Pasco hearing examiner closes record on Soriano day care permit after applicant agrees to staff conditions

The City of Pasco land use hearings examiner closed the evidentiary record July 9 for a special permit application by Maria Soriano to convert her single‑family home at 611 North Cedar Avenue into a licensed day care serving before‑ and after‑school children.

Ivan Barragan, planner II for the City of Pasco, told the hearing that the proposal would repurpose a 0.18‑acre R‑1 lot into a licensed child‑care facility designed for up to 15 school‑age children with one employee and four off‑street parking spaces. Barragan said the applicant’s proposed 36‑foot driveway exceeded the maximum width at the right‑of‑way and that staff ‘‘cannot conclusively determine whether the submitted findings and inclusion provide sufficient grounds to approve the proposed change of use.’’ He noted the city had designated the project as lead agency for environmental review and had determined the proposal to be exempt under WAC 197‑11‑800.

Maria Soriano, the applicant, testified she already operates a home daycare for 12 children and plans to move that operation to the new address. ‘‘I already have the home daycare, and I take care of 12 kids. So it’s only, like, 3 kids are different. That’s all,’’ Soriano said. Under the staff‑recommended conditions she agreed she could comply with licensing and building requirements and the maximum enrollment and staffing limits.

Staff’s recommended conditions that the examiner read into the record include reducing the driveway at the right‑of‑way to the maximum permitted width (31.35 feet), maintaining required DCYF and fire‑marshal approvals, limiting enrollment to no more than 15 children and staffing to one employee as approved by DCYF and the fire marshal, restricting pickup and drop‑off to on‑site parking with no queuing in the public right‑of‑way, requiring building and right‑of‑way permits for driveway modifications, and confining outdoor play to fenced areas at scheduled times.

No members of the public testified in opposition; a family member spoke in support, citing continued transportation for existing families. With the hearing closed for this item, the examiner will issue a written decision after the record is fully compiled.

The record contains multiple references to driveway width, off‑street parking calculations (1 space per employee and 1 per 6 children under PMC provisions cited by staff), and the pending state legislation (Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5184) that Barragan said would prohibit cities from requiring off‑street parking for day‑care centers once adopted.