Pasco council and planning commission begin 2026–2046 comprehensive plan update amid state mandates

Pasco City officials on June 9 launched a two-year update to the city's comprehensive plan that will guide growth from 2026 through 2046, placing new state mandates and local public-engagement choices at the center of the work.

Director Erin Miller, the city's planning director, told the City Council and the Planning Commission that the update will incorporate recent state laws requiring cities to plan for housing by income bands (down to 0% AMI and up above 120% AMI), a new five-year progress review, and climate-change requirements that require greenhouse-gas tracking and other resilience measures. Miller said Framework, a planning consultant team including Jeff Arango and Hope Frye, is under contract to help complete the work with state grant funding.

The update matters because state law now requires cities to show capacity not just for overall housing totals but for specific income bands and housing types, Miller said. Pasco's new population allocation from Franklin County calls for a total of about 121,290 people by 2046 and nearly 19,000 housing units; Miller said the city must demonstrate available land capacity, zoning and development regulations that could accommodate that growth even if the market does not immediately build it.

Council members pressed staff on what authority the city has to push back against state targets. Councilmember Harpster said he was concerned that the state's projections and mandates "undercut our local representation" and asked whether the city could refuse the numbers and risk a lawsuit. Miller and consultant Arango said the practical options are limited: refusing to adopt a plan risks losing state and federal grant eligibility and would likely invite enforcement by the Washington State Department of Commerce. Miller recommended channels of advocacy to state lawmakers for policy changes but said the city must comply with state review and certification processes.

Councilmember Burrell asked how the city will track housing and population performance. Miller said permit reporting will be used to count units and estimate population via average household-size assumptions, and that the Department of Commerce and the regional council (BFCOG) will review the plan for compliance.

Miller described outreach plans that will include surveys, hybrid public meetings, stakeholder workshops and targeted outreach to Spanish- and Russian-speaking residents and other groups. Planning Commission Chair Jerry Cochran told the council the commission includes members with diverse views and emphasized the recurring balance the body weighs among property rights, developer interests, city priorities and livability.

The consultant team described the next steps: a land-capacity analysis to map vacant and underutilized parcels, an inventory of zoning that can produce units across the required AMI bands, a draft plan through early 2026 and final adoption and submission for Commerce certification. Miller said the final submittal is due by the end of 2026 and that the city had obtained grants to help fund consultant work.

Council members discussed whether to hold a joint council/Planning Commission meeting to establish priorities early in the process. Several members favored a joint kickoff later in the summer or fall to avoid rework; the planning commission chair said he needed more time to review the materials before joining a joint session.

Miller and the consultants encouraged residents to participate during the outreach windows; she noted that local code changes made earlier had already eased accessory dwelling-unit rules and that the city is evaluating traffic-impact fees, SEPA exemptions and parking reforms required under recent state legislation.

The council took no formal action at the workshop; staff will return with further drafts, schedules and outreach plans for the Planning Commission and Council to review during the update process.