Lake Stevens Planning Commission backs STEP and co-living code changes, narrows proposed buffers

The Lake Stevens Planning Commission on Nov. 5 voted to forward a recommendation to the City Council to adopt draft code changes implementing STEP housing requirements and permitting co-living (boarding-house) uses, with amendments to narrow protective buffers and to clarify when changes to operations require reapplication.

David Levitan, principal planner, told the commission the amendments implement changes to the Growth Management Act made by House Bill 1220 and related laws and that the package treats transitional and permanent supportive housing as outright permitted uses while subjecting emergency housing and shelters to a Type 2 land-use permit and supplementary use regulations in Chapter 14.44. “So in trying to make our findings and trying to address the requirements of House Bill 1220, this is the staff recommendation that we've come up with,” Levitan said during the staff presentation.

Why it matters: State law requires cities to allow STEP housing in zones that allow hotels or residential uses and limits what types of additional local regulation are permissible. Staff showed maps demonstrating that a 500-foot buffer measured from protected uses (schools, parks, childcare centers, libraries)…