Commercial Kitchen Project Update
Glen Horton, Parks and Recreation Director gave an update to the City Council on the Cities Commercial Kitchen Construction Project.
Horton noted that the project costs have increased significantly. “Construction and plumbing costs have gone up 40% based upon our building conditions and labor went up 15% due to needing to pay prevailing wage.”
The revised estimate from the project is $418,231.09 vs the budget of $305,000. The original $305,000 is the last of the cities ARPA funds received from the Federal Government due to COVID Relief.
Mayor Cooper, highlighted the vision for the commercial / test Kitchen is to help bolster economic development and bring in new revenue. “We have received interest from food trucks and restaurant owners in utilizing this facility. The Farmers market expressed interest in Food Prep and Food Preservation Classes. We also have an agreement from Avista in cases of PSPS outages that this is the place we can prepare meals for people. We can also use this as a place to keep people warm in inclement weather.”
Councilmember Tony Hardbolt, asked about the current status is “how far along is the project,?” Mr Horton reported that the area is currently demolished and has spent $64,684 of the current $305,000 budget.
Councilmember Pritchard asked where the additional money would come from. Mayor Cooper noted that her proposal is to use the Cities reserves to cover the additional $118,231.09
City Finance Director Koss Ronholt, added “the projection is that the city will have around $1,000,000 in reserves at the end of the year.”
Mayor Cooper, advocated for the council to approve the additional funds. “The more we delay, costs will only continue to go up”
Councilmember Keli Shaffer expressed interest in moving forward but getting a fixed cost contract to get the project completed.
The Council unanimously provided consensus to move forward and bring back a contract to complete the project utilizing the cities reserves.
Parks and Rec Vehicle Equipment Needs Update
The City Council included $75,000 for a new Parks and Rec Vehicle in the 2025 budget. Glen Horton, Parks and Recreation Director brought forward a request to change the allocation from purchasing a truck for parks maintenance to purchasing a UTV as well as a towable boom lift.
Noting the costs as “Kubota UTV is approximately $33,000 and the Genie Lift $34,070 – $38,447.19,” said Horton. “The pull behind boom lift, is more of a priority with the addition of the Flower Baskets and street lighting along Lefevre Street.”
The proposed change in equipment would spend $65,000 of the $75,000 budget and is expected to save the city money in the long run.
“Currently we have to call the County every time we need to change a light or banner,” explained Horton citing the expense for calling the County or renting equipment to perform maintenance activities.
Accessory Dwelling Units Requirements Changes
City Planner Elisa Rodriguez advised council that “Due to the significance and the number of [state] legislative changes that must be addressed in the upcoming amendments to the municipal code, workshops will be scheduled throughout the next 12 months.”
The first of which was focused on the changes around Accessory Dwelling Units or ADUs. Ms Rodriguez shared “The Washington State Legislature passed House Bill 1337, to address affordable housing and the state’s growing housing crisis.”
“While our current code does not allow accessory dwelling units,” added Rodriguez “Not only are cities mandated to allow ADUs, but there are several standards that must be adhered to.”
The states definition of an accessory dwelling unit is a dwelling unit located on the same lot as a single family housing unit, duplex, triplex, townhome or other housing unit. With the distinction of a dwelling unit being based upon the number of kitchens or specifically the number of ranges within a structure noted Rodriguez.
The main requirement under the new state law states that every jurisdiction “must allow 2 accessory dwelling units per lot in our single family zones” said Rodriguez.
Mayor Cooper asked how that would impact the cities current regulations around the maximum lot coverage (the maximum percentage of a lot that is allowed to be covered in by structures).
City Planner Rodriguez responded that the city will have to evaluate and consider changes to the lot coverage specifications in order accommodate the additional dwelling units. “Our single family zone limits building coverage to 35%, if we knew that lets say in Fox Hollow that the lots are typically already close to the 35% coverage limit we will need to find a middle ground to allow accessory dwelling units.”
Mayor Cooper noted that this new requirement will complicate the cities building codes “how do we provide separate infrastructure such as sewer, water, electricity, and how do we address them.”
It was highlighted that even though the state is requiring the city to allow accessory dwelling units, it is up to the landowner to determine if this is something they want to do.
Ms. Rodriguez noted that “While people can rent ADUs to strangers but more often people are renting to family members or friends who are looking for a smaller housing opportunity.”
Councilmember Pritchard asked “how does this impact people buying houses and using them for air-b and b’s, now everyone has three air-b and b’s?”
“We don’t currently have a short term rental regulations, but will be something that we consider,” responded Rodriguez.
Other requirements approved by the state legislature around the accessory dwelling units that the city must include: Cannot require owner occupancy, with some exceptions around short term rentals; must allow separate sale of ADU’s, cannot require more than one parking space on a lot smaller than 6,000 square feet and cannot require more than two parking spaces on lots 6,000 square feet or larger; must allow a maximum unit size of 1,000 square, must allow zero setbacks adjacent to alleys, cannot have design standards that are more restrictive than what is required for the main residence; must allow ADU’s to be at least 24 feet in high (which could be higher than the house), impact fees must be no more than 50% of the fee of the principal unit, cannot require street improvements as part of permit.
The deadline for compliance with this state law is December of 2026.
Mayor Cooper added “we need to prepare ourselves for how we can accommodate these changes but I don’t foresee a large demand for these types of units.”
In Brief
Approved the revised interlocal agreement with Spokane County adding the Spokane Tribe of Indians and the Kalispel Tribe of Indians to the Steering Committee of Elected Officials’ membership and voting structure.
After reviewing four different software packages, the City Council approved a service agreement with Pagefreezer for social media and website archive services. The agreement included $800 of one-time costs for configuration and training and an annual recurring cost of $5,844
Council approved a one year contract renewal with Gordon Thomas Honeywell Government Relations for state lobbying and advocacy activities. The contract had no escalation from the previous year and totaled $36,000 plus travel expenses associated with visiting the City of Medical Lake.
