Councilmembers present: Alan Kiest; Carolyn Armanini; Dwight Thompson (5:45 p.m.); Mary Jane Goss; Nate Herzog; Roger Olstad; Ed Sterner

Planning Commissioners present: Lloyd Skinner, Chair; Stephen Plusch; Gregory Easton; Joseph Hauth; Sang-Won Cho; Rod Sparks (6:10 p.m.); Judy Herring (6:25 p.m.)

Staff present: Dennis Peterson, Police Chief; Ty Peterson, Planning Manager; Sarah Phillips, Government & Community Relations Manager; John Hawley, Finance Director; Susan Stine, City Clerk

Others present: Nine visitors

Mayor David Hutchinson called the special joint meeting with the Planning Commission to order at 5:40 p.m.

There being no objection, the special joint meeting agenda was adopted as presented.

Mayor Hutchinson noted that the meeting should include discussion of hiring a consultant to assist the Planning Commission with work related to the comprehensive plan update.

Cmbr. Armanini said that discussion should cover what is driving the comprehensive plan update also and noted that the vision for the city should take priority over housing units.

At the request of the mayor, Planning Commission chair Lloyd Skinner briefly reviewed the work of the Planning Commission on the comprehensive plan update. Skinner reviewed the requirements of the Growth Management Act regarding the comprehensive plan and noted that the city’s current comprehensive plan is outdated.

Skinner said that the outreach program at the beginning of the comprehensive plan update process had good participation by citizens and by representatives of other commissions. He noted that results of the outreach program contributed to a revised vision statement. Skinner said that the Planning Commission worked through several drafts prior to releasing the proposed comprehensive plan. The four proposed alternatives resulted from recommendations from the Economic Development Commission and the work of the Planning Commission. Recently, he noted that the draft comprehensive plan update had been discussed at a Friends Eat Out community dinner at Third Place Commons.

Skinner identified the four proposed alternatives as 1) Towne Center revitalization, 2) Towne Center as urban village, 3) mixed use alternative, and 4) no action or change to existing zoning and use, and he briefly reviewed each alternative.

Skinner noted that a consultant could assist the Planning Commission with information regarding market feedback and economic and environmental impacts and noted that the four proposed alternatives need more study and definition.

Planning Commissioner Easton said that one part of the vision for the city is to provide a strong economic base through increased performance of current commercial areas, new development or increased development of current areas through rezoning.

Easton noted that the Economic Development Commission recognized the Towne Center as the economic heart of the city and considered the importance of nurturing the shopping center area.

Planning Commissioner Plusch stated that all four proposed alternatives deserve consideration and the baseline information for each would overlap. He discussed how other cities have responded to the need for a city center. Plusch noted that services for senior citizens such as transportation, grocery shopping, social opportunities and medical care are conveniently located in the Towne Center. He discussed an urban village concept bridging the Towne Center with properties nearby.

Armanini noted that Plusch’s description does not coincide with the proposed alternative that would increase the Towne Center commercial zone. She also noted that the mayor’s memorandum was not clear regarding the proposal for the area near the Towne Center.

Plusch noted the need for additional study of the proposed alternatives so that citizens, commissioners and council members have enough information to make a good decision.

Cmbr. Kiest described the visioning process as creative and provocative. He noted transportation statistics and wondered if condemnation and financing would be necessary to control the desired result of the proposed rezone.

Cmbr. Thompson expressed concern regarding development of an updated comprehensive plan that might require amendments in the near future. He noted that the update process is an appropriate time for stargazing, and the council could influence the update through the contract approval process.

In response to questions from Armanini regarding the comprehensive plan and development regulations, Peterson noted that consistency is important between the comprehensive plan and development regulations and that planned actions and subarea planning have been utilized by other cities in the comprehensive plan process.

Cmbr. Goss expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to have a joint meeting with the Planning Commission and recognized the importance of the work being done by volunteer commissioners. She expressed her interest in funding city services by means other than increased property tax. She noted the complexity of the issues being discussed and said that a great deal of misinformation has been spread about the proposed alternatives.

Cmbr. Sterner thanked the Planning Commissioners for their efforts and noted the work of other commissions also. He discussed his interest in the future of the Towne Center and the importance of its vitality to the community.

Cmbr. Olstad said in the interest of time, he would defer his comments to the regular meeting agenda.

Cmbr. Herzog said it would be helpful to have definitions and explanations of various terms being discussed in the proposals and the update process. He said that he needs to know if the city is trying to solve the need for commercial area or housing through the update process.

There being no objection, the joint meeting of the City Council and the Planning Commission was adjourned at 6:40 p.m.

Susan Stine, City Clerk

David R. Hutchinson, Mayor

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