By Bernie O’Malley, Vashon Mayor 2016
Rural Vashon Town has great charm in its own unique Island way. Yes, rain, shine, chilly, or all of those, just see the hundreds of “visitors” on ordinary Fall and Winter weekends. Five thousand people in September to see Stupid Bikes, 2,500 for October’s CiderFest, 3,000 to see Santa in his Cottage.
Yes, Vashon Town is mostly one-story 1930s–40s buildings. Yes, we’ve seen lovely million-dollar improvements in some buildings. But Kirkland or Leavenworth? Nope! Locals and tourists aren’t asking for bigly 2- and 3-story tall buildings. We like our Quirky, Clunky, Human-sized walkable Town, especially with Locally Grown Stupid Bikes and Eccentrics.
Today, I want to have a conversation with our Elected Councilmember, Teresa Mosqueda. You and your excellent staff are finalizing discussions with your eight Council cohorts and Mr. Constantine. The Comprehensive Plan is up for a final vote in early December. There is a Full Council Public Meeting, November 19th, OverTown on James Street. Who’s coming over there?
Forget about Downtown Seattle parking, ferry cancellations, dark winter roadways. You’ve heard 50% of Island Locals are over 55 years old. We didn’t have laptops or smart phones in high school. We learned tech the hard way, and sometimes not at all. Yes, I’m trash-talking Zoom(TM): all of us little images on our 12-inch screens, trying to talk coherently for 60 seconds, struggling to unmute. Nope! Terrible ideas for the majority of Island constituents.
On October 17th, the KC Council’s team bought a whole page of the Island’s weekly newspaper. The legal and courteous duty was done – laid out in superfine font on slightly grainy newsprint were about 400 decision items for the December Comp Plan vote.
Here it is: “A Deal You Can’t Refuse” (we pray).
3,000+ LOOP readers read my September and October Zoning articles. Now, my neighbors and I have proposals for you. We’ll identify some Positive tasks that will bring rave reviews, but we’ll start with the Negatives, AKA “We Don’t Want Them! No Way!”
Here are the Negatives (using wording from Council’s ads), the “We Don’t Want Them!” items needing your support to legislate CUT-OUTS for Rural Vashon Town:
- “Allowing Micro Shelter Villages (also known as tiny house villages) as a temporary use on Church properties in the RA zone.”
- “Applying minimum density requirements in the Rural Town.”
- Amending dimensional standards for Vashon Rural Town, including height and parking requirements.”
- “Making changes to the sign code relating to historical markers and heritage trails” [for street rights-of-way and private property, in and beyond the Rural Town].
- “Modifying or removing the rural area advisory commission.”
- “Allowing ‘safe parking’ as a permitted use in the NB zone and in Rural Towns as a use; prohibits in the R-1 zone; allows in the R-4 to R-8 zones in the urban area only when on a site with a religious facility, public agency, or social service use and with a conditional use; and allow in the R-12 through R-48, CB, RB, and O zones in the urban area subject to use-specific conditions.”
Here are the Positive Tasks we ask you to focus on in 2025: 500 new Family Housing units in all shapes and sizes.
Work tasks:
- Financial assistance for about $95 million in various loans, grants, gifts, Federal, local.
- Assistance with State and County permit processes.
- Support for Community Land Trusts, contaminated sites remediation, drainage requirements.
- New focus on water engineering plumbing systems to reduce residential consumption.
- Review water availability and planning processes and uses of VMI’s several sole-source aquifers.
- Review incentives for holders of unused water shares to sell shares or portions of re-engineered shares outright.
- Clarify rules and permits on grey and black water discharges into ground, streams, and Sound.
OKAY, that’s the proposal:
Work your legislative magic by the December Vote.
Assemble Staff support of new Family Housing.
Get Rave Reviews from your Island Constituents.
Thanks for listening.
