8. CITY COUNCIL AGENDA

Transcription

1 Regular 8. CITY COUNCIL AGENDA Meeting Date: 01/07/2013 TITLE: Consideration of Request to Provide Comment in Response to City of Pullman's Proposed Expnasion of Urban Growth Area Responsible Staff: Gary Riedner Backup Material: Backup material attached Digital Presentation: Other Resources: Other Non-City Resources: Information DESCRIPTION: On December 12, 2012, the City of Pullman Planning Department held a meeting for Pullman-Moscow airport stakeholders to discuss amendments to the Pullman Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code regarding expansion of the city's urban growth area. The attached notice entitled "NOTICE OF AIRPORT STAKEHOLDERS MEETING Proposed Amendments to Pullman Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code" references the meeting and the issues to be addressed. Although the attached Notice was mailed out well in advance of the December 12 meeting, it was not received until the day of the meeting. Fortunately, Mayor Chaney and Council Vice-President Tim Brown were able to attend. Mayor Chaney expressed concerns to the City of Pullman that the abbreviated time frame prevented the Moscow City Council, as a partner and stakeholder in the Pullman-Moscow Airport, from providing meaningful comments relating to the proposed expansion of the City of Pullman's Urban Growth Area. Pullman Planning Director Pete Dickinson indicated that written comments will be taken until January 11, The notes from the December 12, 2012 stakeholders meeting are anticipated to be published, but have not yet been completed. Some issues for consideration might include: the economic and regional considerations of the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport, impacts on water consumption, transportation and public infrastructure. A memo containing comments from City staff is attached. This was considered by the Public Works/Finance Committee on January 3, 2012 with a recommendation that any input about the plan be related specifically to the airport. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Review attached memo and provide comments to City of Pullman's proposed expansion of Urban Growth Area or take such further action deemed appropriate. ACTION: Review attached memo and consider recommending that City Council provide comments to City of Pullman's proposed expansion of Urban Growth Area or provide further direction. NECESSARY RESOURCES/IMPACTS (PERSONNEL): None NECESSARY RESOURCES/IMPACTS (OTHER)

2 None Memo with Staff Comments Pullman Expansion of UGB Attachments

3 City of Moscow Administration Memo To: Public Works/Finance Committee From: Gary J. Riedner, City Supervisor Date: December 28, 2012 Re: Considerations for Expansion of Pullman s Urban Growth Area Staff has been requested to provide comments to the proposal by the City of Pullman to expand its Urban Growth Area boundary. As background, staff has reviewed the NOTICE OF AIRPORT STAKEHOLDERS MEETING - Proposed Amendments to Pullman Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code provided by City of Pullman Planning Director Pete Dickinson. The following are comments provided by City staff: Community Development Director Bill Belknap: As requested I have reviewed the City of Pullman s proposed amendment to the City s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) as reflected in the map produced by Pullman s Planning Department. As with all very long-range planning efforts (50 years in this case), the (UGB) map is fairly general and broad brush in nature, much like the City of Moscow s own Comprehensive Plan, therefore it is difficult to draw any specific conclusions with any certainly, therefore my comments are general in nature. Due to the continued geographic separation between Moscow and Pullman, on the surface I do not see any direct specific adverse impacts to the City of Moscow. There are ancillary impacts that can reasonably be anticipated with any future growth within Moscow the Pullman region. These include the potential scarcity of water within the basin and the identification and development of sustainable water supplies (this equally impacts growth within Moscow), and increased transportation and mobility demands between Moscow and Pullman that results from the continued employment, housing, retail and entertainment interconnections between the two communities. I would encourage the continued efforts of the Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee to strive to promote water

4 conservation and alternate water source development, as well the exploration of regional transportation planning involving both communities to coordinate transportation planning efforts and resources. These two issues certainly are of regional concern and will require continued cooperative efforts from both communities to support the economic, social and environmental prosperity of the Palouse. Public Works Director Les MacDonald: I am in agreement with Bill Belknap s comments regarding the proposed UGB. Specifically, the potential for expansion of the City of Pullman to the east and the subsequent potential increase of traffic in the corridor between the two communities will heighten the need for transportation enhancements such as an intercommunity transit route, airport road improvements, and, possibly, further enhancements to the SR270 highway system to address turning movements and driveway access. The issue of water will be with us regardless of the form the growth in the two communities takes so the actual location of the UGB is probably not of significance with respect to future water use demand. The ability of the airport to expand as currently proposed and to provide the type of ancillary services needed with capacity growth should be considered in the planning for the area immediately next to the facility and for those areas that are in the flight and/or noise paths. Growth around, but somewhat distant from, the airport that results in a hindrance to expansion of the airport s role can be just as confining as restrictions immediately adjacent to the runway. This can come in the form of noise issues, flight path hindrance, lighting system interference, etc. The planning process should consider these types of conflicts and propose land uses that will not create a future conflict of this type. Economic Development Specialist Jeff Jones: Due to the limited information on the project provided in the City of Pullman s proposed amendment to the City s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) as reflected in the map produced by Pullman s Planning Department, my comments are general in nature and focus on general economic development issues and the importance and viability of the Pullman / Moscow Regional Airport. In economic development, airports are generally regarded as a tool in the attraction and retention of investment to a community. Thus the retention and expansion of the Pullman / Moscow Regional Airport is in line with accepted economic development strategies, which are: community product improvement, business expansion and retention, targeted industry attraction and community image. To ensure that the aviation system is preserved to meet future needs, airport owners and host communities need to maintain and further develop the existing aviation infrastructure and support compatible land use planning.

5 Compatible land use planning is essential for a number of reasons. First, it enhances the safety of those in the aircraft and on the ground by mitigating factors that may contribute to aircraft accidents. Second, compatible land use planning protects airport viability and development potential by correcting and restricting land uses that could limit the airport s growth. Third, compatible land use planning increases the quality of life for airport neighbors and surrounding communities by alleviating the negative impacts of aircraft and airport operations. It is unclear from the 50-year Urban Growth Boundary map if additional airport protection /expansion land has been set aside as part of the proposal. The Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) map also illustrates allocating a significant amount of greenfield land for future commercial and residential development. How will this impact Moscow? It depends on the scale and quality of industry. A local economy is not limited in size by county or state lines. Oftentimes people commute across county and city boundaries to work, thus joining each economically. For the most part, if 75% of the people live and work in an area, it is a contained local economy. Export or primary industries contribute to both the Moscow and Pullman economies regardless of where they are located. For example, Moscow residents also benefit from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) being located in Pullman because SEL exports products outside the region and imports money to the local economy that are in turn re-spent. A significant share of the SEL workforce lives in Moscow. Consumption industries (retail) have different impacts. For example, a Costco, or similar retailer located in either Moscow or Pullman would no doubt capture consumer dollars from both markets. Staff will be available during the Committee meeting to respond to questions.

6 CITY OF PULLMAN Public Worl~s and Planning Departments 325 S.E. Paradise Street, Pullman, WA (509) or (509) Fax (509) NOTICE OF AIRPORT STAKEHOLDERS MEETING Proposed Amendments to Pullman Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code NOTICE is hereby given that the City of Pullman Planning Department will hold a meeting for airport stakeholders on Wednesday, December 12, 2012, at 7:00p.m. in the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Building at 3200 Airport Complex North on the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport property in Pullman, Washington, to discuss amendments to the Pullman Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code regarding expansion ofthe city's urban growth area. Consideration of the subject amendments was initiated by the Pullman City Council. These amendments involve a reevaluation of Pullman's urban growth area (UGA) to help provide sufficient land for future community growth. Pullman's existing UGA was originally adopted by the Council in l999,.and has been revised incrementally since then. The UGA is defined as the property, both inside and outside the city limits, into which the community expects to grow over a certain time frame. City policy, as cited in the Pullman Comprehensive Plan, is to favorably consider proposals to annex land within the UGA when such proposals otherwise meet the city's annexation criteria. As part of this UGA reevaluation process, Planning Department staff performed an analysis to determine the amount of property needed by the city over the course of the next 50 years based on state and local population estimates and urban land consumption formulas. In this study, the Planning Department projected that the city's current population of 31,000 would increase to 46,000 in 50 years time (these figures, like all official Pullman population statistics, include WSU students). The results of this analysis showed that property would need to be added to the UGA within the designated time frame. The plan endorsed thus far by the City Council is to expand the city's existing 7,850-acre UGA by an additional 8,185 acres, arranged generally in a concentric pattern around the perimeter of the city limits. The proposed UGA expansion as supported by the Council is depicted in the accompanying Comprehensive Plan Land Use Plan map. On this map, the colored areas constitute the existing UGA, and the areas with black diagonal stripes represent the proposed expansion of the UGA. The specific colors and abbreviations on the map are explained in the legend. For the area around the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport, the proposal involves expansion of the existing commercial land use designation at the airport to the north and south of the facility.

7 Notice of Airport Stakeholders Meeting Page 2 The proposed UGA changes warrant revisions to the text of the Pullman Comprehensive Plan as well. Consequently, Planning Department staff has prepared draft amendments to the language in Comprehensive Plan Chapter 3 (Existing Conditions) and Chapter 5 (Land Use Element). In addition, the proposed modifications to the UGA map necessitate draft changes to the city's Prezone Map so that the prezone districts reflect the general land use designations displayed on the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Plan Map. Prezone districts are classifications adopted by the city for land outside the city limits, but they do not take effect until the property involved has been annexed. Copies of the proposed amendments to the text of the Comprehensive Plan and the Prezone Map will be available at the meeting. Also, copies of the current Airport Layout Plan will be on hand for review at the meeting. All interested persons or their authorized agents are encouraged to appear at the meeting on December 12 to identify issues or concerns regarding this proposal in an effort to reach a consensus on project objectives, project alternatives, modifications, or other specific measures that avoid, minimize, or resolve potential incompatible land uses adjacent to the airport. Stakeholders receiving this notice are encouraged to provide written acknowledgement of the meeting notice to the Planning Department by postal mail (325 SE Paradise Street, Pullman, WA 99163) or by (bethany.johnson@pullman-wa.gov). Following the meeting, stakeholders may request additional information from the Planning Department to clarify the proposal, and to exchange ideas on how to avoid, minimize, or resolve potential incompatible land use issues. The Planning Department will provide updates to stakeholders regarding this UGA expansion proposal as it proceeds through the city's review process. Pertinent documents related to this proposal are available for public review at the Planning Department at City Hall from 8:00a.m. to 5:00p.m., Monday through Friday. Pete Dickinson Planning Director (509) 338.:3279

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