Clark County planning staff outline multifamily code changes to meet state housing targets; EIS released for comment

Clark County planning staff on Oct. 2 presented draft multifamily code changes intended to increase housing capacity in the Vancouver urban growth area and align county rules with recent state laws.

Elizabeth Decker, a consultant with JET Planning, told the planning commission the proposed changes are part of phase 2 of the county's Housing Options Study and Action Plan and the 2025 comprehensive plan update. "Nothing is proposed for adoption, at this time," Decker said, describing the package as a work-in-progress intended to prioritize multifamily development in medium- and high-density residential zones.

The package presented to the commission focuses on six principal changes: concentrating permitted uses in the higher-density R zones on multifamily housing; raising minimum densities and adjusting maximums to encourage apartment-scale development; simplifying dimensional standards such as lot sizes and setbacks; clarifying and consolidating landscaping and open-space rules to favor usable resident amenities; aligning off-street parking minimums with recent state guidance; and refining mixed-use zone rules to allow a larger residential share.

Why it matters: county staff said current zoned capacity in the Vancouver UGA is about 8,000 units while the county's target for the next 20 years exceeds 25,000 units, requiring both more high-density capacity and regulatory changes to make multifamily projects feasible. Decker said the county must "prioritize multifamily opportunities" to close that gap and to meet state requirements under recent legislation including HB 1220. Jose Alvarez, community planning staff, summed up the regulatory goal this…