Maple Valley council unanimously extends six-month moratorium on BESS permits while interim rules are drafted

The Maple Valley City Council voted unanimously Jan. 12 to extend an emergency moratorium on accepting building permit applications for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) while it develops interim development regulations. The council approved Ordinance No. O-26-870 by a 7-0 vote.

Community Development Manager Matt Torpey reintroduced the proposed ordinance, which the minutes describe as extending the moratorium for six months to allow the city time to draft and adopt interim development rules specific to BESS siting and permitting. The public hearing on the moratorium opened at 7:08 p.m.; James Delay of Covington said he was not opposed to BESS broadly but voiced concern about lithium-based systems, calling them the cheapest and the hardest to extinguish in the event of a fire. Monty Anderson, representing the King County Building Trades and identifying as a Maple Valley resident, spoke in favor of BESS and said he had confidence in Puget Sound Energy and state oversight for such projects.

Councilmember Syd Dawson moved to approve Ordinance O-26-870; Councilmember Didem Pierson seconded. The motion passed 7-0. The ordinance will remain in effect for the stated six-month period while staff and council consider interim regulations and any related permitting changes.

The moratorium is intended to pause new permit acceptance, not to make a permanent land-use decision; the council directed staff to return with proposed interim development regulations and additional analysis. No formal amendments to the ordinance were recorded in the minutes. The council reconvened after an executive session later in the evening and took no additional action on the matter at that time.