City staff reviews HP East master plan for Section 30, schedules hearings

Mark Person, senior planner in the Community Development Department, outlined the HP East master plan for a 98-acre parcel within Section 30 of Vancouver during the council meeting. The presentation described site context, the Section 30 plan district and design guidelines, anticipated uses, infrastructure expectations, public outreach and forthcoming public hearings.

The master-plan area sits near the east end of the city and falls under ECX light-industrial zoning, Person said; Section 30 was annexed to the city in February 2008 and its plan district and design guidelines were adopted in February 2009. Person told council that HP’s proposal builds on the framework in the 2009 sub-area plan and a 2019 development agreement and fills out the remaining acreage of a prior HP-approved master plan to the west that covered 68 acres. Anticipated uses listed by staff include a mix of office, research and development and other uses consistent with ECX zoning and the 2019 development agreement.

Person showed a conceptual layout for the eastern portion of the site, noting topographic constraints (about 20–30 feet of grade change on the east side) and that the master plan is a Type 4 land-use application requiring Planning Commission review and a recommendation to City Council. He described the full-site utilization plan as a major element of the master plan; future development would still require site-plan approvals for individual blocks and buildings and would be reviewed for consistency with the approved master plan, the development agreement and the Section 30 design guidelines.

Staff said HP had carried out outreach and coordinated with large property owners; the city mailed notice to properties within 500 feet and the application and an optional SEPA determination of non-significance were sent to adjacent parties. Person said the applicant proposes a grid of east–west streets and private streets intended to meet block-length requirements; the plan district’s usual maximum block face is 600 feet while the development agreement may allow longer intervals (up to 700 feet as needed). In this proposal, east–west streets are shown at roughly 206-foot intervals, including private streets, and the city code treats public and private streets equivalently for breaking up block faces.

Councilors asked about public feedback and utility easements. Councilor Perez asked about public outreach and whether the Bonneville Power Administration easement along Eighteenth Street would affect future development. Person said staff received one written comment concerned about air emissions; air-emissions regulation is handled by the Southwest Clean Air Agency. He also said the BPA easement is at the northern end of Section 30 and the HP site shown in the presentation is farther south and, to his knowledge, would not interact directly with the easement. He added that the applicant had provided a written response to the air-emissions comment and that the comment would be included in staff’s report when the item returns to council.

Councilor Stober requested a complete site map that included the adjacent west parcel so council could see how the two parts relate; Person said the applicant had separated materials for clarity but staff could provide additional context. Person said Planning Commission would hold a public hearing on March 11 and staff anticipated returning to City Council for a public hearing on April 21.

The presentation and council questions focused on master-plan process steps, coordinate infrastructure among property owners, SEPA notice and how the plan’s block pattern and parking would be administered at future site-plan review. No formal action or vote occurred at the meeting; staff will return with a public hearing record and staff report that includes public comments and the applicant’s written responses.