City of Tacoma TO: FROM: COPY: SUBJECT: DATE: City Council Action Memorandum Elizabeth Pauli, City Manager Council Member Beale, through Lynda Foster, Council Assistant City Council and City Clerk Resolution Directing the City Manager to Review Neighborhood Engagement and Protection Standards for Construction Projects – October 8, 2019 September 25, 2019 SUMMARY: Resolution directing the City Manager to review how the City engages the public during construction projects and bring results and recommendations on how to improve neighborhood engagement and protection standards to the City Council Infrastructure, Planning and Sustainability Committee. COUNCIL SPONSORS: Mayor Woodards and Council Members Beale, Hunter and Ushka STRATEGIC POLICY PRIORITY: Developing recommendations to improve neighborhood engagement and protection standards best aligns with the following City Council Strategic Priorities:  Strengthen and support a safe city with healthy residents.  Ensure all Tacoma residents are valued and have access to resources to meet their needs.  Assure outstanding stewardship of the natural and built environment.  Encourage and promote an efficient and effective government, which is fiscally sustainable and guided by engaged residents. BACKGROUND: The City of Tacoma is experiencing rapid growth and development. This development is critical to increasing housing options and spurring economic development. However, as communities grow and change there are impacts on local neighborhoods. Some neighbors have expressed that their concerns about health and safety are not being heard and that the City needs to do more to engage with them before and during construction projects. To address these concerns, the requested resolution directs the City Manager to review how the City and developers engage the public and to have staff bring results and recommendations to the Council Infrastructure, Planning and Sustainability Committee. A Council Consideration Request for a resolution was shared at the September 24, 2019 Study Session by Council Member Beale. The five key topics of concern are: 1) Notification to all residents. The resolution will request the City Manager review potential amendments of noticing procedures to all residents near development, including provisions to notify renters as well as property owners, of pending development applications and construction projects 2) Neighborhood Pre-Construction notification and meeting requirements. The resolution will request the City Manager to review varied methods for staff and developers to provide public noticing and engagement right before construction of new projects, dependent on the size of the project and projected impacts on the surrounding neighborhood. 1 Revised: 1/30/2017 City of Tacoma City Council Action Memorandum 3) Incorporating feedback from community in environmental and site development review. The resolution will request the City Manager review how neighborhoods are engaged in the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and site development permitting process. The review should consider neighborhood meeting requirements. Additionally, there should be consideration of how the City structures appeal procedures the SEPA appeal procedures, including consideration of a lower bar for SEPA appeals then filing in superior court, such as use of the Hearing Examiner. 4) Enforcement mechanisms. The resolution will request review of enforcement mechanisms and review of current fines structure and stop work procedures for construction sites that violate permit conditions and environmental rules. This should include a review of how neighbors can report concerns and how those concerns will be reviewed by the City and responded to by developers. 5) Air quality standards. The resolution will request the City Manager to review current codes around ambient air quality standards, including dust control and suppression and asbestos management/abatement. This should include consideration of performance standards for air quality, not just adherence to Best Management Practices (BMPs), and how asbestos and other toxic and harmful demolition byproducts will be managed, their safe removal ensured and disposal appropriately handled. This should include a review of how neighbors can report concerns and how those concerns will be reviewed by the City. ISSUE: As communities grow and change there are impacts on local neighborhoods during the construction projects and neighbors have expressed concerns about health and safety not being heard and that the City needs to do more to engage with them before and during construction projects. ALTERNATIVES: The City Council could modify or reject this resolution. RECOMMENDATION: We are recommending that the City Manager be directed to review how the City engages the public during construction projects and bring results and recommendations on how to improve neighborhood engagement and protection standards to the City Council Infrastructure, Planning and Sustainability Committee. FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact with this proposed resolution. 2 Revised: 1/30/2017