 VOLUME XXI, ISSUE 2 FEBRUARY 2008
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FRENCH URBAN PLANNERS TOUR SEATTLE
When Judy Fani, AICP (APA Washington, Continuing Education co-chair) had her first conference call back in June with Joe Tovar, FAICP; Steve Butler, AICP (then the outgoing APA Washington president); and Nicolas Buchoud, representing Le Club Ville Aménagement, she was very skeptical about the availability of anyone on Labor Day weekend to help pull off a three-day planning/development tour for this French organization's group. Fani says, “Surprisingly, it came together very smoothly with many professional Puget Sound planners stepping up with a commitment of time and energy to show this special group of French architects, planners, engineers, public officials and their guest journalist some of the best of what we have to offer in our region. Every planner I approached responded with an enthusiastic 'count me in' attitude." Le Club Ville Aménagement translates as the Urban Development Club and was created in 1993 to be an association that brings together developers responsible for major urban projects in France. Buchoud described this group as "France's urban development think tank." The Club is a permanent discussion forum for professional developers, and its contributions are particularly appreciated by government bodies and local authorities responsible for developing and redeveloping French urban centers. Club Ville Aménagement operates by creating working groups on different topics directly affecting developers. In this capacity, it teams up with experts and academics to bring critical and forward-looking views to bear on the discussions of the working groups. “After the conference call, we had a feel for what they wanted to experience – sustainable developments, urban cultural capital projects, urban in-fill, affordable housing, economic redevelopment, land use and zoning revisions that support smart growth. We sent them web links to High Point, the Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle Art Museum, Belltown, Bellevue, and South Lake Union, and many other places and this turned out to be the rough draft of the three day agenda.” With much thanks to the enthusiasm and generosity of APA members who played host, APA Washington was able to provide presentations and walking tours of the High Point redevelopment (Judy Fani and Seattle Housing Authority staff); South Lake Union redevelopment (Judy and Steve Butler along with Lori Mason Curran, Market Research Manager, and Philip Fuji, Community Relations Manager both from Vulcan; and Diane Sugimura, Development and Planning Department City of Seattle). That tour ended at the Cascade People's Center, a community center redeveloped with sustainable green features. A few missing Frenchmen deviated from the tour but were quickly found scurrying back from REI. Emil King, AICP, and Mike Upston, AICP, both from the Department of Planning and Community Development, and Bob Derrick, Office of Economic Development, provided brown bag lunches, a MS PowerPoint presentation and an insightful walking tour of downtown Bellevue's development “laboratory”. In addition, Eric Shields, AICP, (Planning Director, City of Kirkland) guided the group through downtown Kirkland describing what planning and economic forces came to bear to reshape Kirkland. Over dinner, the group heard from Catherine Stanford, CA Consulting and former Director of Real Estate for the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority. She spoke on farmers' markets and how these “meet the producer” markets help protect farmland, promote health and sustainable farming, as well as boost tourist revenue. On Sunday morning the group met at a Belltown French bakery and enjoyed their lattes and croissants on Mark Hinshaw's (FAIA, FAICP with LMN Architects) private rooftop garden deck in the same building. After, Mark toured the group through Belltown relating the stories behind land use policy changes, experiments and lessons learned as we wound our way through Belltown to Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Sculpture Park. Nicolas explained the reactions of the group in an email after he returned home to France: “While the coach was travelling from SeaTac airport to High Point, I had heard some angry comments about a stay in North America beginning by a sightseeing tour of a most common North American suburb. Indeed, for most French planners and developers in the field of urban development in general, it remains quite commonly admitted that the U.S. urban model is one of infinite urban sprawl, reluctance to develop public initiative and public transportation networks, not to mention the lack of interest concerning global warming or social issues. Hopefully, they are a minority.” He continued, “For those who went to Seattle, there was a thrill of excitement when the coach arrived in the very heart of High Point. P-Patch gardens, waste water collectors, new town houses and public facilities proved to be most surprising. The group found that many elements which we have been discussing were found in High Point. One of them is the debate about New Urbanism and its relevance as an urban model. One member of the group found in High Point a confirmation that he was right trying to promote the model in Eastern Paris. Generally speaking, the group was seduced by the whole project. Indeed, they could see what a new planned community could mean, when appropriately managed, financed, and implemented with private developers closely linked to the whole process. "Le Club Ville Aménagement will keep very good memories of their stay in Seattle. I myself hope that it was only an introduction toward further contacts and relationships between us and the APA as well.” The French group gifted APA three books about French planning – all in French – which can be borrowed from our APA Washington office in Seattle. Along with this gesture of professional kinship were several sincere offers by the French to tour U.S. planners around France's cities and towns. If you feel an urge to travel to France and meet other planners there, please give Judy Fani a call, 206/615-3557 so she can pass on contact information to you. 
CLIMATE CHANGE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The 2008 legislative session started January 14, and two issues of interest to the APA Washington are quickly taking center stage: climate change and affordable housing. On the first day of session, the Governor unveiled her climate change proposals, flanked by members of her Climate Action Team (CAT). Simultaneously, the House Housing Committee together with the House Local Government Committee held a work session on affordable housing. The Governor's climate change proposal, which was introduced as a bill on January 14, has four parts: emissions reduction requirements (not just goals); a "cap & trade" program implementing the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative (WCI) recommendations; mandatory emission reporting by 2010 for large emitters, and a green jobs initiative with a goal of 25,000 new green jobs by 2020. This bill will not be the only proposal offered for legislative debate. The Governor's proposal is just the start of a policy effort that will continue into 2009 when the bulk of the CAT proposals will be translated to legislation. Also, the WCI will have proposals that are expected to be released in August 2008. The Governor's proposal has taken the spotlight away from the environmental lobby's proposal titled "Local Options for Climate Change." It involves amending the growth management act, adding a new GMA goal, a mandatory "climate" element, and amending the county-wide planning policies for the allocation of greenhouse gas emissions and reductions. The county and city associations are working on their own proposals in response, and are understandably wary of having the legislature mandate substantial planning duties without any funding. Certainly, the climate change issue will aggressively debated all session, and APA Washington will be at the table having established itself with its own bill last session. Already, committee staff has made inquiries – seeking APA Washington expertise. Planning expertise was on display during the House work session on affordable housing. Pierce County planner Chip Vincent presented on Pierce County's Housing Affordability Final Report while Deanna Dawson spoke to Snohomish County's affordable housing issues. The work session highlighted the need for infrastructure investment and tax inducements. While new legislation concerning housing is expected, the Realtors are picking up where they left off last session by seeking to pass SHB 1727, which was placed on the House 3rd reading calendar January 15th. SHB 1727, in part, requires the land use element of all GMA jurisdictions to demonstrate sufficient quantity of land needed for residential, commercial, industrial and non-residential projections. APA Washington is currently formulating a response to a new version of SHB 1727, which was released just prior to session.
LOOKING FOR POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR THE POSITION OF PRESIDENT-ELECT The Chapter's Nominating Committee is looking for potential candidates to run for the position of President-Elect for the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association. The position is a four-year commitment to the Chapter beginning in July 2008 as the successful candidate will serve on the Board for four years - one as President-Elect; two as Chapter President; and a fourth year as Immediate Past President. This is a great opportunity for those who want to get directly involved in chapter activities and play a significant role in the direction the Chapter heads over the next several years. The Washington Chapter's Nominating Committee members are:
If you are interested or know someone who would be a good candidate, please contact one of the Nominating Committee members so they may provide more specifics as to the roles and responsibilities of the President-Elect/President. The deadline for nominations (including a statement of interest and photograph) is March 7, so don't delay! LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE REPORT In preparation for the start of the 2008 Legislative Session scheduled for January 14, the Chapter's 2007-2008 Legislative Committee began its session work program with the first phone conference meeting on Thursday, January 10 at noon with 18 participants on the call. Chapter Lobbyist Michael Shaw provided an update on the main legislative items that will require our work as well as highlighting some of the task force meetings and committee meetings he will attend. As noted in his article in this newsletter, two areas of focus are climate change and housing. All bills that did not pass from the 2007 Session are being re-introduced, and we will review those bills along with any amendments and our prior position statements as we formulate comments for the 2008 Session. New bills will be highlighted by Michael Shaw for assignment to our committee members for review, with decisions on positions formulated by the committee. Members have access to a bill tracking system set up by Michael, and we are also testing two of the processes that our subcommittees are developing for sponsoring and reviewing/tracking bills, as noted below. In addition Michael is providing us with weekly schedules of hearings and meetings of the legislature as well as a list of the significant issues for our attention. Both the Proactive and the Bill Review subcommittees are finalizing drafts of their documents describing systems to make our work more efficient and effective. The Proactive Subcommittee, with Ivan Miller as the document contact person, has a process that is being tested by members of the committee. The Bill Review Subcommittee, with Yorik Stevens-Wajda as the document contact person, is in the process of testing 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 an Access data base. The 2008 weekly Thursday noon phone conferences will continue with email updates to the committee members. Any chapter 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. CONTINUING EDUCATION OPPORTUNTIES What's New?
With the 2007 Nobel Prize going to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we are hearing more and more about climate change issues. While some cities (Seattle among them) are leaders in this effort, many other cities are just beginning to address this issue. Effective planning for sustainable communities will require a multi-disciplinary response spanning architecture, landscape architecture, biological sciences, engineering, law, and urban planning. The University of Washington has been a leader in this effort from a scientific standpoint; now we want to get urban planners involved. During Spring Quarter (April to mid-June) the Department of Urban Design and Planning will be sponsoring a new course for graduate and undergraduate students called, "Planning for Sustainable Communities." A unique feature of this course is a speaker's series presenting the hands-on work of local planners as they deal with sustainability issues for their community. With support from APA we are opening that speaker's series to AICP members and offering continuing education credit. This is a new venture for all involved and many of the details are still being worked out. We will be distributing more information through the listserve. If you are interested, contact Jill Sterrett at jill.sterrett@gmail.com. What else is happening?
Keep watching for more information on the survey and on the speaker's series! If you have questions – or want to help – contact the Continuing Education co-chairs Deborah Munkberg at: dmunkberg@jsanet.com or Judy Fani at: Jfani@seattlehousing.org. 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.
JD WHITE, A DIVISION OF BERGER/ABAM ENGINEERS INC., HIRES BRIAN CARRICO
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 May. The deadline for submittals will be in March. 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. Honorable Mention Award – Transportation
The Aurora Multimodal and Interurban Bridges Project is part of the City of Shoreline's plan to redesign 3 miles of Aurora Avenue North through Shoreline. Shoreline's section of Highway 99 carries 45,000 vehicles per day, is a major transit route, and was one of the community's highest priorities for improvement when the City incorporated in 1995. CH2M HILL was selected by the City to assist them in developing a new multimodal corridor design for a 1-mile portion of the urban arterial. Because the community had concerns regarding how the corridor would be improved, the City had a heavy emphasis on community participation. A context-sensitive solutions planning process was used to deliver a preferred alternative that would have public support and constructability. Using the context-sensitive design approach also ensured the coordination with numerous stakeholder groups, as well as environmental compliance. The project included intersection capacity improvements, transit lanes, two new pedestrian/bicycle bridges, sidewalks, access management treatments, utility undergrounding, landscaping, public art, illumination, and stormwater management features. The first mile of Aurora Avenue and Interurban Bridges were recently opened in a ribbon cutting ceremony on June 16, 2007. The project has received the Best Practices Award from the Institute of Transportation Engineers Transportation Planning Council; the Washington Quality and National Quality Awards from the American Public Works Association; and the National Globe Award from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. All of these awards recognized this project's use of a context-sensitive solutions approach to developing the design.
Honorable Mention Award – Rural/Small Town Planning
Project summary
Project significance
The original HBD South committee completed the plan in 1997 based on design-development strategies that incorporated a neo-traditional village planning approach to street and pedestrian areas combined with contemporary Dutch design concepts for "woonerf" parking/pedestrian area courtyards and park/open space configurations. The plan concept created a hillclimb corridor between HBD South and the Nooksack River to complement the proposed corridor between the HBD and new library and city hall complex located at the north end of 4th Street. Mixed-use structures were located along the hillclimb corridor to access townhouse, duplex, single family, and carriage Dutch-themed housing units located along the hillside. Illustrative site plans, design guidelines, and project feasibility studies were completed for the redevelopment of the existing historic fire station/city hall building for a coffee house, brewery and party facility, and public meeting room. The design schemes also created concepts for reusing the adjacent parking lot and Judson Alleyway as a pedestrian space accessing the rear properties for mixed-use development. The final plan was well received in 1997 by the Planning Commission, but not adopted as a sub-area element of the city's comprehensive plan because Planning Commissioners thought the concepts were too bold. Even though the 1997 plan was not adopted, the plan's proposals were implemented nonetheless. Therefore, in 2007, as a result of cumulative implementing public and private developments and at the urging of private property owners and the public, the HBD South plan was updated and unanimously adopted by the Planning Commission and City Council. In addition and in response to HBD development activities, another committee was convened in 2006 that developed a supplemental HBD Streetscape Plan governing streetscape improvements that will implement the HBD South design concepts throughout the district. Implementation
The committee and charrette approaches created consensus and momentum on some bold urban design concepts that guided public and private development decisions over a 10 year period even though the initial plan document was not codified. The original plan's relevance and importance were such that public and private participants implemented its policies and proposals and ultimately succeeded in having the plan adopted and made to govern present and future decisions in a more formalized fashion. To this end, the approach is a model for public participatory planning that could be utilized by other cities seeking to resolve important urban design and redevelopment issues in a manner that produces consensus, momentum, and real project results. In addition, the plan illustrates how new, innovative design concepts can compliment, build upon, and enhance an historic business district in a manner that generates broad public and private support. The following public improvements have been accomplished since the initial HBD South plan was completed in 1997 and the update formally adopted in 2007:
2008 REGIONAL PLANNERS' FORUMS SCHEDULE These Regional Planners' Forums provide an opportunity for planners, planning commissioners and elected officials to talk informally about local issues, share ideas, and receive updates from state and federal agencies whose work impacts land use. These are preliminary dates, and some are subject to change. For more information, contact the people listed below affiliated with each Forum. Eastern Washington
All Forums are held in Moses Lake at Big Bend Community College, in the ATEC Building:
Northwest Washington
Forums are held either in Mount Vernon or Bellingham:
Olympic Peninsula
Forums alternate between Northerly and Southerly Olympic Peninsula locations:
Southwest Washington
Forums move among several locations:
Forums are sponsored by the Washington State Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA), the Planning Association of Washington (PAW), and Washington State Department or Community Trade and Economic Development (CTED).
APA AUDIO CONFERENCE CTED's Growth Management Services will be hosting the APA audio conference “Mastering Density” at Federal Way City Hall Council Chambers at 33325 8th Avenue South in Federal Way on February 13 from 1:00-2:30. This event is co-sponsored by the Puget Sound Section of the Washington Chapter of APA. Density, long a goal of planning, can still be a hard sell in some communities. In this program, presenters demonstrate how to achieve density through design, as well as how to understand the economics of density. Learn how density works with transportation and ultimately affects sustainability. Examine density's effects and benefits. Gain ideas on how to present the concept of density to achieve critical buy-in. The audio conference provides 1.5 AICP Certification Maintenance credits. www.planning.org/cm/ RSVP to annef@cted.wa.gov, 360-725-3064. GRANT APPLICATION WORKSHOP The State of Washington soon will be accepting applications for grants to build parks, protect farms and wildlife habitat, and provide places for a host of outdoor activities. Now is the time to learn about these grant programs and the grant application process. The Recreation and Conservation Funding Board, formerly the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation, manages nine grant programs that fund building parks, trails, boating facilities, and firearm shooting ranges, and protecting wildlife habitat. The Recreation and Conservation Funding Board is one of the largest funders of local parks. This year, the board is offering the following types of grants:
Workshops for people interested in applying for grants will be held February 5-6 in Mount Vernon, Spokane, Tukwila, and Yakima. To sign up for a workshop or learn more about these grant programs, visit the website: http://www.rco.wa.gov. Some of the grant programs are offered only once every two years. Now is the time to learn how to best develop your proposals for successful consideration by the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board. Applications for grants are due May 1.
APA AND AICP NATIONAL ELECTION 2008 The APA and AICP Nominating Committees met in November 2007 to slate pairs of candidates for each position on the ballot in the 2008 election. Information about the candidates and their statements can be found at www.planning.org/elections/. Note that you must first login to view the statements. This year, for the first time, APA and AICP voting will occur by electronic ballot. For members with a valid e-mail address, voting will take place online. Paper ballots will be mailed to members without an e-mail address, and those members will also have the option to vote online. Ballots will be available online March 10, 2008, and mailed to members without a valid e-mail address. The deadline for receipt of ballots online or by mail is 5 p.m. on April 10, 2008. The election results will be announced at the APA Annual Meeting on April 30, 2008, at the National Planning Conference in Las Vegas. APA Board positions to be voted on are president-elect; two directors-at-large (one focused for a minority member); and directors elected from regions II, III, and IV. AICP Commission positions to be filled are president-elect (voted on by all APA members) and commissioners elected from regions II, III and IV. Regional seats are elected by APA and AICP members in the region. Washington is in region V, so we won't be voting for regional directors and commissioners this year. APA ADVANCE Looking for CM credits or training for your staff or yourself? Check APA's online calendar APA Advance. This interactive tool allows you to pick a month, list of events eligible for CM credit, even search by location, topic or keyword. Check it out at www.planning.org/calendar/.
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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
VANCOUVER, WA (January 2, 2008) – Brian Carrico has joined JD White, the Vancouver division of BERGER/ABAM Engineers Inc., as a Senior Planner. Carrico works on long-range and current planning projects, as well as environmental reports and studies. Brian has extensive experience in public sector planning and private sector project design and management, as well as a strong background evaluating land use criteria and interpreting zoning codes and ordinances. He most recently served as the Community Development Director for the City of Battle Ground, where he managed all aspects of development services, including the building and long-range planning programs. Before his service in Battle Ground, Carrico was a planning consultant in Cle Elum and worked as a planner for that city as well as for Yakima County and Clark County.
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