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Planning director outlines stream-buffer updates and step-housing changes staff will bring back for Lake Stevens
Summary
The planning director said staff will return with proposed stream-buffer adjustments tied to best‑available‑science guidance and warned that House Bill 2266 could remove extra land‑use review for step housing, prompting code updates by 2028; staff expects to present analyses and timelines to the commission in upcoming meetings.
Planning Director David updated the commission on two separate work‑program items: proposed minor tweaks to the city’s critical‑areas ordinance (stream buffers) and state action on step housing.
On critical areas, David said staff has followed adoption processes in nearby jurisdictions and noted some local code updates have been remanded by the Growth Management Hearings Board for not reflecting best‑available science. He said staff intends to return in April with additional analysis and proposed standard buffers (for example, a standard buffer for certain perennial streams) plus a conditional approach requiring larger buffers where site conditions suggest greater risk to riparian areas.
On step housing, David summarized a state bill discussed in the meeting (House Bill 2266) that, if signed, would prevent cities from requiring an additional land‑use process for ‘step housing’ (permanent supportive, transitional, emergency housing and shelters). He said the bill would require administrative/design review approval for such projects and would give jurisdictions about two years to update code; staff suggested step‑housing work would likely be placed on the 2027 work program.
Christy Schmidt, planning manager, confirmed that staff will post a developer checklist and guidance related to the Everett waterline transmission corridor that should be available shortly to help applicants understand site constraints and review checkpoints.
Next steps: staff will prepare proposed buffer changes and the step‑housing code amendments schedule, and will return to the commission at a future April meeting for further public discussion.
