The city has come under criticism for some time about the Winslow Sub-Area and Comprehensive Plans.

But Deputy Mayor Jon Quitslund said at the March 25 City Council meeting that there is still work to be done.

“I want to emphasize how tentative all of the work has been and will continue to be as we move closer to the completion of the Winslow Sub-Area Plan,” Quitslund said. “It’s still a ways off, and we have more work to do on the sub-area, on the land-use element of the Comprehensive Plan, and the housing element that lies ahead. There is more work for the Planning Commission, and I think the council has a way of contributing to communication without intervening.”

Councilmember Leslie Schneider asked how many additional affordable housing units would be needed to support the middle class. She expressed concern that as people move or die once-affordable housing will increase in cost.

“We need to provide the zoning for multi-family housing that can be big enough to afford elevators and their end-structure parking. If you’re going to fill the space out, we don’t want to have huge parking lots taking up open space. That’s a terrible use of our downtown,” she said.

Patty Charnas, city planning and community development director, said the Planning Commission has met seven times and announced a preliminary proposal: a “working boundary” that aims to allow work to continue with zoning districts.

“To describe some of the differences, the properties to the northeast are currently outside of the sewer service area. Additional properties to the west of Sportsmen Club Road and more residential properties to the west, connecting to Finch Road, are included,” she said. “This is great that this is their first level of work, and it meant a lot to them to emphasize that this is a working boundary.”

Charnas said the ability to overlay high-quality, high-resolution Google Earth images can give the public a better sense of the proposed working boundaries than a traditional zoning map.

The council will revisit the Comp and Winslow Sub-Area plans in April.

In other news, the council voted for Councilmember Clarence Moriwaki to join Mayor Ashley Mathews and Quitslund on the selection panel for Planning Commission appointments. It also voted for Councilmember Joe Deets and Moriwaki to join Mathews on the selection panel for ethics board appointments. It appointed Councilmember Brenda Fantroy-Johnson to the selection jury for the 2025-26 Something New public art rotation. And it voted in favor of the Puget Sound Regional Council’s letter relating to “Fix Our Ferries.”

Mathews declared March 30 as “Nidoto Nai Yoni – Let It Not Happen Again Day.” On March 12, 1942, the BI Japanese American community was notified of their forced removal as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s executive order.

Mathews also declared March 31 as Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta Day of Service and Learning. Chavez is best-known as an advocate for farm workers’ rights. Huerta joined Chavez in improving working conditions for farm workers.

“I have been a long-time follower of Cesar Chavez and especially Dolores. Their life work and achievements are my inspiration. I think it’s important for me to teach my fourth-graders about them because I want to inspire them,” Ordway Elementary School teacher Adriana Vazquez Jaco said.