Burke Consulting outlines fixes to Snoqualmie comprehensive plan, flags housing and land-use gaps

Councilmember Johnson and city staff on May 18 heard Burke Consulting present a compressed plan to amend Snoqualmie’s comprehensive plan and secure county/state certification by the end of the year, a step the firm said is needed to preserve eligibility for transportation funding.

"We are primarily engaged to help the city reach certification this year," said Lisa Greeter, principal at Burke Consulting. Greeter told the Community Development Committee that Burke will lead an audit of the adopted plan, run a new land‑capacity analysis and recommend code and zoning changes as needed. "That will allow you to be eligible for transportation funding," she said.

The consultants — introduced by Director Davis and identified as Lisa Greeter (principal), Firdi Lisonbee (project manager) and Stephanie Heintmarch (senior planner) — outlined three broad issues they said must be addressed: housing targets and capacity; the King County review and checklist; and land use, including zoning in the city limits and the urban growth area (UGA), with specific focus on Snoqualmie Ridge.

"We have identified 3 major issues that need to be addressed in this process," Firdi Lisonbee said, describing workstreams on housing allocation, county reconciliation and a buildable‑land analysis. Stephanie Heintmarch added that the city’s adopted housing targets are out of date after recent county revisions and that the update must show capacity across income bands — very low, low and moderate incomes — not just an overall city total.

Consultants also flagged the King County review process and related countywide planning policies, saying Burke will follow the county checklist and suggest policy and code revisions to address barriers to housing production and comply with state requirements referenced in the meeting as "house bill 12 20."

Committee members pressed Burke on how the process would handle local complexities. Councilmember Murphy asked whether the mandated displacement analysis could be paired with policies to help residents who are displaced when buildings change hands. "Is that something... that would help individuals...have a softer landing?" Murphy asked. Consultants said the statute requires analysis of displacement impacts and that municipalities can tailor anti‑displacement measures and implementation strategies.

Councilmember Johnson expressed concern about concentrating low‑income housing in the UGA. "The idea that we're supposed to cram them all into 1 space...one giant apartment complex with 700 units...sounds very terrifying to me," Johnson said, urging the consultants to explore distributed options, accessory dwelling units and missing‑middle housing to avoid isolating affordable units. Burke responded that the land‑capacity analysis will show where capacity exists and that ADUs, duplexes and incentives can be part of a distributed strategy.

The consultants described a compressed calendar: May–July for analysis and concept development, August for community engagement and concept testing, and September–October for Planning Commission hearings and county/state review before returning to council. Greeter said the firm will draw on prior work, county reports and recent buildable‑lands data while updating parcel and assessor information to reflect changes since the previous analyses.

Councilmembers also raised operational concerns. The Planning Commission currently has four members and a quorum of three, prompting discussion about recruiting additional commissioners to ensure hearings proceed on schedule. Councilmember Murphy urged that the Soquomi tribe (as named in the transcript) and other stakeholders be included in engagement plans, and she noted regional water‑rights and infrastructure limits as potential constraints on development.

Director Davis and consultants said they will review development agreements, mixed‑use final plans and annexation approaches for Snoqualmie Ridge to determine which areas count toward housing capacity and whether zoning or pre‑annexation planning is needed. Consultants said some master plans or development agreements may have expired and that Burke will clarify which documents apply.

The committee offered feedback on downtown preservation and the politics of change: Murphy said any concepts affecting the historic downtown will draw heightened public attention and should be handled with community engagement. The meeting closed with an agreement to continue work with staff and the consultants on the audit, capacity analysis and outreach schedule.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the plan at the meeting; consultants said they will return with analysis, recommended revisions and engagement materials in the coming months.