 VOLUME XXI, ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2008
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JOE TOVAR RECEIVES DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTION AWARD The American Planning Association and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, are pleased to announce the names of nine recipients of the 2008 National Planning Excellence, Achievement, and Leadership Awards. Washington Chapter President Joe Tovar has been honored with the Distinguished Contribution Award for his leadership in the 2006 "No on I-933" campaign. The award announcement states "Washington Chapter APA President Joe Tovar played a critical role in ensuring that I-933, a 2006 "property rights" initiative in the state of Washington was defeated. The initiative posed significant obstacles to the use of sound planning tools and principles for smart growth. Tovar championed the opposition on multiple fronts including sharing his analyses, spreading the word, and marshalling allies and planners against this poor public policy issue. Tovar emphasized fairness, fiscal responsibility and sound responses throughout, and played an invaluable role in galvanizing the collective, sound voice of the Washington State planning community. His unswerving, personal attentiveness to the issue was instrumental in helping secure this victory for planning and ensuring communities throughout Washington continue to be great places to live and work." Each of the award recipients will be recognized and receive their respective honor at a luncheon ceremony April 30 in Las Vegas during APA's National Planning Conference. A 30-minute video about all 11 of the 2008 National Planning Excellence, Achievement, and Leadership Awardees will be shown at the luncheon. Accomplishments of the award recipients also will be highlighted in the April 2008 issue of Planning magazine and on the APA website. Each year APA and AICP honor outstanding efforts in planning and planning leadership, including cutting-edge achievements and planning under difficult or adverse circumstances. The award winners showcase the planning profession's leaders who help to create great communities and demonstrate the beneficial changes that can take place when planners and community members and leaders work together. 
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Happy New Year! We start 2008 on an auspicious note, with the Chapter’s membership at an all-time high of 1,635. I would like to congratulate and thank our membership chair Anna Nelson for her creative and tireless efforts to prepare and market materials describing the benefits of Chapter membership. Great job, Anna! As she herself pointed out, you can’t market a mediocre product. So a large share of the credit must also go to all the other Chapter volunteers whose efforts have built Washington APA’s reputation for excellent services and products to its members. As you know, our Chapter is adopting a new logo in conjunction with APA National’s branding efforts. At the Board meeting in December, we selected a new color for the logo (a dark green to replace the teal that appears in the masthead above), which we hope to roll out in the February edition of the newsletter. One of the factors in the Board’s decision was that both Oregon APA and California APA have selected teal for their new logos. No disrespect for our West Coast brethren, but teal was so 90’s anyway! Another sign of the Chapter’s increasing strength and value is the formation of our newest Section. The Board validated the results of the recent vote forming the Columbia Section and affirmed the Section’s proposed interim bylaws and officers, including Section President Ferdouse Oneza. The Columbia Section includes a crescent of counties including Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Kittitas, Klickitat, Okanogan, and Yakima. We owe a debt of thanks to Oneza for her tenacity and hard work to achieve this new Section. Way to go, woman! The Board also received updates on a number of Chapter Section and Committee activities and plans for 2008. Upon the recommendation of Legislative Committee Chairs Esther Larsen and Josh Peters, the Board approved a new contract for Mike Shaw, the Chapter’s contract lobbyist. See Esther’s article below for a detailed report on the Leg Committee’s activities and issues likely to come up during this legislative session. Vice-President Scott Greenberg reported on efforts to increase the regularity, scope and quality of newsletter content. He has worked with other Board members to adopt a schedule of newsletter articles for the coming months and will soon be turning his sights on similar improvements to the website. You can look forward to continuing to receive the newsletter on time in 2008, and I am sure will find it a useful way to stay current on Chapter activities and opportunities. Past President Steve Butler received Board support for a new Kids and Planning Task Force. Steve hopes to increase awareness of and support for planning among our younger citizens. If you are interested in volunteering to help with this new Chapter initiative, please contact Steve at sbutler@ci.seatac.wa.us. We also heard from members of the Chapter’s continuing education committee, including Judi Fani, Mike McCormick, Jill Sterrett, and Nancy Eklund. The expanded committee met immediately prior to the Chapter Board meeting in December. I have appointed Deborah Munkberg to serve as co-chair of this committee with Judi, and they are in the process of developing a schedule of Chapter sponsored events for 2008. If you are interested in this committee’s work, contact Judi at jfani@seattlehousing.org or Deborah at dmunkberg@jsanet.com. The Board also heard reports from Section Presidents Hiller West (Puget Sound), Josh Peters (Peninsula), and Heather Trautman (Inland Empire). Heather also participated in a discussion regarding the initial planning for our 2008 Conference in Spokane. Also in attendance were Joe Scorcio and Linda Bentley, veterans of our most-successful-ever 2007 conference in Tacoma. Joe has agreed to assist with our 2008 sponsorship efforts. I have appointed Chaz Bates from the Inland Empire Section Board as the Host Committee Chair for the conference and Linda Bentley and Latisha Hill as Program Committee co-chairs. If you have program session ideas, or would like to serve on the program committee, please contact Linda at linda.bentley@gmail.com or Latisha at latisha.hill@avistacorp.com. I will be meeting with the Inland Empire conference volunteers in Spokane in February to help get conference planning into full swing. Our Planning Official Development Officer Ted Gage gave his report on the past and future schedule of the Planning Short Course. The Short Course is co-sponsored by the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED), the Planning Association of Washington (PAW) and the Washington Chapter of APA. I know that many chapter members have participated as panelists for the short course, and I would urge interested volunteers to contact Ted at tedg@cted.wa.gov. The Board also heard reports from Co-Chairs Kristian Kofoed and Paula Reeves on the activities of the Chapter’s Community Planning Assistance Team. Coming up soon in the new year will be a newsletter article from Kristian chronicling his recent urban design studies in Italy. Paul Inghram gave an update on the Scholarship Committee and participated in a discussion with student reps Chris Green (EWU) and Brian Henry (UW) about ways to increase opportunities for students in Chapter activities. The Board agreed to direct the 2008 conference committee to include a number of registration waivers for planning students who undertake one of several service opportunities prior to or during the conference. The Board at its March meeting will take up this proposal again. Last, but by no means least, the Chapter Board approved the budget for 2008. We will be continuing, and in some cases expanding, the level of funding for several Chapter activities. We were able to do so in large part due to how well we did with net proceeds from the 2007 conference. Although he was unable to attend the Board meeting, I would like to thank the Chapter’s Treasurer Derek Chisholm for his work in putting together the reports to the Board summarizing our financial situation, the funding requests that had been made for 2008, and outlining the major policy implications for our consideration. One final note is that the Chapter will be electing a President-Elect this year. The successful candidate will serve as the President-Elect from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008, overlapping with the second year of my Presidency. Then, the President-Elect will become the President on July 1, 2008. If you know of a potential candidate, or would like to be nominated yourself, please contact one of the members of our Nomination Committee: Steve Butler (subtler@ci.seatac.wa.us), Esther Larsen (elarsen@spokanecounty.org), or Bill Grimes (bgrimes@studiocascade.com). Check back here for the President’s Message in February. I promise to have some interesting and exciting things to report. Upward and onward!
SHORT, INTENSE LEGISLATIVE SESSION AHEAD
Expectations for the coming session are small. The 2008 session will start on January 14, and will run for 60 days. 2008 is an election year, and legislators tend to be risk averse during such times. Large policy changes are unlikely, and legislative spending for new programs will be modest. Still, legislators will continue to struggle with issues not settled during the 2007 session. Issues relating to eminent domain and affordable housing will be back as will bills pertaining to regional transportation governance and infrastructure funding. Economic development is a popular issue in Olympia and one that legislators will embrace as they look for bills that play well with their constituents. Climate change and energy issues will also continue to be a high priority during the coming session. These issues have received a great deal of media attention, and the awareness of the ramifications related to climate change legislation continues to increase. WA-APA has been in the middle of these issues over the last several months. Representatives of the environmental lobby intend to advocate legislation that would insert a mandatory element into the Growth Management Act (GMA) that would address energy use and the climate impacts associated with growth. WA-APA has met with legislators and representatives of the executive branch to discuss what can be done during the 2008 session concerning climate change. While major changes to the GMA are unlikely this session, legislative leadership expects some progress towards allowing certain jurisdictions to move forward and experiment. This issue will be constrained by the amount of money the legislature is willing to spend to help local governments innovate. Drafts will start to be disseminated as consensus is sought. And the WA-APA Legislative Committee will be busy trying to bring a variety of viewpoints to the debate. The connection between transportation and land use planning is becoming more apparent to legislators. The recent failure to pass a regional transportation finance package in the Puget Sound region will generate new approaches in the 2008 session. I expect several proposals addressing transportation planning on the regional level, particularly concerning tolling authority and highways and statewide significance. Congestion pricing continues to gain more acceptance among legislators. As noted, public infrastructure funding will be an issue during the 2008 session. While there is not much additional capacity in the state’s capital budget, a task force met throughout the interim to discuss prioritization and ways to streamline current infrastructure funding programs. Their findings will be presented early in the 2008 session. This will be the last session for several legislators and others have resigned since last session. A reshuffling of the committees will result. For example, there will be several new faces on the House Local Government Committees, which lost both Representatives Sullivan and Curtis. WA-APA will need to continue to make new alliances as the legislature evolves.
PLANNING NORTHWEST FOCUS ON: UPPER HOH ROAD
The Upper Hoh Road on the west end of the Olympic Peninsula provides access to the Hoh Rainforest—a major tourist destination on the Olympic Peninsula. (See map.) The Hoh Rainforest is one of 19 places in the U.S. designated as a World Heritage Site. It is also an International Biosphere Reserve, one of the few parks in the world with this dual-designation. The Rainforest averages 210,000 visitors per year and 2001 saw almost 308,000.
The road experienced another in a long history of washouts in the recent rainstorms. (See photograph.) Emergency repairs to the Upper Hoh Road over the last 10 years are estimated to approach $8 million.
Management of the road continues to be an issue due to split jurisdiction & ownership, the sparse population living along the road, and varying right-of-way widths:
Source: Jefferson County Public Works The major questions to be resolved are: 1) Determining the appropriate entity for managing the Upper Hoh Road so that the road can be improved and managed sufficiently to ensure access to the Hoh Rainforest; and 2) Is it possible to forge a partnership between the Olympic National Park, Federal Highway Administration, Washington State Department of Transportation, and Jefferson County that enables a viable future for this important access to an internationally-recognized destination?
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE UPDATE The Chapter’s 2007-2008 Legislative Committee began its preparations for the 2008 Session with a full committee meeting on the morning of Thursday, December 6, 2007, at the Portside Cafe Meeting Room at Pier 69 in Seattle. Sixteen members participated with the following items discussed and consensus reached as noted. Due to the 2008 Session being a short session with all bills that did not pass from the 2007 Session being re-introduced, the committee decided to make minor updates in the “2007 Session Priorities” to reflect the new chapter logo and date as well as to make revisions to statements referencing energy/climate change and items on which the Chapter had a position statement not otherwise reflected in the 2007 document. The final version will be accessible on the Chapter webpage. Three subcommittees reported on work taken on during the interim. All three presented initial drafts that each subcommittee will continue to refine during the short 2008 session for adoption prior to the long 2009 session. As drafts are finalized, they will be made available to the Legislative Committee and the membership via email and the Chapter webpage. The Proactive Subcommittee, with Ivan Miller as the document contact person, shared its initial draft of a process and criteria to be used when the Chapter plans for and sponsors bills. A revised draft will be presented to the Board during the March 2008 meeting. The Bill Review Subcommittee, with Ivan Miller and Yorik Stevens-Wadja as document contact persons, shared its initial draft of a process that will provide a Chapter Bill Review and Tracking System utilizing the prior bill review process, the Legislature’s Bill Tracking System and a data base using Access. The intent is to have another draft of the combined system available for testing during the 2008 session. The Coalition Subcommittee members reported that coalition work is where the Chapter has had success. It was decided that the work of the Chapter lobbyist, Mike Shaw, in combination with individual members available to attend meetings, sit on task forces and/or advisory groups, should continue so that the credibility the Chapter has developed with legislators, staff and other stakeholders is enhanced. Several items related to specific legislation and ongoing task forces were reviewed. Reports were presented and discussion took place regarding the ongoing work of a number of entities, including the Chapter’s subcommittee led by Anindita Mitra relating to energy and climate change; the Chapter’s subcommittee led by Reid Shockey on the updates CTED is tasked with providing for the 2009 session on the WAC Procedural Criteria; and work of the Transfer of Development Rights Tech Committee, on which Brad Collins sits as a Chapter representative. Other issues that were discussed included the legislative agendas of the Cascade Land Conservancy as well as other environmental groups; the latest draft of the Realtors’ bill; issues involving the state Department of Transportation, including its Long-Term Transportation Study as well as the subject of tolling; the Evergreen Cities Initiative supported by Audubon Washington; regional governance in the Puget Sound; and public infrastructure needs and resources. Additional suggestions and recommendations for furthering the legislative work of the Chapter included: providing a more robust process for identifying issues of interest to the membership included updating once again the Livable Washington document produced by the Chapter; having each section designate one person as the legislative liaison to the Legislative Committee; providing a one-page calendar of Legislative Committee events; using Planners’ Forums and the Annual Chapter meeting as a mechanism to involve more members directly with legislative issues; using surveys to provide input from the membership; increasing the number of articles in the newsletter to build interest in issues and legislation; and having meetings in the summer to determine what Chapter members identify as priorities. Mike Shaw provided a review of his work program and suggestions for more effective use of his time during the session. Consensus was reached on the following items: limiting his participation on the weekly phone conferences to a report during the first 20 minutes of the hour long call in order for him to concentrate his efforts in Olympia with legislators, staff and stakeholders; reporting to the Legislative Co-Chairs and the Chapter President weekly and as decision making is needed and other issues are raised; providing monthly articles for the newsletter; and providing quarterly written reports. The Committee recommended to the Board that Mike’s contract be renewed for another year, and the Board, which met later in the day, approved that recommendation. The 2008 weekly Thursday phone conferences will begin on January 3, 2008 at noon. Members interested in joining the Legislative Committee to participate in working on any of the items mentioned above or other issues relating to legislation of interest to the Chapter should contact Co-Chairs Josh Peters at jpeters@co.jefferson.wa.us or at (360) 385-9167 or Esther Larsen at elarsen@spokanecounty.org or at (509) 477-5709. MEMBERS NEEDED FOR NEW COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE Chapter website, newsletter, media relations, member communications. What do all of these have in common? They are all the responsibility of the new Communications Committee. The Chapter’s 2005-2009 Strategic Plan and 2007 bylaws call for the establishment of the new Communications Committee to replace the old, inactive Editorial Committee. We are looking for interested WA-APA members to be part of this important group. The committee will ideally be responsible for the following: Chapter Newsletter
Website
Outreach
Once formed, the Communications Committee will be responsible for some specific activities in 2008, including:
Committee meetings will generally be held via conference call and e-mail to encourage membership and participation from throughout the state. Time commitment is dependent on committee activity and personal interests—probably not more that a few hours per month. If you’re interested in becoming a committee member or have questions about the committee, please contact Chapter Vice-President Scott Greenberg at scottg@burienwa.gov or at (206) 248-5519. COMMUNITY PLANNING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM UPDATE City of Morton In August 2007, the City of Morton submitted a proposal to the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) for a Community Planning Assistance Team to assist the town and its citizens in addressing key issues facing the community. The issues ranged from historic preservation to traffic safety. The APA accepted the proposal and, after a preliminary meeting with the Mayor, City Council, City Clerk and community leaders, in September, the team members arrived in Morton on October 26th, 2007, for a two-day work session.
Throughout the work session, the team members, local officials, community leaders, technical experts, and citizens came to understand the key issues and used their expertise to frame a wide range of recommendations, which are presented to the community in this report. On Friday evening, October 26th, APA hosted a public forum to discuss strengths and opportunities in three main areas. These areas were identified by the community in their application for assistance and included: economic development, downtown revitalization, and traffic circulation and safety. Since the APA hosted work session, the City has already taken key steps to implement the recommendations contained in the Team’s report. An Action Committee has been meeting and they have secured additional assistance from the University of Washington’s Storefront Studio project to develop a vision and design for downtown.
Through the Community Planning Assistance Program, the Washington Chapter of APA offers communities (cities, towns, neighborhoods, or rural villages) no-cost assistance of professional planners and other specialists in articulating visions, solving problems or resolving issues. The following briefly describes our program, how you can participate, and how we can create a partnership. What WA APA’s Community Planning Assistance Program can bring WA APA Chapter members include planners with expertise in land use, transportation, economic development, urban design, natural resources, parks and recreation, historic preservation, and other areas. There are members all over the state. In addition, we are affiliated with the planning schools across the state and we are accustomed to working with diverse community groups, leading to progressive solutions. WA APA will organize teams suited to your local needs, sized to the community, and committed to leaving with tangible products. WA APA provides an objective outlook, an inclusive process, and continued support afterward the work session. Here’s how it works
How can you help? Think about towns or neighborhoods that could use some help. They should be places with very limited staff, if any, that are facing community issues or problems that can be effectively addressed by a one-day event or a few hours of consultation. Let them know about the program by contacting CTED, the Chapter office, or the web site. Although team events may be limited to two or three a year, there may be other opportunities for providing help through online questions and answers, phone calls, etc. And think about your own interest in participating. What are your skills? How much time are you willing to give? What contexts (downtowns, parks, economic development, transportation, conflict resolution, rural communities) are you most comfortable with? Check the Chapter web site frequently and look out for the details for participation, whether as a recipient community or a volunteer. For additional information about applying to APA’s Community Planning Assistance Program or participating as a work session volunteer, please contact Janet Rogerson, CTED at 360-725-3047. MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT Wow! Another year has gone by! Before it gets too far into 2008, below are a few highlights from 2007.
AICP/CM NEWS
Upcoming AICP Exam The application and registration period for the May 2008 exam is now open (More information about the AICP exam).
Chapter Reduced AICP Exam Fee Scholarship The Chapter has three reduced fee scholarship to offer for AICP exams during 2008. For more information and an application, see the AICP page of the Chapter website. Applications for the May 2008 exam are due Tuesday, January 15, 2008. Chapter AICP Exam Study Session The annual Chapter study session will be offered again in March (most likely) 2008. Please check the Chapter website for information on registering for the training session. If you have signed up to take the exam, or started the signing in process, you will be on the notification list. AICP CM News The AICP certification maintenance system continues to evolve, and your patience with getting it established is certainly appreciated. Recent highlights include:
Other AICP/CM questions? Contact me at nancye@ci.puyallup.wa.us or 253/841-5462.
2008 APA/PAW JOINT AWARDS PROGRAM
For the past 22 years, the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) and the Planning Association of Washington (PAW) have jointly sponsored the annual planning awards program. The goal of this program is to bring public attention and recognition to public and private sector planning efforts throughout Washington State. The program also recognizes student planning projects in university planning programs. Award categories have included:
The 2008 Joint Award Program Announcement will arrive via e-mail and U.S. mail in late January/early February. The deadline for submittals will be in March. The Award winners will be announced at the 2008 PAW Conference at Lake Chelan in April. For more information on the 2007 Award program, please contact Bob Sokol, AICP at bobhsokol@earthlink.net. Over the next several issues of the newsletter, award winners from 2007 will be highlighted. The Chapter website www.washington-apa.org/events/awards/index.shtml also includes a summary of all of the award winners for the past several years. This month, we will take a closer look at the award winners in the Implementation and Sustainability categories. Merit Award – Redmond Community Indicators
Redmond Community Indicators is a key implementation tool for City officials and the Redmond community for measuring progress in achieving the community’s long-term vision as expressed in the Comprehensive Plan. The City Council established the program at the end of 2005; this year’s report is the second annual. Redmond Community Indicators’ most important achievement is taking a plan expressing the community’s values and transforming it into a call for action. Each year, it highlights Redmond’s successes and challenges with respect to meeting its goals. In so doing it provides timely information to decision makers so that decisions can be founded on trends chosen precisely because they are important indicators of Redmond’s progress in implementing its Comprehensive Plan. Different audiences respond best to different kinds and amounts of information. Thus, the City produces a one-page summary pamphlet appropriate for civic-minded residents, employees, and business owners, and the Community Indicators Report that delves into the data that make-up that pamphlet. In this way, and through web and other media advertising, the City reaches a cross-section of the Redmond community. Community input throughout the life of Community Indicators is critical to its success. Prior to program development, the Redmond community was extensively involved in shaping the overall direction and specific elements of the Comprehensive Plan. That direction resulted in the adoption of broad goals related to issues like land-use, transportation, housing, and the environment. Each indicator is tied directly to one of these goals. In May of this year the City published Redmond Community Indicators 2007. This year, The Seattle Times published a brief on trends in the indicators, while inside City Hall, the Mayor’s office used the report to help give 2007 council and mayoral candidates an overview of city government and issues facing Redmond. City staff also use the report to answer questions from community members and to efficiently find relevant data for their own publications. In sum, front-end community involvement and continuing community interest, as well as cooperation from other organizations make Redmond Community Indicators possible, successful, and sustainable. Sustainability
The City of Sammamish began its update of its CAO in 2005. “Protecting and enhancing our shoreline along Lake Sammamish was very important to both the community at large and the people who owned lakeside property,” Kathy Curry, the city’s wetland biologist, said. “We feel very fortunate that our public involvement process, which was very ambitious, helped produce an award-winning ordinance.”
In order to meet the sometimes conflicting needs of all parties, the City included “shoreline restoration incentives” in its CAO update. After setting a 45-foot shoreline buffer requirement for new development on Lake Sammamish, the city allowed builders to reduce the buffer to as little as 15 feet if they agreed to implement an array of shoreline restoration and enhancement methods. Some of those include re-vegetation, water quality protections, and bulkhead removal. “The plans we’ve been receiving from builders are very encouraging,” Curry said. “Our shoreline is going to get healthier as new homes are built or new additions to existing homes are made.” Mayor Mark Cross is already looking beyond Sammamish. “In addition to making these options available to our residents, I hope the restoration incentives will serve as an example for other communities facing similar challenges,” Cross said. “Just as we have learned on many occasions from the creative work of other communities, I hope others will benefit from this innovative and effective approach in Sammamish.”
HELEN DEVERY ELECTED TO COLUMBIA RIVER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL BOARD Helen Devery has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC). Founded in 1982, CREDC is Southwest Washington’s lead economic development organization and promotes job creation and investment while maintaining the area’s environment and quality of life. Devery, who manages the Planning Team at JD White, a division of BERGER/ABAM Engineers Inc., says she is honored by her election and looks forward to working with CREDC to plan and encourage opportunities for healthy growth and sustainable development.
DID YOU KNOW APA IS ON YOUTUBE? APA promotes planning on its new YouTube channel. Stop by to view current APA videos and subscribe to receive new videos as they are posted. Selections available now feature the 2007 National Planning Award winners. www.youtube.com/AmericanPlanningAssn APA PODCASTS HIGHLIGHT TOP SPEAKERS Hear our chapter’s own Mark Hinshaw on true urbanism, Rachel Weber on tax increment financing, or Teddy Cruz on affordable housing with APA's free podcast series. Subscribe now to hear interviews, research updates, and news from APA. Available through www.planning.org/podcasts/.
REMINDER Last year the board approved a new chapter-only group membership opportunity. This membership is available to planning commissions, city councils and commissions, tribal councils, and board members of non-profit organizations and other professional associations. Up to 10 members may be included in a group membership. The group rate is $150 and is administered by the chapter office. To obtain a group membership form or learn more about the benefits of this membership, contact Anna Nelson, AICP, Membership Committee chair, at (206) 382-9540 or anelson@GordonDerr.com.
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Have a project you want to highlight for planners across the state? An issue you think more planners need information on? Planning Northwest is always looking to highlight projects and research of our members. If you are interested in having an article published feel free to contact the editor. The deadline for the newsletter is the fifteenth of every month, preceding the publication month. Please submit all newsletter articles to newsletter@washington-apa.org. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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