Port Orchard staff seek input on landscaping updates and how to treat middle housing

Jim Biss, principal planner, reviewed proposed updates to Chapter 20.128 that aim to clarify landscaping requirements, expand applicability to all residential and nonresidential development, strengthen invasive-species control, and modernize buffer and fence standards.

Biss said a central policy question is whether middle housing should follow the same landscaping rules as detached homes to align with House Bill 1110’s equal-treatment requirement: "House Bill 1110 requires equal treatment of middle housing and detached houses," he said. The draft applies standards to all residential development; if the city treats middle housing the same as detached homes, it could change who must prepare landscaping plans for new builds.

Shira Dedmon asked whether the draft language made requirements more vague by swapping explicit numerical thresholds for references to a defined term. Biss replied the definitions were incorporated in earlier middle-housing updates in Chapter 20.12 and that the intent is to rely on that definition rather than repeating a numeric threshold in every section. He said the changes would apply only to new development permit applications and not to existing houses.

Committee members raised concerns about potential cost impacts for builders if single-family homes must now include landscaping plans, and asked staff to consider measures to reduce burdens, such as allowing nonlicensed staff to prepare simple plans. Biss said staff included options to reduce costs (for example, not always requiring a licensed landscape architect) and flagged that the city’s tree-canopy mapping work by Public Works should inform future requirements.

The committee agreed to continue deliberation and have additional review at the planning commission as tree-canopy mapping and public input proceed; staff suggested bringing the item back once Public Works’ mapping is available.