Volume XXI, Issue 12 DECEMBER 2008

President's Message

Joe Tovar FAICP
jwtovar@comcast.net

What an election. What a country. What a state. What a region. It hasn’t been since 1992 that “Joe the Planner” has run the table at the ballot box. After eight years of neglect, the incoming Obama Administration will be paying attention to everything from a coherent urban strategy to meaningful action to address climate change and energy independence. Washington state voters returned to office a sitting Governor who now has the opportunity to push for needed statutory reform while grappling with some profound fiscal challenges. Voters state-wide also stuffed Tim Eyman’s latest turkey in time for Thanksgiving and in the Central Puget Sound region approved an $18 Billion (with a “B”) tax measure to (finally) build a regional light rail system.

In many ways, these are the best of times and the worst of times for planning in Washington. We face threats and challenges ranging from climate change and national economic turmoil to a polluted Puget Sound, agricultural industries in transition and the loss of prime agricultural lands to urbanization. At the same time, however, I believe that there is a spirit of optimism afoot in the country and in the state, and lots of great ideas and idealists to pursue them. With no shortage of issues to tackle, your Chapter will be very busy in the coming year.

At the December Board meeting, we will be adopting a budget for 2009 that I expect will enhance the public education, professional training, policy research, legislative advocacy and other services that have made APA Washington an important force for good in our state. I will again be calling on you, the chapter members, to look for ways to get active and contribute to these many efforts. The more help we have, the more good we can do.

I’ll be reporting on the results of our Board meeting in the January newsletter and identifying how you can get involved. Remember, the reason our Chapter has grown so much in size and effectiveness is because hundreds of your friends and colleagues didn’t just ask “What can my Chapter do for me?” They asked themselves “What can I do for my Chapter?"

Capitol Hill Welcomes “Old” Development: Melrose Project News Release

The Melrose Project is comprised of two adjacent historic automotive buildings located at 1515 and 1531 Melrose Avenue, in a triangular enclave between Pike and Pine Streets on Capitol Hill, east of downtown Seattle. Instead of being torn down and replaced by new development, the existing structures will be renovated starting in February 2009 to modern-day standards of safety and functionality. The newly renovated facility will provide local restaurant and retail tenants an opportunity to provide services in a fully-upgraded historic property at the edge of the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Dating from the early part of the 20th century, the buildings contain exposed brick walls, huge Douglas Fir beams, and ceilings that exceed 22 feet in height in certain spaces. The developer’s ability to successfully retain the character and feel of these unique and historic spaces is typically an appreciated resource by tenants, customers, and the surrounding community.

This acquisition and its planned redevelopment is a collaborative effort between local developers Liz Dunn of Dunn & Hobbes, LLC (www.dunnandhobbes.com) and Scott Shapiro of Eagle Rock Ventures LLC (www.eaglerockventures.com). The redevelopment work will include adding structural support to meet current seismic code requirements, replacing the roof and most of the windows with historically accurate replicas that meet the current energy code, upgrading the utilities for restaurant and retail tenants, and sandblasting the entire interior to expose the concrete, bricks, and wood, creating a historic, organic environment. The development team also includes Graham Baba Architects, M.A. Wright, LLC for structural engineering, and MRJ Constructors as the general contractor.

Regarding the project, Liz Dunn explains “We anticipate a few food and beverage establishments that complement one another as well as some local retail tenants. We’re looking for a mix of daytime and night-time uses that can take advantage of the foot traffic from downtown and the convention center as well as the extraordinary residential density that continues to develop around us. It’s a great location that links the Pike-Pine neighborhood to downtown, and is in the heart of an existing enclave of creative commercial uses.”

For more information about this project, please contact:
Scott Shapiro
scott@eaglerockventures.com
(206) 999-5088

Preservation of Pike/Pine Neighborhood

Coincident to the goals of the Melrose Project, the City of Seattle has proposed measures to address concerns about the loss of neighborhood character due to redevelopment in the Pike/Pine Conservation Overlay District. The Pike/Pine neighborhood is generally bounded by Olive (north), Union (south), I-5 (west) and 15th Avenue (east). Key conservation elements identified include saving older buildings of character and encouraging small, diverse local businesses. Two background reports are available for public review:

1. Pike/Pine neighborhood character and recommendations;
2. Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) as an incentive tool for neighborhood conservation.

Work on preserving the character of the Pike/Pine neighborhood will continue into 2009; a public workshop and several city council meetings are being planned. For more information you may also contact Dennis Meier or Rebecca Herzfeld.

Columbia Section Update

Ferdouse Oneza and Connie Krueger

The Columbia Section is the newest section of the Washington Chapter and was formed in 2007. As a new section, one of the major goals is outreach to the members and communities within the region, which serves a crescent of counties including Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Kittitas, Klickitat, Okanogan, and Yakima.

The section held its first continuing education workshops in Wenatchee (September 29th) and Tri-Cities (September 30th). Ken Harper, an attorney with the Yakima firm Menke Jackson Beyer Elofson Ehlis & Harper LLP, spoke on land use liability issues for local governments and planners. The workshop was co-sponsored by the Washington Cities Insurance Authority and provided 2 hrs of AICP CM law credit. The attendance included approximately 40 persons in each location and the workshops were very well received by the audience. The section will continue to work in cooperation with the chapter and other state agencies and organizations to bring forth continuing education and AICP CM credit opportunities in this region.

Currently the section is undergoing its first election of a board of directors after the APA Washington board approved the section’s founding board in 2007. The positions open for election include President, President-elect, Secretary and Treasurer, and the election results will be available in December. The Columbia Section also would like to extend an invitation to APA members living in surrounding counties and cities in Eastern Washington that are outside section boundaries that find it convenient to attend our meetings. We understand the difficulties with travel distances and want to offer an opportunity for all regardless of section boundaries.

The board of directors held three meetings this year in Yakima, Wenatchee and at the Chapter conference at Spokane. The last meeting for this year will be held in December after the section board election results are out. The newly elected board will reside in this meeting.

Join the Board

There are still positions open for the Columbia Section board of directors. The board is currently seeking members to fill the Legislative Liaison position. County representative positions for Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Klickitat, and Okanogan Counties are still open. The board is inviting APA Washington members in this region to fill these positions. For further details, section information is available at the Columbia Section webpage.

Ecology’s Land Use and Climate Change Committee Issues Report

Jeff Churchill

During the 2008 legislative session, the Washington State Legislature adopted ESSB 6580 – Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change through the Growth Management Act. Among other things, this bill required the Department of Ecology to convene a Land Use and Climate Change Advisory Committee (the Committee) to recommend:

1. Changes to the Growth Management Act, and;
2. Funding strategies for implementing such changes related to climate change.

In recognition of the planning field's expertise in this area, the legislation called for a member of the APA Washington Chapter to sit on the Committee. Chapter President Joe Tovar was the APA Washington's representative on the Committee. Senator Chris Marr, APA Washington’s Legislator of the Year for 2008, also participated.

Since this spring, the Committee has met five times to develop policy recommendations for the 2009 legislative session. In October, the Committee voted on a final set of recommendations. The Committee supports:

1. Implementing a new or amended Growth Management Act goal related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on foreign oil;
2. Requiring Countywide Planning Policies to address climate change and consistency between local comprehensive plans and regional transportation plans;
3. Encouraging use of programmatic SEPA and use of the Planning and Environmental Review Fund (PERF) to encourage compact urban development;
4. Requiring consideration or use of a multi-modal approach to concurrency;
5. Assistance to local governments granting development incentives aimed at achieving compact urban development;
6. Prioritizing existing and/or new infrastructure funds toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and;
7. Supporting a regional transfer of development rights (TDR) program.

With respect to funding, the Committee recommends that the State Legislature not "backslide" on funding for planning, allow more flexible use of existing funding sources to support accommodating growth and density in urban areas, and provide new funds to support reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Overall, both the Committee's policy and funding recommendations recognize the important role that smart planning plays in acting locally to mitigate and adapt to global climate change.

Statewide Membership Survey

Recently the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association conducted a survey of our members to assist the Board as we prepared the strategic plan and set action agendas for several of our committees. The survey consisted of questions submitted by three committees: Education, Legislative, and Climate and Sustainability Initiative.

The survey was released to the membership in the late summer of 2008. The response rate was considerable as about 32% of Chapter members provided feedback.

Since late September, students in the Community, Environment and Planning program at the University of Washington have been working with the survey data to compile and analyze the results. Early this fall the UW undergraduate seniors presented the survey results at the APA Washington conference in Spokane. Since the conference, the students have been concentrating on providing APA Washington with a full analysis of the results and recommendations for follow-up actions, including training or a workshop set to occur in 2009.

A few of the key survey results are summarized below:

• When asked what forms of training they prefer, the top response was: Full-day or half-day workshops or seminars (76% of respondents)
• When asked to select topics to be covered in continuing education, the top response out of 21 options was: Climate Change & Sustainable Communities (51% of respondents)
• 60% of respondents said they are currently active in addressing climate change and sustainability issues, and 19% said they plan on becoming active in the next 2 years.
• 60% of respondents said APA Washington should take a leadership role on climate change policy and adopt an extensive policy statement
• When asked what actions APA Washington can take to address sustainability issues, the top response out of 10 options was: Provide input and feedback to state and local governmental organizations on major initiatives (63%, 288)

For the full report of the survey results, please visit the chapter website. Results will be posted by mid-December.

Holiday Happenings

The Puget Sound Section is holding their holiday banquet on Thursday, December 4, 2008 at the World Trade Center from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. No drink tickets will be available this year due to cost, but there will be a no-host bar.

The event will be held at the World Trade Center West Building, Fourth Floor, 2200 Alaskan Way, #410. Park in the Art Institute or Bell Street Garage (entrances on Wall Street and Elliott Avenue, parking is $10), take the skybridge partially across, but not crossing Alaskan Way. Take the elevator to street level, and turn left. The World Trade Center West building is to your left. Proceed to the entrance on the southwest side (the Seattle Marriott Waterfront hotel is directly south of the building) and proceed to the fourth floor.

As is our tradition, attendance is free for APA members and just $25 for non-member guests. Please RSVP for guests. Send RSVP messages to Hiller West at hwest@ci.monroe.wa.us or by calling (360) 863-4531.

Holiday Gift List

To: Santa Claus, FAICP
From: Bill Mandeville, AICP
Subject: Holiday Ideas for Planners

I was asked to gather some gift ideas for planners. Would you mind running a query for me in your database? Please look at all the letters that you received recently from planners located in Washington state. We would really appreciate knowing the types of gifts that they tend to like. Thanks in advance.

-----

To: Bill Mandeville, AICP
From: Santa Claus, FAICP
Subject: RE: Holiday Ideas for Planners

Willie -- It was good hearing from you, again. It was nearly two weeks since your last email. I was starting to get worried. We actually get a large number of letters from planners in Washington state. Some of them write me several times a year, just like you. I asked my elves to compile a list of the top ten gifts that they tend to request. The elf who prepared the list said these items have a 99% probability of making any planner happy. The list is sorted from least to most frequent request. A few planners sent pictures, which we attached as well. Hope this helps and happy holiday. -- SC

#10: Steel Mesh Shark Suits (This request came from a number of current land use planners. Picture includes suspenders. Some asked for the tie that goes with it.)

# 9: Steel drum music and posters of the Caribbean

# 8: Latest version of SIM City

# 7: Flux capacitor along with a map of pre-suburban Hill Valley

# 6: 32 CM Credits

# 5: Plane fare and accommodations to the Minneapolis APA Convention

# 4: ESRI Software

# 3: Free admission to an LSI seminar

# 2: S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) Light. (These lights are a common gift request from western Washington planners.)

# 1: Donation to a charity like HEIFER International

Lessons from Leavenworth

Bill Mandeville, AICP

Ask Washingtonians where they plan to spend the holidays, you might hear them say – “I am going to Leavenworth.”

Leavenworth is Washington’s famous Bavarian village. It is a small town of slightly more than two thousand people, which serves as host to more than two million tourists each year. The winter holiday is one of their busiest seasons. They offer two dozen holiday events just during the month of December alone. In 2007 Leavenworth was named the “Ultimate Holiday Town USA” by the cable television network A&E.

The success of Leavenworth as a theme city is the result of decades of hard work and devotion. It is a story about local residents who defined the future of their city. It is a success story that has several key characters, including some carefully crafted land use plans and development regulations.

One obvious factor in Leavenworth’s success was the city’s vision or theme as a Bavarian village. This vision did not come naturally. At the beginning of the last century, Leavenworth was a boom town of nearly 6,000 people – more than twice its current population. The Great Depression nearly wiped it out. In 1960 Leavenworth shrank to a town with less than 1,500 people. It was headed toward extinction.

In the early 1960s, local residents agreed to remodel their city. The formed the Project LIFE (Leavenworth Improvement for Everyone) Committee to transform the city into an “old world” Bavarian village. The transformation began slowly. Business owners paid for the bulk of the improvements. They often had to go deeply into debt to do it. In 1966 six key downtown buildings were remodeled and several others were underway.

In the early 1970s, the City of Leavenworth adopted its tourist commercial zone. They created a Design Review Board. They adopted design standards and sign regulations to ensure compliance with its Bavarian theme. The Design Review Board currently serves a quasi-judicial role. Although it consists of volunteers, the criteria to serve on the Board are stringent. It calls for periodic travel to those regions in Bavaria on which the standards are based.

Connie Krueger, AICP, is the City of Leavenworth’s Community Development Director. She explains that businesses are required to adopt the city’s Old World Bavarian theme. The City Council does not tolerate any complaints about it. The Council understands how vital the success of the theme is to the success of the City. Leavenworth’s review process enables it to achieve its authentic Bavarian design. The Design Review Board advises, educates, pulls and pushes developments along until their design guidelines are acceptable.

At the same time, the vision for Leavenworth continues to evolve. Director Krueger said the city is gradually changing from a day trip destination to a weekend trip destination. Recently the City of Leavenworth revised its economic development plan and its downtown master plan.

Their downtown master plan includes plans for parks and recreation along with other items. The format of the plan lays out the city’s future self-image. It starts with a vision statement. It then list the types of features that they would like to see. The plan provides examples and illustrations that range from streetscapes to dog waste stations.

Leavenworth’s downtown master plan was getting implemented while it was getting written. The document provided guidance to several large developments. For instance, a large mixed-use facility has been proposed to be located across from the new community center. Condominiums and several smaller commercial infill developments have been built as well.

Outside of its downtown, Leavenworth looks like any other small town. It has single family homes, businesses and public facilities. Its population growth rate has remained slightly below the state average. It has the same concerns about its economic prosperity and the sustainability of its quality-of-life as any other town.

The City of Leavenworth recently expanded its economic development plan. In addition to tourism, their revised economic plan now includes policies regarding agriculture, forestry, recreation and a diversified economy. Leavenworth is now becoming famous for other activities and events. The Chamber of Commerce encourages and promotes ag-tourism. It even organizes bird watching weekends. Leavenworth is a popular place to taste and tour wineries. It is also a popular location for conferences and retreats.

Director Krueger describes how the City of Leavenworth uses its resources to promote recreational activities. For instance, the city park is used to launch river rafts and kayaks. They design their parking lots to accommodate ski buses. They have actively pursued and help sustain partnerships with various outdoor groups.

Often theme cities can not maintain their unique identities for more than a few years or a decade. Leavenworth is one of the exceptions. Its identity as a Bavarian village seems to transcend its residents. Leavenworth’s theme as a Bavarian village has become its identity. It defines the town’s quality of life.

Director Krueger describes a typical day for many Leavenworth residents. After spending all day working, many of them will change from their work clothes to their lederhosen. They will then spend a few more hours participating or hosting one event or another. Some of them have faithfully volunteered their time and talents for decades.

This sense of volunteerism spills over into civic affairs as well. The City of Leavenworth makes a concerted effort to include the public in their planning process. They do not want to lose the can-do attitude that saved their town nearly fifty years ago. This attitude is just as much a part of Leavenworth’s identity as its Bavarian theme.

Leavenworth’s success story is important for planners to know. The residents of Leavenworth have not lost sight of the fact that planning for a prosperous community with an enviable quality of life is possible. Their story is about self-determination and the importance of envisioning a better future. It is a success story about planning.

Livable Washington Update

Scott Greenberg

Several months ago, APA Washington President Joe Tovar appointed a special task force to update the chapter’s 2005 assessment of the Growth Management Act, Livable Washington. The new theme—Livable Washington: Climate Change Edition—will highlight actions chapter recommends for addressing urgent climate change issues.

The update effort was launched at a work session in Spokane immediately after the October conference, attended by members of the Climate and Sustainability Initiative (CSI), chapter Board of Directors and FAICP members. The goal was to roll up our sleeves and produce the framework for the update that could be approved by the Legislative Committee and Board of Directors in time for the 2009 legislative session. As we discussed many ideas, it was apparent that more time was needed to write a quality document and that the effort should be split into a short-term product that would be ready for the 2009 legislative session and a longer-term update.

Short-Term: Legislative Committee Task Force

This small group chaired by Ivan Miller will review, prepare analyses and draft Chapter responses to recent reports by the Puget Sound Partnership, the Legislature’s Land Use and Climate Change Advisory Committee, the Ruckelshaus Study (critical areas and agriculture), CTED’s Regional TDR and GMA Effectiveness Studies, OFM’s Infrastructure Investments Systems Study, the Governor’s Climate Advisory Team, and the Western Climate Initiative. In addition to reviewing each effort individually, the chapter task force will collectively identify the overlaps and gaps among these initiatives and frame a connected and coherent action strategy based on the framework of the GMA goals and smart growth principles.

Other members of the task force are Derek Chisholm, Nicole Faghin, Scott Greenberg, Esther Larsen, Keith Maw, Mike McCormick, Josh Peters, Marty Snell, and Joe Tovar.

We will also be talking with other organizations that are performing their own analyses, including but not limited to the Realtors, Master Builders, Futurewise, Farm Bureau, Association of Washington Cities, Washington State Association of Counties, Association of Washington Business and state agencies. We would like to build some partnerships as we go into the 2009 legislative session, or at least have a mutual understanding of each other's concerns.

Long-Term: Climate and Sustainability Initiative (CSI) Committee

Chaired by Jill Sterrett, Keith Maw and Anindita Mitra, other members of the original task force and the CSI Committee will be writing a new Livable Washington update document in 2008 and 2009. The major audiences for this longer-term effort will be the many cities and counties which begin updating their Comprehensive Plans to meet the 2011 deadline, as well as the 2010 legislature, stakeholder groups, and the general public. The document will be used to inform the public what the planning community believes are the most important things we can do to address climate change issues. This effort will be informed by the various reports mentioned above.

The tentative topic areas to be addressed in the update include:

• Education, Economy & Health
• Water and Ecosystem Protection
• Energy, construction, & waste
• Land Use
• Mobility
• Foods & Agriculture
• Climate Change Impacts & Hazards

If you would like to get involved in the CSI Committee and/or the Livable Washington update, please contact Jill Sterrett at jill.sterrett@gmail.com.

Envisioning Transit Oriented Communities Discussion Series

Community Benefits: Building a Neighborhood for All
Wednesday, December 17
Noon – 1:30 pm

Environmental Performance: Maximizing Sustainable Development
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Noon – 1:30 pm

Implementation: Financing Station Area Investment
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Noon – 1:30 pm

Bring your lunch to these brown-bag discussions sponsored by Futurewise and GGLO.

Discussions held at:
GGLO
1301 First Avenue, Suite 301
Seattle, WA 98101

Contact Sara Nikolic for more information: sara@futurewise.org.

Chapter Only Group Membership

The chapter-only group membership opportunity is available to planning commissions, city councils and commissions, tribal councils, and board members of non-profit organizations and other professional associations.

Up to 10 members may be included in a group membership. The group rate is $150 and is administered by the chapter office.

To obtain a group membership form or learn more about the benefits of this membership, contact Anna Nelson, AICP, Membership Committee chair, at (206) 382-9540 or anelson@GordonDerr.com.