Gig Harbor council considers more land-use reforms as building moratorium continues

With a building moratorium still in effect, the Gig Harbor City Council on Monday continued to discuss potential amendments to the land-use section of the municipal code.

The council passed a first round of amendments May 29.

The second round of amendments, the last round to be initiated within the time frame of the six-month moratorium, included:

• A section that would remove wetland buffers, streams, stream buffers, ravine buffers and bluff buffers from the city’s “net buildable area” density calculations.
• A section to change R-1 density range to 0-4 dwelling units per acre, change R-2 density range to 0-6 dwelling units per acre and to change RB-1, WR, WM and WC density range to 0-3 units per acre.
• A section that would require short plats to have a 15-percent tree retention.
• A section that would require subdivisions to have guest parking, with one stall per for units.

A proposed ordinance to be created by city staff will be considered by the council July 9.

Gig Harbor Planning Director Jennifer Kester said adoption of the final ordinance could occur during the July 23 meeting. The moratorium expires on August 12, so the July 23 meeting is the last council meeting within the moratorium time frame.

The council discussed the amendments regarding critical areas and buffers at length.

Kester told the council the “net buildable area” is how the city calculates the number of dwelling units allowed on any project.

“Specific areas are removed from a gross acreage to get that net buildable area,” Kester said.

Areas that are already removed, according to city code, include wetlands, ravine sidewalls and bluffs. The council considered removing wetland buffers, streams, stream buffers, ravine buffers and bluff buffers, all of which are defined as “unbuildable.”

The council was in agreement to have staff move forward with an ordinance to remove wetland buffers, streams, stream buffers, ravine buffers and bluff buffers, all of which are defined as “unbuildable.”

Changes in density

The council then considered changes to density ranges. Those proposals included:

• In R-1, from 0-4 dwelling units per acre to 0-3 dwelling units per acre.
• In R-2, from 4 -6 dwelling units per acre to 0-6 dwelling units per acre.
• In RB-1, WR, WM and WC, from their 0-4 dwelling units per acre requirement to 0-3 dwelling units per acre.

“The planning commission recommended reducing the minimums in these zones but felt that making reductions in the maximum at this point would be premature,” Kester told the council.

After much debate and discussion, the council voted 5-2 to have the staff create an ordinance to change the following density ranges:

• In R-1, 0-4 dwelling units per acre.
• In R-2, 0-6 dwelling units per acre.
• In RB-1, WR, WM and WC, 0-3 units per acre.

Trees, parking

The option presented was to create an ordinance that would require short plats to have a 25-percent tree retention and to require short plats to have a 25-foot perimeter buffer. After half an hour of back and forth, the council voted 4-3 to have staff create an ordinance that would require short plats to have a 15-percent tree retention.

Regarding parking, the proposal was to have one parking stall per four dwelling units. Guest stalls could be installed in a parking lot or on the street. The council voted unanimously to approve the proposal and to have staff create an ordinance regarding required parking for subdivisions.

This story was originally published June 14, 2018 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Gig Harbor council considers more land-use reforms as building moratorium continues."