Shoreline City Manager's Report - week of 12/29/2014

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Weekly Update for week of 12/29/2014
From Shoreline City Manager Debbie Tarry

Wishing all Shoreline residents and businesses a Happy New Year. As your City Manager I want to express my appreciation to the Shoreline community for working closely with City elected officials, volunteers, and staff to make 2014 a productive and fruitful year. It is my hope that you have seen your city government contribute to the community’s long-term vision: “Shoreline is a thriving, friendly city where people of all ages, cultures and economic backgrounds love to live, work and play, and most of all, call home.” Shoreline City staff are looking forward to continuing our commitment of quality customer service to the Shoreline community in 2015 as we continue to deliver highly valued public services! 

Council Meetings Start Again January 5, 2015
The January 5th Meeting Agenda includes:

·         2015 Arts Council Contract ($60,000)
·         2015 Shoreline Historical Museum Contract ($60,000)
·         Authorize the City Manager to execute a contract with Perteet for on-call construction management and inspection services ($150,000)
·         Waiving Council Rule 2.4, A through E, and Appointment of Youth Member to service on the Shoreline Library Board
·         Discussion of Business License Program and Adoption of Ordinance No. 692 Business License Exemption Program for individuals/businesses who generate no more than $5,000 in gross receipts per calendar year within Shoreline while:
o   Conducting limited retail as part of city-sponsored event or a non-profit organization-sponsored event (501(c)3); or
o   Who provided recreation instructional services or performance services as part of city-sponsored event or non-profit organization-sponsored event (501(c)3)

January 12 Agenda
·         Dinner Meeting (5:45 p.m.) – Executive Session and then Council Operations
·         Regular Meeting:
o   Proclamation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
o   Discussion of City Street Regulatory Options (to include tolling under the Transportation Benefit District authority)

Library Board – Youth Position
On December 23,Recreation Superintendent Mary Reidy and the Chair of the Library Board interviewed a qualified candidate for the currently vacant youth board position. They recommend that Ella McGuigan be appointed by Council on January 5, 2015. An early January appointment would allow for Ms. McGuigan to attend the January 8, 2015 Library Board meeting and engage in the final stages of Board goal development.

Light Rail – Affordable Housing
The Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County has reached out to Council to discuss the proposed affordable housing provisions in the 185th Street Station Area development regulations. Council is scheduled to review those provisions on January 26. The Housing Consortium is supportive of the proposed regulations and wants to encourage the Council to adopt them. The Consortium will be part of the presentation on the 26th.

Economic Development
Last week we received over $190,000 in permit revenue. We received full applications for 1.) the Potala Apartments located in the Westminster (Denny) Triangle for 320 units, 2.) the Arabella 2 apartments reapplication located on NE 180th St. for 107 units (just west of Arabella 1 apartments), and 3.) the Sunrise Apartments at 20015 Ballinger Way with 60 units. All of the developments will have underground parking.

Aurora Update
As of last Friday almost all of the west side of Aurora has been paved with the goal of getting it cleaned up and more accessible through the holidays. Merlino worked through the afternoon of the 24th and will return to work on January 5.

Employee of the Year
On December 9, staff honored Shoreline Pool Manager James McCrackin as our Employee of the Year! I awarded Team of the Year to the Transportation Corridor Study (Point Wells) Team.

Finance Update
·         November Revenue Report for sales, gambling, and real estate excise tax. Total sales tax for the month of November is greater than budget projections by 7.6% and year-ago levels by 3.4%. Year-to-date receipts are higher than the budget projection by $650,697 or 11.5%. Total REET collections through November 2014 totaling $1,689,984 are ahead of the budget projection and revised projection by 17.6% and 4.2%, respectively, as well as the year-ago level by 15.5%. Total development revenue collections through November are $1,209,785, which is 47.6% ahead of projections and 11.3% ahead of 2013 levels.

Agenda Planner Items
·         January 12 – Executive Session added to Dinner Meeting.
·         February 23 – The Regular Meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. The reason that the meeting is starting early is that Council will be making a decision on the “Preferred Alternative” for the 145th Light Rail Station to be studied in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and is scheduled to adopt the 185th Light Rail Station Sub-Area Plan and related Development Regulations, so Council anticipates needing extra time.

This and That
·         I have received letters of interest from the cities of Lake Forest Park and Kenmore to explore contracting with Shoreline for emergency management services. I met with both of the City Managers on Monday, December 29, to discuss the issue along with other items including SR523 and the 145th Corridor Study.
·         King County Councilmember Dembowski has notified the City that King County has approved $2.85 million in capital funding for the Compass Housing Ronald Commons project. This project is one of six that were approved county-wide.
·         We are hoping for more Food Truck Thursdays in 2015. Economic Development Manager Dan Eernissee and Neighborhoods Coordinator Nora Smith have been working with the Ridgecrest and Richmond Beach Neighborhoods and are moving forward with plans for 3 weeks of 3 trucks in 3 locations in Shoreline in 2015. Hopefully there will be 9 different trucks in total. Locations proposed: Ridgecrest – 165th & 5th; Aurora Square – east parking lot of Sears; Richmond Beach Saltwater Park – the Terrace. Dates would be the three Thursdays following Celebrate Shoreline.
·         List of new business licenses issued in November. 35 new business licenses for businesses located in Shoreline.
·         Summary of the recent meeting between City staff and management of the Polaris apartments regarding parking issues. It was a good meeting to resolve neighborhood complaints and Polaris staff was very responsive.


5 comments:

Anonymous,  December 31, 2014 at 11:51 PM  

Can we now expect to see the council make a transition area code amendment?

Anonymous,  January 1, 2015 at 5:59 PM  

Anyone care to share how long the vacant, fenced up, boarded up, squatted-in, rat-infested houses for Arabella 2 have sitting there? Just a glimpse into the future of what this giant area to be rezoned around the station area can look forward to.

Anonymous,  January 3, 2015 at 7:32 AM  

Soundoffshoreline - Arabella II has had 3 shots at their property tax exemption since 2008 or 2009 and each time the Shoreline City Hall rolled over and granted it to them. Arabella I created parking problems for the fire station across the street, the local business community, and raised rents throughout the North City business district. However, the dolts at Shoreline City Hall consider it a "success" because they "created" a few units of "low income" housing. Shoreline considers "low income" to be 70% of the almost $60K median annual income in King County, Seattle is lowering it to 60% and Seattle DPD thinks it should be as low as 45% as well as the fact that developers should be audited to determine if they are in compliance with the program. And what does Shoreline do? They don't plan on auditing developers and they give away more and more exemptions to developers. The City Hall has a transportation impact fee, but they exempt most developers from it (and I will bet that new development in the the light rail stations will not have to pay it, all they will have to do is pay is fee in-lieu of charges for sidewalks) because they are near the light rail stations. It is a complete joke.

The Echo Lake Apartments were supposed to have a barrier preventing left hand turns on 192nd to the east and the lazy city staff never installed it, so the new residents at the Echo Lake Apartments got used to turning left and cutting through the neighborhoods. When the city finally installed the barrier, these residents cried to City Council and the neighborhood was impacted.

The Polaris Apartments are no different - the developer got an exemption for the number of parking stalls required and had reduction because they were near a bus line. They also got a property tax exemption because they have some low income units, they are the same developer as Echo Lake Apartments. No developments in the North City Business District are subject to SEPA - not Arabella II or Polaris because the Shoreline City Hall doesn't want to hear from the citizens, they call it "beefing up SEPA," when it is getting rid of citizen input.

Anonymous,  January 3, 2015 at 1:03 PM  

You mean this developer?

http://m.spokesman.com/stories/2011/may/18/wetlands-discovery-stalls-work-on-planned-senior/

http://www.cityofshoreline.com/government/shoreline-city-council/state-of-the-city

somejd,  January 3, 2015 at 3:53 PM  

No, seriously ;) when things are obviously bad enough we the people shall babysit the "authorities" : http://www.takebackyourpower.net/news/2014/11/24/entire-county-board-arrested-following-citizens-arrest-2-military-veterans/

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