City staff report senior-housing application and note Rainier State School budget uncertainty

City staff told the Buckley City Council they received a site plan review and SEPA application for a proposed 10-unit senior housing complex shortly after the start of the year and that the permitting office had issued a SEPA Determination of Non-Significance.

The staff report, presented by Director Snodgrass, explained that SEPA vesting remains once issued and that site plan review approvals can be valid for 18 months to as long as five years depending on the hearing examiner’s decision and the project type. Staff said the applicant indicated they had been working with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development representatives to seek funds but that it was not yet clear whether HUD funding had been secured. Council members asked staff to follow up and said they would provide additional information as it becomes available.

In the staff report the city also noted increased activity in passport services (about $19,000 net income last year and an uptick in January compared with the prior year), and said the city had extended an offer for the senior center coordinator position.

During public comment, a representative described that the Rainier State School was included in Governor Inslee’s proposed budget to eliminate funding for that facility. The speaker and the mayor both said the proposal was part of the state budget process and that any change would follow the legislative process; they noted the proposed action would, if enacted, take several years to implement and that no final decision had been made by the legislature.

Council members also heard a report from the Senior Citizen Advisory Commission summarizing membership and program statistics and noting a planned joint meeting with council on Feb. 25.

No formal council action was taken on the senior housing application at the meeting; staff described the permitting steps that would precede any future hearings or building permits.