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East Wenatchee, Douglas County staff recommend upzoning to address projected housing shortfall
Summary
City and county staff presented a Land Capacity Analysis showing a shortage of land zoned for high-density housing and requested policy direction to prioritize upzoning and limited Urban Growth Area (UGA) expansions; county commissioners asked for more time to identify priority parcels.
Community Development Director Curtis Lillquist presented a Land Capacity Analysis for the East Wenatchee Urban Growth Area that, he said, shows a projected deficit of housing capacity under current zoning and a surplus in lower-density zones.
"Staff requested policy direction from the Board of County Commissioners and City Council regarding support for upzoning to Residential-High/Office Zoning, consideration for removing the Mixed-Use designation in favor of Residential-Medium Zoning and the prioritizing of areas for UGA expansion given that not all requested lands could be included at this time," the staff report states and Lillquist presented to the joint meeting.
The analysis identified a specific shortage in acreage zoned Residential-High/Office and recommended targeted upzoning near existing utilities to close the high-density housing gap. Lillquist told the joint meeting that prioritizing parcels that already have or can reasonably expand sewer and other utilities will lower per-unit development costs and increase the feasibility of delivering new housing.
City councilmembers and the three Douglas County commissioners discussed growth projections through 2046 and options for accommodating that growth. The meeting minutes record that a consensus was established in support of upzoning to Residential-High/Office and removing Mixed-Use in favor of Residential-Medium zoning for some areas, while Douglas County commissioners requested additional time to review the packet and identify which specific lands staff should prioritize for inclusion in a UGA expansion.
The hour-and-a-half meeting produced no formal vote or ordinance; staff left the meeting with direction to continue refining maps and recommendation options and to return with prioritized parcel lists at a later meeting for formal action.
