EDMONDS — Members of the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce in a Nov. 19 letter stated their support of the Planning Board’s efforts to improve the city’s downtown shopping area.
The letter cited their support of 12-foot first-floor ceiling heights and an overall building height maximum of 33 feet for construction in the city’s downtown business area. It was sent to city staff, Mayor Gary Haakenson and the Edmonds City Council and Planning Board.
The statement from the Chamber comes after several months of research, debate and public hearings on the city’s downtown waterfront plan, and precedes the Council’s planned adoption of the plan in January.
Contention on the issue in the past few months most often came from discussion on first-floor ceiling and overall building height in the downtown shopping area. According to city staff, there currently is no city code specifying first-floor ceiling height in this area. However, business owners say they believe a minimum of 12 feet is needed for first-floor businesses to be attractive and successful, and developers say they need at least two stories of residential space to make a profit. Both parties agree it’s hard to build three stories and keep the “historic small scale feel” of the area.
“A building height restricted to a maximum of 33 feet, combined with building setbacks from the street and a higher first-floor ceiling, will enhance financial viability while creating first-floor commercial units more suited for retail trade and more aesthetically appealing to downtown pedestrians,” the letter reads.
The letter also encourages Chamber members to attend a Planning Board hearing on the subject scheduled for mid-December.
In September, members of the Downtown Edmonds Merchants Association made their own recommendations to the Council regarding the comprehensive plan. They include: first-floor ceiling heights in the area should be at least 12 feet high; first-floor office space that is not compatible with retail should be excluded from the downtown retail core and specific design guidelines be established for new buildings, allowing sufficient space for sidewalks, benches and flowerpots.
According to DEMA vice president Robert Boehlke, the primary motivation for the group’s recommendations was to “encourage the economic vitality” of retail spaces in downtown Edmonds.
For more information and to view the city’s comprehensive plan, go to http://www.ci.edmonds.wa.us/.
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