Planning Commission mulls over land use changes, codes to be decided on July 12

CHELAN - The Planning Commission met on Wednesday, June 21 to pass along their recommendations on the comprehensive plan - a plan that has been in the works since November - to the city council.

 After a three hour meeting Wednesday night the commission had only gotten through proposed land use and zoning changes. As a result, the commission will hold another workshop on July 12 to discuss the updated municipal and development codes before making their recommendation at their regular meeting on Wednesday, July 19.

 In accordance, Planning Director Craig GIldroy stated the Chelan City Council will have a public hearing at during the council meeting on July 25 before deliberating in August and passing an ordinance in September. During this time, Gildroy said he anticipated the council would continue to take written comment. Some of the changes the commission chewed over on Wednesday include: live work areas at Apple Blossom, the commercial waterfront zoning and DMU zoning. 

Instead of converting the zoning at Apple Blossom from Warehouse Industrial to residential, Gildroy explained that staff and the commission decided to expand the live-work concept to allow residential. The catch however, Gildroy elucidated, is that “developers must show a master plan that includes job creation allowed in the zone: agriculture, wineries, health or industrial. Overall, the plan needs to show commercial or agricultural job creation to build residential.” 

Jon Eberle, who represents Naumes Properties LLC - the group that owns Apple Blossom Center - did respond to a request for comment. 

Eberle appealed to the Planning Commission at their public hearing in May that the land could be used for affordable housing, but Gildroy said the city already has a lot of areas that can support affordable housing. 

“This is the only area that is left for job creation and that is a concern of the city,” Gildroy stated. “We have areas that have housing, but to meet the proposed goals of job creation and affordable housing, this throws them both together so we’re not losing areas for job creation and also allow for higher residential single family or multi family.”

“The big concern,” Gildroy said, “is that throughout the city there is residential but very little areas left for livable wage jobs. It’s a balancing act trying to get both within the urban growth boundary (UGB). There are no utilities and no roads out there, so all of that would have to be put in and to come out with an affordable housing development would be tough.” 

Despite being a hot topic over the past couple months, the commercial waterfront  zone was debated briefly amongst commissioners to clarify it’s uses.

One of them being a park, after the commissioners put a park as an allowable use throughout each zone in the (UGB). To help limit and regulate potential development on the fingers, the commission decided to lower the height limit to 25 feet. 

“The idea was that we don’t want someone to see more marinas and condos, so lets keep the height limit lower and they can then increase the height up to 35 feet if they can demonstrate view protection,” Gildroy said. “If you have commercial waterfront, they don’t need a tall building, but if they did residential, that use will need a taller building so allowing them to go back up for building we could take a look at it and determine how to best protect the views.” 

After delving into the DMU zone, Gildroy explained how they made single family homes a legal use. 

“It is no longer based upon the 2041 deadline to rebuild your house if it burns down,” Gildroy said. “We got rid of that language and proposed language that makes single family a legal use, so if it burns down, there is no threshold and they can rebuild and expand, we just won’t allow any new residential in the DMU zone.” 

Overall, the process continues to slug along, but Gildroy commented on how pleased it has gone and public comment they have received and expects to have a good proposal to give to council at the end of July. 

The Planning Commission will reconvene on Wednesday, July 12 to talk through codes before making their recommendation to council on July 19. 

Zach Johnson can be reached at lcmeditor@gmail.com or (509) 682-2213