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Council hears first reading to tighten downtown retail requirements, remove waiver authority
Summary
On first reading the council considered Ordinance 13-07 to increase the downtown ground-floor retail requirement to 90% and eliminate waivers; planning commission and public engagement informed the draft; second reading is scheduled for May 27.
Snoqualmie — The Snoqualmie City Council held the first reading May 12 of Ordinance 13-07, which would amend portions of the municipal code governing the downtown historic district retail overlay to increase the required ground-floor retail percentage from 75% to 90% and remove the existing waiver authority.
Community Development Director Mona Davis introduced the item and clarified that the measure is an overlay on the zoning map, not a change of base zoning. “This is strictly to increase our ground floor retail requirements from 75% to 90%,” Davis said, adding that the ordinance removes the ability to grant waivers for that requirement. Davis said passage of the ordinance would allow staff to bring a subsequent resolution to amend the mixed-use final plan and extend the retail rules to Center Street after the code amendment is in place.
Councilors and participants discussed the history and mechanics of waivers. Councilor Watton noted that waivers previously could be applied only after 120 days and were overseen by the community development director. Councilor Cotton asked whether waivers were generally requested because spaces could not be leased to retail. Planning commission chair Ezra Johnson and other councilors described extensive public engagement and said the planning commission and Economic Development Commission considered competing approaches. The planning commission recommended eliminating waivers and reduced an initial 100% retail recommendation from the Economic Development Commission to 90% to allow some flexibility.
Councilors clarified how the overlay would apply: it targets buildings directly facing Center Street and the ridge area; it would not, for example, include the Safeway site. Existing nonconforming uses would be allowed to continue; the code language discussed in the meeting preserves nonconforming uses so long as the use does not cease for a 24-month period.
No final vote occurred; the second reading and proposed adoption are scheduled for the council’s May 27 meeting. Councilors noted that if the overlay is adopted, further work will be needed to update zoning and the mixed-use final plan to match built conditions.
