Puget Sound Section APA Holiday Party on Thursday, December 3, 2009 Don't miss our fun-filled signature event - the Puget Sound Section Holiday Party! This year offers an exciting new, larger venue. We are moving clockwise around Elliot Bay to Salty's on Alki in West Seattle (1936 Harbor Ave. SW, Seattle, 98126). Salty's offers delicious food, panoramic views of the water and city, and free parking. And, for you night owls, the party will last later so come and join us after your planning meetings. The event gmail will be held from 6:30 to 11:00 p.m. Come and enjoy great meal and take the once a year opportunity to visit and network with other planners and friends in a relaxed setting. And enjoy the great view from the deck of the brightly lit Seattle skyline across the Sound! To assist us in planning the event, please RSVP by Tuesday, November 10 at: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform? formkey=dGQyb0tYRnBWOWFIby1EbWpoV2RmcGc6MA Members that RSVP by November 10 will be admitted free of charge and their non-member guests will be charged $10.00. Members arriving at the door will be charged the nominal fee of $5.00 and $15.00 for non-member guests. Non-members who become a member at the event can attend at no cost. Salty's on Alki Beach in West Seattle The Dinner Buffet will include main courses of wild Copper River salmon, free range herb marinated chicken, and top sirloin steak, accompanied by seafood chowder, Caesar salad, seasonal fresh fruit, scalloped potatoes with Gruyere Cheese, vegetable lasagna, ginger garlic seared vegetables, artisan rolls & butter, and three choices of hors d'oeuvres. Dinner will be provided for all attendees and drinks will be available at the cash bar. If you have any questions, please contact Kent Hale at PugetSoundSectionAPA@gmail.com. P.S. If you have already RSVP'd to the link above, thank you and no need to do so again! SAVE THE DATE FOR THE APA STATE CONFERENCE - NOVEMBER 12-13, 2009 Join us at this year's State APA Conference in Vancouver, WA at the Hilton Vancouver. The theme is "Changing Landscapes: Past Present and Future". For more information, view the conference program. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Letter from Julia President's Message by Julia Park All around us, we see continual challenges posed by the slow economy and budget limitations at our public sector agencies and consultant firms. As we enter the winter season, many face job cuts, furloughs, and fewer permit applications. Results from the survey of planning directors included in this quarter's newsletter indicate that these trends will continue. Many jurisdictions face difficult budget circumstances that may last well into next year. Like the winter season, this is time for retreat - for the simple and quiet collecting of our energy, ideas, and emotions to prepare for the spring. At our upcoming holiday gathering at Salty's we would like to acknowledge, express gratitude, and celebrate accomplishments of our planning community as a whole and help one another pass this winter in cheers instead of gloom and doom. Come and join us - let's help everyone pass this season courageously and face the New Year with renewed hope and vitality. On a final note, on behalf of the Puget Sound Section Board, I would like to give special thanks to Michelle Whitfield who has served as the Puget Sound Section Newsletter editor for the last seven years. Michelle did an astounding amount of dedicated volunteer work as the newsletter editor. She solicited planners to write articles, found advertisers and sponsors, made online publication arrangements, and researched relevant topics and issues to address with our section's planning body. After all those years of service, she decided to enroll in the Master's program in Urban Planning at the University of Washington this fall to enhance her planning experience and build on her background in landscape architecture. Michelle has since turned her editor's responsibilities to Steve DeGrush at Perteet, who is now appointed by the PSS Board to that position until June 2010. The PSS Board continues to strive to bring high quality and relevant articles to the planning community through the quarterly PSS Newsletter and to expand access through digital transmission of the newsletter to as many Puget Sound APA members as we can. You can access the section's web site at www.washington-apa.org/sections/pugetsound/. Finally, I encourage you to VOTE in the upcoming election! FAREWELL LETTER FROM THE PAST EDITOR Farewell Letter from the Past Editor By Michelle Whitfield, Past Editor, PSS NEWS These past seven years as editor of PSS News have put me in collaboration with many talented Planners, Landscape Architects, and Architects who have willingly shared their work in the PSS News. We have had articles ranging in scope from a pre-release of Mark Hinshaw's book, to Dave Boyd's City of Bothell Downtown Plan, to a Buildable Lands Study by experts in all three counties. In total, there are 28 volumes of newsletters online at the link listed in Julia's message above. Most volumes contain feature articles that have provided inspirational, in depth information that will undoubtedly be useful for planning work in the Puget Sound for many years to come. I would encourage all of you to check the articles out at www.washington-apa.org/sections/pugetsound/ . I could not have built this information legacy by myself. I have been fortunate that every job I held for the past seven years has allowed me to spend time on the newsletter. Special thanks go out to Steve Arai, Steve Ladd and Steve Bennett for this support. The PSS Board also acted as my support system and mentors. In the beginning, I did not know who to contact for articles, and Steve Ladd gave me his very detailed computer rolodex and extensive list of brown bag ideas. Hiller West wrote about twenty articles (no kidding). Richard Hart was always available to float ideas. Bob Thorpe was always there to assist and mentor my work on the newsletter, having been a previous editor himself. Guest Editors, Talia Henze and Ron Turner provided outstanding work on the PSRC Regional Design Plan and the Studio Method of teaching as exemplified by the University of Washington, respectively. Finally, everyone I asked for an article was most gracious. As we move into the future, it will be important to continue to ask the question of whether the PSS News is adequately addressing the needs of the population it serves, its membership. This is your newsletter, so if you have thoughts on this topic, we would like to hear from you. Contact us (pssnews@washington-apa.org) if y ou have any ideas to share. SURVEY OF DIRECTORS Director Survey: The Impact of Budget Cuts to Planning Departments Whether you're a municipal planner or private consultant, there's a good chance that recent or pending cuts to local planning departments have struck close and struck hard. PSS News' September 2009 survey of the 61 planning departments in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties indicates - or simply confirms - that jurisdictions will continue to cut staff and reduce hours. Of the 24 directors who responded to our survey, 63 percent reported they've reduced staff since 2008, or will make cuts in 2010. Reduced permit levels are a prime culprit for planning department cuts. But the severity of these cuts differs among Puget Sound planning departments, ranging from mandatory furlough days, to not filling vacant positions, to cutting staff. The most common short-term losses discussed in the survey include reductions in code enforcement and delayed response to public inquiries. Long-term losses are a bit more complex, however. Gig Harbor Planning Director Tom Dolan, for example, said his department received a grant to help complete its Shoreline Master Program update. Dolan also expects to update the City's comprehensive plan on schedule. However, Gig Harbor, like several other Puget Sound jurisdictions, will have to put some long-range planning projects on hold, like a major sub-area plan and an affordable housing plan update. Despite tight times, most municipalities said they're not planning to "reduce" services to the public. Some respondents, like the City of Seattle, said they intend to pursue grants to fund specific long range planning projects. And some cities, like Mill Creek, are actively ramping up new long range projects. Lean outlook for consultants too The economic fallout will have a major effect on consultants. Of the 21 respondents who discussed whether or not they would hire consultants, over half said their jurisdictions have either limited or eliminated consultant budgets for the upcoming year. Although 2010 budgets have not been adopted for many jurisdictions, a trend among departments indicates there is less funding for consultants on major long range projects. Consulting services for current efforts, such as permit review, won't be needed until permit volumes increase. Several jurisdictions that have reduced dependency on consultants said they may hire consultants for shoreline updates, but they're trying to take an in-house approach on local projects whenever possible. Other jurisdictions, such as Federal Way and Pierce County have erased consulting budgets all together. Prior to eliminating 48.5 positions from his department, Pierce County Planning and Land Services Director Chuck Kleeberg said the consultant line item was one of the first to be slashed from his budget. Outsourcing while downsizing would also create difficult union issues, he added. Projections PSS News separated survey responses by county jurisdictions. The results, presented below, come on the heels of a Fall 2009 Association of Washington Cities (AWC) "State of the Cities" study that reported two of three cities (63%) have experienced changes to local economic conditions since the summer of 2008. Of all city departments surveyed in the AWC study, planning departments were the third hardest hit. Nearly 60 percent of all cities surveyed believe they will be less able to meet financial needs next year (FY 2010) compared to this fiscal year (FY 2009). That means more large-scale spending decreases can be expected for infrastructure projects and other spending from the general fund, such as parks and permitting services, the report indicated. Consistent with PSS News' survey, the AWC study indicated 25 percent of cities laid off employees to balance the 2009 budget and an additional 7 percent planned layoffs for later this year, which would bring the total number of cities making layoffs to nearly 32 percent. It's unclear when the hardest hit jurisdictions will hit rock bottom, but some directors included in the PSS News survey believe that moment has already passed. "From a department standpoint, we don't anticipate more cuts," said Hiller West, Monroe Community Development Director. "But can these positions be replaced?" West mentioned his department's workload has decreased significantly, but he has advised the city council that the department's capacity to work on new projects is limited and that "back up" for functions such as code enforcement have been hampered. Though it wasn't posed as a survey question, some directors were asked when they expected to see widespread planner hires again. "Since communities have had to cut back in all areas, planning will be one of the last to be staffed up again," said Jay Bennett, City of Pacific Community Development and Public Works Director. "When the economy picks back up, it could be 18 months before planner positions will be filled again full time." Survey results are presented in figures 1-3, below. Population is based on Census 2008 population estimates. It is assumed that "Number of Current Staff" provides existing department size. Figure 1: King County Jurisdictions Larger Jurisdictions (>25,000 pop.)   Population Number of Current Staff Staff Changes? Other Changes? Federal Way 84,309 30 Lost (1) inspector; (1) permit tech; reduced full-time intern to half-time Eliminated consultant budget for current and long range assistance Kirkland 47,303 24 Lost (3.5) staff; (1) contract planner; (2) interns; expect to lose (1) planner in January Reduced training budget for staff Sammamish 40,179 22 No Delayed filling vacant positions Seattle 598,541 380 Laid off 26 staff, abrogated 25 vacant positions. Nearly all in permit review. Likely furlough in 2010. Likely less funding for consultants. Small and Mid-Size Jurisdictions (<25,000 pop.)   Population Number of Current Staff Staff Changes? Other Changes? Black Diamond 4,003 4 FTE, 2 contract No current reductions Furlough days Carnation 1,814 1 No reductions in 2009; hours cut to 80% in 2010 None noted Duvall 5,982 2 Planning dept. reduced by half in 2008 None noted Hunts Point 472 1.8 No None noted Issaquah 24,057 11 Lost (3) FTE None noted Lake Forest Park 12,438 4 Lost (1) FTE in 2009 Increased fees Normandy Park 6,240 3 No None noted Snoqualmie 8,161 3 Lost (2) FTE in 2009 None noted Figure 2: Snohomish County Jurisdictions Larger Jurisdictions (>25,000 pop.)   Population Number of Current Staff Staff Changes? Other Changes? Edmonds 40,158 6 No None noted Everett 103,500 22 No None noted Marysville 34,482 21 Lost (7) FTEs since 2008 None noted Small and Mid-Size Jurisdictions (<25,000 pop.)   Population Number of Current Staff Staff Changes? Other Changes? Mill Creek 16,907 10 No Some tasks temporarily shifted to other city departments Monroe 17,059 10 Lost (3) FTEs since 2008 Proposing to replace one FTE Snohomish 8,801 5 Yes None noted Figure 3: Pierce County Jurisdictions Larger Jurisdictions (>25,000 pop.)   Population Number of Current Staff Staff Changes? Other Reductions? Pierce County 785,639 125 Lost (48.5) positions since 2008 Furlough days Small and Mid-Size Jurisdictions (<25,000 pop.)   Population Number of Current Staff Staff Changes? Other Changes? Bonney Lake 16,809 14 None mentioned (3) staff temporarily reassigned to other city departments Gig Harbor 7,008 7 Lost (1) FTE in 2009; anticipates losing a (½) FTE in 2010 Eliminated consultant budget except where State funded Pacific 6,040 ½ Director 2/3 Planner 1 Contract Planner Combination of furlough days and reduced hours Contract planner has not been used Steilacoom 6,061 1 FTE 1 Contract Planner No None noted Sumner 9,704 9 (3 Planners) Lost (1) planner in 2008 Project and Review delays. Considering expedited review additional fees. Perspective: how a larger city has been resilient to cuts Over half of the larger jurisdictions included in our survey have made cuts to staff since 2008 or plan to make cuts in 2010. However, the City of Everett's planning and community development department has shown resiliency to reducing staff. PSS News followed up with planning director Allan Giffen to discuss his department's strategy for getting through the tough times. PSS News: Compared to other municipalities that have had to cut planning staff, can you elaborate on what has made the City of Everett resilient to those staffing cuts? AG: Our Mayor, budget director and council are very conservative in their revenue assumptions in every budget, and for this year took an even more conservative stance. In addition, the City has held off on many expenditures that were in the budget, such as equipment purchases, staff training and travel. 16.5 of our positions are supported by the General Fund and 5.5 by Community Development Block Grant funds. While the general fund collects the land use permit revenues, our 16.5 general fund positions are not directly tied to our 1995 vintage land use permit fees, which are probably the lowest in the Puget Sound. So we have, over time, become less reliant on those for support. Based on the proposed City budget for 2010, we should be able to avoid layoffs or furloughs. If I-1033 passes, all bets are off. PSS News: We've noticed that many municipalities are cutting consulting budgets - Will you continue to hire consultants? If so,in which areas? AG: Our big consultant project will be the Evergreen Way plan, which is funded in this year's budget, and will carry over to next year. We have used (Department of Commerce) grants to supplement some of our consultant contracts. I'm not sure what may be available in the coming year. PSS News: What specific services or qualities will make individual consulting firms successful in these economic times in our region? AG: I would say the qualities a consultant firm should have are versatility in disciplines, good public outreach and communications skills. And in Everett, urban design is becoming more important as we will experience growth primarily through redevelopment in existing developed areas and neighborhoods. PSS News: What are your main concerns from a planning angle regarding staff cuts to planning departments in this region? AG: In the Puget Sound we will all have to update our comp plans by 2011. In King and Pierce, they are also updating their 20-year growth targets and UGA boundaries. We won't do that in Snohomish County until 2015. In either case, all four counties need to update their plans by 2011 to be consistent with Vision 2040, which will cause us to look at our growth strategies. Planning Departments without adequate staff or consultant budgets may have more of a challenge updating their plans on time or with as much attention as needed. PSS News: When do you think the economy will improve such that hiring demand for planners will increase in this region? AG: As an optimist, I would expect to see some beginning to a recovery next year. With gas prices expected to rise and with great transit service from Everett Station, I would expect more multi-family development in and around downtown. Single family development will probably lag behind a bit due to inventory for sale on the market, and job growth is likely to be modest. I expect commercial activity to be pretty flat next year. With the hospital expansion being completed in 2011, there may be some increased demand for north end housing for people who want to be close to work, as the hospital staffs up. AWC SUMMARY OF I-1033 Association of Washington Cities: Summary of Initiative 1033, Concerning State, County and City Revenue If I-1033 passes in November, it would limit the growth of state revenues deposited in funds subject to the state expenditure limit and limit growth in county and city revenues deposited into the county and city current expense funds. The limit would be adjusted based on annual growth in inflation and population and not include new voter-approved revenue increases. Revenue collected above the cap would be used to reduce property taxes. The limit established by I-1033 would apply to city general fund revenues in 2010, with the limit set at 2009 revenues adjusted for inflation and population growth. Although the initiative states that new voter-approved revenues would be exempt for 2010, it also states that new voter-approved revenue is defined as the increase in revenue approved by the city's voters after the effective date of this act. Since the November election is the last of 2009, any voter-approved tax increases passed in 2009 would likely be subject to this initiative and not excluded from the revenue limitations. The rate of inflation and population figures would be determined by OFM. Inflation is defined as OFM's report of the Bureau of Economic Analysis' calculation of the implicit price deflator on March 27 of each year. General fund revenue is defined as the aggregate of revenue from taxes, fees, and other governmental charges received by the city that is deposited in the current expense fund. I-1033 would require a reduction in property taxes when general fund revenues exceed the revenue limit and makes no changes to the property tax levy limit originally established by Initiative 747. If voters approve a levy lid lift, the only portion of that revenue that would be exempt from the revenue limit would be the additional increase in property tax revenue and not the base levy. If any city program or function is shifted from the current expense fund after January 2009 to another source of funding, or if it is transferred from the current expense fund to another fund or account, the limit would still apply to the aggregate of the current expense fund plus the shifted and/or transferred revenue for that year and all subsequent years. If a program or function is transferred into the current expense fund, the limit will be the aggregate of the current expense fund including the shifted revenue for that year and all subsequent years. Cities would be able to use existing and future reserve funds to supplement general fund revenue when revenue is below their revenue limit. The Association of Washington Cities provides information for educational purposes only. This is not intended to be an expression for or against a ballot measure. AWC will continue to provide information about the fiscal impacts of this initiative on cities. City officials may want to consult legal advice for specific impacts on your city. FALL 2009 BROWN BAG SERIES Announcing the Puget Sound Section APA Fall '09 Brown Bag Series of Continuing Education Come to the FREE session you need to do your job better! APA-subsidized lunches, only $5! RSVPs are not required to attend or to buy a lunch. RSVPs are used to estimate the number of lunches to order. Please RSVP before 9:00 am Monday morning each week to Stan May: stan.may@bhcconsultants.com or (206) 505-3400 Topic Time Place Speakers! Planning Ethics A panel will explore the AICP ethics rules and how ethical situations create challenges in our work. *AICP Ethics credit application submitted *1.5 hours due to AICP CM requirements   Noon to 1:30*, Wed Sep 30 Bellevue City Hall, 450 110 th Ave. NE Heather McCartney, Mukilteo Steve Butler, SeaTac Paul Inghram, Bellevue Sustainability and Energy in Your Community - Community based Renewable Energy (micro wind and solar generation) - Green Power Programs - Energy Efficiency Initiatives - Land Use Policies and Regulations – Incentives for Sustainability   Noon to 1:15, Wed Oct 14 Mercer Island City Council Chambers, 9611 SE 36 th St. Heather Mulligan, PSE Jake Wade, PSE Jessica Geenen, PSE Andy Markos, AICP, PSE TBD (micro wind generation vendor) Shoreline Master Program Updates: Lessons Learned The first comprehensive shoreline master program updates using the new Shoreline Master Program Guidelines have now been approved. This session will focus on what are the lessons that can be learned from the first updates, the process used to develop and approve the updates, what are the key issues and opportunities, what are the expectations of the parties, and what can planners do to improve their updates.   Noon to 1:15, Wed Oct 21 Renton City Hall, 1055 S. Grady, 7 th floor Tim Trohimovich, Futurewise Cathy Beam, Redmond David Pater, Ecology Dean Patterson, Futurewise What does it take to support a neighborhood business district around which to focus a walkable, cohesive community? We’ll examine what is meant by a neighborhood district and its role within the hierarchy of retail centers; discuss development patterns necessary to support a business district that encourages pedestrian activity, social interaction, and transit ridership; and discuss implications of this analysis to a variety of settings, from older urban neighborhoods to metropolitan cores, linear transportation corridors, and suburban centers. Noon to 1:15, Wed Oct 28 Shoreline City Hall, 17500 Midvale Avenue N John Owen, Makers Greg Easton, Property Counselors AICP CM credit pending for all sessions

IN THIS ISSUE PUGET SOUND SECTION APA - HOLIDAY PARTY THURSDAY DECEMBER 3, 2009 SAVE THE DATE FOR THE APA STATE CONFERENCE - NOVEMBER 12-13, 2009 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE FAREWELL LETTER FROM THE PAST EDITOR SURVEY OF DIRECTORS AWC SUMMARY OF I-1033 FALL 2009 BROWN BAG SERIES PLEASE UPDATE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS ON NATIONAL APA SITE Update your e-mail address on the national APA site to ensure that you receive information about future elections. PSS NEWS FEATURED SPONSORS YOUR ADVERTISEMENT COULD BE HERE! For just $100 per year, you too can reach 800 practicing planners four times a year. Please call or e-mail Jim Colburn for more information. PSS OFFICERS President: Julia Park, 253-798-2783 jpark@co.pierce.wa.us President Elect: John Davies J.Davies@fehrandpeers.com Past President: Patricia Love, 425-355-4141, Ext. 226 plove@ci.mukilteo.wa.us Secretary: Kent Hale, 206-789-9658 KHale@esassoc.com Treasurer: Jim Colburn, 253-591-5221 jcolburn@cityoftacoma.org Snohomish Co. Rep: Michael Booth, 425-252-7700 MBooth@perteet.com Pierce Co. Rep: Emily Terrell eterrell@pmcworld.com King Co. Rep: Salina Lyons slyons@ci.covington.wa.us UW Student Rep: Tony Russo, 206-351-9646 amrusso@u.washington.edu Newsletter Co-Editors: Michelle Whitfield and Steve DeGrush PSSNews@washington-apa.org Brown Bag Coordinator: Stan May (206) 505-3400 stan.may@bhcconsultants.com PSS APA EDITORIAL INFORMATION The PSS APA newsletter is published quarterly electronically. If you would like to receive the newsletter in hard copy format, please contact us at 206-682-7436. The newsletter is also posted on our website at www.washington-apa.org. For story ideas or suggestions please contact Michelle Whitfield or Steve DeGrush at PSSNews@washington-apa.org. Article Submittal Deadlines are March 15, June 15, September 15, and December 15. Employment ads from governments, non-profits or private consultants, who place business card ads in our newsletters, are encouraged and are at no cost, as long as space permits.