Multiple Residential Zoning Changes Delayed

Planning Director Clay White informed the Council at Tuesday's Planning Committee that he wanted to delay moving forward with proposed changes to the zoning code regarding multiple residential properties. Several weeks ago the department had presented a proposal to the Council that would double densities, increase building heights, and increase lot coverage.

"I'm pleased to see that the department is taking more time on this issue," said Councilmember Dave Gossett. "When it was presented to the Council I and other members identified a number of key concerns."

One of those concerns was the need to incorporate Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) into the code change. TDR is a process used in many parts of the country to preserve rural and agricultural lands. Development rights on rural land are purchased, preserving the rural use in perpetuity. Those development rights are then applied to urban land allowing increased density.

"TDR is a great tool for preserving rural lands at no cost to the taxpayer," noted Gossett. "If the county is looking at changes to the zoning code to increase density it only makes sense to use TDR."

Director White told the Planning Committee that the TDR policies are not yet ready. He indicated that the zoning changes would wait until the TDR policies were complete.

Other concerns have also been raised by the Council including:

• The broadness of the proposal, which would apply to all property designated Multiple-Residential, Neighborhood Business, Planned Community Business, Community Business, or General Commercial
• Traffic impacts, particularly along 164^th, which had already been declared at "ultimate capacity"
• Insuring that adequate public notice is given

"The goal of the proposal is to encourage the use of transit," said Gossett, "which I strongly support. We need to make sure that we do it right, without creating new, unintended problems."

Evergreen State Fairgrounds Had Record Year

The Council was told this week during a financial briefing that the 2011Evergreen State Fairbeat the all-time revenue record set in 2007. The Fair draws the biggest crowds of any event in Snohomish County.

"The county has run the fair as a financially self-sustaining event for years," said Councilmember Dave Gossett. "In 2011 it had a $597,011 operating surplus."

On-site gate admission and parking this year generated nearly $1.4 million. That's $19,644 more than the previous record in 2007, an increase of about 1.4 percent.

The Evergreen State Fair generates more than 70 percent of the annual fairgrounds revenue. In recent years emphasis has also been put on generating revenues in the off-season. The fairgrounds hosts 4-H programs, horse shows, swap meets, kickboxing matches, quilters' shows, and many other events. The Evergreen Speedway racetrack is also popular.

"The fairgrounds is a major economic driver," said Gossett. "It contributes about $40,000,000 a year to the local economy. And like any business, you need to invest if you want to continue to grow and be profitable."

Since 2009, visitors have paid a 5 percent admissions tax on top of the ticket price. That money is used for capital improvements at the fairgrounds.

Improvements to the Evergreen Speedway racetrack were made for last year's fair and there is talk of setting up a BMX track. A new $3.4 million multipurpose building (the Evergreen Event Center) was opened last year. It provides a quality venue for trade shows and other events.

"The county had been interested in building a new multipurpose building for years but the funding just wasn't available," said Gossett. "We were able to use the Build America Bonds from the economic stimulus package to lower the interest rate and make it affordable."

The Evergreen Event Center has been a great success, earning enough to not only fund the debt service but create a future reserve.

"I want to thank the staff and Fair Board for all their hard work," said Gossett. "The Evergreen State Fairgrounds is truly one of Snohomish County's treasures."