Ellensburg council approves first reading of broad Title 15 zoning updates

The Ellensburg City Council held a public hearing Nov. 3 and approved first reading of Ordinance 4975, which amends Title 15 (the city's land development code) to implement four main updates: a proposed temporary-use exemption to allow longer-duration temporary sales offices (potentially up to one year), repeal-and-replace of the binding site plan section, the addition of co-living housing options consistent with House Bill 1998 (including a kitchenette definition), and housekeeping code cleanups to remove contradictory language and clarify timelines.

Planning Manager Stacy Henderson told the council the amendments were part of the city's 2025 amendment cycle under ECC 15.25 and followed the long-range work program the council approved earlier in the year. The city issued a SEPA Determination of Non-significance (DNS) on Oct. 2 and sent the proposed update to the state Department of Commerce for a 60-day review; the Planning Commission held a hearing Oct. 9 and recommended approval with minor amendments that staff incorporated into the draft ordinance.

Associate planner Mark Wright clarified that deleting an ambiguous parking line for Central Commercial reverts the standard to the table (the effective standard remains 0.7 spaces per bedroom in practice) and that several changes were intended for clarity rather than to change substantive requirements.

Council moved and seconded first reading of the ordinance; after brief discussion that primarily referenced issues already aired in the study session, the motion passed and the ordinance was read into the record as required for first reading. Staff recommended and council approved moving to second reading at a later date for final action.