Planning commission backs recommending 10-foot landscape strip for most roads, keeps 15-foot buffer on large arterials

The Washington City Planning Commission on March 18 voted to forward a recommendation to City Council to amend City Code 10-3-3, reducing the standard double-frontage landscape strip from 15 feet to 10 feet for most roads while retaining a 15-foot requirement for larger arterials.

The recommendation, moved by Commissioner Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Davis, would make the 15-foot buffer apply to public rights-of-way 85 feet and larger and eliminate an automatic PUD exception that had allowed some developments to use a smaller strip without explicit findings. The commission voted to send the recommendation to City Council with a majority voice roll call (Anderson, Davis, Mitchell, Tupelo, Bullock voting aye).

Staff planner Eldon opened the discussion by showing side-by-side examples of a 15-foot versus a 10-foot landscape strip and told commissioners that "staff supports this amendment as we feel the depth there is minimal as the average person typically doesn't recognize that 5 foot difference, and the sound attenuation impact would be minimal." That position framed staff’s recommendation to make the standard 10 feet in most cases.

Developers and some commissioners pushed back on the change. Applicant representative and local developer Bob Hermiton told the commission that "most other cities are at 10" and argued the 15-foot requirement can "hurt density," saying the extra setback often breaks development plans. One commissioner countered that "when it's a 10 foot strip, it often turns into gravel with a bush up the middle of it," arguing that a wider strip allows layered planting and a more effective buffer on major corridors.

The commission spent significant time discussing how to apply the standard consistently. Commissioners and staff agreed on a rights-of-way–based approach so the requirement would depend on the width/classification of the road rather than parcel zoning: 15 feet for arterials (the commission settled on an 85-foot right-of-way threshold in the motion), 10 feet for smaller roads, and commercial/industrial areas to retain specific standards where appropriate. The motion also removes the automatic PUD exception so developers seeking the narrower strip must receive explicit approval under any new standards.

The vote sends a recommendation — not an adopted ordinance — to City Council, which will have the final decision. If Council accepts the recommendation, the code change will return to the commission as an implemented city-code amendment subject to Council’s direction and any technical edits recommended by staff.