11/01/2023
Retaining our Small Town Character, Bright Spots and Challenges for our Future. My goals and preferences are the following:
Supporting design standards that reflect our small town character. I have supported design standards for light industrial and commercial off the CBD. As long as a building conforms to the basics of the municipal code, almost anything could be built. This will be a goal to fix quickly in the coming year.
I am reluctant to support Mixed Use buildings like the Pulte 85 degrees development. I would rather commercial, retail, or light industrial retail front Tolt Avenue and higher density be placed behind it. I’m not a fan of how Pulte looks and I think Mixed use is more appropriate and viable in high density areas like Redmond, Bellevue, etc. I think the high cost of these units will make them a struggle to fill over dedicated retail spaces on the CBD.
Lets bring in businesses that are unique and/or themed to our valley whenever possible. I would like to see a mix of retail and some manufacturing to help provide more daytime employment in the city. I do not support large chain businesses like Rite Aids, etc. I want to have high standards for building that remind us of the valley we live in. This includes extending general design standards to any new residential units in the city, including short plats, etc.
Seeing some mix of smaller more affordable units just off the CBD. In talking with many different employees at our restaurants and local businesses, many must commute from elsewhere because it is too expensive to live here. I spoke to one employee who does live here that can barely make ends meet because her rent is so high She pays several thousand dollars a month. We need to work to provide some mix of housing that is more affordable.
Supporting diversified housing options and a base of employment beyond retail/service jobs, Government, and School employment would go a long way to making us more sustainable. The more shopping and work that can be performed in our community, the more we can reduce traffic and unnecessary car trips to retail in the core cities. This will help us to reduce our carbon footprint and keep tax dollars in the city to improve our city and human infrastructure.
Bright Spots for Carnation:
The Levy Setback and revetment removal projects underway will provide a tremendous benefit to our city. In addition to providing benefits for salmon and habitat restoration, they have provided some of the most beautiful walking trails in King County. Levee setbacks also provide a massive benefit for flood mitigation as well, which reduces road floating and insurance costs for those in flood zones. These projects are providing huge benefits up and down the valley.
Large area around the city to work with to plant trees and increase habitat protection.
The two rivers bordering our city provide us with lots of opportunity for funding and a larger voice for habitat restoration and protection. There are plenty of opportunities in the city for tree planting. We still have a fair number of larger lots. A committed group of individuals in our community willing to put in the work to realize a greener Carnation.
Longer Term Challenges:
The lack of housing stock and cost of housing in the region will cause further densification in Snoqualmie Valley Cities, even with aggressive limits on residential building. The continued failure of the City of Seattle and the state in addressing housing and quality of life issues will continue to cause an influx of population to the East Side. There is a desire to live in the Snoqualmie valley due to its natural beauty. While we have little room for a large amount of additional residential building, densification will still find its way to us. The tremendous increase in valuation of houses in the Snoqualmie Valley will make it extremely challenging for any type of middle housing and for those without high incomes in tech or other similar industries to age in place here. This will cause people to either move or seek additional income to offset property taxes and cost of living. This will result in the following:
Short Plats - Existing lots will be further subdivided to create smaller, more densely packed units.
HB1110 was recently passed to encourage more middle housing with densification. HB1110 is limited to cities of 25,000 or larger. I would expect that number to continue to be revised down in the long term. It is certainly not an immediate threat for densification in Carnation, but it could be in the next couple of decades. As large Eastside Cities continue to aggressively densify and grow, the influence of smaller towns such as Carnation will be decreased
ADU’s - Laws recently passed by the state allow up to two ADU’s per lot regardless of local zoning laws. Moving a family or couple into an ADU isn’t really any different then adding another house to Carnation. (EHB 1337)
Individuals renting out rooms or adding additions to their houses to create more revenue.
Other future state and county laws designed around cracking local zoning laws that slow densification. These laws are constantly being proposed as King County and the state come under enormous pressure to provide affordable housing and prevent the San Francisco Bay Area Effect (Lack of housing driving costs up and squeezing out middle and lower income home ownership). Expect more laws that take bites out of anti density zoning and HOA’s to pave the way for more density. Groups like the Association of Washington Cities, Sound Valley Association, and Snoqualmie Valley Government Association are the best advocates for this.
