EDMONDS – Some say taller buildings downtown would be good for the city’s economy.
Others say higher buildings would damage the city’s small-town charm.
The two sides are debating whether the city should allow new buildings downtown to be up to 33 feet fall, 3 feet taller than the current limit.
Of the more than 40 people who spoke about the plan at a public hearing attended by about 150 people this week, the sides were split about evenly.
The council did not make a decision. The council’s president, Richard Marin, said the council would consider the issue in the next week or two. Another discussion is scheduled for the council’s meeting on Tuesday.
“It harms a core value for the people who live here,” former City Councilman Ray Gould said of taller buildings.
Last year, 1,110 people signed a petition against the change, which Gould told the council should be “strongly considered.”
The primary motivation behind the plan is to create more living space downtown, which presumably would mean more money spent with merchants.
“There is no charm in vacant buildings that are for lease,” said Michael Young, co-owner of Olives Gourmet Foods. “Growth will happen no matter what.”
The plan would require ceilings on the first floor of new buildings in the downtown commercial zone to be at least 12 feet high, to aid retail businesses. That, in turn, would push the height of subsequent floors up to 33-feet, with three stories.
Some speakers debated whether developers can make a profit with only two floors. A city consultant last year concluded, based partly on real estate prices in downtown Edmonds, that three floors are needed to compete in today’s condominium market.
Others countered that Anacortes’ business district thrives with two-story buildings, and slides were shown of successful two-story buildings in Edmonds.
Some supporters liked a requirement to set taller buildings back farther from the street, creating wider sidewalks.
“It seems to me to create a very pedestrian-friendly environment,” Darlene McLellan said.
The plan would require all buildings to have design elements that break up the box effect. But the plan would not require pitched roofs, some opponents said.
“We do create view corridors with pitched roofs,” said resident Roger Hertrich, who set up two tall metal poles with roll of paper stretched between to demonstrate the effect.
Design is an important factor, speakers on both sides said.
“We need to form a committee to talk about design,” developer Bob Gregg said.
Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.
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