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Pasco council assumes transportation benefit district powers, approves land‑use amendments and downtown property RFPs
Summary
Council assumed TBD powers, advanced comprehensive plan amendments and rezones to align maps, and approved surplus‑property RFPs for three downtown parcels; the council also adopted a school capital facilities update and related ordinances.
At a single meeting the Pasco City Council took several notable actions on infrastructure and land use.
Transportation benefit district: After a staff presentation on declining fuel and utility tax revenues and mounting street mileage, the council adopted ordinance 4826 (assume powers of the Pasco Transportation Benefit District). Deputy City Manager Crystal Sigdell told the council the TBD would give the city an administrative vehicle to pursue new transportation funding options such as vehicle‑license fees or a sales‑tax increment; options requiring voter approval were noted.
Land use and comprehensive‑plan actions: The council approved emergency comprehensive‑plan amendments and rezones aimed at resolving a density conflict in RS‑20 areas and adopting related zoning changes (ordinances 4827 and 4828). Staff said the amendments reduce density ranges where needed and convert certain RS‑20 parcels to RS‑15 to align plan designations and zoning.
Downtown properties: Council approved three surplus declarations (resolutions 4759, 4760 and 4761) for downtown parcels at 122–124 S. 4th Ave, 321 W. Lewis St., and 414 W. Columbia St., directing staff to run an RFP process through July 17 and to evaluate proposals on criteria beyond price, including proposed use, downtown activation, financial capacity and community value. Council asked staff for a competitive process and added a council member to the evaluation committee.
School capital plan: The council adopted the Pasco School District capital facilities update (ordinance 4829) as part of routine plan maintenance.
Why it matters: The TBD adoption gives Pasco an additional long‑term funding mechanism for street maintenance and transportation improvements. The surplus property RFPs are a step toward downtown redevelopment while the comprehensive plan and rezones are technical but consequential alignment steps for housing density and land‑use consistency.
Next steps: Staff will follow the RFP timeline, return to council with recommended purchase and sale agreements if proposals meet evaluation criteria, and begin outreach on TBD options and any voter‑facing revenue proposals.
Attributions: Deputy City Manager Crystal Sigdell (speaker 36) and planning staff (speaker 6) presented the items; Mayor Pro Tem (speaker 17) moved the primary ordinances and resolutions adopted by roll call.
