Eatonville council approves land use recommendations

A discussion on Chapter 17 of the Eatonville Municipal Code at the May 24 meeting of the Eatonville Town Council concluded with the passage of a motion to bring staff recommendations to the Planning Commission regarding large lot subdivisions and short plat alterations.

On April 5, the Planning Commission completed its initial review of Chapter 17 of the EMC — specifically with regard to large lot subdivisions and short plat alterations — and recommended no changes, while moving forward with changing the maximum number of lots created through the short-plat process from the current limit of four to a maximum of nine. Plans call for a Planning Commission public hearing on the issue before any presentation to the council for review and final action.

The main consideration of the council was retaining the character of the small town that is Eatonville.

“The one thing that I will consistently oppose always is building houses in Eatonville that look like Spanaway and Orting and South Hill, where you got house after house after house stuck six feet apart from its neighbor,” explained Councilmember Robert Thomas, adding he would almost rather see apartments than the housing he described.

That theme continued with the passage of two other pieces of development-related legislation: a request for a waiver for frontage improvements and the other for a temporary tent setup.

The council approved a request from Tom and Barbara Baubit waiving frontage improvements related to the planned construction of a single-family residence on Lynch Creek Road. Constructing a new “sidewalk to nowhere,” as it was referred to, was deemed a hardship that could be deferred.
Also passed by the council was a request for a temporary tent setup at 351 Madison Ave. S. where CenterPoint Church is having a new building constructed. Pastor Jonathan Cross described the tent as a significant, aesthetically pleasing structure that would be able to withstand inclement weather while work proceeds on the new church.

Other legislation passed by the council includes Resolution 2021-R, authorizing the mayor to execute a mutual aid agreement with Parkland Light and Water Company for assistance during localized power outages and other emergency situations; Resolution 2021-S, approving a video surveillance policy that balances law enforcement needs and privacy concerns, to include consistent handling of access to said surveillance and managing the storage and release of this information; and Resolution 2021-Q, setting the annual fee for golf cart registration for use with town at $25 per calendar year.