Lacey Planning Commission recommends co‑living code amendment, makes private sinks/toilets optional

The Lacey Planning Commission voted Dec. 10 to forward a recommendation to the city council on draft code amendments implementing Washington’s co‑living housing law, adopting a staff‑recommended change that makes a private sink and toilet in each sleeping unit optional rather than required.

The change comes after a staff presentation by Jennifer Adams explaining the RCW definition of co‑living as ‘‘independently rented lockable sleeping units’’ with shared kitchens, noting the statute is silent on bathrooms and that local code must align with state rules. Adams told the commission the draft limits sleeping units to about 250 square feet, counts each sleeping unit as one quarter of a dwelling unit for density calculations, and proposes one shared kitchen for every six sleeping units.

Commissioners split over safety and design. Commissioner Elliot said the draft leaves too much flexibility for developers and warned the rules ‘‘set this up for failure’’ without minimum bathroom and security guarantees. ‘‘According to the state statutes, we're setting this up for failure,’’ Elliot said, arguing the market will favor the cheapest configurations. Commissioner Spencer and others countered that similar dorm‑style layouts can work well, framed some problems as enforceable via leases and landlord‑tenant law, and said many operational issues (management, evictions, criminal behavior) are addressed through existing law or by law enforcement when necessary.

Staff pointed to specific protections the draft now includes: shared shower and bathing facilities must contain individual, fully enclosed lockable rooms or stalls; each sleeping unit may have secure kitchen storage; and parking, sewer and other design elements will be handled through forthcoming public works and parking code updates. Adams also said the draft is under 60‑day review with Commerce and that the state’s technical implementation date is Dec. 31, 2025, though local adoption is expected in late February or March.

After discussion and a language correction identified in the packet (changing a line that still read "includes" to "may include"), Commissioner Spencer moved to forward the recommendation to council with Kieran/Kurian’s amendment; Judy seconded and the motion passed by voice vote. The commission’s recommendation will be considered at a future city council meeting; staff suggested a council joint meeting on Feb. 10 and ordinance adoption likely in March.

The commission’s action sends the locally drafted code into the council process with the key concession that private sinks and toilets in sleeping units are optional, a change staff said is intended to give developers flexibility—particularly where adding plumbing would raise construction costs. The vote came with continuing concerns from some commissioners about safety and the lack of a hard local limit on the number of people per sleeping unit, an area staff said is governed by state landlord‑tenant law rather than local code.

The council is expected to review the recommendation in early 2026; staff said they will continue coordination with Commerce and will address related parking and public works standards in separate updates.