Smoking Gun

March 2023 email from Blaine City Manager:

Hello ad hoc Downtown Advisory Committee (DAC) members, I am reaching out today to provide updated guidance on how CDS staff will facilitate your meetings, and how that modified facilitation will change the DAC’s upcoming work program. These updates are the result of updated City Council guidance provided to me at the recent Council Retreat concerning the purpose of the DAC.  Please see the following for a synopsis of Council’s guidance; a discussion of a proposed Resolution for Council’s consideration to modify the DACs process and work program; and, the next topics that will be brought to the DAC for review and deliberations.

03/24/23: City Council and Department Head Retreat.  CDS at the City Council retreat presented an Executive Summary of the work completed by the DAC so far, and I requested guidance from the Council on what work product they would like to see coming from the DAC.  The Council concurred with CDSs observation that reaching consensus on proposed code changes and comp plan updates may not be possible.  The Council additionally concurred that they want to leverage the expertise of the Committee, and would still like to see recommendations regarding changes to bulk and dimensional standards in the CBD zones.  Council has authorized me to develop a plan to render recommendations from the Committee.  The next steps in this plan are described in the following bullet points.

Draft Resolution to Council: Parliamentary Procedure and Modified Meeting Schedules.  At the City Councils next meeting on April 10, I will present a draft Resolution and request action from Council to modify the DACs decision-making process, and the number and scope of meetings that they will hold.  I propose to use Parliamentary Procedure (Roberts Rules) to conduct the remaining meetings, and as such decision points will be the result of a majority vote rather than consensus.  I will also propose that the DAC meet three or four more times to forward policy recommendations to the City Council concerning the following:

Reduction in minimum parking requirements.

Increases in building height.

Design guidelines.

Remaining meetings: scope and content.  If the Resolution is approved by Council, I will direct CDS to develop policy recommendations that propose reductions in parking requirements; higher building height limits; and updated design guidelines in the CBD zone.  These recommendations will be reviewed by the DAC at the three to four subsequent meetings.  The DAC will by majority vote determine their recommendations to Council.  CDS will present those recommendations to the City Council, and the Council will provide us guidance on whether the DACs work should be forwarded to the Planning Commission for consideration pursuant to Chapter 17.04 of the BMC.  

Thank you and please don’t hesitate to contact Director Pratschner or me with any questions. Council and I appreciate your service on this Committee, and your willingness to adapt.

Mike Harmon

City Manager

City of Blaine

435 Martin St.

(o) 360-332-8311 

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