Council Roundup: Another look at Downtown Livability Initiative

Plus, King County Heroin and Prescription Opiate Task Force recommendations and what’s next for homelessness management

On Monday night, the City Council held its fifth study session on the Downtown Livability Initiative. The council discussed floor plate reductions when towers exceed the maximum height that is allowed by the existing code in the Downtown Mixed Use (DT-MU) District, tower setbacks from internal property lines and several other topics.

The current version of the Downtown Code being considered by the council requires the following for buildings over 100 feet that exceed the maximum height that is allowed by the existing city code:

• 15 percent reduction in floorplate size above 80 feet in nonresidential buildings located in the Downtown Office 1 (DT-O-1) and Downtown Office 2 (DT-O-2) Districts;

• 10 percent reduction in floorplate size above 80 feet in nonresidential buildings located in the DT-MU, DT-MU Civic Center, Downtown Office Limited Business (DT-OLB) Central, DT-OLB South Districts; and

• 10 percent reduction in floorplate size above 80 feet in residential buildings located in all downtown districts.

At the next study session, the council will discuss the 10 percent floor plate reduction option specific to nonresidential buildings in the DT-MU District to ensure that the final code encourages architecturally attractive building designs that are economically feasible to construct.

For tower setbacks from internal property lines, the council directed staff to provide language requiring a 20-foot setback above 80 feet for buildings over 100 feet in height.

The council also specified that the code language should be changed so that fees paid in-lieu of providing amenities should be used in public open spaces adjacent to, connected to, or within downtown; rather than being used only for city parks within the downtown boundary.

The Downtown Livability topic will return to council on Monday, Oct. 2 for more discussion on these proposed code amendments. The adoption of the Downtown Livability Initiative is now slated for later in October.

This is the first comprehensive update of the Downtown Land Use Code since its original adoption in 1981.

County task force recommendations for addressing heroin and opioid epidemic

City staff briefed the council on recommendations made by the King County Heroin and Prescription Opiate Addiction Task Force which convened in 2016. Out of 332 drug-caused deaths in King County in 2016, 219 deaths were caused by opioids and heroin. This is the highest number of heroin/opioids-related deaths since at least 1997.

The task force developed eight recommendations for primary prevention, treatment expansion, and user health and overdose prevention. Among the recommendations is promoting safe storage and disposal of unwanted medications. The Bellevue Police Department hosts a secure medicine return box in the second floor Police lobby at City Hall, 450 110th Ave. NE. There are also seven pharmacy take-back locations along with the Eastgate Public Health Clinic, 14350 SE Eastgate Way. View locations.

The final report and recommendations were unanimously adopted by the Seattle and King County Board of Health in January 2017. Read the report and recommendations.

2017 Annual Comprehensive Plan Amendments

There are now four amendments proposed to the Comprehensive Plan as part of the 2017 Comprehensive Plan Amendments (CPA) Final Review. They concern: the Eastgate Office Park, a privately-initiated and site-specific proposal that would amend a 21-acre site from Office to Office Limited Business; Complete Streets and the Downtown Transportation Plan, both initiated by council earlier this year; and, as of Monday night, a privately-initiated request from McCollough-Hill Leary LLC concerning the Old Seattle Times Building at 10777 Main St.

The request at 10777 Main St. is to amend the property’s split designation to include all of it in the Downtown. During the 2015 CPA 10-year Update when other similarly situated properties were included, the city was unable to reach the original property owner at that time to include the property in the Downtown southern boundary. During Monday night’s regular session, the council unanimously approved including this site-specific plan amendment for the Planning Commission’s 2017 annual CPA Final Review work program.

The public will have an opportunity to weigh in on these proposed amendments through the CPA Final Review process. More information’s available online.

Next steps for homelessness management

City Manager Brad Miyake updated council on several items related to homelessness that will come before the council for action and discussion in the coming months. These items include:

• Public hearings scheduled for approximately 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25 in Council Chambers

  • The public hearings regard two Interim Officials Controls (temporary regulations) that were adopted by council on August 7. They are:

    • Ordinance 6369 - prohibits safe injection sites citywide.

    • Ordinance 6368 - concerns the permit process required to establish a homeless shelter and identify the land use districts where a homeless shelter may be permitted.

  • These temporary regulations require a public hearing within 60 days of enactment in order to remain in effect, and remain in effect for six months.

• End-of-calendar-year timeframe

  • Study Session with comprehensive update on status of homelessness in Bellevue

  • Final action on Ordinance 6369, prohibiting safe injection sites citywide

  • Continued discussions on Ordinance 6368 to develop permanent citywide regulations on establishing a homeless shelter

  • Discussion and potential options to strengthen RV/car camping regulations

  • Discussion of education, outreach and tools regarding panhandling

Welcoming Week underway

Joining with the mayors of Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond and Sammamish, Mayor John Stokes proclaimed Sept. 15-24 as Eastside Welcoming Week. The series of Welcoming Week 2017 events reinforce Bellevue’s commitment to diversity while also recognizing the importance of engaging immigrants, refugees and residents from all cultural backgrounds. The full list of events, broken down by city, is available online.