[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6078720,"mediaKeyId","2959066-16b97f9169908ba30765720de3e2e012","parentId",2959066,"title","Residents praise walk-and-talks and press planning board on \"hub\" boundaries, traffic and tree cover","audioSeconds",1375,"startMs",5617000,"endMs",6992000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2959066-16b97f9169908ba30765720de3e2e012&start=5617&end=6992","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2959066-16b97f9169908ba30765720de3e2e012/thumbnail_5617000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6078720/Edmonds/Snohomish-County/Washington/Residents-praise-walk-and-talks-and-press-planning-board-on-hub-boundaries-traffic-and-tree-cover","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6078720-81968dfb5f61bdb4da291c2857f109ba/orig.mp4?Expires=1770509185&Signature=SP9WHByXLPowCKSU8w9YvS-EH2BZSTo5o67BWc9NWPbv6wx5AH1AvxQEvUeJ7qQ~3nz70COzQItyai3D5YoMiVyhTJjL6tFGn-uhaV0-fZ4aFJ5TYDfM5HRj3JhnQrLgdEppgMJWIDHj--Q6nWRxk-on1QnMr-10hxQLyza8koZYZljuRNcGf6G~4EbFElUEbgoHkeRt5H3qoA4ilALzuTWRS1ITK~icHqsDob7b0QZOQmKrBtSW-xcJJatqD88d3ABqU0TMn1nhwjKr2PIHtnDSboo0L6eLa2AvOquBw7YjOyZgliqLW8p5bQfXBFjoWWKBLyGJ6l~FZjsMR8lJ~g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Edmonds City, WA","date","2025-04-09T00:00:00Z","article","City planning staff reviewed results from nine neighborhood \"walk-and-talk\" tours and proposed draft overlays that would guide future development in Edmonds' neighborhood centers and hubs. The presentation prompted multiple residents to ask the Planning Board to reconsider proposed mapping and to flag traffic, tree canopy and school-capacity concerns.

Planning staff member Navisha (last name not given) described the outreach and how staff coded parcels into four overlay categories: areas where commercial uses could be mandated, areas where multifamily could be allowed without mandatory commercial, candidate parcels outside current boundaries that could strengthen a center, and smaller pockets that staff recommended treat separately. Navisha said nine tours were held across three days and staff received written comments and photographs from residents.

Public commenters said they valued the walk-and-talks and thanked staff for outreach, but several urged the board to exempt or redraw hub boundaries in specific neighborhoods. Kathleen Lester, who identified herself as a 25-year Edmonds resident, said she was surprised her street had been included in the Medical District expansion and said residents had not realized that mixed-use proposals could allow buildings \"as tall as 5 stories.\" Lester asked that the area west of 70 Sixth Avenue West be reconsidered; she said the neighborhood's tree canopy and small streets would not sustain taller, mixed-use development.

John Redline and other speakers from the North Bull Hub urged the board to recommend removal of their properties from the hub designation or to adopt a lower-impact alternate. \"We have advanced positions for the North Bull Hub to be removed from the hub altogether,\" Redline said, describing neighborhoods of small streets and cul-de-sacs that residents said lack the infrastructure to support substantial new density. Several speakers described congestion on Puget Drive, 196th Street and other local connectors and asked staff to steer denser development toward Highway 99 and other arterials with transit and services.

Navisha told the board that boundary changes are a separate step that would require a comprehensive-plan amendment later in the year; the code overlay being drafted now is intended to guide development while the broader plan amendment is considered. \"For areas outside the boundary, it needs to be a comprehensive plan amendment,\" she told the board, adding that staff is identifying parcels now so the code can be in place once boundaries are resolved.

Board members and staff discussed where to require ground-floor commercial versus where to allow optional commercial or residential-only redevelopment. Several board members noted redevelopment examples elsewhere in the region where mandated ground-floor commercial produced unoccupied storefronts; staff said some districts would carry mandatory commercial percentages while other streets would be allowed to remain residential-dominant to respond to market realities.

Residents asked for clearer mapping, explicit identification of parcels that will remain single-family in effect, and assurances that the city will preserve tree canopy and limit traffic impacts. Staff said they will meet with property owners of key parcels and return a draft code and map to the board for additional review.

Ending: Staff plans further outreach and to return with a draft code packet in the next planning-board meeting; boundary changes, if proposed, will be handled through the comprehensive-plan amendment process later in the year.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Planning Board Special Meeting 4/9/2025","oneSentenceSummary","City planning staff reviewed results from nine neighborhood \"walk-and-talk\" tours and proposed draft overlays that would guide future development in Edmonds' neighborhood centers and hubs.","taxTitle","Edmonds, Snohomish County, Washington","taxId",51965,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6078725,"Planning staff outline overhaul of Edmonds design-review rules to comply with state law",328,1432000,1760000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2959066-16b97f9169908ba30765720de3e2e012&start=1432&end=1760","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2959066-16b97f9169908ba30765720de3e2e012/thumbnail_1432000.jpg","/articles/6078725/Edmonds/Snohomish-County/Washington/Planning-staff-outline-overhaul-of-Edmonds-design-review-rules-to-comply-with-state-law","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6078725-43d151665df0cdd1d525c9b686e75176/orig.mp4?Expires=1770509185&Signature=DaGDxCy7HCqtZHWRMCf8FsBV7nLUFefcEtT~U2TdXYhRXxF1jQjjc6Vj3q4Ar1qxLxmauq-tRMdL515~tHkg~EL9AeTdWcRQEviazx1w1YsrP5cC0r96BldISUTZ91rA6Kk1T1nEAfJpjtJDyf6YSHR~QrgzujHePGydYImHr0NbzOs226udFuPaVPT2nif5hBz0LEDotltpAav6Io2fcc0ddq-FXBuzz5oY5w81rvVVbuyCLA4XPZ3f63-nDM383bsWniR8itBsZQh9ta~KJTVI7fI4Lb1m3oCsORgB5b49hYbxYVbbaQQvSInQjmBFLKPZQb10tmnRAId-ByvFaQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Edmonds planning staff presented a consolidated draft of the city's design-review rules and asked the Citizens Planning Board for early feedback, saying the rewrite is intended to comply with state law and reduce processing time for development permits.

Brad Shipley, identified in the meeting as planning staff, told the board that state lawmakers passed HB 1293 in 2023 and that Edmonds must make standards \"clear and objective and focused on exterior design only.\" Shipley said the city will eliminate the two-stage district-based design-review process and consolidate standards into an administrative (staff) review plus an advisory role for the Architectural Design Board (ADB) where applicants seek a departure from objective standards. \"We're gonna have to, eliminate the 2 stage design review process,\" Shipley said during his presentation.

The draft moves standards that were scattered across zoning chapters and the comprehensive plan into a single design-review chapter (20.10 in the draft packet). Shipley said the changes aim to make permitting faster and more predictable for applicants while keeping design criteria measurable: frontages oriented to the street or to defined public/open spaces, requirements for transparency and doors on primary facades, articulation to break up large building masses, and material-quality language that favors durable facade materials over color alone.

Board members pressed staff on several points. Commissioner Lee asked whether the city could send the proposed criteria to the state Department of Commerce for an objectivity check; Shipley said the city will send the draft to Commerce once a version is ready. Commissioner John (surname not stated) noted a potential conflict between glazing percentages and structural or seismic requirements: downtown glazing is retained at a 75% transparency target in the draft, and Shipley said that standard will remain for the BD downtown zone but that other districts would use much lower transparency requirements (he suggested 25\u001360% in other zones) and said staff would return with data on what existing buildings currently achieve.

Other technical standards discussed: allowances for balconies to encroach modestly into setbacks to encourage usable outdoor space; a five-foot garage setback behind the front facade and minimum 18-foot garage depth to avoid vehicles obstructing sidewalks; limits on visible rooftop mechanical equipment with requirements for screening; and landscape standards that emphasize year-round plant material when screening equipment.

Shipley said the ADB would remain as an advisory or review body for departures (instances where an applicant seeks to vary an objective standard), with the primary reviews handled administratively by staff. \"ADB reviews projects that request a departure from one or more of the design standards required under the Administrative Design Review process,\" Shipley explained.

Shipley asked the board for targeted feedback and flagged a short timeline: the draft will return to the Planning Board again before staff sends a refined version for internal review and eventual Council consideration. He told the board he would bring updated language on glazing, façade tables and BC/CG zone clean-ups in the next packet.

The board discussed scheduling and review steps. Members noted the draft contains many provisions adapted from existing Edmonds chapters and from standard urban-design practices, and asked that staff identify items likely to trigger controversy so those could be deferred to a later phase where there's more public engagement.

The board did not take a formal vote on the design-review chapter at the meeting; Shipley said staff will return with a revised draft incorporating comments and additional comparative data on glazing and other items.

Ending: Staff will revise the draft design chapter and return to the Planning Board with a packet showing proposed numeric changes (including an updated glazing percentage and examples of local buildings), and will share the updated draft with the ADB member who offered to review it.","City planning staff presented a draft rewrite of the city's design-review code to comply with Washington state law (HB 1293) and to consolidate multiple, partly redundant design-review processes. The Planning Board discussed changes to process, glazing and garage rules, and the role of the Architectural Design Board in departures.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6078715,"Planning board unanimously approves amended step-housing recommendation to city council",142,10456000,10598000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2959066-16b97f9169908ba30765720de3e2e012&start=10456&end=10598","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2959066-16b97f9169908ba30765720de3e2e012/thumbnail_10456000.jpg","/articles/6078715/Edmonds/Snohomish-County/Washington/Planning-board-unanimously-approves-amended-step-housing-recommendation-to-city-council","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6078715-a8697b02158fdffdbba6552f18bc2816/orig.mp4?Expires=1770509185&Signature=B4gQE0UcB8XoL5eJ0EPAYuzPhpxTw3K6hpVx0LH5RKiZW2BcGiyL0jz1lRMXm-AVaoXCoPaPO8~Hax6thMm2s1ypOKCdV-GTCfGlObk~yryQ91qy-wl52IVHL~1wdGKIMW723UJ3wm6aHk0Rv6XrbP9VRV9W8NaZl9dmaHmsZsRqC0wCdUz5rVf0a21j-H28Lbs0ikq2bOqBZpZ1CpArbRT8a1d2qp2pFyHUaT08PLAGzWQNP-6nEd0SGQal4t44CGes-hJr6UlHbiAurClajp2uq9iW9OqtzsZLHAPp0CcEElGirEW2WKXkO7W~sOv-~IzZKv5i2q-vJ0kNBdD-qA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Edmonds Citizens Planning Board voted unanimously to forward a recommendation on step-housing policy to the Edmonds City Council, with a minor wording change requested by a board member.

Board member Judy moved to approve the recommendation with two edits: replace the phrase \"ensure that\" with \"consider how\" and remove the word \"adequately\" from the final sentence. A board member seconded the motion (the second was not named on the record). After brief discussion verifying the change and intent, the board voted and the motion carried unanimously. \"All right, unanimous,\" the chair said after the vote.

Votes at a glance: the board recorded a unanimous approval of the step-housing recommendation (4 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain). The board also earlier approved minutes from the March 26 packet with amendments submitted by Judy (vote recorded as 3 yes, 0 no, 1 abstention). The board later extended the meeting by 15 minutes by majority vote to consider remaining agenda items.

Ending: Staff will transmit the board's amended step-housing recommendation to City Council for its consideration.","The Edmonds Citizens Planning Board voted unanimously to forward a recommendation on step-housing to city council with a small wording amendment requested by a board member. The motion passed unanimously after a second.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Residents praise walk-and-talks and press planning board on "hub" boundaries, traffic and tree cover

Planning staff outline overhaul of Edmonds design-review rules to comply with state law

Planning board unanimously approves amended step-housing recommendation to city council