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University Church seeks special permit for downtown Pasco worship space; examiner notes occupancy and limits on services
Summary
On Sept. 10 the hearing examiner heard SP2025‑013, a request to establish a church with daily services at Suite 105, 330 West Clark Street. Staff recommended approval with conditions, said the C‑2 zone allows the use with review, and building and fire codes will determine occupancy limits; applicant said services are small and the church provides
The City of Pasco hearing examiner on Sept. 10 heard SP2025‑013, an application to operate a church with daily services at Suite 105, 330 West Clark Street (parcel 112034325) in downtown Pasco.
Aaron Gutterson, Planner II and project manager, said the application seeks to convert an existing tenant space within a building that contains multiple commercial suites. Gutterson said the parcel is roughly 0.33 acres and the building on the site is about 9,425 square feet. He said the downtown overlay exempts the site from street‑parking requirements and that staff recommended approval of the special permit with conditions that would limit the permit to the parcel and require compliance with codes and any subsequent reviews.
Staff noted churches are treated as "unclassified uses" that require special‑permit review under the Pasco Municipal Code and that the C‑2 central business zoning permits a variety of commercial uses. Craig Raymond, deputy director for Community and Economic Development, told the examiner, “The building code and fire code will indeed dictate, the total occupancy limit based on ... the assembly space,” and that those limits will be set during building‑permit review.
Manuel Pantalone testified under oath on behalf of University Church. Pantalone described the church’s mission and said weekly attendance at the main service is typically small. He provided measurements for the proposed space and said the church expects a maximum capacity in the sanctuary area of about 40 people: “In our services... the capacity is the most like 40 people Max,” he said. He also confirmed the church is not proposing a school or K‑12 program and acknowledged that such uses would require additional permits.
Staff cautioned that the special permit approval would not allow uses that fall into the City’s defined "community service facilities level 2" category and that any change in the nature or intensity of use could require further review. Gutterson said the use will be subject to periodic review for compliance with conditions imposed under the special permit.
The hearing examiner closed the public record on the item and said he would issue a written decision within 10 working days.
Why it matters: The downtown location and overlay district mean the proposal could support pedestrian and transit access downtown, but the conversion from an office tenant to an assembly use raises questions about occupancy, parking patterns and possible impacts during service times. Staff and the applicant emphasized compliance with building and fire codes and that any programmatic expansion—such as school programming—would require separate approvals.
Next steps: The hearing examiner will issue a written decision within 10 working days; if approved the decision will include conditions and the applicant would pursue building‑permit review to confirm occupancy limits and code compliance.
