Monthly Meeting
Minutes
The monthly meeting of the
Interim Vice President,
The minutes of the last
monthly meeting (and the character of the organization) were questioned and
discussed. The point of concern was the
Hospitality Committee plan to offer assistance to neighbors in emergency
situations. It was established that this
was included in the original proposal and therefore correctly written in the
minutes.
The Minutes of the January 6th
Monthly Meeting were approved as recorded.
Interim President, Sue Tercek brought up issues about the present
ENA website that is actually the property of Sandie Koplowitz. She proposed ENA develop and maintain a
separate site that will contain just civic business of the association (no
links or advertising). This format will
reduce maintenance to allow time better spent on important matters, and
diminish liability concerns. It was
suggested that Sandie could continue to develop her website as a community
information center with a one way link to the new official site.
Motion by Sue Tercek that ENA separate the official business of ENA
from the
At this time, Sandie Koplowitz expressed her
views in a letter read to the membership.
It stated that she developed the present website to connect Edgemoor
neighborhood and to provide residents with news and information about our local
community. This site contains several
links to outside websites and a neighborhood forum.
The motion on the table was brought to a vote and approved 10 to 9.
Planning Director, Jorge
Vega attempted to define the Growth Management Act (GMA) which mandates
planned, controlled growth in the state of
Environmental Planner, Chris
Spens emphasized that the GMA is a statewide law that “has the potential to save us from
ourselves”. The Act addresses five
areas: land use, housing, capital facilities (public services), transportation,
and environment. He reiterated the
Neighborhood Plan is a guide that
allows the community to become alive by expressing what is treasured and
envisioned for the future. He characterized the Shoreline Master Plan as
insurance to protect marine tidelands and marine life. He also explained the State Environmental
Policy Act (SEPA) as a process to determine the significance of development on
the environment. He continued with brief
terminology that might aid in understanding the development process as follows:
v
Municipal
Code is the rulebook that applies citywide.
Code = law.
v
Zoning
is the map of areas designated for a range of uses.
v
Variances
are exceptions to the rule granted as relief from hardship or to better an
area.
v
Ordinances
are implementation mechanisms or legal instruments.
Our city managers inferred
that people make the codes and people could also execute change in plans and
codes though public process. It is a
difficult course to change the rulebook.
It was strongly suggested to address city official not only with the
problem, but also with alternative solutions.
Phone calls and letters could be helpful. Emphasis was placed on getting involved from
the beginning of a project. Check the
city website www.cob.org
often and attend meetings.
Now the question is who do we
contact? Jorge Vega outlined the
key players and their role in planning and development as
follows:
v
State
Legislature is the lawmakers.
v
State
Agencies (ex: Dept. of Ecology) allocate funds.
If the city is not in compliance they lose funds.
v
The
Mayor (Mark Asmundson) is the chief executive city officer.
v
The
Public Works Director (Dick McKinley) deals with the transportation
infrastructure.
v
The
Planning Director (Jorge Vega) interprets ambiguity in the codes.
v
The
Planning Commission makes recommendations to City Council.
v
The
Hearing Examiner is the land use judge.
Conditional use permits, height restriction issues, etc… are arbitrated
here.
v
City
Council makes final decisions and controls the city budget.
v
Ordinary
Citizens get on advisory committees, neighborhood committees, ABN, attend
meetings, and do their best to influence final decisions of all of the above.
v
The
Courts handle appeals.
Dick McKinley, Public Works Director, reminded the
membership that individuals have the right to sell and develop property in
accordance with zoning. Zoning protects communities
and enforces developers to use land and build as designated. When questioned about a connector for the
“Chuckanut
Several other questions were
posed in an attempt to gain understanding of where citizens could effect the
process to positively influence growth and development. The presenters stressed getting involved early in the process. Check the city website often, attend
meetings, write letters, and contact city officials with concerns.
A reminder that ENA meetings
are held from
v
The next meeting is on March 3, 2005
The meeting was adjourned by
general consent at
Thank you for attending.
These minutes are subject to corrections and
additions at the next ENA meeting.