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State deadline forces Liberty Lake to adopt co‑living (SRO) rules; staff lays out schedule
Summary
City staff told the Planning Commission that state law requires co‑living (single‑room occupancy) rules by Dec. 31, 2025 and proposed a schedule of workshops and hearings to meet that deadline; staff also summarized parking and transit exemptions in the state law.
City staff informed the Liberty Lake Planning Commission on March 26 that state law requires the city to adopt regulations allowing co‑living housing — often described as single‑room occupancy, boarding houses or congregate living — on specific multifamily‑zoned lots by the end of 2025.
Sharifa, a city staff member, said the statute requires the city to “allow co‑living housing” on any lot that allows six multifamily housing units and set limits on local regulation: municipalities may not impose standards more restrictive than those applied to other multifamily residential uses. The law also caps off‑street parking at 0.25 spaces per sleeping unit and permits zero required off‑street parking when a development is within a half‑mile of a “major transit stop.” Sharifa read the transit definition the statute uses: transit service every 15 minutes for a five‑hour weekday period.
Staff presented a proposed timeline to meet the statutory obligation. The tentative schedule presented in the packet: a Planning Commission workshop on the draft code amendment (redlines) on July 23, 2025; a Planning Commission public hearing Aug. 13; Planning Commission ratification Aug. 27; a City Council workshop Sept. 2; a City Council public hearing Sept. 16; and the goal of having the ordinance effective by November 2025.
Lisa, a city staff member, said the parking exemption is tied to high‑performance transit and noted upcoming local transit improvements that may expand areas qualifying for the exemption. She identified several Valley Transit routes that are planned to reach high‑performance service levels in coming months and years, which could reduce or eliminate the local parking requirement for qualifying developments near those stops.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about enforcement, minimum lot sizes, lot‑coverage limits, and whether HOAs or CC&Rs could prevent ADUs or co‑living in practice; staff cautioned that CC&Rs cannot change zoning and that state law can preempt conflicting local rules and that enforcement is difficult in some cases. Sharifa said the city can exercise some discretion (for example, capping ADU size up to 1,000 square feet) and can craft design standards and lot‑coverage rules that still comply with the statute.
Ending: Staff said it will return with redlined code language and a recommended public‑engagement schedule to meet the Dec. 31, 2025 statutory deadline; the commission gave staff direction to proceed with the timeline and to coordinate public outreach.
