The purple area represents the commercial riparian zone.
If the owner of an existing office or apartment building on the Edmonds waterfront wishes to convert the structure into a hotel, it is now legal
This is the result of the Edmonds City Council vote on Tuesday evening to change the Edmonds Community Development city code to add “Hotel” as an acceptable use in the Commercial Waterfront (CW).
The vote was 5: 1, with Councilor Kristiana Johnson voting no and Councilor Diane Buckshnis abstaining. Approval came a year after the council first presented the idea – in February 2020 – as a recommendation of the Citizens Economic Development Commission.
Under the newly adopted regulation, the option would only apply to existing office or residential buildings in the zone if, for that reason, a property owner would be interested in using their building for other purposes.
The Council heard an extensive presentation last week Patrick Doherty, Director of Economic Development, repeated the argumentation made earlier on Tuesday evening: It makes sense to re-examine this idea now, as the economic pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic could require a change in building use. For example, Doherty said, an office building owner who has seen a decline in lease renewals because employees continue to work from home might be interested in moving to a hotel, and the city wants to be ready to implement such a plan.
Doherty also noted that Edmonds only has one downtown hotel and that it faces “great competition” for nearby accommodation. “The proposal of the Economic Development Commission was to try to capture part of it for our city,” he said, “and also to support the arts and culture sector with nearby accommodations and now of course the soon-to-be-opened (Edmonds) Waterfront Center with all the activities that we hope will take place there after COVID. “
The regulation that the Council adopted on Tuesday evening was rewritten last week at the Council’s request to define exactly what a hotel is. The approved language describes it as “an establishment that provides the public with temporary accommodation on a daily or weekly basis and may provide additional services such as restaurants, meeting rooms and leisure facilities”.
Councilor Kristiana Johnson, far right, on Tuesday evening, expressed concern about a zoning change that could turn existing buildings on the Edmonds coast into hotels.
Councilors, Buckshnis and Kristina Johnson, expressed concerns about the potential environmental impact of upgrading a building for hotel use. “Are there standards that ensure that we protect the environment (during a retrofit)?” Asked Buckshnis. Development Director Shane Hope responded that depending on the degree of renovation, buildings would have to meet new standards, including regulations for critical areas to protect the waterfront.
Councilor Kristiana Johnson said she was against the idea “for various environmental reasons”. Among other things: The area where hotels are allowed is in a flood zone. “Cars parked there are therefore exposed to flooding.” The area could be subject to sea level rise in the future. “We don’t know what that impact will be,” she said. “Finally and most importantly,” added Johnson, “are the effects of earthquakes that could be on the area.”
Johnson also said when she was a member of the Economic Development Commission a few years ago, the group discussed the idea of a boutique hotel but focused more on the downtown area than the waterfront. “So I’m not at all against this concept, but I think it’s inappropriate to put it on our fragile boardwalk, how beautiful that may seem,” said Johnson.
Before the business meeting, the council members met on their three assigned committees and referred several items to the council’s assent agenda of February 16 next week. This means that there will be no public discussion of these points unless they are consulted by a councilor for additional consideration.
Including:
– Edmonds Youth Commission meeting dates changed to avoid conflict with the city’s Diversity Commission meetings, which would allow the two commissions to work better together.
Accepted a $ 30,000 grant from the Verdant Health Commission for the city’s LEAP (Learning Enhancement and Activities Program) day camp for school children. The grant would cover 50% of the program costs for January and February for those families who are now receiving scholarships for the program.
Approved a $ 133,000 contract with consultant HBB to pay for the sign design for the Highway 99 Gateway project. Public Works Director Phil Williams stated that the selected company has performed road / landscape style signage functions in the past and that the contract includes substantial public participation and stakeholder interaction, as well as updates at two city council meetings before a final will design is chosen. Williams pointed to lessons the city had learned from previous work on a replacement for the aging “Welcome to Downtown Edmonds” sign along Highway 104 – which sparked an outcry in the community due to the lack of initial public engagement. The two signs planned for Highway 99 will be larger than the sign for Highway 104, and there will also be requirements for obtaining rights of way and working with the Washington State Department of Transportation – all of which can be time consuming and costly. “We wanted to make sure we weren’t getting off the wrong foot,” said Williams. “Things really go wrong when it looks like you aren’t asking or aren’t listening. We don’t want to make this mistake again. “
Approved an inter-local agreement with City of Lynnwood for the 76th Ave Overlay Project – a paving project from 196th Street Southwest to Olympic View Drive in which both cities are involved. The project is scheduled to be drafted this year with construction in 2022.
– Driftwood Players and Arts Festival Foundation approved temporary zoning rules for the current public works use of the former building on 2nd Avenue and Dayton Streets. City officials recently discovered that the activities of the two nonprofits are technically inconsistent with the current urban areas. The ordinance will allow the city to sign a six-month temporary lease (with an option for an additional six months) while it looks for a more permanent solution to the problem, Williams said.
– Approval for a pedestrian / utility department along 80th Avenue West next to 80th Ave. W. 18227 for a subdivision into two pieces of land.
– From Teresa Wippel
