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City Hall 15670 NE 85th Street • PO Box 97010 • Redmond, WA 98073-9710 Planning Commission Report To: City Council From: Planning Commission Staff Contacts: Erika Vandenbrande, Director, Planning and Community Development, [PHONE REDACTED] Sarah Pyle, Manager, Strategic Initiatives, [PHONE REDACTED] Jae Hill, AICP, Manager, Long Range Planning, [PHONE REDACTED] Kimberly Dietz, Senior Planner, [PHONE REDACTED] Date: January 23, 2019 File Numbers: LAND-2018-01232, SEPA-2018-01265 Planning Commission Recommendation: Approval Title: Redmond Zoning Code – Periodic Cleanup (Minor Amendments) Recommended Action: Adopt recommended amendments to the Redmond Zoning Code and Redmond Municipal Code as shown in Exhibit A. Summary: The recommended amendments provide a periodic cleanup to portions of the Redmond Zoning Code (RZC) and Redmond Municipal Code (RMC). The amendments correct typographical errors; address inconsistencies or missing references to other portions of the RZC, RMC, and state and federal regulations; and revise place names, outdated terminology, and identifiers. Reasons the Proposal Should be Adopted: The recommended amendments provide 29 minor corrections to the RZC and RMC for: 1. Addressing clarity and accuracy of the code; 2. Correcting and restoring references to other sections of the code; 3. Correcting inadvertent omissions of code; 4. Repairing errors and providing updates to maps within the ---PAGE BREAK--- Redmond Zoning Code Page 2 Planning Commission Report Periodic Cleanup (Minor Amendments) LAND-2018-01232 code; and 5. Incorporating direction of non-substantive administrative interpretations authorized by RZC 21.76.100.D. Recommended Findings of Fact 1. Public Hearing and Notice a. Public Hearing Date The City of Redmond Planning Commission held a public hearing on the proposed amendments on December 12, 2018. The Planning Commission kept the public hearing open for oral and written testimony through January 9, 2019. No oral or written testimony was received during the public hearing. b. Notice The public hearing notice was published in the Seattle Times. Public notices were posted in City Hall and at the Redmond Library. Notice was also provided by including the hearing in Planning Commission agendas and extended agendas mailed to various members of the public and various agencies. Additionally, a hearing notification was posted on the City’s web site and provided to people who had previously participated in code cleanup processes. Recommended Conclusions 1. Key Issues Discussed by the Planning Commission The Planning Commission held study sessions on November 28, 2018, December 12, 2018, and January 9, 2019, to deliberate the Technical Committee’s November 7, 2018 recommended amendments. Minutes of the Planning Commission meeting are shown in Exhibits B – D. Key issues discussed by the Planning Commission were as follows: Administrative Interpretations The recommended amendments include six administrative interpretations and corresponding updates to the RZC and RMC. Planning Commissioners discussed the process through which the City identifies the need for interpretations, the authority for such action through the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), and implementation procedures codified by the RZC. The Commission compared the City’s implementation procedures to neighboring cities including Bellevue, Kirkland, and Renton. Commissioners also reviewed the recommended amendments associated with an administrative interpretation involving backyard chicken husbandry; discussing the need, rationale, and outcome of the associated RMC amendment as an example of the administrative interpretation and code amendment process. ---PAGE BREAK--- Redmond Zoning Code Page 3 Planning Commission Report Periodic Cleanup (Minor Amendments) LAND-2018-01232 Impact of Amendments Planning Commissioners briefly discussed the possibility of the recommended amendments impacting the following: Current City operations such as permit review; and Timeline and costs that customers of City services might anticipate. Commissioners were satisfied with staff’s description of the analysis through which cleanup items were identified as “minor amendments”. This analysis accounted for a variety of aspects such as those identified by the Commission assuring that the minor amendments would maintain existing operations, timelines, and costs associated with City services – and the following: 1. Amendment clearly maintains the intent, purpose, and direction of current regulation; 2. Amendment’s scope and scale is limited to a small, isolated portion of the RZC; and 3. Administrative interpretation of issue relies solely on existing code for clear and concise direction. 2. Recommended Conclusions of the Technical Committee The recommended conclusions in the Technical Committee Report (Exhibit E) should be adopted as conclusions. 3. Planning Commission Recommendation The Planning Commission unanimously voted in favor of a motion to recommend approval of amendments to the Redmond Zoning Code and Redmond Municipal Code. Six Commissioners voted in favor and zero opposed at its January 9, 2019 meeting. ---PAGE BREAK--- Redmond Zoning Code Page 4 Planning Commission Report Periodic Cleanup (Minor Amendments) LAND-2018-01232 List of Attachments Exhibit A: Recommended Amendments to the Redmond Zoning Code and Redmond Municipal Code Exhibit B: Planning Commission Meeting Minutes, November 28, 2018 Exhibit C: Planning Commission Meeting Minutes, December 12, 2018 Exhibit D: Planning Commission Meeting Minutes, January 9, 2019 Exhibit E: Technical Committee Report with Exhibits Erika Vandenbrande, Planning Director Date Roy Captain, Planning Commission Chairperson Date Approved for Council Agenda John Marchione, Mayor Date