Meeting Summary Lake Stevens Downtown Subarea Plan & EIS Planned Action Ordinance
Stakeholder/Committee Meetings & Community Meeting #3 January 25, 2017
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The third of the Lake Stevens Downtown Subarea Plan committees/stakeholders meetings and Community Meeting #3 was held on January 25, 2017 in Lake Stevens. During that period, the consultants presided over a total of 6 one-onone and group meetings with the Executive Committee, Citizen Advisory Committee, and key stakeholder groups at the Community Center located at 1808 Main Street, Lake Stevens, Washington. The Community Meeting #3 was from 6:00 pm-7:30 pm at the Community Center and attended by over 60 community members.
Meetings and Workshop Purpose The purpose of the meetings and workshop was to: Review Study Purpose and Previous Meeting Summaries
Project Process &Schedule
Present Fundamental Concepts and Additional Refinements Review Next Steps Receive Public Comments and Fill Out Public Response Sheets Each meeting began with the consultants presentation of the project purpose process and schedule (shown above right); summary of Community Meeting #1 & #2; review of the fundamental concepts and introduction of additional refinements for review and comment. Following the presentation, attendees discussed the fundamental concepts and additional refinement elements during a question and answer session and completed individual response sheets. Written response sheets were provided to all with the purpose of identifying individual preferences for the additional refinements. The following pages include: The Fundamental Concepts
Fundamental Concepts
Response Sheet Tally from the January 25 Meetings Meetings and Response Sheet Comments
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Fundamental Concept The following project goals were identified as a result of input gathered from community surveys, stakeholder interviews, meetings with the Executive Committee/Citizen Advisory Committee and 80 response sheets collected during Community Meeting #1 on September 7, 2016. These project goals are used as a touchstone for the creation of land use and circulation concepts and are used to evaluate concepts and refinements throughout the project. The project goals are as follows:
Land Use Ensure Downtown is a Vibrant Destination Increase Visibility, Use & Access to the Lake Preserve & Enhance Creeks/Wetland Areas Create a Public Gathering Space/Plaza Provide for Civic Uses Downtown Provide Adequate Parking for Businesses/Public Areas Circulation Enhance the Street Environment & Encourage Walking Improve Access to Centennial Trail Improve Road Connections & Vehicular Access to Downtown The following fundamental concepts represent the essential plan elements that will set the stage for downtown revitalization and redevelopment. The fundamental concepts include:
1) North Cove Park Expansion — enlarging the existing park allows for the opportunity to expand views to the lake from Main Street thereby increasing visibility, use and access to the lake, providing an opportunity for a public gathering space and plaza, and the ability to accommodate a variety of daily and community wide events. Expansion would occur on city owned property and possible acquisition of adjacent private parcels.
2) Retail Street Improvements— to ensure downtown is a vibrant destination and streets are enhanced to encourage walking and biking, Main Street is proposed to be widened 23’ along the west side of the street. The widening will incorporate a wide sidewalk and bi-directional protected bikeway. Additional improvements include adding curbside parking, widening sidewalks on the east side of the street, adding pedestrian scaled street lighting, landscaping and street furniture.
3) Main Street Retail Destination— with the relocation of the library and museum, publicly owned land could be made available for redevelopment. The proposal is for new retail and office development as a complement to the Main Street Center. This new retail development would incorporate storefronts oriented to Main Street and North Cove Park and provide an opportunity to activate the park and add additional retail uses to ensure downtown is a vibrant retail destination.
4) Regional Attractor— with the relocation of the library to the west side of the lake there is a community desire to provide for and preserve civic uses downtown. A community center/conference facility is proposed for a site south of North Cove Park and adjacent to the boat launch parking lot. The facility would include senior and family activity areas, multi-purpose rooms, meeting rooms, assembly/banquet room, restrooms and a kitchen. The site consists of two publicly owned parcels and would require the acquisition of a single private parcel.
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5) Municipal Parking— a reserve of public parking is essential to support existing development and encourage new development and redevelopment of existing commercial and retail uses downtown. The existing boat launch and vacant lot behind Jay’s Market are well suited as municipal parking sites due to their proximity to Main Street retail and appropriate size to accommodate adequate parking for businesses and public use areas. Additional potential parking sites are also identified to address demand over time and are strategically located to best serve downtown businesses, public facilities and events.
6) ‘Front Door’ Entry— In an effort to improve road connections and auto, pedestrian and bicycle access into the downtown it is suggested that Grade Road be designated as the primary arterial roadway and a gateway into the downtown. This route affords the opportunity to capitalize on the natural and bucolic character of the existing corridor that includes naturalized woodlands, wetlands and limited development to set the stage for a unique sense of arrival from SR 92. By emphasizing Grade Road as an arterial, the existing 20th Street can be maintained as a two lane local collector route providing continued local access to adjacent neighborhoods between Highway 9 and downtown’s Main Street. Preserving 20th Street as a two lane roadway ensures that traffic impacts to existing neighborhoods can be minimized. In addition enhancements to Grade Road would provide for improved auto, pedestrian and bicycle facilities and a special ‘front door’ entry experience into the downtown. 3
Response Sheet Tally- Additional Refinements Four additional refinements that address parking, downtown access, and future development potential were identified and presented to the community for feedback. A tally of the public response sheets collected indicate a high level of support for a majority of the additional elements that provide for a complete downtown redevelopment framework and supports and enhances the fundamental elements necessary to encourage downtown redevelopment and private investment.
PUBLIC PARKING CONCEPT DESCRIPTION: In an effort to accommodate existing/future development, community events and the boat launch are the potential public parking locations desirable or are other sites or alternative strategies necessary?
‘FRONT DOOR’ ENTRY DESCRIPTION: In an effort to improve access for pedestrians, bikes, and autos and enhance the experience of arriving into the downtown should Grade Road /Main Street be considered as the ‘front door’ entry to downtown?
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NORTH MAIN STREET DEVELOPMENT DESCRIPTION: Do you support mixed-use commercial and multi-family development and a reserve of public parking adjacent to Grade Road and 20th Street?
20TH STREET DEVELOPMENT DESCRIPTION: Do you support mixed-use commercial and multi-family development adjacent to North Cove Park, Main Street and 20th Street?
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Response Sheet Comments
NORTH COVE PARK EXPANSION I love the idea of a larger park, and including the Williams property as a part of it. I love the park ideas and street expansion. Keep some/all trees in North Cove Park. Will there be space in North Cove for a snack bar with possible rental of various water equipment? I really like the idea of expanding the park (lake view) and attempting to revitalize the downtown a bit. Move the swim beach to the area where the three houses are next to North Cove Park. This will take time but it is necessary. It is the last chance for public access to the lake. What about the three homes on the lake between the park and boat ramp? I live close to downtown and I am sad to see the library leave the area. It would be nice to have some sort of library annex option happen. The museum, Grimm House and war memorial are important to this community. I don’t want to live in ‘Kirkland’, Ballard or any other such place. Can the Grimm House really be moved? Keep the museum where it is currently located. It needs to be stand alone and not attached to city hall or a community center. Until a concrete plan is drawn up for relocation/refurbishing of the museum and Grimm House—my vote is for it to remain where it is. Replace the museum with a log house inside the park—also keep the Grimm House. Under your ‘phasing slide’ you have not added the museum to the relocation list. The Grimm House and museum need to be together somewhere in the park.
RETAIL STREET IMPROVEMENTS Biking—will there be some stands to lock/secure bikes? More lighting! Improve access to Centennial Trail instead of putting in unnecessary bike lanes. A two-way bike trail on Main Street isn’t needed. Centennial trail already provides running and walking.
REGIONAL ATTRACTOR (Community Facilities) Boat Launch—will boaters have slips to tie up and shop or eat downtown? Will there be opportunities for a lakeside restaurant? Great ideas! Large park is great as well as Main Street and community conference facilities
PUBLIC PARKING CONCEPT I like the plan for places set aside for parking—including future uses. I think we need it. If we don’t have it, folks won’t be able to come downtown. I believe we need all the parking that is suggested. Parking—have ground floor retail option to make ramp ‘pretty’. I also like the idea of some options for compact density parking so that you can have better dedicated pedestrian walking spaces. Parking—keep it limited. You can’t justify all this parking for short term need. Shuttling for Aquafest is OK. Satellite lots outside downtown are sufficient (build sidewalks) As it stands we do not need all of these parking areas. The current events don’t warrant or justify this. Aquafest alone won’t cut it. 6
Response Sheet Comments (Cont.) Some improvements are fine, but honestly, we have 2 or 3 regattas and a triathlon or two—about 7 days total. Do we really need 319 parking spaces for 7 days of events? Boat trailer parking definitely needs to be addressed. The public parking entry (near boat launch) will be somewhat messy in the summer as boat trailers line the road on 17th Street waiting to launch. Consider auto traffic enter public parking from 18th Street. Do not make the boat parking too far away from the boat ramp.
‘FRONT DOOR’ ENTRY I like the ‘front door’ access. I like the Grade Road ‘front door’ idea. How many homes would need to be purchased? I like the respect for the neighborhoods along 20th Street (i.e. not widening the roadway over time but utilizing Grade Road as the primary arterial roadway) It may not be necessary to add a median of street trees. Seems like a waste. ‘Front Door’—need to consider widening sidewalks and have them continuous Road Design—Please do not put sidewalks against the travel lanes along the ‘front door’ entry road, provide a buffer. What do you mean by ‘controlled access’ on Grade Road? How does this work with only two lanes? ‘Front Door’—Use Hartford and Machias or present a plan (long term) for the area between Grade Road and Machias. Upgrade 20th Street and still build Main Street extension to SR 92. Make 20th Street part of Main Street. A round-a-bout at 20th and Main Street with a ‘welcome to Lake Stevens’ centerpiece. We need a major East/West road.
NORTH MAIN STREET & 20TH STREET DEVELOPMENT We need to reserve some housing for limited income senior citizens. I would like to see more intense housing options to bring more rooftops & wallets into the downtown. More density is desired. North Main Street Development—instead of multi-family housing that goes to 60’, instead develop mixed use with 2 stories of residential above retail/commercial. (I believe this area is zoned CBD commercial so no multi-family is allowed on the ground level)
DEVELOPMENT CHARACTER No single developer—This is completely counterintuitive to developing vibrant communities. Keep small town feel. I was raised in the suburbs of LA—I absolutely love the small town atmosphere of downtown Lake Stevens and hope to keep the feel of our bedroom community in the future. Let’s keep the small town feel in our upgrades (Not opposed to change) Don’t like anymore than 2 story buildings on Main Street and lake. 3 stories OK farther back. Don’t get buildings too big. I want Lake Stevens to be have a small town feel. Keep buildings short. Is there any way to keep ‘wood boardwalk’ incorporated in places as a part of the plan? (I like what surrounds the library—harkens to our lumber mill history) Go to Gig Harbor and see what they have done 7
Response Sheet Comments (Cont.)
NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTIONS I am looking forward to better connections to the Centennial Trail The Centennial Trailhead needs to be connected to downtown. I am strongly in favor of extending a biking and walking trail from Centennial Trail to downtown. Connect Centennial Trail to downtown ASAP.(sidewalks all the way down 16th with bike lanes) I look forward to a walking path around the lake to bring more use of our lake. Thank you!
OTHER I did think that ‘no eminent domain’ was mentioned at the first meeting. I didn’t understand it was only related to three properties. I am not a big fan of eminent domain to make our dream happen. Funding question—can you really get all of this done in such a confined space and within 60’ heights? I am grateful the city listens to citizen input and the Mayor has done an excellent job.
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