, Planning Commission and the City Council spent over two years working on the ordinance. City staff will development informational materials for property owners to explain the regulations and requirements.

Ordinance No. 821, Wireless Facilities Regulations adopted. This ordinance repeals the previous Personal Wireless Service Facilities regulations adopted in 1999 and creates new regulations. The new regulations are more applicable to current technology and authorize wireless facilities to be placed on publicly owned property, which creates an opportunity for the City to lease space to service providers for wireless facilities. In addition to potentially improving wireless service coverage in Normandy Park, the City may also generate revenue from the lease agreements.

Discussion of Home Occupation Criteria. City staff identified a conflict in Normandy Park Municipal Code (NPMC) with issuance of business licenses to home occupations. Currently, NPMC requires home occupations to obtain a Conditional Use Permit, which must be renewed biennially. City staff proposed removing the requirement for home occupations to obtain Conditional Use Permits and replacing the requirement with criteria for regulation of home occupations. The City Council provided direction for the Planning Commission to use as guidance for drafting an ordinance.

Tree Regulations Policy Direction. The City Council discussed policy issues related to preservation and management of trees, which will be used by the Planning Commission as guidance for drafting an ordinance. The City Council’s direction included a preference for an ordinance that encourages appropriate tree care and management on private property rather than an ordinance that is focused on a regulatory approach to tree care and management on private property. The directives also included a preference for limiting removal of trees during development of property to avoid clear cutting of land for subdivisions. Finally, the City Council emphasized the need for community outreach to get citizen input during the process of developing this ordinance so it is appropriate for Normandy Park.

South County Area Transportation Board (SCATBd) ILA. The City Council passed Resolution No. 877, which authorizes the City Manager to enter into the 2009 – 2012 Interlocal Agreement to extend SCATBd activities through 2012. SCATBd is one of three transportation subarea boards in King County and is a multi-jurisdictional transportation planning and coordination forum for information sharing, consensus building, policy development and projects/programs for South King County. Normandy Park is one of 16 cities participating in SCATBd along with King County, Pierce County, Muckleshoot Tribe, PSRC, Sound Transit, WSDoT, Port of Seattle and others.