Planning board weighs scaling the North Pole neighborhood hub; members favor removing Grandview

City planning staff opened discussion of a proposed amendment to the comprehensive plan that would modify the extent of the North Pole neighborhood center/hub near Olympic View Drive and Puget Drive.

Staff noted the council asked this narrow amendment be considered this year rather than a larger set of comp‑plan edits. The packet included two map options: Option 1 removes Grandview Street from the hub area; Option 2 reduces the hub footprint to previously rezoned BN (business/neighborhood) parcels along Puget/Olympic View and excludes expanded areas south of Puget Drive.

Staff said council and residents raised concerns that Grandview Street is a narrow, unopened dead‑end right‑of‑way unsuited for more intense mixed‑use development. The board discussed whether removing only the Grandview‑adjacent parcels would address the main concern without undermining the hub’s purpose.

Board members generally supported removing Grandview‑adjacent parcels while retaining the core hub along Puget and Olympic View Drive. One member cautioned that removing additional areas south of Puget could "unravel" the neighborhood‑center concept; another said the presence of existing multifamily buildings and commercial uses argues for keeping the core hub intact.

Staff asked the board to provide guidance and suggested the board return a recommendation at the next meeting so the amendment can be sent to council for year‑end action. Board members agreed to refine the maps and discuss a short, focused recommendation at the next meeting.

Ending: staff will revise the map options to reflect the board’s direction and bring the amendment back for a formal recommendation to City Council.