The Ferndale School District is holding a vote on a proposed bond to fund a new Ferndale High School, repairs to our local elementary and middle schools, a modern Performing Arts Center and safety improvements throughout the school district.
Ballots are due by Tuesday, Feb. 12th. Please utilize the ballot dropbox between City Hall and the Library to ensure your ballot is counted.
| City Council Agenda Follow-Up January 22, 2019 | |
| CALL TO ORDER/FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL | |
| PUBLIC COMMENT | INFO ONLY |
| CONSENT AGENDA Councilmember Taylor moved, and Councilmember K. Hansen seconded, to approve the consent agenda. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. | APPROVED |
| PRIVATE DEVELOPMENTS UPDATE Community Development Director Haylie Miller presented updates on the following private development project: Smith Meadows – Located on West Smith Road. This is a 3.8-acre parcel with 11 parcels, zoned RS Low. (3 – 5 units per acre) The roads, utilities, and all infrastructure have been completed. The next step is for the applicant to submit the final plat application to the City. | INFO ONLY |
| PRESENTATION: Community Development Department 2019 Legislative Plan Community Development Director Haylie Miller presented Community Development projects planned for 2019, including: Shoreline Master Plan (SMP) Update: Many sections in the City’s SMP are outdated and need to be modified to reflect City goals and to comply with State guidelines.Planned Unit Development (PUD) Code Modifications: Current PUD code language is outdated and should be rewritten.Multifamily High Rezone: Replace the RM 1.5-Multiple Dwelling and Residential Office Zones within proximity of the Downtown Core with a new zone referred to as the Residential Multifamily High Zone. Ferndale-Priority Mitigation Program: Mitigation is described as compensation for project-related impacts to regulated biological critical areas. The focus of this program will be on those areas within the FEMA 100-year floodplain and stream/river shorelines. The program is to be available for projects across jurisdictional boundaries with mitigation to occur within the city limits and UGA. Application Vesting Regulations: Review application vesting regulations and timelines specifically for land use applications to assure appropriate timelines are in place and regulations are clear.Catalyst Development: Establish a Downtown Catalyst incentive program that includes a waiver of all administrative, impact, and connection fees for up to three development projects meeting all required criteria to assist in the development of a vibrant downtown core.Mobile Home Park Developments: Currently, there is no zone in which mobile home parks could be located. Street Trees: The City’s Tree Ordinance was adopted in 1999 and has not been updated since. Proposed updates will include modification of tree spacing requirements, more flexibility, and will establish themes along certain corridors.Park Development Standards Details: Adopt trail standard details. The current code has one trail detail that does not work in all cases. Multifamily Parking Regulations: Research possible code changes, if necessary, to clarify whether “off-street” parking means on -site or within a garage. | INFO ONLY |
| CONTRACT: WWU Sustainable Communities Partnership Interagency Agreement AS part of the 2019 budget the City Council authorized funds to support a multi-disciplinary partnership between the City of Ferndale and Western Washington University for the purpose of exploring opportunities and challenges related to Downtown Ferndale and the surrounding areas. The proposed partnership is intended to bring the broad resources of WWU and its Sustainable Communities Partnership (SCP) to bear on the issue. Since its inception three years ago, the SCP has worked with the City of Edmonds, the City of Stanwood, and Skagit County to advance those jurisdictions’ planning. Work is performed by WWU students from several disciplines as part of an academic year-long effort. These students are typically juniors or seniors who are working at the direction of professional faculty with expertise on their respective fields. The final documents that will be provided to the City are at a standard that would be typical for professional consultants, at a fraction of the overall cost of a consultant. Councilmember Kennedy moved, and Councilmember Taylor seconded, to approve the agenda bill. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. | APPROVED |
| ADJOURNMENT: Meeting was adjourned at 7:10 p.m. |
Looking for some creative fun in Ferndale to get you through the winter?
Join mosaic artist Debbie Dickinson at a Ferndale Arts Commission sponsored community art project. We’ll work together to create elements of a mosaic garden to be installed by Debbie outside the library this Spring. Piece together colorful flowers and leaves using pre-made forms and supplied materials and instruction. FREE and open to all Ferndale residents. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
Workshop Details–
Dates: Saturdays, January 12th & 26th, February 9th and 23rd
Times: Drop-in any time between 9:30am and 1pm, workshop ends at 2:30. Expect to spend about an hour on a piece of the mosaic wall creation.
Location: Pioneer Pavilion at Pioneer Park (2007 Cherry Street).
Finished work will become part of the Library Mosaic Project outside of the Ferndale Library. For more information, please call Susan Duncan at (360) 685-2354.
The Ferndale Food Bank, located at 1671 Main St. in Ferndale, has decided to offer a special distribution to our unpaid federal employees. The distribution will take place on Tuesday, January 22 beginning at 10 AM ending at 1 PM and then again from 5pm- 7pm. Please bring a copy of your ID and a recent Federal government paystub. They will be serving those living in our service area which includes Ferndale School District, very north bit of Bellingham and Custer.
The Ferndale Food Bank wants to reinforce with these workers that their work is important to us and we want to support them in anyway we can during this challenging time.
Please call Suzanne Nevan, the director of the Ferndale Food Bank with any additional questions at 360-223-0788 or you can email by clicking here.
Basic Emergency Preparedness Workshop
Empower yourself and your family. Join us to learn more about what supplies and resources to have on hand when a natural or human-made disaster occurs. All are welcome. Light refreshments provided.
Ferndale Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Date: Thursday, January 17, 2019
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Location: Meeting Room,
Ferndale Library
2125 Main Street
Hosted by Ferndale Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Ferndale CERT is one of the member organizations of the FERN and working with the Ferndale Police Department. For more information, please email Gayland Gump by clicking here
Last year, over 3,000 residents enjoyed free recreational activities in Ferndale’s parks. In 2019, we want to bring you even more great parks and rec offerings. Help us decide which events to sponsor by taking our 2019 Parks and Rec Activity Survey.
Your responses to this survey shape what events we host and how we advertise them in 2019. The whole survey should take about six minutes to complete, we appreciate your input.
For more information or questions, please call Recreation Coordinator Riley Sweeney at (360) 685-2353 or email him by clicking here.
Curious what lies beneath your neighborhood? Explore our city with our Online Map Viewer. Our Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist Brenna Sterling-Borgognoni works full-time to update and expand the information available the public through this resource.
Click Here to Access Online Map Viewer
Using our Online Map Viewer, you can explore where the water lines are located in your neighborhood, what upcoming public works projects are planned in your area and where exactly that property line is located.
These sort of tools allow the city to identify crime hot spots, locate neighborhood needs and plan for the future.
Toggle through the layers using the checkboxes on the right to discover new features. For more information on our Online Map Viewer, please call Brenna at (360) 685-2371 or email her by clicking here.
Pioneer Pavilion
2007 Cherry Street
Wednesday, Jan. 23rd, 2019 at 6pm
Western Washington University (in collaboration with the Ferndale Chamber of Commerce and the City of Ferndale) is holding a Visioning Workshop for the Downtown area. A town meeting will be held on January 23rd at 6PM in the Pioneer Pavilion. and we want your input!
We want the public’s thoughts on problems and opportunities in the Ferndale Downtown. Everything from transportation, character, habitat, parking, flood risk, parks and trails, the whole spread of options. There will be Children’s activities to bring the little ones.
WWU’s planning classes will use this feedback to propose solutions for the Downtown. The findings will be presented to the City Council and the Planning Commission later this year.
For more information, please contact Riley Sweeney, Communications Officer with the City of Ferndale at (360) 685-2353 or email him by clicking here.
On Jan. 10th, a water main ruptured at the intersection of Third Avenue and Alder St. The Public Works crew are onsite through Jan 17th working to repair the broken pipe.
On Monday Jan. 14th, there will be flaggers and alternating traffic through the impacted intersection. On Tuesday, Jan. 15th the entire intersection will be closed for more extensive repairs and will remain closed through Thursday, Jan. 17th.
Please obey all traffic direction from flaggers and avoid the impacted area if possible. For more information, please call Ferndale Public Works at (360) 384-4006.
Whether you are planning a concert at our historic Pioneer Village, renting a park shelter for a family reunion or requesting to close Main Street for a festival with thousands of attendees, we are ready and excited to help you host your event in Ferndale.
We have recently updated our Parks Rentals and Special Events forms, merging them into one easy document and updating our park rental fees to make it easier than ever for your event team.
You can find the updated form and fees here. If you have any questions about the process, please contact Toni Segerman via email (click here) or phone at (360) 685-2369 with any questions.