Kennewick council rezones two South Washington Street parcels to Commercial General

The Kennewick City Council on Feb. 4 adopted an ordinance to rezone two parcels at 1826 and 1838 South Washington Street from Commercial Office (CO) to Commercial General (CG). The change, requested by Knutson Engineering (care of Paul Knutson), drew extended council discussion about the intensity of future uses and whether a middle-ground Commercial Community (CC) designation would better protect nearby residences.

The rezoning affects a 1.23-acre corner site near Washington and Nineteenth streets that was annexed into Kennewick in 1979 and zoned in the 1990s. City staff told the council CG would allow about 37 additional uses not permitted in CO, including vehicle repair and service, construction yards, kennels (type B), plumbing shops/yards, warehousing/wholesale and truck stops; staff said some of those uses could create noise, odors or other nuisances for adjacent neighbors. The Planning Commission held a public hearing on Jan. 6, 2025, heard the property owner speak in favor, and recommended approval of the change.

Council discussion split on whether the rezoning would produce unacceptable impacts. Councilmember Anderson asked whether the debate was "whether this is going to change back to residential" or whether it was instead a question of "are we gonna continue to restrict the commercial uses to CO only and not allow more commercial uses?" That exchange framed much of the conversation: some council members, citing the presence of a tow yard, a convenience store (Ron's Food Mart) and other commercial uses nearby, argued the site is already part of a mixed, relatively intense corridor and that additional flexibility could help redevelop a vacant lot. Councilmember Beecham said he trusted the applicant and favored fewer restrictions: "I trust that Paul Knutson has a pretty good handle on what the zoning's mean and why they're there."

City staff and others noted alternatives. Staff and the Planning Commission discussed Commercial Community (CC) zoning as a potential compromise that would allow more kinds of retail or flex uses while excluding the most intense CG uses; staff said CC would prohibit a subset of the uses that raised concern. Mayor Pro Tem Torelli cautioned about enforcement after rezoning, saying, "abatement is not an option. Once we give the permission slip, they get to do whatever we gave that permission slip." Several council members said lot size (1.23 acres) and market factors make many of the most intensive uses unlikely.

After discussion, Councilmember Beecham moved and Councilmember Anderson seconded to adopt the ordinance as presented. The clerk called the vote and the council adopted the ordinance to rezone the two parcels to Commercial General. The ordinance was recorded on the meeting agenda as the city's application COZ 2024 (Knutson Engineering, care of Paul Knutson); an ordinance number was not specified in the meeting transcript.

Votes at a glance: - Motion: Approve agenda as presented. Mover: Mayor Pro Tem Torelli; Second: Councilmember Trumbo. Outcome: approved (vote tally not specified in transcript). - Motion: Approve consent agenda as presented. Mover: Councilmember Milbauer; Second: Councilmember Anderson. Outcome: passed unanimously, 7-0. - Ordinance: Amend zoning for 1826 and 1838 South Washington Street from CO to CG (COZ2024; applicant: Knutson Engineering/care of Paul Knutson). Mover: Councilmember Beecham; Second: Councilmember Anderson. Outcome: adopted (vote tally not specified in transcript). Planning Commission recommended approval on 01/06/2025; public testimony at that hearing included the property owner in favor. - Motion: Cancel Feb. 11, 2025 workshop (staff requested cancellation because planned presentations were not ready). Mover: Mayor Pro Tem Torelli; Second: Councilmember Beecham. Outcome: passed unanimously, 7-0.

What the ordinance means now: the rezoning changes the set of land uses permitted on the two parcels; several council members noted that any specific development proposals will still require planning review and must meet city code and any applicable conditions. The council's debate centered on whether the change grants too much future flexibility or provides needed redevelopment options for a vacant corner lot within a partly commercial corridor.

The council moved on to other agenda items after the vote, including public comment and routine reports.