Director updates commission on comp plan, downtown parking resolution and development pipeline

The planning director opened the director’s report by thanking staff and commissioners for their work on the comprehensive plan and invited commissioners to weigh in on a potential change to planning‑commission terms (from six to four years), with staff planning to return with draft code language.

The director also outlined a council parking resolution that prioritizes employee parking, signage improvements, enforcement and, in 2026, a potential pilot for paid parking in select waterfront and downtown areas. “The council passed [a resolution] to implement signage improvements, employee parking, and then enforcement in that order,” the director said, adding that the city is negotiating contracts that could create roughly 100 employee parking spaces across several private lots and church properties.

On development activity, staff highlighted a number of projects moving through pre‑application and permitting: a large mixed‑use site adjacent to Baywatch (about 41.8 acres) with detached homes and multiplexes, a PRD at Knoll & Knoll, the Eliason (historic) building open house and renovation, the Plateau at Liberty Bay, 4th Avenue Apartments, Oslo Bay phases 2 and 3, and other mixed‑use projects that staff expect to see in coming months. The director said construction and permit activity remain robust and noted several anticipated clearings and permit submittals this summer.