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Home My WebLink About07/20/2010 MINUTESMinutes for City of Bremerton Planning Commission Regular Meeting July 20, 2010 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Chairman Hoell at 5:31 p.m. II. Roll Call Those present were: Commissioner Cockburn, Commissioner Jose, Commissioner Kosusko, Commissioner Streissguth, Commissioner Tift, and Chairman Hoell. Commissioner Mosiman was excused. Quorum certified. Also present: JoAnn Vidinhar, Nicole Ward, and Pam Bykonen (DCD staff) and Dave Sherrard and Jan Cassin (SMP Consultants, Parametrix). III. Approval of Agenda Chairman Hoell introduced the agenda. Staff noted an error in the agenda and proposed deleting item Agenda Item IV, Election of a Vice - Chairman. A motion was made by Commissioner Kosusko and seconded by Commissioner Streissguth to approve the agenda as amended. It was agreed by general consensus to approve the agenda as amended. IV. Approval of Minutes The minutes of the Regular Meeting held on May 18, 2010 were presented for approval by Chairman Hoell. It was noted that a typographical error appeared on page two, paragraph seven; amendable should read amenable. A motion was made by Commissioner Jose and seconded by Commissioner Streissguth to approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of May 18, 2010 as amended. Called for a vote: Commissioner Cockburn: Abstain; Commissioner Jose: Yes; Commissioner Kosusko: Abstain; Commissioner Streissguth: Yes; Commissioner Tift: Yes; Chairman Hoell: Yes. The motion carried. V. Public Meeting A. Call To The Public (public comments on any item not on tonight's agenda). Chairman Hoell asked if there were any comments from citizens. Seeing none, she closed this portion of the meeting. B. 1. Public Workshop — Shoreline Master Program (SMP) Update: Nicole Floyd, City Planner, began the public workshop with a PowerPoint presentation and an overview of the history of shoreline management practices. The SMP came into existence in 1972; the City of Bremerton adopted their SMP in 1978 which, with the exception of some minor amendments, has remained basically the same since adoption. In 2003, Planning Commission Meeting July 20, 2010 Page 1 of 4 Washington State revised the Shoreline Management Act to emphasize ecologically appropriate development and all jurisdictions with shorelines are required to update their adopted codes to reflect that revision using funds allocated by the State for this purpose. The State has final approval on Bremerton's updated Shoreline Master Program which will cover all of Bremerton's salt and fresh water shorelines, including those in Bremerton's Urban Growth Areas. The update includes documenting existing conditions, predicting foreseeable development, and creating a plan that will allow development while balancing the ecological functions. Jan Cassin, Parametrix, continued the presentation by outlining the inventory and characterization portion of the SMP update. This first step of the update process is essential to provide the science foundation for the policies and regulations that are subsequently developed. An accurate inventory of shoreline locations and conditions helps each jurisdiction meet the "no net loss" of ecological functions, encourage water dependent uses, and public access requirements set forth by the Shoreline Management Act. Public participation and input can help the team collect additional data that may not otherwise be available. Dave Sherrard, Parametrix, explained the policies and regulations of the SMP. The guidelines for the update process can be found in the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) Chapter 173 -26 and each jurisdiction must comply with the guidelines in a way that is focused on the local community. Through this process, Bremerton will adopt regulations that are designed to be implemented through permit decisions with an eye on what the cumulative impacts may be. If there are existing non - conforming uses, they will be "grandfathered" in, but the goal is to bring these non - conforming uses into compliance. Nicole wrapped up the presentation with a list of opportunities for public participation: • Beach walk on Saturday, August 7 th from 9:00am — 11:00am at Evergreen Park; • Citizen Advisory Committee meeting August 10 th ; • Shoreline website which is updated regularly with meeting and SMP data information (www.bremertonshorelines.com); • Become an "interested party" and receive e-mail updates and meeting dates; • Talk to staff on the phone or in person. Nicole asked members of the public for questions or comments on the presentation that are broad in nature and not site specific because site specific information is not available yet. James Anderson, The 400, Washington Avenue: [Mr. Anderson's comments /questions are summarized as he did not use a microphone and his comments were not completely audible on the recording]. Mr. Anderson asked questions regarding shoreline setbacks, removal of vegetation, and the process for approval to remove vegetation along a shoreline. His comments were directed specifically to the Washington Avenue shoreline between the Harborside Condominiums owned by Housing Kitsap (formerly KCCHA) and property owned by Mr. Mark Goldberg at approximately 600 Washington Avenue. Nicole explained that shoreline setbacks can vary depending on the zoning of the property. Commercial property has a shoreline setback of 25' whereas property zoned Urban Conservancy can have a shoreline setback of up to 200' to create a buffer. Currently there is very little enforcement regarding removal of vegetation and any rules Planning Commission Meeting July 20, 2010 Page 2 of 4 pertaining to vegetation removal comes from the Critical Areas Ordinance and not the Shoreline Master Program. The setbacks along the Washington Avenue shoreline are measured from the ordinary high water mark. Nicole encouraged Mr. Anderson to speak to her about the more site specific questions during regular office hours. Jordy Andrews, 1328 Hayward Avenue: "I have a question: I had some preliminary information that I received in April from the City and in that information the last revision of the SMP was in 2006. Is that correct ?" Nicole said it was, but the revisions submitted to the Department of Ecology were not adopted because DOE wanted Bremerton to complete the process of a full Shoreline Master Program Update in 2009 -2011 and the 2006 revisions were submitted too close to the start of the update process. Jordy Andrews: "Does the City have an approved Shoreline Master Plan ?" Nicole replied that there was an approved SMP and it was last amended in 1992. Roger Coyle, Cascade Trail: "We own some waterfront on Jacobsen Boulevard and, in the preliminary draft, is there a proposed setback for new residential construction ?" Nicole answered that the update had not reached that stage yet and an inventory of existing conditions would need to be completed before site specific setbacks could be determined. She reminded Mr. Coyle of the State's requirement of "no net loss ". Roger Coyle: "Right now they're 50 feet, is that correct ?" Nicole said it was correct. Chairman Hoell asked for any other comments from the public. Seeing none, she closed the Public Comment portion of the workshop and asked the Commissioners for their comments or questions. Commissioner Cockburn asked if the northern Urban Growth Areas like Rocky Point will be included in the shoreline inventory. Nicole said all Urban Growth Areas associated to Bremerton would be included in the inventory and update. Commissioner Jose asked for details regarding the funding for the SMP update, specifically, were there any City funds attached to this project? Nicole explained that the Washington State Department of Ecology awarded Bremerton a $200,000 grant to complete the update in order to prevent this required update from being an unfunded mandate. The City is not required to have matching funds. Commissioner Streissguth thanked the citizens attending and asked for their continued participation throughout the SMP update process. Chairman Hoell closed the Public Workshop Planning Commission Meeting July 20, 2010 Page 3 of 4 VI. Business Meeting A. Chairman's Report: None. B. Director's Report: JoAnn Vidinhar, Assistant Director of Community Development, reviewed the proposed agenda schedule for the remainder of the year. C. Old Business: Commissioner Streissguth asked about including rising sea levels in the SMP workshops. Dave Sherrard responded that rising sea levels will be included in the shoreline inventory and will be addressed at future workshops. Commissioner Tift requested a matrix outlining who the stakeholders are and how they "vote" on the final SMP document. D. New Business: None. VII. Adjournment Meeting was adjourned at 6:17 p.m. The next Regular Meeting is scheduled for August 17, 2010. Respectfully, submitted by: Andrea Spencer, Executive Secretary Approved by: Lois Hoell, Chairman Planning Commission Meeting July 20, 2010 Page 4 of 4