Council heard from parties of proposed Garden Senior Village construction

LYNNWOOD-Lynnwood City Council updated its Council Rules in relation to remote public comments, approved the 2024 Finance Committee meeting schedule, unanimously agreed to $45,000 in incentives for council positions of camp and lifeguard, and held a public hearing on a proposed development agreement with Garden Senior Village at their business meeting on February 12.

Public Hearing: Senior Garden Village Development Agreement

Garden Senior Village proposed addition to an existing senior housing complex. A development agreement is required for flexibility on density, height and parking requirements. tea Development agreement (DA) involving the Northwest Housing Preservation Group for a review of the design of the project, is to build a 4-story, 24,600 gross square feet attached addition for 36 new units of senior housing.

The addition will be on the north side of the existing 122-unit building near the east entrance to 64.^th Avenue W. Parking for the site will be reduced from 114 to 106 spaces. All 36 new units will also be subject to the affordable housing agreement of 50% of the County Median Income. Originally new residents would need to qualify for an average income requirement of 60% higher; however, the management company reduced the limit to 50% making the unit more affordable for future residents.

Typically, a Public Hearing is not required in lieu of an administrative approval; However, Karl Almgren, Community Planning Manager for the City of Lynnwood, shared that because the proposed design involves reducing parking requirements, and easing limits on height and density, the council must approve these requirements. to start construction.

Northwest Housing Preservation Group is asking for an increase in the density threshold from 134 to 158 units, an increase in the height limitation from 35 to 41 feet, and reduce the minimum parking requirement from 244 to 106 spaces.

The new building will have an elevator, two laundry rooms, and provide air conditioning during the hot summer months. The fencing at the north end of the property will be moved six feet closer and will be two feet taller, which combined with the preservation of the existing Evergreen trees, will provide privacy to the neighboring homes.

About a dozen Senior Garden Village residents attended, with several concerns about parking, particularly its future availability.

Jim Moreno, Northwest Housing Preservation Group Board President, shared that there are currently 70 vehicles registered to the existing 122-unit property which equates to a vehicle-to-unit ratio of 0.574. The extrapolation of this ratio to the proposed addition of 36 units, would produce a need for 21 parking spaces, equivalent to a total need of 91 spaces (70 from existing + 21 estimated for the new addition) to a request to the city of 106 parking spaces. .

“The City Center standard for the LMC requires 0.50 for a room in Lynnwood and for the elderly it is 0.25, so we ask for this consideration. [in your decision],” Moreno shared with council members.

After construction, which is expected to last a year, a remediation project to replace plumbing in the original building envelope will begin that will last 18 to 24 months. During this phase of the project, residents will be housed temporarily, for four to eight weeks, in the newly constructed 36-unit wing.

Garden Senior Village is in the early stages of pre-construction and is currently in the process of selecting a contractor. After a contractor is chosen, the management company will release more information about the project schedule and the transition plan to residents.

Almgren shared with the council “touch points” in the permitting process that can be used to establish conditions that clarify conditions prior to approval, such as parking mitigation, and communication and meeting requirements. .

“We also have the Certificate of Occupancy to ensure that the specific items are completed,” Almgren shared with the board. “It’s the golden ticket, that’s what allows people to move.”

The board is expected to vote to approve the Development Agreement at its next Business Meeting on February 26, 2024.

Amendments to Board Rules

The rule surrounding Remote Public Comment was temporarily suspended in accordance with Board Rule 1(A) following several instances of “Zoom bombing” and anti-Semitic comments. A new procedure has been created to request registration on the City Council website in contravention of rule 14, now called rules 9 (B.5) (A) and 9 (B.5) (C).

The Council passed unanimously a resolution amend the official Rules document to reflect its Jan. 8 motion that limited remote public comment. Councilman Patrick Decker made the motion which was seconded by Council Vice President Julieta Altamirano-Crosby.

2024 Finance Committee Meeting Calendar

The City Council Rules of Procedure require Council approval of a meeting schedule each year for the City Council Finance Committee. tea proposed resolution it was reviewed by the Finance Committee on January 25.

Finance Committee meetings are open to the public and the formalization of the meeting schedule allows the public to be aware of upcoming meetings. Here is the proposed schedule of meetings:

The motion made by Lynnwood Council President George Hurst, and seconded by Council Vice President Altamirano-Crosby, to adopt the schedule was approved unanimously.

PRCA Hours Incentive Program

The City Council unanimously approved a proposed a resolution of $45,000, proposed by Human Resources and PRCA, in support of a work hour incentive program for field counselor and lifeguard positions. These two specific classifications of part-time work, without benefits, are difficult to keep full of employees. The city claims that an incentive to work overtime is necessary to address the operational needs of the Recreation Division. The motion was made by Council Vice President Altamirano-Crosby and seconded by Councilman David Parshall.

Other City Council business

The City will honor the Life and Legacy of former Lynnwood Council Loren Simmonds and Councilman Joshua Binda read a proclamation for Black History Month.