Planning commissioners review limited edits to design standards to conform with ESHB 1293

At its April 16, 2025 meeting the Planning Commission reviewed proposed amendments to municipal code section 18.34 and the city's design standards and guidelines to conform with state law ESHB 1293 and to remove redundant or unclear provisions.

The changes are limited, staff said, and intended to clarify specific applicability and deviation criteria so local design standards do not conflict with the state-mandated requirements. "The purpose of ESHB 1293 is essentially to remove barriers and, ambiguous architectural design standards," said Giuliano, planning staff, as he summarized the state law and the packet revisions. He said the code edits focus on applicability/exemptions, cottage-lot layout rules and multifamily dimensional redundancies.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about when the document uses "should" versus "shall," the meaning and purpose of the illustrative photos, and how the deviation process will operate. "Should does not give us bones. So it should gives information to the designer, but it's not something that we can enforce," Giuliano said in response to a commissioner's question about persuasive versus mandatory language.

Key points discussed included:

- Deviation criteria: Staff proposes adding one criterion to the deviation-from-standard subsection requiring that a deviation be necessary to avoid conflict with ESHB 1293. Commissioners were told that a deviation remains subject to the full set of existing criteria; the new item is an additional consideration rather than a standalone test.

- Redundant dimensional provisions: Staff proposed removing a redundant subsection regulating lot width and size in the single-family cottage standards and deleting a sentence about building height in the multifamily subsection because those matters are already covered elsewhere in the code (referred to in the packet as section "1810"). Giuliano said removing redundancy will reduce future conflicts if the city updates its dimensional standards.

- Illustrative photos and maps: Commissioners asked whether photos are illustrative or mandatory and requested clearer labeling. Staff said the photos are meant to convey design intent and are not prescriptive; staff will add captions and consider moving certain downtown standards into a form-based code or separate update.

- Formatting and editorial fixes: Commissioners asked staff to fix PDF/exhibit labeling (appendix versus exhibit A), to standardize bolding and emphasis for "should/shall" language, and to correct a few wording/grammar items flagged during the review.

Direction and next steps

Commissioners did not take a formal vote on the code amendments at the meeting. Staff said they will incorporate commissioner direction, consult the city's architectural consultant for clearer images and examples, correct formatting and emphasis issues, and return with an updated packet before public notice and the hearing. Giuliano told commissioners he expects to provide the updated materials at the next meeting and to include clearer exhibit labeling for the packet.

Ending

Commissioners and staff closed the item after additional minor clarifications on tree and lighting standards and after confirming that some public-works and stormwater topics overlapped with other codes; staff will coordinate to avoid duplication. The commission moved to the next agenda item after staff acknowledged the requested edits and next steps.