Building_development

1:07:51 - Okay, Catherine now has permission to unmute and show our video. Catherine, are you there and able to unmute?

1:08:18 - It shows her online, but she's not able or she's not unmuting, so I'm not sure if she's having issues on her end. If you want to. - We'll move on and come back to her, please. Chatham Olive, please. - Good evening, mayor and members of council. I'm Chatham Olive co-chairman of the Southcliff neighborhood association here tonight to express our neighborhoods profound disappointment that council is now on the cusp of considering the adoption of zoning changes designed to eliminate single family lots in the city of Vancouver and specifically the Southcliff neighborhood. Should these changes be adopted, we intend to communicate to the members of both the Clark County association of realtors and the building industry association of Clark County, the following quote, "This notice is to inform your members that all lots

1:09:17 in historic Vancouver neighborhood of Southcliff established in 1954 are and shall remain single family lots as intended and mandated by the CCNRs originally written by the developer, the housing authority of Vancouver and recorded in the Clark County auditor records. The Southcliff neighborhood association has been advised by legal counsel that in spite of the fact that the city of Vancouver is now adopting a rezoning map, newly designated some 50 lots in Southcliff as quote, medium scale unquote, that new designation does not override any portion of the original CCNRs, which state that quote, "No building shall be erected, altered, placed or permitted to remain on any lot other

1:10:15 than one detached single family dwelling, not to exceed two stories in height from the street level." Unquote. Legal counsel has also advised that Washington's growth management act does not apply to subdivisions whose covenants containing such limitations were in place prior to July 1st, 2023. This has been upheld by the Washington Supreme Court. That case involved resolution of an inconsistency between a neighborhood covenant providing for single family lots only versus a requested rezone for more density. In this Washington Supreme Court case, the single family covenant was upheld. Please be advised that the Southcliff neighborhood association stands by and will defend its CCNRs, which limit development on any lot

1:11:15 to one single family structure. According to the Washington Supreme Court, this covenant is a contract enforceable under Washington law. Sincerely, the Southcliff neighborhood association. Thank you very much. - Ben McCarty. - Good evening, my name is Ben McCarty. I'm the president of the Northwest Neighborhood Association. I live at 906 Northwest 51st Street in Vancouver. I'm here once again to advocate on behalf of my neighbors. We recognize that every neighborhood in Vancouver has a role to play in helping the city to meet its current housing challenges. More housing is needed, more housing types are needed, more density is needed, and many areas of the city, including my neighborhood, welcome many of these changes. However, those changes do not need to come with the downsides caused by the overuse of medium scale zoning. The city has many paths to meeting its housing targets, including several that have been presented to council as part of this comprehensive plan update process.

1:12:15 If you choose to approve this plan as currently presented, you'll be choosing a path that puts the interests of wealthy developers and private investment firms over those of minorities, wildlife, middle class homeowners, potential first time home buyers, and senior citizens. It is a path which places significant strain on infrastructure, economic pressure on existing homeowners, and will force potential first time home buyers to compete against mega developers and investment firms for the right to purchase homes. I'm thankful that many of you on this council and members of staff appear receptive to these concerns, and acknowledge that this plan is far from perfect and want to see its impact monitored and changes made if needed. The city believes that infill will be incremental and that there will be limited negative impacts. However, there's no plan here to ensure that outcome, only a hope, and hope is not a strategy. There are no avenues for appeal for maximum infill development authorized by this plan. Landowners can by right simply begin construction on maximum infill following a meeting or two with the planning department. Meanwhile, my neighborhood and many others

1:13:14 must simply hope 75 foot tall walls of metal, wood, and glass will not overwhelm transportation infrastructure, limit access to critical green spaces, or have unforeseen adverse environmental impacts.