Fife holds public hearing on 2024 comprehensive-plan update as residents press utility, rezoning concerns in Firwood

FIFE, Wash. — The Fife City Council held a public hearing April 15 on the city’s 2024 comprehensive plan periodic update, hearing a staff overview of outreach and proposed map and code changes and more than a dozen public comments focused on the Firwood neighborhood, utility access, and competing rezoning proposals.

City Planning Director Chris Larson told the council the update and related zoning-map changes are required by the Washington State Growth Management Act and to maintain consistency with regional policies including Vision 2050 and Pierce County countywide planning policies. "We are here to hold a public hearing on our 2024 periodic update," Larson said, summarizing two-plus years of engagement, planning commission review and state-agency comments.

The update package includes a new comprehensive plan, amendments to the Fife Municipal Code, changes to the city zoning map and a city center planned-action ordinance. Larson said the planning commission gave a unanimous recommendation on April 7 to forward the periodic update to council, and staff plan to return suggested revisions to respond to comments from state agencies and others at a May 20 study session. Ordinances are scheduled for first reading June 10 and adoption June 24; Larson noted that "a couple of regulations in here must be adopted by June 30 or the state's regulations will usurp our rules."

Why it matters: commenters said the study-area outcome could affect whether Firwood remains residential, the immediate safety and habitability of homes that lack reliable potable water and sewer, and how industrial expansion near freight routes will change daily…