Builders oppose Council’s decision to make interim zoning changes

Published 3:50 pm Wednesday, September 24, 2014

The City Council on Monday passed a series of interim zoning changes that will, at least temporarily, reduce the maximum number of homes per acre from eight to six in many of the city’s residential zones.

The interim zoning changes were approved 5-1, with only Greg Taylor opposing the measure (Councilwoman Terri Briere was absent) and go into effect immediately, over the objections of the Master Builders’Association who said the move will reduce the value of developable land and limit the options of both landowners and developers.

Under the interim zoning measures, the city’s R-8 zones, which allow a maximum density of eight homes per acre, have been rezoned a new R-6 zone. In addition, new regulations in South Renton will limit all new construction to 30 feet in height and a 53-acre property near Carr and Talbot Roads presently up for auction by the Washington State Department of Transportation was partially re-zoned from an R-10 to an R-4 zone.

City officials said the interim zoning was needed because the city is presently in the process of updating its comprehensive plan to better reflect the build out and character of the city’s neighborhoods in an attempt to preserve the character as future development happens.

Because changes are expected as part of the update, city officials said it was necessary to make the interim changes to prevent projects from vesting under standards that would no longer be allowed.

The new standards create within the city a new R-6 zone, complete with changed setbacks and other details.

The city hosted two public hearings on the changes at the Planning Commission and the changes received the recommendation of the Planning and Development Committee Monday prior to adoption Monday night. The interim zoning regulations use a declaration of an “emergency” to institute the changes.

Planning Director Chip Vincent said the use of interim zoning is “challenging” but that it allows the city to “take it for a test drive” before making a final decision when the Comprehensive Plan is approved next summer.

Vincent and Lead Planner Angie Mathais said the issue arises because most of the the city’s R-8 neighborhoods rarely end up with that level of density. Most have about six homes per acre. To eliminate the “confusion” from residents who see new development going in at a higher density than the existing neighborhood, the city is developing the new zone.

Alex Wilford of the Master Builders Association opposed the changes and said he worried about how the “downzoning” would affect property values and options for homeowners. He also pointed out that the new standards make renton an “outlier” among surrounding cities by having a larger minimum lot size than most others, as well as higher setbacks from property lines.

“To me, the more you regulate, the more you dictate,” he said Monday.

During Monday’s meeting, Wilford also questioned the need for an “emergency” declaration and said the new zones would be more restrictive than most other cities in the region. Wilford also said that using the city’s own planning software he could still only fit four homes on an acre using the new R-6 standards.

“These standards will significantly reduce land values,” he said. “Where’s the study showing that these regulations result in a more predictable development and a better quality of life for your citizens?”

Vincent said the emergency declaration was necessary because several projects are in the pipeline that could or have vested under the R-8 standards that are drawing opposition from community members, such as the Tiffany Park Development, where neighbors are worried that the number of proposed homes will change the nature of their community.

“For a neighbor with a proposed development going in next door that’s incompatible with the existing development patterns in their community, that’s an emergency to them,” Vincent said.

Taylor said he was concerned that community members may not have heard about the proposed changes and did not have a chance to speak on them, prompting his no vote.

Planning and Development Committee Chairman Ed Prince said he supported the measure because he thinks it will “level the playing field” for everyone in the run-up to the changes instead of favoring big developers who can afford to speed projects through in order to vest under standards that will be changed.

“I think interim zoning was the right way to go because it puts a pause on and allows us to figure out a future vision for the city,” he said.

City officials said the R-8 zone is not expected to be eliminated and that more specific zoning measures would be part of the public process of the Comprehensive Plan update next year.