At Cashmere City Council’s Jan 9 meeting, Mayor Jim Fletcher announced that on Feb 13 there will be a joint meeting of the Council and the Cashmere Planning Commission (CPC). Fletcher said the Commission is seeking guidance and direction to focus their next efforts. He told the Council that he wants Council members to start thinking about the joint meeting and for them to develop a list of topics for the Commission to investigate. He suggested that these could be either short- or long-term issues that should be studied to help the City plan for the future. He added that these need to be well defined, otherwise the CPC members really won’t know what direction to take. Director of Operations, Steve Croci, suggested thinking out 20 – 30 years and reiterated that the Council pick specific topics for the Commission, not just general concepts. He said specifics are necessary to keep the CPC from wasting their time researching issues that are not relevant to the Council or the city. Responding to a question from Councilwoman, Shela Pistoresi, Croci, replied that the CPC has been focusing their recent efforts on updating the Parks’ Plan, economic development options for the lagoon area and residential housing issues.

The mayor said that growth will happen whether or not the city plans for it, and he suggested that long-term planning is necessary to direct the growth and development, rather than just accepting what developers do. To seed the Council’s conversation, Fletcher offered several topics for discussion, including:

·Ways that the city can invest in growth.

·The expansion of utilities to influence where growth is desired.

·Possible ways to enhance business and industrial growth.

·City zoning and housing density.

·Modification of development standards such as where to require curbs, gutters, and sidewalks.

Pistoresi suggested that considering flexibility in zoning, that would allow development of multifamily housing along transit routes. Chris Carlson recommended investigating infill and higher density within the city. Councilman, John Perry, added that although it does make sense to include multifamily housing, he does not however, want Cashmere to become a sea of apartments. He said it may be necessary to build density, but personal ownership is important. Fletcher said that he wants to encourage ownership and that he prefers rental-property owners to be local residents who are part of the community, not absentee landowners/investors.

 The Council also discussed potential directions of growth (particularly towards the south and west), the locations of urban growth areas (UGA) and how extending utilities into specific locations could be used to help direct growth.

In a unanimous vote, the Council approved a contract with the WA Department of Corrections for convict work crews to assist with maintenance task such as shoveling snow, landscaping, and general labor. Croci explained that the contract was a continuation of an existing agreement. The City Treasurer/Clerk said that the crews were very helpful and that it was a beneficial program.In a final announcement, Fletcher told the Council that he has talked with the Community Economic Revitalization Board and they have grant funding available that he would like to try and obtain. If received, the funds would be used to do a feasibility study to help decide what the city should do with its excess buildings and facilities.