Clyde Hill News: Residents react to Comprehensive Plan
Clyde Hill News: Residents react to Comprehensive Plan
Also: Police update on speeding; beware coyotes
Last week, city staff hosted an event to answer resident questions about the latest draft of the city’s Comprehensive Plan. The plan describes the city’s proposal for goals and policies that will guide the city’s priorities for the next ten years. For example, proposed “Parks policy 1.2” guides the city to:
Acquire additional park spaces as they become available and are economically viable.
More details about the plan and other topics below, after the disclaimer, but first: residents with small pets should be aware that coyotes are out and about in Clyde Hill. Here’s a photo taken over the weekend from a resident who lives near the Bellevue Christian School campus:
(Apologies for sending the newsletter a day late — Father’s Day celebrations took precedence.)
Disclaimer: while I am a councilmember on the Clyde Hill City Council, I write this newsletter in my capacity as an individual resident. Any opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily the position of the city. City information and references here are from public sources. I welcome email responses — and if the topic is about city business I will respond from my city email account.
Comprehensive Plan discussion ahead
The city will hold a public meeting on Thursday to discuss the draft Comprehensive Plan. According to the city’s website:
Residents and other members of the public are invited to provide general feedback on the draft Comprehensive Plan by emailing Maia Knox, Assistant City Administrator (maia@clydehill.org) or by providing formal written or oral public comment at an upcoming City Council Meeting. Written public comment for a particular meeting may be submitted to Cityhall@clydehill.org. (link)
One approach for residents who are interested in providing feedback is to focus on the proposed goals and policies rather than the 113-pages of expository text (link). There are about 20 pages within the document that set out (by my count) 77 goals and 129 policies across the plan’s seven “elements” (Land use; Housing; Capital Facilities; Utilities; Transportation; Natural Environment; Parks & Open Spaces).
For reference, here is some of the resident feedback I have heard so far.
Views and restrictions on new construction
The Planning Commission approved a late-breaking and significant change before voting to recommend adoption of the Comprehensive Plan at its June 6th meeting.
Natural Environment policy 3.5 involves “protecting existing views...from impairment caused by new construction.”
Putting this policy into practice could radically affect what residents are allowed to build on their property, and in turn, their property values.
To comply with this proposed policy, the city would likely develop new laws that go beyond the current established building setbacks and height limits to restrict what building plans it would approve for construction.
Some residents have expressed support for pursuing this change and spending city budget enforcing it.
Other residents have stated their opposition and willingness to pursue legal action, expressing surprise at how little notice and public discussion preceded the vote to add this policy and claiming that such a policy would be “overreach” on the part of the city.
Stormwater drainage
Another proposed policy would require “new development to address individual stormwater issues so they do not become problems to adjoining neighbors or others within the community.”
Currently, the city’s policy is to exempt substantial remodels from stormwater drainage requirements. A resident engaged in a substantial remodel must comply with hedge code, for example, but not stormwater drainage (link).
Some residents, given the city’s active pursuit of a new stormwater utility tax in the face of long-standing stormwater flooding issues by 17th and 17th as well as along 84th Ave, have expressed concern about the policy and suggest that both new construction and substantial remodels should comply with drainage requirements:
(This City of Clyde Hill video was first shared with the community at the July 2021 city council meeting.)
Lot size
The Comprehensive Plan proposes a policy to “maintain the City’s 20,000 square foot minimum zoned residential lot size.”
It’s not clear if the city can keep this promise. State legislators have attempted to require — and may soon succeed in requiring — Washington cities and towns to permit subdivision into lots much smaller than this minimum. State requirements to permit “Condo style ownership” (like SB 5258) are another complicating factor.
It’s worth noting that over half the residential lots in Clyde Hill are smaller than the legal minimum. Even parts of Medina are zoned to a 16,000 square foot minimum.
Feedback deadline unclear
City staff have worked hard on this plan and (from what I’ve seen) genuinely want resident feedback. I strongly encourage residents to look at the goals and policies and provide feedback.
The problem of speeding on Clyde Hill’s residential roads
At last week’s city council meeting, a council member asked police about the problem of speeding in Clyde Hill in response to resident concerns about the topic.
Commander Dawn Hanson responded that police
haven’t received any complaints for speeding recently, minus a complaint for a private lane which — well, we can’t enforce speed on a private lane… so, I haven’t received any specific complaints for our public roads. I can tell you that we’re out enforcing even more than we [were] last year.
You can listen to her full report here link.
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Dean Hachamovitch