City Council Highlights

1997 CITY COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

December 1997 Highlights

  • Amended policies and regulations contained in the City s Shoreline Master Program, and forwarded them to the State s Department of Ecology for approval.
  • Concurred in Mayor Tanner s appointment of Deputy Police Chief Garry Anderson to serve as Chief of Police following the retirement of Alan L. Wallis, effective January 10, 1998.
  • Acquired property at 1800 Camas Ct. NE for use as a regional stormwater management facility to serve tributary parcels in this area.
  • Approved year-end adjustments to the 1997 budget in the total amount of $2,581,407.
  • Increased the hotel/motel tax by 1%, beginning in early 1998, for the purpose of promoting tourism.
  • Agreed that the Henry Moses Pool in Liberty Park should be replaced with a new, outdoor family aquatic center located at Cedar River Park (financing plan to be determined).
  • Authorized the temporary closure of the Monster Road Bridge between SW 7th Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way from December 29 to January 16 for construction.
  • Expressed support for the submission by King County of a levy proposal to the voters on February 3, 1998, to fund emergency medical services.

    November 1997 Highlights

  • Approved the purchase of three live fire training simulators to be used at the M.C. Scotty Walls Fire Training Center.
  • Repealed the ordinance approving the Burnstead annexation, originally adopted by Council on November 6, 1995.
  • Asked the City of Newcastle to annex approximately 10.1 acres currently within Renton s city limits in the vicinity of NE 50th St. and Lake Washington Blvd. NE.
  • Adopted an ordinance regulating wireless communications facilities.
  • Set a public hearing for December 8, 1997 on the proposed 1% increase in Renton s hotel/motel tax, the proceeds of which would be used for tourism purposes.
  • Authorized participation in the State s Community Jobs Initiative Program, designed to provide transitional, community-based experience to welfare recipients encountering difficulty moving into the regular job market.
  • Accepted an estimated $56,750 from King County for Renton s 1997-98 Commute Trip Reduction program.
  • Approved the proposed change to the Center Downtown (CD) zone to eliminate upper-story setbacks.

    October 1997 Highlights

  • Adopted a resolution supporting the Washington WorkFirst Program.
  • Agreed that the City s new Neighborhood Program, instituted in 1997, should be formalized as an ongoing effort and expanded to include all of Renton s neighborhoods.
  • Approved the Renton Municipal Airport Master Plan Update.
  • Concurred with the Downtown Renton Association s recommendation that the time limit for parking spaces on Third Avenue from Burnett to Main Streets be changed from one hour to two hours.
  • Created a Lodging Tax Advisory Committee to investigate the feasibility, advantages and disadvantages of implementing a 1% hotel/motel tax.
  • Accepted the Hoffman Annexation, approximately three acres in the Sierra Heights neighborhood situated west of Queen Ave. NE (extended) and north of NE 19th Street (extended), and applied residential single family zoning to the newly annexed property.
  • Approved, with conditions, the Honey Creek Heights preliminary plat; 19 single family lots on a 3.03 acre parcel in the 2600 block of NE 25th Street.

    September 1997 Highlights

  • Extended TCI Cablevision an additional 24 months to complete fiber optic rebuild and meet other requirements in the 1993 franchise ordinance in exchange for several in-kind considerations from TCI.
  • Confirmed that the preferred alternative for the Downtown Renton Transit Center operational scheme is consistent with City goals, and authorized staff to further develop it in cooperation with King County Metro. The preferred scheme has a transit-only cut-through linking Burnett Ave. S. with Logan Ave. S.
  • Authorized the transfer of $250,000 from the General Fund to rehabilitate streets, curbs, gutters and sidewalks in the Windsor Hills neighborhood.
  • Adopted a resolution supporting the 1998-2003 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) levy.
  • Decided specific distributions for the 1998 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and General Fund monies for human services programs.
  • Adopted an ordinance prohibiting sitting or lying down on public sidewalks in the downtown area between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
  • Agreed to continue a moratorium on the issuance of business licenses and other permits for card rooms.
  • Authorized a lease agreement with King County allowing a station of King County Medic One paramedic unit in Renton's new Fire Station.

    August 1997 Highlights

  • Accepted $800,000 from The Boeing Company for completion of Oakesdale Avenue SW between SW 16th and SW 27th Streets.
  • Expressed concern regarding the City of Newcastle s Comprehensive Plan, specifically that it appears not to adequately address growth and its impacts, and that this could detrimentally affect the citizens of Renton.
  • Approved day care centers as a primary use in the Commercial Office (CO) zone.
  • Authorized the preparation of a notice of intention to annex for submittal to the King County Boundary Review Board for the Hoffman Annexation; 3.6 acres located in the Sierra Heights neighborhood west of Queen Avenue NE and north of NE 19th Street.
  • Approved the Cherrywood Lane final plat; 63 single family lots on nine acres in the vicinity of Duvall Avenue NE and NE 6th Street.
  • Approved new funding, and reallocated existing funds, for public infrastructure improvements in the downtown core area, including street and pedestrian improvements and development of the piazza, or public square.
  • Adopted a policy regarding the naming of City parks and other public facilities.
  • Supported reauthorization of the county-wide Emergency Medical Services levy, 1998-2003, which replaces an existing EMS levy that will expire at the end of 1997.

    July 1997 Highlights

  • Amended the Downtown Core Area boundary to include the block between South 2nd and 3rd Streets, from Morris Avenue South to Logan Avenue South.
  • Authorized application to the Bureau of Justice for a $61,656 Local Law Enforcement Block Grant to be used for legal advocacy services for victims of domestic violence.
  • Approved the creation of a combination building permit and fee for new single family construction in an effort to streamline the City s permitting process.
  • Adopted an ordinance prohibiting pedestrian interference by obstructing pedestrian or vehicular traffic, or by aggressively begging.
  • Referred the matter of prohibiting sitting or lying on public sidewalks to the Public Safety Committee.
  • Established a six-month moratorium on adult book stores and related uses, and set a public hearing for August 18, 1997, to take testimony on whether the moratorium should be continued.
  • Adopted an ordinance decriminalizing the majority of the City s harbor regulations to make enforcement on Lake Washington more uniform with the state and nearby cities.
  • Approved changes to the City s policy regarding the extension of sewer service to properties outside Renton s city limits.

    June 1997 Highlights

  • Lifted the moratorium on signs in the downtown core area (imposed on 5/19/97), and directed staff to begin work on amendments to the sign code for this area.
  • Adopted an emergency Wireless Communications Facilities Ordinance, the primary purpose of which is to protect neighborhoods by encouraging wireless communications providers to site their facilities in locations best suited for this type of use.
  • Approved the final site selection for the downtown transit hub on and adjacent to Burnett Ave. S. between S. 2nd and 3rd Streets.
  • Established the zoning classification of the May Valley Prezone, Phase I area (74 acres bounded by 148th Ave SE, NE Sunset Blvd., and the Renton city limits) to R-1 and R-5.
  • Approved a performance-based reimbursement plan for Human Services contracts, which will make agencies accountable for their performance by linking goal achievement to funding.
  • Authorized the temporary closure of SW 16th St. from Oakesdale to Raymond Avenues SW for 80 days from the first week of July to mid-September for installation of a storm drain and wet vault structure.
  • Announced a special day of recognition for retiring Renton School District Superintendent Gary Kohlwes.
  • Cancelled its regular meetings of August 11th and August 25th, 1997.
  • Granted Dally Homes, Inc. a 90-day option to purchase City-owned property between Logan and Morris Aves. on S. 3rd St. for a pedestrian-oriented, mixed commercial and residential project.

    May 1997 Highlights

  • Approved the Renton Place Division II Preliminary Plat; 11 lots on 1.99 acres located in the vicinity of Talbot Rd. S. and the 500 block of S. 23rd St.
  • Authorized the removal of the remaining 39 trees fronting Maplewood Golf Course along Maple Valley Highway (SR-169), due to their seriously decayed and weakened conditions.
  • Accepted an estimated $403,208 in Community Development Block Grant funds for receipt in 1998.
  • Adopted amendments to the Commercial Office (CO) zone to allow municipal jails as an administrative conditional use (with locational criteria), and hotels as a secondary use in the Employment Area - Valley land use designation.
  • Accepted the 10% Notice of Intent to Annex for the proposed Hoffman Annexation; 2.95 acres located in the Sierra Heights area, west of Queen Ave. NE, if extended, and north of NE 19th St., if extended.
  • Established a six-month moratorium on signs in the downtown area, and set a public hearing for June 2, 1997, to take comment on the moratorium.

    April 1997 Highlights

  • Authorized a contract with Calvin Jordan & Associates for architectural engineering services necessary to convert the Main & Grady building to a new city hall, including the design of a new jail.
  • Approved an interlocal agreement for joint funding for the continuation of an egg addling program and study for Canada geese.
  • Announced that the Henry Moses Pool at Liberty Park will permanently close at the end of the 1997 swim season, due to irreversible, continuing deterioration. Council also directed that a citizen s task force be appointed to study options for replacing the pool.
  • Approved the issuance of new Limited Tax General Obligation (LTGO) bonds to refund and restructure the City s existing LTGO bonds, and to provide funding for the acquisition of and improvements to the Main & Grady building.
  • Denied the request made by RAMAC, Inc./Riviera Apartments to vacate a portion of Maple Valley Highway east of Blaine Drive SE. Council further directed that the Administration provide a reasonable solution to the problem of public use of the private driveways within the Riviera Apartments property.
  • Set a public hearing for May 19, 1997 to take testimony on the proposed amendments to the Commercial Office Zone to allow municipal jails and hotels as permitted uses.
  • Approved fifteen recommendations formulated by the airport master plan study for the update of the master plan. The recommendations address: modifications and improvements to the runway and taxiways; establishment of a terminal facility; policies concerning facilities for general aviation; the designation of a non-aviation use area; the conduct of a non-federally funded land use compatibility study; and an aesthetics plan, land surveying and flood control activities within the airport.

    March 1997 Highlights

  • Authorized the replacement of additional trees along Maple Valley Highway fronting the Maplewood Golf Course, necessitated by their continued decay and deterioration.
  • Approved new garbage rates to reflect the pass-through increase of King County s solid waste disposal fee.
  • Authorized interlocal agreements to protect and improve sockeye and other fish populations in Lake Washington, and to enhance flood control on the Cedar River.
  • Scheduled a public hearing for April 14, 1997 to consider prezoning for 126 acres of unincorporated land in May Valley which is located in the City s potential annexation area.
  • Authorized the purchase of and improvements to the Main & Grady building for future use to house municipal government operations.
  • Approved emergency amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and the Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program to add High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) improvements to the existing I-405/NE 44th St. interchange to serve the proposed Port Quendall project.
  • Approved the petition submitted by Michael Scarff requesting vacation of certain properties in the Automall area to facilitate the development of a new auto dealership.

    February 1997 Highlights

  • Authorized the Mayor to execute the option to purchase the Lycette/Blume (Sound Mazda) property in downtown Renton. The property, located between Burnett and Logan Avenues adjacent to the Downtown Transit Hub, will be combined with parcels the City already owns for development of a downtown plaza or town square.
  • Co-hosted the Renton Community Summit along with the Chamber of Commerce, Valley Medical Center and other sponsors.
  • Went on record as supporting an increase in the State gas tax for the exclusive benefit of transportation improvements.
  • Approved the repeal of existing Planned Unit Development (PUD) regulations, and the preparation of new flexible development regulations which provide reasonable flexibility to develop difficult parcels and/or innovative housing developments, as well as sufficient oversight and checks and balances to ensure compatible, quality development.
  • Accepted funding from the Washington State Department of Transportation for safety improvements to the NE Sunset Blvd./Anacortes Ave. NE intersection.
  • Authorized fire training exercises at McKnight Middle School.

    January 1997 Highlights

  • Awarded a new 1% for Art project to artist Dennis Mullen. The artwork, a gateway piece made of iron and glass, will be placed at Oakesdale Ave. SW and Grady Way.
  • Declared an emergency due to the severe winter storm occurring in December of 1996.
  • Established a procedure for administrative variance requests for minor land use decisions.
  • Authorized staff to explore the feasibility of installing a video surveillance system at Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park, both to protect the sculpture Interface and to provide security for the nearby park areas.
  • Approved changes to the Center Downtown (CD) Zone to permit new single family dwellings as secondary uses, subject to conditions.
  • Approved the issuance of tax-exempt economic development revenue bonds which will be used to develop a manufacturing plant for Hunter Douglas, Inc., in Renton. The plant, to be located at Raymond Ave. SW and SW 18th St., will produce window coverings such as aluminum blinds and duette shades.
  • Accepted $155,780 in reimbursement from King County for the design and construction of the interim downtown transit hub.