New (Old) Development Limits Likely

(Mar 15, 05:21 PM)

By Diane Brooks, The Seattle Times

Mar. 15--The punch line is deceptively simple:

Little is expected to change.

But it took the Edmonds City Council -- along with vocal leaders from the business and residential communities -- two years to come full circle on the issue of downtown building heights.

When all is settled, rules for maximum building heights probably will be similar to those in place between 1980 and early 2005.

A new council majority, created by the Nov. 8 election, could dramatically limit the amount of development -- or redevelopment -- in the downtown core in coming years.

Two city consultants have concluded developers won't invest in downtown Edmonds unless they can build two stories of condos above street-level retail. In response, the council last year endorsed a plan to divide downtown into several districts, raising allowable heights to 33 feet -- just high enough for three-story buildings -- in some commercial areas.

But voters rebelled, replacing pro-growth Councilman Jeff Wilson with Ron Wambolt, an ardent opponent of taller buildings downtown.

The council is scheduled to vote March 21 on a new set of downtown proposals, which will be sent to the city Planning Board for study and fine-tuning. Council members say it likely will include:

-- A ban on new three-story buildings.

-- A requirement that first-floor retail spaces have street-level entries and ceilings at least 12 feet high.

-- A basic 25-foot maximum building height, with a 30-foot option for structures that incorporate design incentives such as pitched roofs.

-- Exceptions to the height limit for limited design elements, such as clock towers.

Mayor Gary Haakenson is frustrated with the council's protracted debate on the subject. Since February 2005, when the council imposed a moratorium on new downtown buildings taller than 25 feet, no developer has submitted an application for a downtown project, he said.

The moratorium followed a Snohomish County Superior Court ruling on a city law, in place since 1997, that unclearly defined the conditions under which a 30-foot structure could be built. The council had planned to lift the moratorium after final approval of its proposed downtown plan.

"I've urged them to make a decision and be done with it," said Haakenson, a proponent of three-story buildings in areas of downtown where views wouldn't be blocked. "It's not just the development community -- it's staff, it's citizens. Everybody needs to know what the guidelines are."

The City Council, divided 4-3 on the height issue, has resolved "to bring some closure to it and move on," said Councilman Richard Marin, who supported last year's plan.

"When we do take the vote, I probably will give a little speech, something along the lines of, 'We have sides that have been passionate on both sides; it is hard for us to say who is absolutely right and who is absolutely wrong," " he said. "There is no need to vilify anyone. The issue isn't who lost or who won. The issue is that people care about their city."

Marin was the council president last year. The gavel has passed to Councilwoman Deanna Dawson, a member of the new majority.

Freshman Councilman Wambolt is enthusiastic about the changes to come.

"I think we're going to get a lot done this year," he said.

But the business and development communities are wary.

"You can count on one hand how many buildings have been built in downtown Edmonds over the last 10 years," said Rob Michel, a builder who serves on the city's Architectural Design Board. "It's just like the consultants say -- that's why nothing's happening. It's no surprise."

One thing everybody agrees on: Time will tell.

"If building continues, then somebody was right. And if building tapers off to nothing, then we'll find out whether people are willing to take a risk," Marin said. "We'll continue to discover whether our downtown businesses are able to compete."

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