Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

It

is 06:30, and I called the 11/17/2025 we the past. I'm the

pleased in

the the meeting platform. Should an individual planning commission become unexpectedly disconnected from the virtual platform, please rejoin the meeting at your first opportunity. The record will reflect your attendance. The meeting will proceed so long as a quorum of of planning commissions are present. Just remember to please mute your phone when you're not speaking. Will the clerk call roll and announce whether or not we have a quorum?

Commissioner Arneson. Commissioner Perez.

Here.

Commissioner Rahalu. Here. You have a quorum.

Thank you. Will staff in attendance please introduce yourselves?

Anthony Moai, Planning Director.

Steve Donovan,

The next item on the agenda is approval of the consent agenda. All matters listed within the Board Board of Directors of of of

Directors

I have a motion. Do I have a second? I second that. It has been moved by Commissioner Gregory and second by Commissioner Berger to approve the consent agenda as presented. Is there any discussion?

Seeing no discussion, may we have a roll call vote, please?

Commissioner Arneson?

Yes.

Commissioner Barger?

Yes.

Commissioner Hempstead?

Yes.

Commissioner Gregory? Yes. Commissioner Morales? Yes. Commissioner Perez?

Yes.

Commissioner Rahim Lu? Yes.

That motion passed unanimous. Next item is public hearings. Good evening. Welcome to the 11/17/2025 Kennewick Planning Commission meeting. It's important that everyone who wishes to do so has an opportunity to speak.

Each person who has either signed in in person or registered via Zoom will have one three minute opportunity to address the Planning Commission. If you are attending via Zoom, please confirm your microphone has been unmuted before you begin your comments. Please state your name, city of company's We to on staff shall provide staff report. The commission company's may ask questions of staff. The applicant or applicant's representative or presentation.

Third is testimony in favor of the request, followed by testimony either neutral or against request, followed by final applicant comments, and final staff comments, and then we'll close the public hearing for discussion or request. I declare the public hearing for development code amendment two thousand twenty five five open. May we have a staff report, please?

Thank you, Mr. Chair and Commission. This is Steve Donovan. Some of you may remember we had a workshop about a month ago for those of you that were there that discussed what we're presenting tonight. So the city of Kennewick is the applicant for this particular proposal and we're wanting or proposing to amend various sections within the code, either eliminations, additions.

As you see on the screen right now, we have section seventeen twenty point zero one zero four e, which would remove the reference to a tap to tout to row houses, sorry, amendment to eighteen oh nine two sixty, elimination of the section as that defines boarding houses. Amendment to 18.09.415 establish a new section that defines co living housing. We're proposing to amend 18.09.1350 to amend the definition of multifamily residential development by removing the references to boarding houses and lodging houses. The next is eighteen point zero nine point one eight six zero to eliminate eliminate the section that defines rooming house. The next section is eighteen point zero nine point one eight six five to eliminate the section that defines row houses.

And the reason why we're eliminating some of those definitions is because of what we're mandated to do in regards to the co living in there. They're duplicate duplicative or confusing. So we feel it's better to eliminate some of those. 18.092085 is to amend the definition of a townhouse. Eighteen point one two point zero one zero is to establish the zones that co living housing would be permitted in and remove the references to rooming rooming houses and boarding houses.

Eighteen point three six point zero six zero is to establish off street parking requirements at 0.25 stalls per sleeping unit, because co living units are measured in sleeping units, not dwelling units. So it's a little bit different than probably how you really think of usually in that type of situation. This is the slide that's showing the changes that we'd be making to our permitted use table, establishing the co living housing, what zoning districts they would be permitted in. As you see in the footnotes there where it says one eight on the screen, that footnote would be subject only to the commercial zones that allow for residential uses. So you'd still have to meet those commercial mixed use standards, commercial development standards, that type of thing in order to have these type of co living unit in it.

And then we're totally eliminating the use of rooming and boarding houses in that permitted use table. The definition that we're proposing for co living housing is the same as what's mandated by the state code RCW 3678.53511A that established definition for co living. We're not really we're not making any changes to that. The staff has recommend recommends has determined that the proposed development code amendment is not in conflict with the comprehensive plan and therefore recommends that the Planning Commission occur with the findings and conclusions contained in staff report DCA twenty twenty five-five and recommends approval of the proposed amendment to city council. And if you have any questions of staff, I'd be more than happy to answer them for you.

To we're get building. Little

Yeah, you would still have the be subject to those. Those commercial design standards and that type of a thing, correct.

Any other questions of staff? Seeing no other questions, the city of Kennewick is the applicant. We will move on to the public testimony. Starting, is there any testimony from anyone in person in the council chambers in favor of the request? This is the point in the hearing for anyone in favor of the request to comment.

Okay. Seeing no one coming up. Is there any testimony from anyone registered online in favor of the request. At this point, the hearing for anyone in favor of the request to comment, please raise your virtual hand and the clerk will announce your name and allow you to unmute your microphone.

We have no online participants.

Okay. At this time, we have no online participants. We'll continue. Is there any testimony from anyone registered online either neutral or against the request at this point in the hearing? We don't have anybody online still, so we'll continue down the process.

Okay, does staff any final comments?

Going

you

to board. To

zero five is closed. I would entertain a motion. I

move that the Planning Commission concur with the findings and conclusions in the staff report DCA 2025 dash zero zero zero five and recommend approval of the amendments to KMC sections seventeen point twenty point zero one zero four, 18.0926, eighteen point zero nine point four one five, eighteen point zero nine point one three five zero, 18 o 9.186, 18 o 9.1865, eighteen point one two point zero one zero A one, eighteen point one two point zero one zero A two, eighteen point one two point one nine zero, and eighteen point three six point zero six zero. We

have a motion. Is there a second? I second. No. Alright.

We have a motion and a second for the move the Planning Commission concur with the findings and conclusions of staff report DCA twenty twenty five zero zero zero five and recommend approval of the amendment to KMC section seventeen point two zero point zero one zero, eighteen point zero nine point two six zero, eighteen point zero nine point four one five, eighteen point zero nine point one three five zero, eighteen point zero nine point one eight six zero, eighteen point zero nine point one eight six five, eighteen point one two point zero one zero, eighteen point one two point zero one zero, eighteen point one two point one nine zero, and eighteen point three six point zero six zero. That is a lot. Is there any discussion from the commission? Hearing no discussions, may we have a roll call vote, please?

Commissioner Arneson.

Yes.

Commissioner Barker. Yes. Commissioner Hempstead.

Yes.

Commissioner Gregory. Yes. Commissioner Morales. Yes. Commissioner Perez.

Yes.

Commissioner Rahimla? Yes.

That motion passed unanimously. The next item on the agenda agenda is visitors that are not on the agenda at this time. I don't see any. We'll move on to old business. Are there any city council action updates?

There are no action updates.

New business, is there any new business?

One item of new business. Oh, I'm sorry. I guess it's not new business. I'll save it for discussion.

Perfect. Does the commission have any new business? No new business. Alright. Now, how about we're to reports, comments, discussion for commissioners and staff. Go ahead, staff. Alright.

I want to give the Planning Commission a heads up. Some of you may or whether you did or didn't watch one of the more recent city council workshops. One of the workshops, one the more recent workshops, they discuss boards and commissions, council interface with boards and commissions. They identified five commissions that they would like to have a little bit more interface with or at least wanna know what's going on. It's not a lot of next comes as the well the work plan for the coming year and then they would like the chairman to be present at a workshop meeting to present that work plan.

So what staff is proposing, we've met briefly, have identified some of what we know will be coming. A lot of what the planning commission does is routine work. So it's dependent on rezones or dependent on whether or not people apply privately initiated code amendments or the same way as well as comprehensive plan amendments during our normal cycle. We've accounted for those that we've also identified some ongoing projects such as our the current comprehensive plan periodic update that we're involved in right now. That's going to continue into next year. Unit lots subdivisions, I think we've highlighted

ir

the question. Ir we're

we're going to do

going get I think be to of that.

To we're be

do And municipal code based on removal of or I guess repealing or removal of some of the provisions that were in our Kennewick administrative code. We've moved some of that stuff into the municipal code. So with that, I guess I I know you're just hearing this. Just for a heads up, it it sounds like they want to get those updates in January. Hopefully, the second workshop in January, which would be the last Tuesday, the fourth Tuesday.

And I I anticipate just a couple of minutes. It's not gonna be anything lengthy. There will be probably one five commissions. Looking for some feedback. And if there's anything you think to that.

I

think out overtime. Is there a way as we list do everything that we're going to do in our work plan next year? Can we also sit have next to it or somewhere related to it? What are the council's goals and objectives are so we conversation around how do we continue to evolve and help bring those to fruition anyway possible outside of just the base body of work that we do historically here. And that doesn't have to all be done by January.

That's kind of my mindset is really start to help engage us to align with where they're going and staying within the structure of law and things of that nature. But is there things that we can do or be thinking question.

And first we'll we're of with time time know, lot that. We're

that.

To where some of those align or correlate with some of council's goals and priorities as well as the routine work.

And then

we can if we can probably hold a workshop early in the year and if we want to brainstorm over what some of those things are, we can give you an idea of what the council or the commission might think would be good for us to work on to align with what councils looking

opportunity for the planning commission to start shaping or getting out ahead of the game instead of just responding to what comes at us?

Yes. And I think there will be some opportunity for that, especially as we progress through get we'll to point.

Ir

then we'll we'll to

regulations to bring forward to

next council for them to get make decisions on.

And Perfect. That's exactly where I'd like to see the commission going as a whole and really start elevating the value and the engagement from the commission into shaping the character of our community moving forward. I love your description. Does commission have any other comments? Yeah, I'd say you said it pretty good.

I it's great. It gives you the feeling of accomplishment adding value. No other comments. I adjourn the meeting.