Port Orchard planning staff draft coliving rules to comply with state law; public hearings set

Port Orchard planners presented draft code amendments to implement state law on coliving and to define sleeping units, parking and related standards. Staff said the amendments have been incorporated into the Planning Commission process and will move to a council hearing in November.

Jim Fisk, principal planner, said the changes implement House Bill 1998 and require the city to permit coliving in any zone that allows at least six multifamily units or a mixed‑use district. “That way there’s consistency with HB 1998,” Fisk said, explaining the update would also increase the municipal definition of multifamily from five to six units to align with the state requirement.

What the code does

Fisk said the draft adds a definition of coliving, distinguishes “sleeping units” from dwelling units, and specifies how sleeping units count for density and sewer-connection fees: sleeping units count as 0.25 dwelling units for density calculations and as half a dwelling unit for sewer connection fees. For example, Fisk said, an R-3 zone with a maximum of six dwelling units could permit up to 24 sleeping units under the proposed density math.

Fisk said the city issued a SEPA determination of non-significance (DNS) for the amendments and transmitted the package to the Washington Department of Commerce for review. He told the committee a Planning Commission public hearing is planned in November and the ordinance is expected before the full City Council on Nov. 18.

Parking, bike parking and other operational details

Fisk said state guidance limits local parking requirements near major transit stops; Port Orchard has no areas that meet that strict half‑mile transit-stop definition. The draft introduces sleeping units in the parking section so the code clearly specifies required parking for coliving developments.

Committee members asked operational questions. Councilmember Eric Warden asked about parking problems observed at an existing coliving example (the Amici House). Fisk said he had not seen problems and noted the existing site benefits from adjacent park street parking. Warden and others discussed bike storage: the draft used a bike-rack metric that translated to one bike parking space per 16 sleeping units; committee members said that felt low and asked staff to change the requirement toward the equivalent of one bike space per four sleeping units (one per four), and staff agreed to revise the draft.

Discussion vs. decisions

The committee did not vote to adopt the amendments; instead staff advanced the package through SEPA and Department of Commerce review and scheduled hearings. The committee gave staff direction to revise bike-parking metrics and to coordinate technical amendments with Public Works and Finance for sewer fee and parking clarifications.

Ending

Staff expects a Planning Commission hearing in November followed by City Council consideration on Nov. 18. Fisk said he will coordinate with Public Works and Finance on code and fee calibration prior to those hearings.