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CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, Copy editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

Moratorium limiting development extended

By Amy Daybert
Enterprise editor

A moratorium limiting development in residential zones will continue for an additional six months, Shoreline City Council members decided Oct. 13 during a business meeting.

Originally adopted on May 12, an ordinance set a six-month moratorium on development permit applications for more than 110 dwelling units per acre (R-110) within residential zones. Without the adoption of a new ordinance to extend the moratorium, the moratorium would have expired on Nov. 12. The new ordinance extends the moratorium until May 12, 2009.

City staff and the planning commission expected to have sufficient time to propose a formal code amendment to the council when the moratorium was adopted, according to senior city planner Steve Cohn. But council direction to conduct long-range visioning meetings to update the city's Comprehensive Plan delayed the process, he said.

"At that point in time we expected the time would allow staff and the Planning Commission to act on this," Cohn said.

Resident LaNita Wacker asked council members to let the moratorium expire.

"I opposed the moratorium to begin with and I believe you should let it die right now," she said during the public hearing Oct. 13. "We have a sign on the city, 'investors stay away we don't want you in our city' … if you are really serious about economic development, you will let this moratorium die."

Moratoriums are meant to be used in emergency cases, Councilman Ron Hansen said, and therefore, the situation does not warrant an extension.

"I don't believe there is an emergency," he said. "Based on the present economic climate, I think it'll be months before anybody can bring in a completed application (for development) … I wasn't too wild about the moratorium in its initial form but I think it's been the council dragging its feet to stretch this out."

Councilman Chris Eggen said the moratorium is not something he wants to see continue but that he believes it needs to be in place while the city's visioning process is underway.

"I would urge us to achieve this consensus as quickly as possible and achieve the code revisions the citizens want us to put in place as soon as possible and take this (moratorium) off the books," Egger said.

The ordinance to extend the moratorium was passed 4-3 by councilmembers Eggen, Terry Scott and Janet Way and Mayor Cindy Ryu.

"Fortunately I like having such a compact city," Ryu said. "We do have single family residences as well as multi-family residences right next to our commercial areas and so I think it's better for us to take the time doing a good job planning rather than just letting development happen without addressing what the community wishes to happen."

Hansen argued against the mayor's argument.

"By not allowing the density to go into the commercial areas and the high density areas, you are forcing the construction into the neighborhoods and thereby changing the character of the neighborhoods," he said. "You're encouraging developers to move into the neighborhoods rather than move into the high density areas where I would prefer they be."