Resolution 7924 - Laserfiche WebLink

City Council Memo Page 6 of 31 CITY OF EVERETT Planning Summary of Community Outreach Input from community members and interested parties about the draft growth alternatives has been mixed. Some comments expressed support for expanding housing choices in residential neighborhood to give more opportunities for everyone to own homes or live in neighborhoods that have typically been reserved for detached housing. Other comments discouraged changing the single-family neighborhood and support all growth in areas already at higher densities. Nearly everyone agrees that amenities that improve quality of life for residents and people that work in Everett are important such as parks, open space, walkability, trees, and safety as the city grows. SPECIFIC AMENDMENTS PROCESS Each year, the city conducts a process under which people can formally suggest specific changes to the comprehensive plan or development regulations in a manner that will ensure the request will be considered by the city and will be available for review by the public (see EMC 15.02.700 and RCW 36.70A.470(2)). This process, which is part of the city’s public participation program, is known as a docketing, or specific amendment request, process. In April 2023, the Planning Director issued an interpretation (PDI 2023-01, see Exhibit C) that when a periodic update process is underway, requests for specific amendments (docket requests) will be processed along with the periodic update as a legislative process. This means that the 2023 and 2024 annual processes are combined into one. 2023-2024 Specific Amendment Requests The city held a seven-week open application period (April 20 to June 12, 2023) for specific amendment requests. Applications were accepted for changes to the comprehensive plan land use map, text, goals, objectives, policies and development regulations in Title 19 EMC including zoning and height maps. The city received 26 applications by the deadline, of which 17 were either duplicates or letters of support for the Hall et al application to remove the Port Compatibility Overlay. Staff have consolidated these into nine complete applications for the city’s consideration. Considerations for advancing a request for further analysis and consideration Staff used the following considerations in making a recommendation on which requests to recommend for further analysis and consideration: □ Are the application materials complete and sufficient to make and support a decision? Staff are able to provide limited interpretation and clarification and have in some cases translated requests into requested outcomes. This step is necessary because, e.g., comprehensive plan land use designations may change during the periodic update such that a request for a designation of “multifamily” could actually wind up as a designation of “mid-rise”. □ Is there a reasonable chance of approval? Staff, the planning commission, and the council will be deciding on requests with only preliminary information available. A recommendation or decision to advance a request for further analysis and consideration is not a decision on the merits of a proposal. However, if there is little to no chance of a proposal being adopted at the end of the process, the city should not commit the time and resources to further processing the request. Decisions on whether to adopt a request should be based on the following criteria