[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6177407,"mediaKeyId","5338513-2f53aac809f683b1902bc4f0885e1f71","parentId",5338513,"title","Longview council orders ordinance rewrite on storage of personal property, tasks manager to return final draft July 22","audioSeconds",1896,"startMs",3132000,"endMs",5028000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5338513-2f53aac809f683b1902bc4f0885e1f71&start=3132&end=5028","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5338513-2f53aac809f683b1902bc4f0885e1f71/thumbnail_3132000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6177407/Longview-City/Cowlitz-County/Washington/Longview-council-orders-ordinance-rewrite-on-storage-of-personal-property-tasks-manager-to-return-final-draft-July-22","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6177407-10a1e61cadc1194339b193b424f2ec69/orig.mp4?Expires=1771165029&Signature=FyouMP9IM4Dr~NQMQcOycJlAWRaq0fz-aLpRSUqjLIHiMvPGXt2-EGTb66nPaRiRX7EGncuvqIs8WBu2kalQ70d0lrb6j76ff5NFFrUIceLoqXphj3hTZAxV~FECUZtLNlDfIMyrL~zSLXjC8Yp27ZuAbr-GFoFs3ddOEmSNLR8RhJPfqfs44m6yNf7CIECHFaZXxHVpd9kOFtbgLXPaaTN3qIj14UBW8ydS1wduBDAb5p0m6QOShj6ISnW4U6EsdeEk5PrumqwkNcQcpPib6RNpXkz~qvb838fHS7LQK42dpI28s2bmMlKbP7oNKGIwHvNmxeiFo21umdBuubjd5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Longview City, WA","date","2025-07-08T00:00:00Z","article","The Longview City Council on July 8 directed city staff to bring back a final ordinance amending Longview Municipal Code sections 7.29.020 and 7.29.040 to regulate storage of personal property on public land and to return the draft for adoption at the July 22 meeting. The action followed a task-force progress report on implementing Resolution 2561, which the council adopted earlier to address a subset of public-safety and public-space problems linked to individuals who have repeatedly refused offered services.

City Manager Jen Wills summarized the task force's work since June 5, saying the effort focused on the smaller group of people the city described as \"the resistant few\" who repeatedly create chronic issues in parks and other public spaces and decline outreach and services. Wills said the proposed ordinance change would define \"excessive\" personal property that obstructs public access, create a defined removal and evidence-handling process so property is not destroyed and can be reclaimed, and clarify that personal storage is not considered an offense where property is moved and returned to the same spot within 72 hours. Wills said the code change is intended to maintain safe, accessible public spaces while aligning the city’s duty to balance health, safety and individual rights.

The task-force recommendations call for a calibrated enforcement model described in the meeting as the \"3 E\" approach — educate, encourage and enforce — and for coordination among police, code enforcement, parks and public works. Wills said the ordinance will initially focus on regulating bulky, unattended items that obstruct rights-of-way and park access; the draft language presented to council would treat items larger than a 55-gallon trash container as presumptively excessive.

The presentation included operational details and metrics staff plans to track: from January through May 2025 the city reported 106 arrests and 847 calls for service related to park activity, 581 of which were initiated by patrol; since June 2022 the city reported roughly 360 camping arrests and year-to-date 2025 arrests of 59. The task force proposed monthly reporting beginning in August that would include counts of warnings, citations, arrests, educational contacts, outreach activities, and line-by-line budget transparency for enforcement spending.

Manager Wills outlined a draft enforcement budget figure of $150,000 under consideration. That amount was described as covering potential surveillance-camera rental or expansion, targeted overtime for enhanced enforcement details, bike or foot patrols, signage and outreach materials, temporary lighting and some jail costs tied to arrests. Wills said a camera-use policy and legal review would be prepared before deploying additional cameras and emphasized the city would coordinate with partner agencies and service providers so enforcement did not occur without available alternatives.

Public commenters and service providers gave the council a range of views. Theresa Purcell, identifying herself as a Longview resident, warned against criminalizing homelessness and said, \"0 tolerance policy and throwing more money and actually putting people in jail... is the single most expensive way to address this issue.\" Chuck Hendrickson, executive director of the nonprofit Love Overwhelming, urged the council to review alternatives his organization offered and to coordinate funding and services with regional partners. Several residents, including Larry Jacobs and Carol Zornich, urged stronger enforcement in some cases and asked for clarity on funding sources.

Councilmembers discussed next steps, including continued task-force work with additional community partners and county agencies and further exploration of storage or safe-parking options led by nonprofits. A motion to have the city attorney return a final ordinance amending LMC 7.29.020 and 7.29.040 consistent with the task force recommendations was moved, seconded (the second was Council Member Kendall) and approved by vocal \"aye.\" The ordinance will be presented for adoption at the council's July 22 meeting.

Why it matters: The change targets the storage and accumulation of bulky personal property in parks, sidewalks and other public spaces and sets a new enforcement framework intended to balance public access and safety with property-handling safeguards. The council also committed to ongoing reporting and to coordinate with service providers to avoid displacing people without alternatives.

What council directed staff to do next: bring a final ordinance to the July 22 meeting; implement a communications plan before enforcement actions (public signs, FAQs, partner notification); begin monthly reporting on enforcement and outcomes beginning in August; and continue task-force coordination with community and county partners.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Longview City Council - July 8, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Longview City Council on July 8 directed staff to draft and return for adoption an ordinance amending Longview Municipal Code sections 7.29.020 and 7.29.040 to regulate storage of personal property on public land, and approved continued task-force work and a proposal for enforcement funding.","taxTitle","Longview City, Cowlitz County, Washington","taxId",5123,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6177410,"Longview council approves Taylor Island Estates PUD for 54 single-family homes near Mount Sura Middle School",625,1665000,2290000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5338513-2f53aac809f683b1902bc4f0885e1f71&start=1665&end=2290","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5338513-2f53aac809f683b1902bc4f0885e1f71/thumbnail_1665000.jpg","/articles/6177410/Longview-City/Cowlitz-County/Washington/Longview-council-approves-Taylor-Island-Estates-PUD-for-54-single-family-homes-near-Mount-Sura-Middle-School","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6177410-39063887e8699f6ea92faada64d41d02/orig.mp4?Expires=1771165029&Signature=SRpUvQTohnPRQLzjp5gA27dll1EDxLl78A2kFDmgilf98uM6ZfDt4md7VdW3-nJWNss8O7A3mPp4pos5e560mA3xjSH07u0tgWc~tKsk6Pe~P4pBN~OFAbGtg4-II5taU3WT~9FNSE5apKfEYPvJCWodYB1ALI5mKpq-8Vw9zoBypwMkMC-EJPbjkVxOh4Osg~AK-JkNlw9kdd1DNjVM6IMdzOGz8adX40uBt2KbUiXiQPBDrH1RNwAPCOzULL3qRKDuKQU5a9JeXckW4E2CaudhbVxexlRSmCJIrm1v-Pt10hYSTZTaCLm1ED-Ka5CDTfDMhR7VDY17mbWWwfUhpQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Longview City Council on July 8 approved the Taylor Island Estates planned unit development (PUD) and subdivision, a proposal for 54 single-family lots on about 12.83 acres at 5431 Mousel Road.

City staff told the council the site is zoned R-1 (low-density residential) and that the PUD will preserve 41% of the property as open space, with about 18% of that area designated for recreational use in a loop trail. The applicant proposed lot sizes ranging from about 3,000 to 6,000 square feet and reduced lot frontages of roughly 25 to 35 feet under the PUD standards. Utilities will be extended to serve the development, and stormwater will be managed on-site via a detention facility discharging to an existing City ID ditch. A SEPA determination of non-significance was issued May 15, 2025, and the Planning Commission gave preliminary approval on June 4, 2025.

Planner Aaron (city staff member) said the project proposes a single public road access from Mount Solar Road with a 50-foot right-of-way and 30-foot pavement width — narrower than the typical 60-foot right-of-way and 32-foot pavement the standard requires — and that the city engineer and fire marshal approved the street-width modification on the basis that safe circulation would be maintained and because of site constraints created by surrounding ditch features. Because the development proposes 30 or more units with a single access point, the approval included the condition that all homes be built with fire sprinklers, a requirement the city reported was imposed by the fire marshal as part of the access variance.

City staff also summarized the traffic study prepared for the project, which estimated roughly 513 daily vehicle trips from the development and concluded studied intersections would continue to meet adopted level-of-service standards; a mid-block crosswalk to serve Mount Sura Middle School was recommended and will be provided. Parking will be provided in two-car garages consistent with the code's requirement of two spaces per single-family unit.

A council member moved to adopt the Planning Commission recommendation to approve the PUD and subdivision; the motion was seconded and approved by the council with the vote recorded as \"aye.\" No individual roll-call vote totals or names were recorded in the meeting transcript beyond the motion, second and the council's unanimous vocal \"aye.\"

Why it matters: The approval allows increased housing density on a site adjacent to Mount Sura Middle School and Artuso Park while retaining a large share of the property as open space; the modified lot and street standards were granted under the PUD process in exchange for added open space and design flexibility.

Next steps and implementation: The applicant will proceed to construction plan review and permitting. Street lighting locations and final engineering details will be set during construction-plan review by the city engineer; stormwater detention design must meet city standards, and utilities will be extended to serve the subdivision. The city will record conditions of approval as part of the subdivision process.","The City of Longview approved a planned unit development and subdivision for a 12.83-acre site at 5431 Mousel Road, allowing 54 single-family lots with 41% open space and some modified development standards; the approval included a fire-safety condition for a single access point.","actionData","errors"]

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Longview council orders ordinance rewrite on storage of personal property, tasks manager to return final draft July 22

Longview council approves Taylor Island Estates PUD for 54 single-family homes near Mount Sura Middle School