Planning commission recommends PUD for cruise‑ship parking on 4‑acre site, adds landscaping condition

The planning commission voted to recommend approval of a planned unit development (PUD) overlay that would allow indoor and outdoor cruise‑ship parking and electric vehicle charging on a roughly four‑acre site bounded by 40th Avenue and Avenue G. The recommendation passed 5–1 and included an amendment requiring right‑of‑way landscaping along Avenue G.

Staff recommended denial, saying the proposed uses do not conform to the approval criteria for the Urban Neighborhood (UN) zoning district adopted in 2015. Staff wrote that the parcel’s proposed uses, plus requests to eliminate interior landscaping and perimeter screening, were inconsistent with the long‑range goal of transitioning the area from industrial to walkable neighborhoods. Fire Marshal Chris Harrison raised operational concerns about means of egress, fire department access and hydrant distribution, noting several water distribution and access issues would need to be resolved…