King County Elections – General Election Day is November 2

Ballots were mailed for the General Election and ballot drop boxes (including the one next to Lake Forest Park City Hall) are now open. Election Day is Tuesday, November 2, so be sure to have your ballots postmarked by that date or dropped in the ballot drop box by 8:00 p.m.! For more information, please visit the King County Elections website, or reach them by phone at 206-296-VOTE (8683).

Council Corner – Planning Commission’s Recommendations for ADU Code

We are all aware that housing shortages in our region are driving the cost of homes out of reach to many young families, empty nesters, and retirees. Elected officials throughout the Puget Sound area have been grappling with how to increase the number of housing units to accommodate the growth of our region’s workforce and the needs of those with lower or fixed incomes, without destroying the essential character of our cities, towns, and neighborhoods. Many of our neighboring cities have created special Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) zones along transit corridors, near stops and stations, which allow more density than in other neighborhoods.

Here in Lake Forest Park, the Council approved the addition of 250 units in the Town Center property, adjacent to the SR 522 Bus Rapid Transit station, with requirements for affordable units. The Council also approved an ordinance offering tax incentives to all LFP multifamily property owners and developers who include a percentage of affordable units in their buildings.

To meet our community values of providing diverse housing options, while preserving the climate resilience provided by our valuable urban forest, the Council also asked the Planning Commission to review our Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance, which allows the inclusion of apartments in the main house or the addition of a detached cottage (DADU) on the property. Over the past few years, Council had heard from a variety of homeowners that the current ordinance was very restrictive, including preventing the building of detached units in front or side yards, even though many of our homes in LFP are built in the rear of the property.

Over this past summer, the Planning Commission thoroughly reviewed the ordinance and surveyed the community about the issue. After much thoughtful discussion, the Commission has now forwarded its recommendations to the Council, which will begin discussions at a special meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 4.

The Planning Commission has made several key recommendations, including removal of the rear-yard restriction, continuation of the current owner-occupancy requirements, raising the height restriction to 25 feet to allow building an apartment on top of a garage or other structure, and allowing both an ADU and a DADU on larger lots of one acre or more. 

Click here to learn more about the survey findings and the Commission’s work.

As always, the City Council encourages all residents with an interest in these issues to tune in to our meetings and to make public comment or email the Council. 

--Deputy Mayor Phillippa Kassover

LFP Sewer Late Fee Moratorium Extended through 2021

Although the utility late fee and shut off moratorium issued by Governor Inslee in March 2020 ended on September 29, 2021, the City of Lake Forest Park is extending its moratorium on late fees through the end of 2021. The City of Lake Forest Park has not assessed late fees on sewer bills since March 2020.

Beginning with the January/February 2022 sewer bill, if the bill is not paid by the due date (March 1, 2022), late fees will be assessed. The late fee assessed is 10 percent of the bimonthly sewer charges on the bill for January/February 2022.

If you want to make sure you pay your bill on time and avoid late fees, consider setting up auto-pay available through our online payment system (https://www.cityoflfp.com/242/Utility-Billing). If you use an electronic check (ACH/EFT) there is no service fee. You will need to register and create a customer profile to have access to this service.

Leaves, Rain, and Public Works – We Need Your Help!

• Please do not create piles of leaves expecting the sweeper to sweep them away.  Use your yard waste tote so they can be composed.
• DO NOT rake or blow leaves and debris into the street, ditchlines, or rights-of-way.
• The sweeper cannot handle large piles of leaves. If the sweeper encounters large piles of leaves, the driver must drive around them, or the pile of leaves could damage the street sweeper and the process may come to a screeching halt.
• Municipal Code 16.25.025 makes it illegal to collect lawn clippings, leaves or branches and discharge them into the path of surface water.
• Never try to clear a storm drain or culvert if there is moving water greater than knee deep, and always be wary of traffic when working near a roadway. 

• Turn your leaves into beneficial compost. Autumn leaves are a great source of high-carbon material for your compost pile. Alternate layers of shredded leaves with the other materials you normally add to your compost pile (scraps from fruits and veggies, grass clippings, weeds, etc.) and let it sit over the winter. Whenever you think about it, aerate or turn the pile. Your compost will be ready to use by spring.
• Shred leaves and use them as mulch on vegetable gardens and flower beds, around trees and shrubs, and in containers. Just add a 2- to 3-inch layer of shredded leaves to the beds, keeping the mulch from directly touching the stems and trunks of the plants. The mulch retains moisture in the soil, stays cool, and limits weed seed germination.
• Use a mulching mower to shred your leaves once a week until they have all fallen, then "leave" them on your yard. While the leaves break down during winter, they'll shade your soil and provide it with nutrients, which means fewer weeds to deal with in spring.
• Hoard them! Save a bag or two of leaves in your garage over the winter. In spring, adding that brown material to your compost pile makes your compost just right for the season.