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Home My WebLink About01-24-18 YPC MinutesCity of Yakima Planning Commission (YPC) City Hall Council Chambers Meeting Minutes of January 24, 2018 Call to Order Chairwoman Patricia Byers called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. Roll Call YPC Members Present: Chairwoman Patricia Byers, Vice -Chair Al Rose, Jacob Liddicoat, Bill Cook, Rob McCormick, Peter Marinace YPC Members Absent: Staff Present: Joseph Calhoun, Planning Manager; Lisa Maxey, Planning Specialist Others: Sign -in sheet in file *Chairwoman Byers clarified at the opening of the meeting the purpose of the audience participation item on the agenda and announced that anyone wishing to address the commission at this meeting should fill out and submit an audience participation slip. Staff Announcements Planning Manager Joseph Calhoun reminded audience members to use the sign -in sheet. Calhoun provided a handout with information on an upcoming training opportunity for any commissioners wanting to attend. He added that he is still working on scheduling an Open Public Meetings Act training to take place at city hall for the commissioners per their request. It was also announced by Chairwoman Byers and confirmed by Calhoun that there is still one vacancy on the Planning Commission. Approval of Meeting Minutes of January 10 2018 It was motioned by Commissioner Rose and seconded by Commissioner McCormick to approve the minutes of January 10, 2018. The motion carried unanimously. Audience Participation None noted. Discussion on the Hearing Examiner's Decision on an Unclassified Use Interpretation for H -2A Temporary Worker Housin File No. INT#001-1 Calhoun summarized the Hearing Examiner's decision on this matter, which recommends that the Planning Commission go through the legislative process to establish a definition in the city code for this use, determine what zoning districts the use should be allowed in, and decide what level of review should be required. The commission would then make the recommendation to City Council, who will make the final decision. He went into further details of the Hearing Examiner's decision and state law requirements related to this type of use. *Commissioner Marinace came into the meeting at approximately 3:05 p.m. Bill Hordan of Hordan Planning Services spoke to the need for temporary worker housing in the city limits and briefly described how such facilities are approved in the county. Hordan voiced his desire for the local government to view this simply as housing -1- and let the specific standards for this housing type be handled through federal regulations. Ermelindo Escobedo, applicant for INT#001-17 and HR consultant for housing matters, described the benefit of temporary worker housing being in close proximity to retail services and other community gathering locations such as churches. Escobedo briefly spoke to how these facilities are monitored and regulated. He expressed his interest in having the commission meet with him and growers who want to utilize this housing option so they may further discuss this topic. Planning Manager Joseph Calhoun requested that anyone interested in being part of this discussion reach out to the Planning Division so they may be notified of future meetings. Heri Chapula, representing WAFLA, an HR group for the agricultural industry, spoke to the positive impacts these facilities can have on cities, citing the La Posada housing facility in Pasco, Washington as an example where the neighborhood that the housing was placed in was improved aesthetically and the feeling of safety was increased. Chapula noted a new temporary worker housing facility that's being built in Okanagan. He emphasized how highly regulated these facilities are. Chairwoman Byers asked staff to report back the commission with a summary of federal and state regulations for temporary worker housing. Discussion took place on the definition of H -2A housing. Ermelindo Escobedo provided clarification on how the H -2A program works. Heri Chapula also spoke on the confusion surrounding the term "H -2A housing' and emphasized that the issue at hand is essentially "seasonal housing," which can potentially be used for other seasonal housing needs as well aside from agricultural work. Chad Hinkle of Lexar Homes reiterated how well -kept these facilities are and reported that there are mandated annual maintenance inspections. He explained that in some cities when new facilities are proposed to be built, the building permit would go through the state and the permit fees and other expenses would be the responsibility of the grower. Mike Gempler, executive director of the Washington Growers League, clarified that temporary worker housing can be built under the state code or the international building code. He spoke about the apartment -style temporary worker housing development in Cashmere which was built under the international building code. Gempler also expanded on the process of how temporary worker visas are provided. Bill Hordan expressed to the commission that the agricultural industry is looking for direction as to what the city would require from them in order to convert an existing building to temporary worker housing. He mentioned that there needs to be clarification for how this use will be regulated in commercial zones compared to residential zones. Ermelindo Escobedo requested that no new land use category be created in the zoning code, and that these facilities only be required to comply with the building code. Chairwoman Byers announced that his discussion will be continued to the next Planning Commission meeting on February 14th. Calhoun informed the commissioners that staff will begin to draft language for the commission to consider, and will look further into how other communities are regulating this type of housing. Byers also requested that staff clarify at the next meeting what codes are enforced on rural worksites for -2- constructing temporary worker housing and how that compares to the city's building code requirements. Commissioners commented on the benefit of the extensive oversight imposed on these facilities, and discussed the advantage of being able to use this housing year-round through various growing seasons or for other temporary housing opportunities aside from housing agricultural workers. Mike Gempler clarified that the state department of health inspects and licenses the housing on behalf of the federal government per the temporary worker housing code. He noted that a seasonal worker can only be housed in a temporary worker facility for up to 364 days. Bill Hordan extended an offer to the commission members to take them on a tour of an existing temporary worker housing facility if desired. Additional discussion took place between commissioners and staff on the testimony provided and on the characteristics of H -2A housing compared to other housing types. The commission requested a report back from staff on what the state requirements are for hotels and motels. Other Business Calhoun announced that Councilman Jason White was appointed to serve as the council liaison. Adjourn A motion to adjourn to February 14, 2018 was passed with unanimous vote. This meeting ads ua�1�e a�: 30.t��x� Chalrwman Byers � Date This aae ti 4r, was filmed by YPAC. Minutes for this meeting submitted by: Lisa Maxey, Planning Specialist. -3-