Council OKs new zones for corridor

Two new zones on the Edmonds Way corridor may signal big changes in the look of a stretch of the city notorious for its eclectic development.

Once the city attorney puts the finishing touches on the legal wording, descriptions of the Multiple Residential – Edmonds Way (EW-RM) and Community Business – Edmonds Way (EW-BC) zones will return to the Edmonds City Council’s agenda for final approval. In January, the council voted against the Planning Board’s recommendation to deny approval of the zones proposed by Edmonds architect Tony Shapiro. Favoring the new zones were council president Peggy Pritchard Olson, Richard Marin, Mauri Moore and Ron Wambolt. Opposing them were Deanna Dawson, Michael Plunkett and Dave Orvis.

Not all members of the Planning Board and City Council are convinced the new zones actually implement the Comprehensive Plan goals better than the current ones. There also is concern among members of both boards that the zones are too area-specific and reflect input by only affected neighborhoods and not the entire city.

The new zones apply to land along Edmonds Way, generally southeast of the Westgate shopping area heading toward Highway 99. Currently most of the land is zoned Residential Multi Family 1.5 (1,500 square feet of lot area per unit) with some Neighborhood Business designation.

“We just tweaked them a bit,” said Shapiro, explaining that the new zones were built upon the former ones.

Taking the lead in convincing the council of the need for new zones was Kevin Grossman of Valhalla Partners LLC, a developer interested in creating mixed-use residential — including condominiums in the $350,000-$400,000 range — and commercial development on the west side of Edmonds Way at 232nd Street. Shapiro has been retained by Valhalla to design townhouse condominiums, apartments and commercial buildings for the future project.

The applicant originally requested a new zone and a rezone for its specific property but withdrew the site-specific rezone and elected to reconfigure and propose two new zones. The decision, Shapiro said, came after consultations with city planning staff, who suggested zones that address the unique location and topography of the arterial that provides access to the waterfront as well as the freeway made sense for the entire corridor.

Rob Chave, city planning manager, said any applicant wishing to build within the new zones will have to submit an application for a rezone and move through the approval process.

The new zones, Grossman told the council, grew out of eight months of meetings with neighbors, city staff, the Planning Board and Architectural Design Board.

Selling points of the new zones were that they met the goals of the Comprehensive Plan for the Edmonds Way corridor by locating density on arterials, generally allowing heights consistent with adjacent properties, protecting views and residential privacy, avoiding stereotypical boxy residential units, encouraging neighborhood and service businesses, discouraging strip retail and providing housing options.

The zones represent a “natural response to higher-density requirements …,” noted Shapiro. He added that the “City Council has seen fit to limit growth downtown. That’s fine … yet at the same time… we have an obligation to change with the times … like putting … houses near arterials … for better transportation access … and eliminating those ‘garden-style’ apartments from the 70s and 80s with their big set backs and landscaping buffers … .”

Grossman pointed out the main problem with the current RM zone is that it encourages boxy apartments rather than townhouse-style development. The problem with the current BD zone, he told the council, is despite significant grade change between Edmonds Way and the rear of many undeveloped and underdeveloped sites, there is no ability to design a functional fourth floor which makes buildings more affordable for businesses and families.

Shapiro pointed out that land lining Edmonds Way is less costly than water-view property and sites closer to downtown, making it attractive to small businesses and families.

The new EW-BC zone would increase the standard height limit from 25 feet to 35 feet and add two height bonuses in most cases. Builders could increase building height by five feet if architectural features such as articulation, angles or distinctive roof types were added. Another five feet could be granted if certain set backs and modulation occurred and the wall on the Edmonds Way side didn’t exceed 45 feet in height.

This zone may increase density, the applicant admitted, but the EW-RM zone will not.

EW-RM heights would be 25 feet, with an extra five feet allowed if at least 50 percent of the building’s parking area is enclosed, there’s at least a five-foot elevation change between the building and abutting residential properties and the development integrates low-impact development techniques.

“Low-impact” is a term that decision-makers within the city admit is not defined by city code and could be subject to varying interpretations.Neighbors, Grossman said, expressed concern about increased traffic with new development on Edmonds Way/SR 104. Traffic engineers who weighed in on the plan agree the new zoning will reduce the number of curb cuts, thus improving the safety of access onto Edmonds Way, he noted.

Council member Dawson remained unconvinced by the applicant’s argument that Edmonds Way/SR 104 was an underutilized corridor that could absorb more traffic coming from development permitted by the new zones.