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City planners lay out six-package work plan to modernize Puyallup development code in 2026

Puyallup City Council · January 28, 2026

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Summary

The city’s Development & Permitting Services director and planning manager presented a six‑package 2026 work plan to update subdivision rules, zoning maps, middle‑housing rules, critical areas, design standards and permit processes to align local code with recent state mandates and the 2025 comprehensive plan.

City Development & Permitting Services Director Courtney Brunell and Planning Manager Katie Baker presented the department’s 2026 work plan to the council on Jan. 27, outlining six code-amendment “packages” intended to implement the 2025 comprehensive plan and comply with new state laws.

Key items Brunell highlighted include revising short‑plat rules to increase the lot threshold (from 4 to 9 lots) to facilitate infill; incorporating unit‑lot subdivisions tied to a state mandate (transcript reference: "Senate Bill 52 58"); zoning map amendments in two phases to align the zoning map with the future land‑use map; and middle‑housing implementation (transcript reference: "House Bill 11 10") to allow middle‑housing types in single‑family zones with stated exemptions. Baker said package 5 will be a comprehensive redesign of objective design standards to meet the state’s clarity requirements (transcript reference: "House Bill 12 93") and to consolidate multiple design chapters into one for administrative clarity.

Brunell and Baker also outlined outreach plans, planning‑commission review steps, SEPA work on critical areas, and a timeline that would bring the most immediately ready packages back to council next month and continue through the year with policy discussions on more complex zoning map and design issues.

Council discussion focused on the design‑review process, potential administrative review for smaller infill projects to reduce delays caused by design‑board quorum issues, and whether off‑site traffic mitigation could be required for some larger developments. Staff said many off‑site improvements can be addressed by SEPA thresholds and traffic‑impact fees but that not all infill triggers SEPA and that the city lacks a general mechanism to require off‑site improvements for every project.