Puyallup reviews state-mandated middle housing and ADU changes; council hears presentation, no vote set

Katie Baker, planning manager for the City of Puyallup, briefed the City Council on May 20 about two 2023 state laws that require local code changes for middle housing and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and outlined staff recommendations to meet a June 30 adoption deadline.

"These are regulations that must be adopted by June 30 and if we don't adopt anything by that date then there is a state model ordinance that will take effect and regulate in place of of us not having taken action," Baker said, describing the timeline and the consequences of missing the deadline.

Baker told the council House Bill 1110 (middle housing) requires predominantly residential zones to allow multiple middle-housing types — including duplexes, triplexes and up to sixplexes, townhouses, stacked flats, courtyard apartments and cottage housing — and that cities of Puyallup's size must allow two units per lot generally and up to four units per lot within a quarter-mile of a "major transit stop" (for Puyallup, the Sounder Station). She added that House Bill 1337 (ADUs) requires cities to allow up to two ADUs per lot, to permit sale or separate conveyance of ADUs, and sets a floor on maximum ADU size of at least 1,000 square feet.

Baker said staff will present an interim zoning ordinance at the next council meeting to meet the statute's minimum requirements while the Planning Commission and council develop permanent rules. She also reported the Planning Commission has a draft ADU ordinance and will forward it to the council for consideration on June 3.

The presentation included details the council raised at multiple points: where middle housing types will be allowed, how many units can be built on a lot, whether critical-area rules apply, and how parking requirements change near transit. Baker told the council the state law includes a critical-area exception that means middle-housing requirements do not apply to portions of lots designated as critical areas and their buffers; she asked whether the council wanted that exception applied in the city's Lahar (geologic hazard) zone.

On parking, Baker said the state limits local parking requirements for middle housing within a half-mile walking radius of a major transit stop. Staff provided a map showing a half-mile "walking boundary" around the Sounder Station and said that the walking-route boundary the city proposes is smaller than a simple half-mile "as the crow flies" buffer.

Councilmembers pressed staff on homeownership, displacement and parking. John Hopkins, a resident speaking in public comment, warned about pressure on street parking and future density, saying, "there's a sacrifice that happens and that is parking." Councilmember Johnson asked whether middle housing would primarily come as infill or as new development and pressed staff on tools to encourage saleable, owner-occupied units; Baker said the city is developing a proposed "unit lot subdivision" ordinance that would allow separate sale of units and that staff expects to return with details in the coming months.

Councilmember Wenning recommended a work group to speed short plats and fee-simple unit-lot subdivisions to keep homeownership pathways competitive with rental-focused development, saying, "I would like to advocate for a work group, to work on our our short plotting, infill development process so that we can equalize those so that the homeownership opportunity..."

Deputy Mayor King emphasized parking concerns and urged staff to present a menu of options when ordinances return: "But the public, at least in Puyallup, realize that everybody still drives cars. We're not this carless society that Olympia seems to think we all are. And as such, people need parking places," King said.

Baker described additional technical changes staff will include in interim and permanent code: clarifying definitions (including "major transit stop" and "independent cooking facilities"); aligning middle-housing review with administrative single-family review; maintaining critical-area protections; allowing up to two ADUs on qualifying lots; exempting design-review requirements that are stricter than those for the principal dwelling; and adjusting park-impact fees to meet the state's requirement to reduce ADU impact fees (staff noted the city already reduced ADU impact fees in 2019 and expects only minor edits to the code).

No ordinance vote occurred on May 20. Staff committed to return with an interim ordinance for council consideration at the next meeting and the Planning Commission will forward a draft ADU ordinance to the council for the June 3 meeting, so the council can act before the June 30 statutory deadline.