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City Council Study Session Minutes— March 10 , 2014
At approximately 7:06 p.m. Mayor Laurie Gere called the regularly scheduled Anacortes City Council
study session of March 10, 2014 to order. Roll call found present City Councilmembers Eric Johnson,
Ryan Walters, Erica Pickett, Brad Adams, Liz Lovelett and John Archibald. Matt Miller was absent.
2016 Comprehensive Plan Update Ad Hoc Committee
Planning Director Ryan Larsen introduced community member Kirk Kennedy to explain the proposed
2016 Comprehensive Plan Update Ad Hoc Committee. Mr. Kennedy summarized his professional
background and data analysis contributions to community projects including the 2007 Comprehensive
Plan Update and the Anacortes Futures Project. Mr. Kennedy said the Ad Hoc Committee would use local
expertise and knowledge to perform research and analysis to support vision development, formation of
alternatives, evaluation of alternatives and determination of a preferred plan. He said the Committee
would take direction from and report to the Planning Commission but would be responsible for
representing interest groups and reporting back to them, assisting in a two-way flow of information, along
with City staff and consultant MAKERS. Mr. Kennedy reviewed the four stages of the comprehensive plan
update process and showed how the Ad Hoc Committee would work with data collected during
community outreach activities to assist with analysis by decision makers. He added that the Committee
could also help develop a Strategic Plan to implement the updated Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Kennedy
presented two alternative structures for the Committee, both lead by the Planning Director with members
from a number of different community sectors. He said applications would indicate background and areas
of expertise and that members would be selected by the mayor and approved by City Council. Council
discussion addressed primarily Option B and the purpose and roles of a Citizens Advisory Committee
(CAC)and a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Ms. Lovelett suggested including the tech industry on
the TAC. Mrs. Pickett offered examples of how such advisory committees have served in the past.
Councilmembers discussed with Mr. Furlong how the Committee would comply with the Open Public
Meetings Act and the provisions of the Growth Management Act that governs comprehensive plan
updates. Mr. Larsen requested a consensus from councilmembers so staff could prepare a new
Committee charter to bring back to Council at its April 7, 2014 meeting. Council appeared to favor Option
B. Mr. Adams asked to see the criteria that would be used to select members. Mayor Gere said staff
would include the draft application in the packet for that meeting. Mr. Walters requested that
councilmembers be able to review and comment on the materials before the meeting.
Dept. of Ecology Puget Sound Initiative Cleanup Sites Update/Fidalgo & Padilla Bays
Barry Rogowski, Land/Aquatic Lands Section Manager for the Washington State Dept. of Ecology Toxics
Cleanup Program, provided an update on recent projects at the Fidalgo and Padilla Bays cleanup and
restoration sites. Mr. Rogowski said that DOE's programs aim to provide economic and recreation
opportunities for the community as well as addressing environmental contamination. He displayed the
significant investment in these projects, over$60M spent on clean up along the Anacortes waterfront, and
said DOE intends to complete all major projects by 2020. Mr. Rogowski highlighted details of specific
projects including the Custom Plywood Mill site, the former Scott Paper Mill site, the Cap Sante Marine
site, the Dakota Creek site, the former Shell Oil Tank Farm scheduled for 2014, the Anacortes Log Yard
(formerly Pier 2), and the March Point/Whitmarsh Landfill. Councilmembers complimented DOE staff and
thanked DOE for transforming the community one beach at a time.
Willette Business Park
Mr. Larsen reported on the Council Planning Committee's March 3, 2014 meeting regarding the Willette
Business Park and options for that property. He invited Council to discuss questions raised by the
Committee and said that the Committee had suggested entering into a service contract with Walt
Meagher to help answer some of those questions. City Attorney Brad Furlong explained how realtors can
be employed as consultants to help think through the best plan for a property, analyze the market, etc.
Mr. Furlong reported on his work with Mr. Meagher managing scores of parcels and developing leasing
policies for the Port of Skagit. Mr. Walters encouraged developing a management policy for the Willette
Anacortes City Council Study Session Minutes March 10, 2014 1
property and others and suggested a service contract with Mr. Meagher to assist with that. Mr. Archibald
concurred. Mr. Meagher shared his experience with developing property strategies and said the City
needs to begin by establishing its goals: immediate revenue, long term revenue,job creation, etc. He
noted that the property is not flat and that light industrial tenants typically prefer flat sites. He also
reported that most investors would rather buy than lease land. Councilmembers discussed various
options with Mr. Meagher. Mr. Larsen asked Council for direction on a service contract with Mr. Meagher
to consult on those issues. Councilmembers generally favored that approach. Mr. Larsen said he would
work with Mr. Furlong to draft a service contract and bring it back to Council for action. Councilmembers
discussed the current LM1 zoning of the Willette property and whether that might change.
Recreational Marijuana: Proposed Regulations
Assistant Planning Director Don Measamer initiated a discussion of proposed regulations for recreational
marijuana producers, processors, retailers and retail outlets ("1-502 businesses")subsequent to the
passage of Initiative 502. Mr. Measamer summarized the Washington State Liquor Control Board
(WSLCB) rulings to date. He said licenses are now being issued and that the State can issue a license
even if local jurisdiction has a moratorium in place. He reported the Washington State Attorney General
opinion issued in January that local governments may ban and may regulate 1-502 businesses within their
jurisdictions but said it is unclear how a ban would stand up in court. Mr. Measamer summarized the
separation distances established by the State and displayed maps showing areas in the City that would
be closed to 1-502 businesses based on those separation distances. Mr. Measamer described potential
impacts to City services from 1-502 businesses including water, sewer and traffic. He said marijuana
production, processing, and distributing is very much like other light manufacturing and retail is very
similar to any other retail as far as traffic impacts. Mr. Measamer said the City's options are to refuse to
regulate 1-502 businesses and trust WSLCB to enforce the separation guidelines, to prohibit 1-502
businesses entirely and even though WSLCB may issue licenses to 1-502 businesses to operate in the
City limits, or to regulate 1-502 businesses including identifying use zones and development standards.
He presented staff's proposed regulations which he said had been reviewed at Planning Commission
study sessions on January 8, 2014 and February 12, 2014. Mr. Measamer said the Planning Commission
had requested Council feedback and direction before the regulations were finalized and scheduled for
public hearing and SEPA review.
Councilmembers discussed the proposal to amend the LM1 zone along the SR20 corridor to allow 1-502
businesses including retail and the proposal to prohibit outdoor grow operations. Councilmembers
discussed to possibility of allowing retail 1-502 businesses in the Commercial zone instead of or in
addition to the LM1 zone but noted that very little of the Commercial zone would be available to such
businesses due to the required separation distances. When questioned, Police Chief Bonnie Bowers said
that indoor grow operations and locations with higher visibility are safer. Councilmembers also discussed
with Mr. Measamer harmonizing the new 1-502 regulations with the City's existing medical marijuana
regulations. Mr. Measamer suggested that, given pending legislation regarding medical marijuana, the
City should regulate 1-502 businesses separately and then simply repeal it's medical marijuana
regulations if State law changes. Mr. Measamer summarized the consensus among councilmembers to
propose production and processing businesses in the LM1 zone and retail in the Commercial zone.
Spillman Review
Police Chief Bonnie Bowers presented the proposed 2014-2016 Interlocal Technology Service
Agreement with Skagit County for information technology services. Chief Bowers reviewed the history of
the arrangement which began in the mid-1990's when the Anacortes Police Department joined the
County's Criminal Justice Records Management System ("Spillman"). The Chief reviewed the provisions
of the contract which costs the City about$30,000 per year depending on actual costs incurred by the
County. Chief Bowers displayed a series of simulated screen shots demonstrating how the software
serves the daily operations of the APD. Chief Bowers advised that the Agreement would come back to
Council for approval on the Consent Agenda at the March 17, 2014 regular meeting.
There being no further business, at approximately 9:09 p.m. the regularly scheduled Anacortes City
Council study session of March 10, 2014 adjourned.
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