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Council hears first reads on GMA updates and zoning-code revisions including Uptown mixed-use, ADU changes and development standards
Summary
Planning staff presented first readings of an ordinance to adopt GMA-related updates and a separate zoning-code ordinance that would add an Uptown mixed-use district, reclassify several streets, adjust ADU and multifamily rules, and add new dimensional controls such as impervious-surface limits and maximum building footprints.
City planning staff on Jan. 13 reviewed proposed Growth Management Act (GMA) updates and corresponding zoning-code changes scheduled as first reads of Ordinance 2104-25 and Ordinance 2105-25.
Planning Manager Stalnecker and consultant Sarah Lukens summarized modest agency-triggered edits to the comprehensive plan and a set of zoning-code changes the planning commission recommended. Staff said several edits came from the Puget Sound Regional Council, the Washington Department of Commerce, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Natural Resources and will be incorporated before formal adoption.
Major zoning changes presented include a new Uptown mixed-use (UMX) district along Meridian, a neighborhood commercial designation in small commercial pockets, renaming residential categories (Neighborhood Residential 1 and 2) and revised dimensional standards. Stalnecker said the proposal would allow two accessory dwelling units (ADUs) for a single-family lot (yielding up to three units on one lot) and allow an ADU on a duplex; NR‑1 would generally correspond to current single-family standards while NR‑2 would allow smaller lots and conditional multifamily under review.
Staff also proposed changes to allowable uses and a new "prohibited in all zones" list that would explicitly exclude uses such as data centers, semi-truck storage yards and junk/salvage yards. The draft code adds a maximum impervious-surface coverage, a maximum footprint per building to encourage smaller, multiple building forms, and a "build-to" line for pedestrian-oriented mixed-use streets; staff said those measures are intended to reduce large single-footprint buildings and improve walkability and stormwater outcomes.
The planning team proposed removing lodging (hotels/motels) from the Uptown district to avoid a requirement that emergency housing and shelters be allowed wherever lodging is permitted; staff said lodging would remain allowed in the business (99) corridor. Council members asked for more packet materials; staff committed to providing a red-line and clean copies of the comp plan and zoning ordinance ahead of next week's meeting.
Street classification updates were also discussed: staff recommended adding Taylor and Yuma to the inventory of major streets to match their traffic volumes; doing so makes those corridors eligible for grant funding but also would likely require higher design standards (lighting, sidewalks) for future development. Council members asked staff to clarify existing illumination and retrofit responsibilities for reclassified streets.
Council members asked about occupancy limits, potential for boarding‑house conversions, and impacts on single-family property owners. Stalnecker said state law restricts municipal limits on the number of unrelated occupants in a household and that building‑code and public‑health standards would apply if overcrowding or unsanitary conditions were alleged.
Ending: Staff said the ordinances are at first read and will return with full red-line and clean documents for council action next week; no final legislative action occurred at the study session.
