Land Use and Transportation and Utilities

Space issues

• Minimum lot size assures that development visually and physically blend with existing structures and neighborhoods.
• Separation between single family and multi -family residences assures that homeowners are not required to sacrifice their life style for the profit of a developer.
• Parking above ground and below ground have different effects .Below ground parking is preferred because it allows for more efficient land use.
• Maximum density ensures a limit to the impacts a development can have on the neighborhood and allows for planning to support anticipated growth with business development.
• Traffic issues must be assessed to assure that future and current residents are not confronted with the inability to move throughout the city to utilize the resources available to them in Shoreline. Transit must be addressed realistically and not on a plan that is unlikely to occur. A self-sustaining circulator bus that connects the east and west sides of the city and moves through the major transit corridors could stimulate business and eliminate traffic.
  
• Pervious structure issues and the preservation of the water and air quality in our city are important measurements of our overall neighborhood health and should be improved with each development.

Density Tools:

• Create an effective mix of residential and commercial properties that support each other.
  
• Establish a maximum number of high density developments per mile.
  
• Address the tax effects of down-zoning on existing businesses who are taxed as the result of development.
• Up-zoning in residential R-4,R-6, and R-8 neighborhoods eliminates the ability to preserve existing affordable housing stock and prevents affordable resident owned infill opportunities.
• Subsidizing developers with tax breaks have more effect on the profit of the developer than the cost of rent to a tenant. A more equitable system that provides for low cost family housing must be the target.

Social issues:

• Preserving neighborhood businesses assures interaction at a local level in a neighborhood.
  
• Large developments must include open space available to residents and neighborhoods to compensate for the effects of high density life styles.
• Parks and green spaces have to be included as part of development plans.
  
• Development should target a mix of economic levels that include owner occupied and rental units to assure a continuing connection between residents and the city in which they live. Renters typically live in an apartment for 3 years. They are transient and generally are high cost to maintain for the city.
  
• Mixed use buildings have cumulative impacts on the city that require a revisiting of the assumptions made during our last EIS study in the mid 1990's.
• Growth should occur in a phased predictable fashion with all of the necessary elements planned and developed together.
• Development should be evaluated for its impacts and benefits to the community to assure success in future planning.
• A truly transparent development process that reflects the needs of all members of the community should be the goal of our land use policies. Community empowerment rather than community input is what should become our goal.
• Sustainable development means dollars in equal dollars out. Entire costs for development including their benefits to surrounding businesses, impacts on schools, and overall effect on infrastructure should be considered at the time of development.

Join Citizen's Advisory Committees such as the Sub Area Planning The Planning Commission and the Comprehensive Plan. Come to Planning Commission and City Council Meetings. Neighborhood Land Use Meetings