11/20/06City of Yelm
Community Development Department
105 Yelm Auenne West
P.O. Box 479
Yelm, WA 98597
CANCELLATION
NOTICE
The November 20. 2006. Plannino Commission meeting has been CANCELLED. The
next meeting of the Yelm Planning Commission will be held in Council Chambers at
Yelm City Hall, 105 Yelm Ave W., on
MONDAY. DECEMBER 18. 2006 at 4:00 am.
If there are any questions concerning this change, please call the Community
Development Department at (360) 458-3835.
A T:
A
B ick
C Clerk/Treasurer
DO NOT PUBLISH BELOW THIS LINE
Posted: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2006
Sent to the Planning Commission mailing list: TUESDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2006
YELM PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
OCTOBER 16, 2006 4:00 P.M.
YELM CITY HALL
Glen Cunningham called the meeting to order at 4:00 PM
Members present: Glen Cunningham, John Graver, Carlos Perez, John Thomson,
Terry Kaminski, JW Foster, and Tammy Jenkins.
Staff: Tami Merriman, Grant Beck
Members Absent:
Guest: Kathy McCormick, Thurston Regional Planning Council
Approval of Minutes:
MOTION BY CARLOS PEREZ, SECONDED BY JOHN GRAVER TO APPROVE THE
SEPTEMBER 25, 2006 MINUTES. ALL WERE IN FAVOR.
Public Communications:
New Members
Grant Beck introduced newly appointed Planning Commission members John "JW°
Foster, and Tammy Jenkins.
2006 Comprehensive Plan Update
Sustainable Development: Grant Beck explained that the Community Development
Department (Department) is currently working on an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Thurston Highlands Master Planned Development. In that review to meet the Growth
Management Act principles, and requiring that the developer design the project to
minimize the cost of providing public services, the Department found that the term
Sustainable Development is not well defined. After careful review of smart growth
principles, Low Impact Development, and Built Green principles, the Department has
created a definition, and requests the Planning Commission endorse the definition for
review of the Thurston Highlands Master Planned Development. "A community that
thoughtfully provides for the needs of its residents with efficiency and stewardship for the
future."
Glen Cunningham praised the City for stepping forward and taking a lead.
Carlos Perez stated that the definition is weak, and has no teeth for enforcement.
Terry Kaminski feels the statement is broad, but needs to be.
Mr. Bill Hashim stated to the Commission that in the 15 years that he has been working
with sustainable development principles, that he has never seen a statement like this
anywhere. Mr. Hashim implored the commission to not adopt a definition until the City
has determined regulations to enforce the definition and stop gap principles if
development is not meeting the definition.
Carlos Perez agrees with Mr. Hashim.
Grant Beck restated that this definition is being used to prepare the environmental
documents which will subsequently result in regulations for the Thurston Highlands.
Yelm Planning Commission
September 35,?006
Page I
Steve Craig, Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) stated that DOE is ready to
assist the City in any way during the review of the EIS for Thurston Highlands. Mr. Craig
praised the City for bringing this into the review of the project. Mr. Craig is working with
other State representatives, and hopes that the Thurston Highlands will be a model for
Sustainable Development
MOTION MADE BY JOHN THOMPSON AND RESTATED BY GRANT BECK TO
ENDORSE THE DEFINITION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND DIRECT THE
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TO INCLUDE THE DEFINITION OF
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE UPCOMING 2007 COMPREHENSIVE'PLAN
UPDATE. MOTION SECONDED BY JW FOSTER. SIX MEMBERS WERE IN FAVOR,
CARLOS PEREZ OPPOSED.
GRANT BECK updated the Commission on the EIS preparation for the Thurston
Highlands.
Other -None:
MEETING ADJOURNED AT 5:07 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Tami Merriman, Associate Planner
Glen Cunningham, Chair Date
Yelm Planning Commission
September'_5,?Wb
Page ?
MEMORAND UM
City of Yelm
Community Development Department
To: Yelm Planning Commission
From: Grant Beck
Date: October 4, 2006
Subj: Principles for Sustainable Development
Recommendation
Endorse a definition of sustainable development for Yelm and the Thurston Highlands
Master Planned Community as follows:
"A community that thoughtfully provides for the needs of its
residents with efficiency and stewardship for the future."
Background
The Yelm City Council at its regular study session of September 26, 2006, endorsed a
definition for sustainable development for the City of Yelm and the Thurston Highlands
Master Planned Community and forwarded the definition to the Planning Commission
for its endorsement.
The attached staff report to the City Council more fully explains the basis for developing
the definition.
STAFF REPORT
City of Yelm
Community Development Department
To: Mayor Ron Harding
Yelm City Council
From: Grant Beck, Director of Community Development
Date: September 26, 2006
Subj: Principles for Sustainable Development
Recommendation
Endorse a definition of sustainable development for Yelm and the Thurston Highlands
Master Planned Community as follows:
"A community that thoughtfully provides for the needs of its
residents with efficiency and stewardship for the future."
Background
The Yelm Community Development Department has been directing the preparation of
an Environmental Impact Statement for the Thurston Highlands Master Planned
Community since the application was submitted in April of 2006.
At the very start of the review process, and consistently since, the Community
Development Department has indicated that it is the City's expectation that the
proposed Master Planned Community of 5,000 dwelling units on 1,250 acres will be part
of the Yelm community and that the project will be designed in a way that will minimize
the cost of providing public services to residents and businesses.
The City of Yelm, through the EIS Scoping process, has already provided direction to
the developers regarding environmental review of and community input to the
conceptual master site plan. This direction has been to hold true to the basic tenets of
the Washington State Growth Management Act, the goals of which are to implement
'smart growth.' Many of these principles attempt to lower the cost and optimize the
efficiency of providing public services concurrent with new development. Many smart
growth principles require and encourage high density urbanization while protecting
sensitive areas. Most of these goals are already codified in the City of Yelm
Comprehensive Plan and development regulations.
During discussions between City of Yelm staff and the developers of the Thurston
Highlands Master Planned Community regarding how to implement these concepts into
City of Yelm
Principles for Sustainable
Development within the Thurston
Highlands Master Planned
Community
Sustainable Development ................................................................................. .................... 1
Sustainable Development Defined ................................................................ .................... 1
Tools to Achieve Sustainable Development ................................................... .................... 2
"Smart Growth" ............................................................................................... .................... 4
Mix land Uses .............._.......................................,..................................... ....................4
Compact Building Design ........................................................................... ._.................4
Create A Range of Housing Opportunities and Choices ................................. .................... 5
Create Walkable Neighborhoods ............................_..................,................. ................_.. 5
Foster Distinctive, Attractive Communities with a Strong Sense of Place ....... .................... 6
Preserve Open Space, Farmland, Natural Beauty and Critical Environmental
Areas ............................................................................................. _............ .................... 7
$trengfhen and Direct Development Towards Existing Communities .............. .................... 8
Provide a Variety of Transportation Choices .............................._.................. ................. 8
Make Development Decisions Predictable, Fair and Cost Effective ................. ................... 9
Encourage Community and Stakeholder Cotfaboration ................................... ................... 9
"t.~r Impact Development" ......:.............:..........................._.............................. .............:... '11
Defining Low lmpacf Deuetopment....` ............................................................. ................. 11
The Goal of LIO .............:....
..........................................................................
................. 11
Why., Low Impact Development? ....................................... ... 19 :.. _ ".: .
Weighing the Costs and Benefits ................................................................... ................. 12 . .
"Built fareen° .:.:........................... _.................................................................... ................. 14
The Costs of Building Green ............................:.........................:................... ................. 14
Advantages of a BUILT GREEN Home ........................................................... ................. 14
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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT DEFINED
The planning profession has not yet adopted a definition for sustainable
development, nor objectives to be met to make a community 'sustainable'.
Generally, planning professionals agree that the goal of sustainable
development is to:
"Provide for current needs while not compromising the availability
of resources for future needs. "
To guide planning and City review of the Thurston Highlands Master Planned
Community, the City and the applicant have adopted a common definition of
'sustainable' to be used throughout review of the Thurston Highlands Master
Planned Community, as follows:
"A community that thoughtfully provides for the needs of its
residents with efficiency and stewardship for the future."
The three primary objectives to achieve this goal are:
/ Environmental sustainability
/ Social sustainability
/ Economic sustainability.
The benefits of sustainable development on a global scale are: the ability to
support the existing population with fewer resources and the ability maximize
the efficiency of limited resources to support population growth.
The local benefit of sustainable development is the lower social cost to support
a community.
For example, a community that provides industry and retail services to its
population consumes less petro{eum per capita than a 'bedroom' community
whose citizens have to commute to jobs and for goods and services.
A second example of the sustainability of creating higher densities within
compact urban centers is highlighted by a report from the Environmental
Protection Agency that showed large suburban properties consumed as much
as 16 times more water than homes with smaller lots.
Sustainable Development Page 1
Built Green
"Green" building refers to both the practice and product of creating buildings
that are better for our health, environment, and economy. Definitions of green
building vary, but the green building movement has three main goals:
/ Ensure a healthy, productive indoor environment for occupants to work
and live
/ Prevent negative impacts to our environment and improve its health
/ Reduce operating costs and increase profitability for building owners
through energy and resource conservation.
Certification systems include the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, and Built Green for
residential construction.
Sustainable Development Page 3
services and other utilities in more compact neighborhoods than in dispersed
communities.
Research based on compact developments has shown, for example, that well-
designed, New Urbanist communities that include a variety of home sizes and
types command a higher market value on aper-square-foot basis than do those
in adjacent conventional suburban developments. Perhaps this is why an
increasing number of developers have been able to successfully integrate
compact design into community building efforts. These efforts are difficult with
current zoning practices such as those that require minimum lot sizes, or
prohibit multi-family or attached housing. Compact design development
encounters other barriers, as well, such as community perceptions of "higher
density" development that tend to persuade decision-makers against it.
CREATE A RANGE OF HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES AND CHOICES
Providing quality housing for people of all income levels is an integral
component in any smart growth strategy. Housing is a critical part of the way
communities grow, as it is constitutes a significant share of new construction
and development. More importantly, however, it is also a key factor in
determining access to transportation, commuting patterns, access to services
and education, and consumption of energy and other natural resources by
households. By using smart growth approaches to create a wider range of
housing choices, communities can mitigate the environmental costs of auto-
dependent development, use their infrastructure resources more efficiently,
ensure a better jobs-to-housing balance, and generate a strong foundation of
support for neighborhood transit stops, commercial centers, and other services.
No single type of housing can serve the varied needs of today's diverse
households. Smart growth represents an opportunity for local communities to
increase housing choice not only by modifying land use patterns on newly-
developing land, but also by increasing housing supply in existing
neighborhoods and on land served by existing infrastructure. Integrating single-
and multi-family structures in new housing developments can support a more
diverse population and allow more equitable distribution of households of all
income levels across the region. The addition of units -through attached
housing, accessory units, or conversion to multi-family dwellings - to existing
neighborhoods creates opportunities for communities to slowly increase density
without radically changing the landscape. Most importantly, providing a range
of housing choices allows all households to find their niche in a smart growth
community -whether it is a garden apartment, a rowhouse, or a traditional
suburban home -while at the same time accommodating growth.
CREATE WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS
New housing construction can also be an economic stimulus for existing
commercial centers that are currently vibrant during the work day, but suffer
from a lack of pedestrian traffic and consumers in the evenings or weekends.
Walkable communities are desirable places to live, work, learn, worship and
Sustainable Development Page 5
Guided by a vision of how and where to grow, communities are able to identify
and utilize opportunities to make new development conform to their standards
of distinctiveness and beauty. Contrary to the current mode of development,
smart growth ensures that the value of infill and greenfield development is
determined as much by their accessibility (by automobile or other means) as by
their physical orientation to and relationship with other buildings and open
space. By creating high-quality communities with architectural and natural
elements that reflect the interests of the majority of residents, there is a greater
likelihood that buildings (and therefore entire neighborhoods) will retain their
economic vitality and value over time. In so doing, the infrastructure and
natural resources used to create these areas can provide residents with a
distinctive and beautiful place that they can call "home" for generations to
come.
PRESERVE OPEN SPACE, FARMLAND, NATURAL BEAUTY AND CRITICAL
ENVIRONMENTAL AREAS
Smart growth uses the term "open space" broadly to mean natural areas both
in and surrounding localities that provide important community space, habitat
for plants and animals, recreational opportunities, farm and ranch land (working
lands), places of natural beauty and critical environmental areas (e.g.,
wetlands). Open space preservation supports smart growth goals by bolstering
local economies, preserving critical environmental areas, improving the quality
of life in our communities, and guiding new growth into existing communities.
There is growing political will to save the "open spaces" that Americans
treasure. The reasons for such support are varied and attributable to the
benefits associated with open space protection. Protected open space results
in many fiscal benefits, including increasing local property value (thereby
increasing property tax bases), generating tourism dollars, and minimizing local
tax increases (due to the savings associated with minimizing the need to
construct new infrastructure). Management of the quality and supply of open
space also ensures that prime farm and ranch lands are retained, the potential
for flood damage is minimized, and less expensive and natural alternatives for
providing clean drinking water are preserved.
The availability of open space also provides significant environmental quality
and health benefits. Open space preserves the habitat of plants and animals,
places of natural beauty, and working lands by eliminating development
pressure and redirecting new growth to existing communities. Forested open
space filters air pollutants, attenuates noise, diffuses wind, minimizes erosion,
and moderates temperature. Open space also protects surface and
groundwater resources by filtering suspended sediments and chemical
pollutants before they enter a water system.
Sustainable Development Page 7
In response, communities are beginning to implement new approaches to
transportation planning, such as improving the coordination between land use
and transportation systems; increasing the availability of high quality transit
service; creating redundancy, resiliency and connectivity within their road
networks; and ensuring connectivity between pedestrian, bicycle, transit, and
road facilities. In short, communities are coupling amulti-modal approach to
transportation with supportive development patterns, to increase transportation
options.
MAKE DEVELOPMENT DECISIONS PREDICTABLE, FAIR AND COST
EFFECTIVE
For a community to be successful in implementing smart growth, it must be
embraced by the private sector. Only private capital markets can supply the
large amounts of money needed to meet the growing demand for smart growth
developments. If investors, bankers, developers, builders and others do not
earn a profit, few smart growth projects will be built. Fortunately, government
can help make smart growth profitable to private investors and developers.
Since the development industry is highly regulated, the value of property and
the desirability of a place is largely affected by government investment in
infrastructure and government regulation. Governments that make the right
infrastructure and regulatory decisions will facilitate fair, predictable and cost-
effective smart growth.
Despite regulatory and financial barriers, developers have been successful in
creating examples of smart growth. The process to do so, however, requires
them to obtain variances to the codes -often atime-consuming, and therefore
costly, requirement. Expediting the approval process is of particular importance
for developers, for whom the common mantra, "time is money," very aptly
applies. The longer it takes to receive approval to build, the longer the
developer's capital remains tied up in the land, often with significant interest
expense, and not generating income. For smart growth to flourish, state and
local governments must endeavor to make development decisions about smart
growth more timely, cost-effective, and predictable for developers. By creating
a fertile environment for innovative, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use projects,
government can provide leadership for smart growth to which the private sector
is sure to respond.
ENCOURAGE COMMUNITYAND STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION
Growth can create great places to live, work and play --- if it responds to a
community's own sense of how and where it wants to grow. Communities have
different needs and will emphasize some smart growth principles over others;
for example, those with robust economic growth may need to improve housing
choices; others that have suffered from disinvestment may emphasize infill
development; newer communities with separated uses may be looking for the
sense of place that would result from mixed-use town centers; and still others
with poor air quality may seek relief by encouraging diversification in
transportation choices. The common thread among all, however, is that the
Sustainable Development Page 9
"LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT"
DEFINING LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT
Low Impact Development (LID) is an innovative stormwater management
approach with a basic principle that is modeled after nature: manage rainfall at
the source using uniformly distributed, decentralized controls. It is a system
that distributes water across a project site in order to replenish groundwater
supplies rather than sending it into a system of storm drain pipes and networks
that control water downstream in a large stormwater management facility. The
LID approach promotes the use of various devices that filter water and infiltrate
it into the ground. It promotes the use of roofs of buildings, parking lots, and
other horizonlal surfaces to convey water to either distribute it into the ground
or collect it for reuse.
THE GOAL OF LID
The goal of LID is to prevent measurable harm to streams, lakes, wetlands and
other natural aquatic systems from commercial, residential, or industrial
development. In short, LID aims to control - or to at feast minimize -changes
to the local water cycle.
The impact to receiving waters is estimated by scientific models and measured
by monitoring surface and groundwater quality and quantity. LID aims to mimic
a site's predevelopment hydrology by using design techniques that infiltrate,
filter, store, evaporate, and detain runoff close to its source through native
soils, vegetation and other natural applications.
Techniques are based on the premise that stormwater management should not
be seen as stormwater disposal. Instead of conveying and managingltreating
stormwater in large, costly end-of-pipe facilities located at the bottom of
drainage areas, LID addresses stormwater through small, cost-effective
landscape features located at the lot level.
Almost all components of the urban environment have the potential to serve as
building blocks for LID. This includes not only open space, but also rooftops,
streetscapes, parking lots, sidewalks, and medians. LID is a versatile approach
that can be applied equally well to new development, urban retrofits, and
redevelopment/revitalization projects. High-density building can be part of the
solution. Sprawling, suburban-style development contributes more to water
scarcity than compact development, as it promotes more lawn areas and larger
lots planted with turf grass.
WHY LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT?
LID has numerous benefits and advantages over conventional stormwater
management approaches. In short, it is a more environmentally sound
technology and a more economically sustainable approach to addressing the
adverse impacts of urbanization. By managing runoff close to its source though
intelligent site design, LID can enhance the local environment, protect public
Sustainable Development Page 11
/ Multifunctionality - In many projects, the LID practice was originally
designed as a landscape feature before its functionality as a stormwater
control was introduced. In these situations, the landscaping and
construction costs for stormwater management are essentially free. In
addition, the cost of maintaining landscaped areas was always expected
for the project, so one of the only major additional costs for stormwater
maintenance is to ensure that drainage areas are kept clear.
/ Lower lifetime costs - In any cost analysis, be sure to take into account
not just initial capital costs but also those over the lifetime of a structure
such as operation, repair, maintenance, and decommissioning. Many LID
techniques are self-perpetuating, easily repairable, or can be left as
natural areas at the end of their functional lifetime, while conventional
facilities may require high costs to take out of commission and restore
the area to a safe condition.
/ Additional environmental and social benefits - At the heart of LID are the
multiple benefits it provides, not all of which are not readily measurable
on a monetary basis. Not only do the techniques provide stormwater
benefits, such as groundwater recharge and cleaner streams, they also
increase the urban forest, reduce the urban heat island, improve air
quality, reduce thermal stream pollution, enhance the appearance of a
community, and provide a stronger sense of place.
/ Reduced off-site costs -Since LID addresses stormwater at its source, it
is unlikely to incur major off-site costs in the form of storm sewers or
outfalls. Most conventional techniques will require an off-site sewer to
collect stormwater from the on-site system, resulting in additional project
costs for the enhancement of downstream sewers as urban areas
expand.
/ Functional use of open space land -LID practices such as rain gardens
can usually be designed within the open space of a development without
any loss of developable area. Unlike large detention ponds, if these
multifunctional LID practices are distributed throughout set-aside open
space or land previously designated for landscaping they can contribute
to a more park-like and community-friendly setting without incurring costs
for land allocation to the drainage system.
/ Costs are relative -Cost considerations vary based on the user and the
project. For example, if a yard is retrofitted to replace one-half of its area
with an LID infiltration practice such as a native vegetation rain garden,
does the homeowner perceive this as a loss of the use of the yard, or a
benefit due to the fact that there is now less lawn to maintain?
Sustainable Development Page 13
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