Fife Planning Commission recommends 2024 comprehensive-plan update to council with zoning amendments

The Fife Planning Commission on April 7 voted to recommend that the City Council adopt three ordinances that together comprise the city’s 2024 periodic update to the comprehensive plan, municipal code and the City Center planned-action ordinance, subject to two zoning amendments the commission approved during the meeting.

The commission’s recommendation — on ordinances 2139 (comprehensive plan), 2140 (development-code and zoning-map amendments) and 2141 (city center planned-action ordinance) — advances a package of changes staff said are required by the Washington State Growth Management Act and by recent state laws affecting housing and land use. Director Chris Larson told commissioners the update includes updated zoning maps, nine comprehensive-plan elements, technical appendices (transportation level of service, housing capacity and environmental analyses) and the city-center environmental-impact statements that underpin the planned-action ordinance.

Why it matters: the periodic update sets Fife’s land-use rules and capacity targets for the coming decade, including the city’s housing and employment targets drawn from the county and regional allocation process. The commission’s recommendation now moves the ordinances to the City Council, which will hold a public hearing April 15 and is scheduled to act later this spring.

Key amendments and votes

- Harry Smith Road: The commission approved an amendment to retain single-family zoning on Harry Smith Road rather than rezone it to medium-density residential. The amendment passed during the meeting (the record shows the motion carried and one commissioner registered an abstention). Director Larson noted that recent state law changes allow middle-housing configurations in single-family zones and that, for many Harry Smith lots, the practical difference with MDR would be small because lot sizes limit larger multifamily buildings.

- Firwood (Papé/Papé Group alternative): The commission voted to adopt the Papé (also referenced in the record as Pepe/Pape/PAP A) industrial alternative for the Firwood neighborhood rather than staff’s recommendation or a competing Vector Development Company proposal. The roll-call discussion in the record shows the amendment passed on a divided vote (the commission recorded a split vote in the meeting transcript and an abstention was recorded). A later motion to instead rezone the Firwood Vector alternative to industrial failed.

- Main recommendation: After rolling the approved amendments into the primary motion, the commission voted to forward ordinances 2139, 2140 and 2141 to the City Council with a “do pass” recommendation as amended.

What commissioners and staff said

Director Chris Larson (Director, City of Fife planning staff) outlined the package, explained that Fife’s gross growth targets are 4,402 people, 1,784 housing units and 5,077 jobs, and summarized three ordinance packages: the new comprehensive plan (Ord. 2139), code and map amendments (Ord. 2140) and the city-center planned-action ordinance (Ord. 2141). Larson described proposed zoning changes, two new city-center zones, code updates responding to 2023 state legislation (parking, EV infrastructure, traffic-analysis updates) and the planned-action ordinance’s role in streamlining environmental review for the city center.

On housing, Larson and staff presented the city’s housing-by-income-band capacity table and explained impacts if medium-density residential (MDR) capacity is reduced. Larson said the city shows a surplus of 212 dwelling units in the 0–80% AMI band but a 423-unit deficit for households above that band; eliminating portions of MDR would shift more of the future housing supply into low- and mid-rise categories and could reduce housing choice and push up prices.

Commissioner discussion focused on three areas: the Harry Smith Road neighborhood; competing alternatives for the Firwood area (Papé vs. Vector); and responding to public comments and agency letters. Commissioner remarks ranged from support for the staff-recommended map to concern about the immediate conditions in Firwood (water and septic issues raised by residents) and the long-term trade-offs between preserving single-family neighborhoods and creating capacity for middle housing.

Public comment and tribal coordination

Residents and developers addressed the commission. Bergen Peterson (resident) raised concerns about tribal land ownership inside the city. He said a Pierce County cartographer’s records showed 45 tribal-owned parcels in 2005 and 26 parcels currently, and he projected a steep increase over time; he asked the commission to include formal planning responses in the comprehensive plan for increased tribal-owned parcels and to address enforcement and service implications on tribal trust land. Director Larson responded during the meeting that the city coordinates with the Puyallup Tribe under the land claim settlement agreement and that, while the city applies zoning to tribal trust properties to indicate compatible uses, city code enforcement does not apply on tribal trust land. Larson also noted the city cannot limit anyone’s right to buy property and pointed to provisions in the land claim settlement agreement that govern how the two governments interact.

Developers and real-estate professionals spoke during the public comment period. Tyler Litzmurger (President, Vector Development Company) urged the commission to consider Vector’s 55-acre alternative, citing a third-party economic feasibility memo placed in the record and arguing it would generate city revenue; Quinn Blossom (PatPapé/Pat Pei Group) and Christian Mattson (Lee & Associates) argued for the Papé industrial alternative, stressing contiguous industrial uses and potential tax and fee revenue. Several Firwood residents described water and septic problems and said many homeowners want to sell; other residents urged retaining residential zoning.

Agency input and technical matters

Larson summarized agency letters in the record: WSDOT praised the city’s efforts; the Department of Commerce requested additional material changes (including a capacity analysis for emergency housing, amendments for accessory-dwelling-unit (ADU) definitions and removal of a code section requiring 1,500 sq. ft. of additional lot area per additional ADU); the Department of Fish and Wildlife asked the city to adopt best-available-science buffering for fish and wildlife habitat areas (staff said the code already requires best available science and the city will contract third-party expertise for site-specific reviews); the Puget Sound Regional Council raised similar emergency-housing-capacity items. Larson also reported staff contact with Pierce County assessors, who said assessed value is determined by market trends and highest-and-best use rather than zoning alone.

Next steps

The City Council will hold its public hearing on April 15. Staff will compile the comment matrix and proposed changes for the council; the council’s study session will review amendments on May 20 and the ordinances are scheduled for first reading June 10 and final action June 24.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to recommend adoption of Ordinances 2139, 2140 and 2141 (main motion): Passed (commission forwarded the update to City Council with amendments). - Amendment — keep Harry Smith Road as single-family zoning (do not rezone to MDR): Approved (motion carried; meeting record shows one abstention by Commissioner Kohler/Koehler). - Amendment — adopt Papé (Papé/Pape) industrial alternative for Firwood instead of staff recommendation or the Vector alternative: Approved on a divided vote (meeting record shows a split roll-call and one abstention; the Vector alternative later failed).

Clarifying details (as discussed in the meeting)

- Fife gross targets presented by staff: 4,402 people; 1,784 housing units; 5,077 jobs (source: countywide allocation process and staff presentation). - Papé/Papé alternative: described in the record as approximately 11.7 acres in the northern Firwood area (speaker: staff/Quinn Blossom). - Vector alternative: described in the record as about 55 acres proposed for industrial conversion (speaker: Director Larson/Vector representative Tyler Litzmurger). - Tribal parcels: commenter Bergen Peterson cited Pierce County cartographer figures (45 tribal-owned parcels in 2005; 26 parcels in 2025) and projected future increases (projection cited by speaker; staff noted tribal trust vs. fee-simple ownership is to be determined). - ADUs and middle housing: staff said recent state law requires expanded middle-housing allowances; staff also identified a code provision that will be removed requiring “each additional ADU requires an additional 1,500 sq. ft. of lot area.”

Proper names mentioned in the meeting (selected)

Fife (City of Fife); Puyallup Tribe (Puyallup Tribe of Indians); Sound Transit; Puget Sound Regional Council; Pierce County; Pierce Transit; WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation); Department of Commerce (Washington State); Department of Fish and Wildlife (Washington State); Vector Development Company; Pat Pape / Pat Pei Group (recorded as Papé/Pepé/Pape in the transcript); Lee & Associates; Colliers; CB Richard Ellis; Kidder Mathews; ZBEC (industrial project referenced in record); Director Chris Larson (City staff).

Ending

The Planning Commission’s recommendation sends the updated comprehensive plan and related code and environmental-review changes to the City Council with two zoning changes approved by commissioners: keeping Harry Smith Road single-family and selecting the Papé industrial alternative for part of Firwood. The council will accept public comment at its April 15 hearing and will consider the ordinances for action during its upcoming meeting calendar.