Council considers 28 amendment ideas for 2025 study; neighborhood hubs, city properties and map changes top list

City planning staff on March 20 presented the Edmonds City Council with 28 proposed ideas for study as part of a special 2025 comprehensive-plan amendment process, focusing attention on neighborhood centers and hubs (notably the proposed North Bull hub), several city-owned properties, and assorted code and policy clarifications.

Director Hoppe (Planning) told the council the list is an initial study inventory and that placement on the study list does not itself change zoning or adopted plan maps. The timetable presented would allow the council to vote next week on which ideas move to study, receive staff analysis and public input through the summer, and decide in late 2025 which items to forward as formal amendment proposals for public hearings.

Why it matters: Several submissions would alter land-use designations for discrete places or refine policy language that guides future rezones and development decisions. Proposed study items include multiple options for the North Bull area (expand, reduce, remove proposed hub), further study of the Westgate center, removing specific lots from several centers, and reconsidering the planned uses for a set of city properties including City Hall, the Francis Anderson Center site, Wade James Theatre, Meadowdale Clubhouse and Hummingbird Park.

Staff recommended that councilers prioritize a small number of topics for 2025 study because detailed analysis consumes staff resources; public commenters and some council members asked staff to estimate the resource needs for each topic before the council narrows the list. "When it comes to fixing goals and policies, is that something that could happen throughout the year instead of at the amendment time?" asked Council President Tibbitt; staff replied that formal comprehensive-plan amendments are generally limited to the annual cycle, though code-only changes may happen year-round.

Audience commentary in council chambers focused on one neighborhood in particular. Multiple residents from the Grandview Street/North Bull area urged the council to remove their street or reduce the proposed hub, citing traffic, flooding concerns and the street's dead-end configuration. Several invited the council and staff to a walk-and-talk on March 30 to review the site.

Other council members asked staff to produce a prioritization memo before the April 1 meeting, with an estimate of staff time or consultant needs for studying each proposed amendment. Council member Nand explicitly requested workload estimates and consultant-cost signals because the planning department is understaffed and the prior 2024 comprehensive-plan update required significant consultant support.

Next steps: staff will accept council clarifying questions and the council plans to vote on an initial study list at the next meeting (April 1). Study analysis and public outreach would occur over spring and summer, with council review of results in early July and potential formal amendment submittals to the planning board and public hearings in the fall.

Ending: Council members acknowledged the large number of proposed items and indicated they will focus on a short list for 2025 study, balancing urgency, staff capacity and potential budget or land-use impacts; staff will return with prioritization and cost/time estimates before the April 1 council vote.