Washington City Council approved a zone change (Z‑25‑24) to Planned Unit Development Commercial (PUDC) for property at Washington Fields Road and George Washington Boulevard on Jan. 14, clearing the way for a grocery‑anchored commercial development.

Community Development Director Eldon Gibb described the site and said the Planning Commission recommended approval on Jan. 7 with conditions including coordination of shared access with the landowner to the north. The applicant, Matt Nielsen of Evergreen Development, told council the developer intends a grocery anchor occupying roughly one‑third of the site with complementary neighborhood‑oriented commercial uses for the remainder. "Our intent is to do a grocery anchor development," Nielsen said.

Council members debated which uses should be permitted as part of the PUDC exhibit. Concerns included potential nuisance uses (tire shops, heavy equipment rental, storage units, RV sales), whether child day‑care should be a permitted use, and how specified uses could affect marketing to national grocers. Planning Commission recommended removing several items from the permitted list; council refined that list in the motion.

Public comment emphasized traffic and access concerns along Camino Real and Washington Fields Road and asked the developer to prioritize sidewalks, safe crossings and high‑quality site design. The developer said road widening, sidewalks and trail connectivity were included in project plans and that shared access coordination with neighboring landowners was under way.

Councilman Belson moved to approve the zone change with specified exclusions (removal of hotels/motels, motor vehicle/RV sales, large storage units, certain heavy equipment rentals, and limiting large hospital uses to small clinics), and the motion passed by unanimous roll call vote (Aye 5–0). The developer will return to the city with a detailed site plan, elevations and a coordinated access plan for final design review.

Next steps: Applicant to submit required site plan and final PUD design materials; staff and developer to coordinate access alignment across property boundaries and identify any required traffic improvements.