Amendments and approvals made

    Three absent council members (illness and professional obligations), two public hearings and one guest speaker led to some amendments being made and some groups funding being approved. The March 12 city council meeting went by quickly as the smaller than usual group combed through the agenda.
    Chelan County Commission, Bob Bugert, pulled a crowd for his presentation over the hot button topic, overnight rentals, in Chelan County. Due to an overlap in meetings, Bugert was unable to make it but he sent in, Dave Kuhl, Chelan County Community Development Director, to deliver the presentation.
    "Vacation rentals are a hot topic," said Kuhl. "(Chelan County's important goals when it comes to short term rentals is) essentially to reduce noise, parking, traffic and trash problems. Also, to eliminate party houses, short term rentals impact on neighborhood character, would like to ensure building safety (fire exits), improve county's responsiveness to neighborhood complaints."
    The presentation primarily focused on a website called Host Compliance. The county is currently working on the contract with the company.
    "We explored doing an ordinance to help regulate vacation rentals, but during our process we came to a firm called Host Compliance. Host  Compliance is a company that goes out, scour the Internet and finds all the people doing vacation rentals and then helps register those people with the county."
    Mayor Farivar encouraged the presenter to maybe offer a question and answer period public meeting at the fire hall another night so he would have more time for an in depth discussion.
    The two public hearings focused on a Zero Lot Line Code and Comprehensive Plan Map amendments. Lilith Vespier, development services manager, explained the tweaks and what they mean for the city and the planning commission.
    For the zero lot line code change, Leavenworth resident Jordan McDevitt requested an increase to lot coverage - this tweak would push lot coverage from 35% to 40% and would equate to an additional 200 square feet of building area on a 4,000 square foot lot.
    Council member Sharon Waters pushed for the zero lot line amendment decision to be tabled until March 26 so her and other council members have a better grasp before they vote.
    "For the map amendment its pretty straightforward, there was no public comment on it and the planning commission was happy to recommend approval of the map amendment," said Vespier. "One of the proposed changes if from multi family to industrial for a single lot that was just annexed into city with the intent that this property be used for the public works facility. Second proposed amendment are three parcels along Icicle Road. The request is to change it from recreational to residential."
    This rezoning amendment passed unanimously - both properties are owned by the city.
    What didn't pass unanimously was where the lodging tax group funding was allocated. Discussion over how much and who would receive the popular funding brewed at both the study session and the econ committee prior to the city council meeting.
    "There were two or three other worthy events," said Mayor Farivar. "Leavenworth Village Voices and Icicle Trout Unlimited Kinderfest Youth Fishing - those two don't strictly fit the group funding regulations, so what we're going to do is come back and see if there's another way to fund them."
    The Cascade Farmlands Big Chill Ciderfest takes place in Cashmere which caused some eye brow raises and hesitation from some council members. The money was requested because the stance that the Cashmere based festival will pull visitors to gravitate toward Leavenworth hotels. Waters was the hold out, but the other three council members present voted in favor for the $1200 to be awarded.
    "My biggest concern is the Cascade Farmlands. Are we going to give local, Leavenworth lodging tax to something going on in Cashmere? Or are we opening Pandora's Box by doing that?" said Waters earlier that day at the study session.
    The Blue Lotus Foundation was awarded $1200 with a unanimous vote. The city will come back to the March 26 meeting with decisions made on other groups after reaching out to the festivals in the mean time. At the retreat in April, the council is going to analyze the requirements and lodging tax for future requests.