News from Snohomish County Council

Vulnerable adults living in nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and adult family homes throughout Snohomish County are in need of community help.

More than 2,500 such residents lack volunteer ombudsmen, who serve as advocates, educators, investigators and problem solvers on their behalf. Volunteer ombudsmen come from all walks of life, various age groups and educational levels. The common thread is a passion for older adults and persons with disabilities.

The Snohomish County Long Term Care Ombudsman Program will offer a free, four-day training session on Feb. 17, 18, 24 and 25 for new volunteer ombudsmen. Once certified, volunteers are asked to spend an average of four hours a week on their ombudsman duties. Expenses such as mileage are reimbursable.

The Snohomish County Long Term Care Ombudsman Program is part of a statewide program that protects residents and works with residents and their families to achieve high-quality and compassionate care.

Applications for the training program are available by contacting Michal Glauner at 425-388-7393 or michal.glauner@snoco.org. Applications for the February training program must be received in the office by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3.

Making Development More Neighborhood Friendly

The Snohomish County Council took action last week to adopt groundbreaking regulations that will improve the design and appearance of developments in many urban areas within the county. The effort was spearheaded by Councilmember Dave Gossett.

"With this vote we will be able to continue to provide affordable housing while reducing the impact on existing neighborhoods and the environment," said Gossett, whose district includes many of the areas that will be impacted by the new regulations.

The new urban residential design standards will affect all residential development in unincorporated urban areas of the county. The new standards do not affect development in rural or unincorporated areas.

"Avoiding clearcuts was one of the major concerns of people in the neighborhoods," said Gossett. "These regulations require tree retention and replacement."

Council developed a menu of design elements that developers can choose from to improve the appearance of residential developments. Additional open space and buffering requirements are also required.

Over a period of two years representatives from the County Council, Planning Commission, and County Planning Department worked with neighborhood groups and other stakeholders to develop the regulations.

"I want to thank everyone who worked so hard on this," said Gossett. "Without the hard work of the staff and all the stakeholders these changes couldn't have been made."

Summary of the new regulations:

New height regulations to reduce impact of development on existing homes
Incentives for using low impact development techniques to reduce runoff
Regulations for compatibility with neighborhoods
An extensive menu of optional design elements to improve the variety and appearance of new homes
Requirements to reduce the visual impact of garages
Standards for walkways, parking configuration, and lighting for apartments, townhouses and condominiums
Requirements for recreational open space in large developments
New requirements for landscaping, including tree retention and replacement
Requirements for most utilities to be located underground
Flexibility for autocourts, alleys and other ways to provide for walking and driving through developments
Enhanced provisions for transit facilities
Improved requirements for off-street parking
Limiting townhouse density to 9 dwelling units per acre
New regulations for cottage housing and other innovative developments

The new regulations will take effect in late March 2009.

I hope you found this eNEWSLETTER informative and useful. You can make it even more valuable by suggesting topics and issues for future newsletters. Please contact me at 425-388-3494, or e-mail Dave.Gossett@snoco.org. If you would like to share this newsletter, select the Forward email link below.

Sincerely,

Dave Gossett
Snohomish County Council