by Jeremy Williams
On Tuesday, June 9, 2020, the King County Council held an online public hearing on the proposed 2020 update to the 2016 King County Comprehensive Plan (Proposed Ordinance 2019-0413).
The Council will continue the public hearing to July 7, 2020, and may vote on either July 7th or July 21st, 2020.
UPDATE, JULY 23: Council action expected at July 24th special meeting.
An updated striking amendment S2 [UPDATE JULY 2: now labeled “S3”] and a series of line amendments have been published. You can view the official amendment documents on King County’s website.
The Council will continue to take public comments on the proposed plan until final adoption. In addition to the opportunity for verbal public comments through Zoom at the public hearing on June 9th, comments can also be submitted electronically by either:
1. Email: [email protected]
2. Click on the “Submit Online Public Testimony” button on the home page of the 2020 Comprehensive Plan website.
We live-Tweeted King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay’s May 27 “Skyway Town Hall”, which helped break through some of the legalese and lay out the plan and proposed amendments to a wider audience.
Note from WHCA
It is important to note that Striker 1 (S1) removes and modifies several of the amendments originally proposed in the new Land Use plan:
1. All zoning density increases or expansions that were originally proposed in the Land Use plan have been removed. If approved, THERE WILL BE NO UPZONES IN OUR AREA until future legislation is drafted.
2. Besides removal of density changes, the primary modifications to the cited amendments include the addition of P-suffixes that call for affordable housing and/or anti-displacement service allowances.
3. Map amendment 11, related to limits on marijuana retailers, has been amended after Striker 2 (S2) to lower the limit of marijuana retailers allowed in Skyway-West Hill from four (4) to two (2).
Below is the summary of original amendments and strikers (amendments to the amendment) for the Skyway-West Hill Plan, taken from the
Summary Matrix of Striking Amendment S2 to Proposed Ordinance 2019-0413:
Original Executive Proposal
- Updates text to reflect the Skyway-West Hill CSA Land Use Plan
- Repeals West Hill Community Plan
- Adopts Skyway-West Hill CSA Land Use Plan
- Modifies pedestrian-oriented commercial development Special District Overlay (SDO) to prohibit additional uses, modify the standards related to façade standards, street frontage, building orientation, landscaping and parking.
- Adds a Skyway-West Hill Neighborhood Business Mixed-Use SDO, which requires development within the SDO to be mixed-use, allows office uses.
- Adopts 12 map amendments.
Striker S1 Language
- Updates text to reflect the Skyway-West Hill CSA Land Use Plan
- Repeals West Hill Community Plan
- Adopts Skyway-West Hill CSA Land Use Plan
- Modifies pedestrian-oriented commercial development SDO to prohibit additional uses, modify the standards related to façade standards, street frontage, building orientation, landscaping and parking.
- Adds a Skyway-West Hill Neighborhood Business Mixed-Use SDO, which requires development within the SDO to be mixed-use, allows office uses.
- Adopts 10 map amendments.
Changes in S1 Striker from Original Executive Proposed
Substantive changes in S1 compared to the Executive’s proposal:
- Map amendments moved from Attachment G to Attachment D and all map amendments are renumbered as part of 8 (8.a., 8.b, etc.)
- Map amendment 4 and 12 are not included in S1.
- Map amendments 6, 9, 10 and 11 are modified.
- In the pedestrian-oriented SDO, made technical clarifications to the permitted uses, modifications to design standards.
- No changes to Skyway-West Hill Neighborhood Business Mixed-Use SDO.
Changes in S2 Striker from S1 Striker Language
- Adopts the Skyway-West Hill Land Use Strategy, as Phase 1 of the Skyway-West Hill Subarea Plan, which includes 25 policies related to residential neighborhoods, commercial areas and community character, and directs action to complete a subarea plan using the subarea plan restructure identified above.
- Does not repeal the West Hill Community Plan, which will remain in effect until the Skyway-West Hill Subarea Plan is adopted in 2022.
- Corrects references to the active subarea and community plans to reflect Skyway-West Hill Land Use Strategy
- Added trails as an allowed use in the pedestrian-oriented commercial development SDO
- Technical corrections to the Mixed-Use SDO
- Updates Chapter 11 to reflect adoption of Land Use Strategy as Phase 1 of the Skyway-West Hill Subarea Plan.
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