At relisten, I guess he's talking about wanting to acknowledge anti-Asian hate in general, both past and present, so that's more acceptable than the original point I thought he was making. A *little* red flag at his request for the city to be "all inclusive", but still okay.
Conversation
Moved onto the sound amplification code amendment, the background is that in order to use sound amplification equipment (i.e. speakers) at events for less than 500 people, you need a permit. Permits only given for events on weekdays between 8 am - 5 pm.
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Staff would come back to Council with a study session item in a few weeks, which would have specific recommendations. Key things will be to remove provisions for holidays & weekends and to extend the hours.
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DM Nieuwenhuis supportive of expanding the scope of this work beyond just sound amplification and examining noise in general. CM Barksdale supportive of streamlining the permitting process, asks staff to think about the process from an events' organizer's perspective.
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CM Zahn echoes Nieuwenhuis concerns about being too narrow in focus w/ just sound amplification, but acknowledges the desire to move quickly on the work. Staff note the potential to introduce other stages in Noise Control reworks in the future.
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CM Lee is concerned that this work will remove noise barriers for neighborhoods. He's concerned that this work would enable people to have parties "all night long".
...Don't think that's what staff's going to come back with, but Mayor does ask about impacts to neighborhoods.
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Staff note that the code amendments will still have certain restraints on sound amplification, but note that overall it is about striking a balance. They note that the majority of events people want to host in neighborhoods tend to happen on weekends.
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Mild flare-up, as CM Stokes mentions that seeking balance is a part of everything Council does and he doesn't want staff to get bogged down w/ additional work. CM Lee seems to take offense, Mayor asks Stokes to focus on his comments to staff's proposal.
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Mayor Robinson floats the idea of discussing general issues of noise more in their upcoming retreat. CM Barksdale notes his background from the south where barbecues and outdoor hangouts are common, notes that he doesn't think this is creating a "backyard gone wild" situation.
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Took a break for grub, now moving on to the final & meatiest item, the initiation of the Comp Plan Update.
Comp Plan is important, among other reasons, to be consistent w/ county & regional growth targets, such as the 70k/35k numbers for jobs/housing for the City.
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Staff noting the need for diverse housing types & sizes, which again, I'm wondering how that jives with 3 CMs who have campaigned on preserving neighborhood character, a codephrase that in practice means preserving SF zoning.
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Staff noting they're planning for climate resiliency, so I'm curious how that compares with what they'd be required to do if HB 1099 passes.
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Uh oh - on this dark and stormy night, Councilmember Lee lost power, Zahn also isn't on the call right now, and Robertson was sick and needed to leave early, so Mayor pauses staff's presentation to make sure there's quorum. Seems power went out for Barksdale too.
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Everybody's back, so we're back to discussing the outreach staff plans to do.
Staff plans to come back to Council in the middle of summer with general land use alternatives. Personal assessment: This is likely to be the "do we keep SF zoning or not" juncture.
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CM Barksdale, similar to economic update, wants to make sure city is engaging people underserved in Bellevue, as well as people who may want to be here but aren't. Wants to have community outreach associates from Black & indigenous communities.
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DM Nieuwenhuis wants to make it easier for people to participate, also asks about role of EBCC. Staff says they'll be doing outreach to the EBCC throughout the process, including briefings and courtesy public hearings.
*whispers* not if 1769 passes w/o amendments...
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CM Lee's comments are framing the outreach as if staff is approaching the community w/ Council's vision and then they're asked to give their thoughts, when really it's the opposite - staff's going to community to assess priorities, and that's where the vision should come from.
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CM Zahn appreciates cultural ambassadors, wants to make sure city's reaching out to LGBTQ+ community and neurodivergent people. Appreciates the combination of virtual and in-person outreach to meet people where they're at.
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Mayor Robinson notes two new Council values around equity and sustainability, wants to make sure that everything the City does from here on out is equitable and sustainable.
I agree, which is why so many of the city's current policies need to fundamentally change.
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Direction to staff to initiate Comp Plan outreach passes unanimously, which means the meeting is adjourned! Thanks for following along. Be on the lookout for the summary article in the next day or two.
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