The Mountlake Terrace Planning Commission will be discussing the Comprehensive Recreation, Parks and Open Space Chapter Update and the Subdivision Regulations Ordinance at Monday’s meeting in the Council Chambers at the interim City Hall.

The City is in the process of a major update of the Comprehensive Plan, to be consistent with current state laws, as required under the Growth Management Act. A Recreation, Parks and Open Space Element was added to the Comprehensive Plan in 2009. Among the highlights of the updated Recreation, Parks and Open Space draft are:

• It adds proposed performance measures by which to evaluate, on an annual basis, progress on implementing the element.
• It identifies actions to take, in the next several years, to implement the Recreation, Parks and Open Space Element goals.

The Subdivision Regulations Ordinance was previously discussed during a January meeting. Among the highlights of the update are:

• Many of the definitions in the model code are taken directly from state subdivision statutes, so changing the City’s definitions to reflect those in the model code likewise ensure that the City is consistent with state law.
•  Revising the Hearing and Decision Matrix to have short plats and binding site plans approvable by the Director rather than the City Manager, consistent with the language in the model subdivision code (this is common practice in most jurisdictions).
• Adding language in the development standards of each zoning district stating that the setback, lot coverage and other standards required for individual lots are required only for the larger plat and not for individual lots in both binding site plans and fee simple unit lot subdivisions. Without this language, neither binding site plans nor fee simple unit lot subdivisions would not meet minimum standards of the zoning code and could therefore not be approved under the required findings of the subdivision code.

The Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the interim City Hall, 6100 219th St. SW., Suite 200, Mountlake Terrace.