Committee amends Chinatown planning rules, defers final vote to allow city-attorney changes

The Land Use and Transportation Committee on Sept. 27 took up an ordinance that would change how social-service and philanthropic facilities are treated in Chinatown mixed-use districts, including conditional-use requirements and updates to abandonment and use-size limits.

The measure drew detailed discussion over proposed amendments. The sponsor said the amendments circulated by staff and the city attorney would require the Planning Commission to find that a social-service or philanthropic facility primarily serves the Chinatown neighborhood and would allow, in limited circumstances, the reestablishment of an otherwise abandoned use. "I am having maybe a little disagreement with the City Attorney as to whether these require a 1 week continuance or not," the sponsor said while asking the committee to consider a short continuance for substantive changes.

Deputy City Attorney Kristen Jensen advised the committee that two amendments should be considered substantive: the new conditional-use finding and an amendment creating the ability to revive an abandoned use-size that did not exist previously under the code. The sponsor then moved, subject to public comment, to adopt the listed amendments and the committee voted to continue the item as amended to the Oct. 4 land-use meeting for final action.

A public commenter raised concerns about prior unintended impacts on Polk Street commercial districts and asked whether the lot mergers referenced in the ordinance were intended for specific operators. The committee’s procedural vote delays a final decision while the city attorney and staff finalize the substantive edits.

The item will return to committee next week for a formal vote on the ordinance as amended.