[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6078299,"mediaKeyId","2959982-dfe0343a68232dc37c56192b05c94c0f","parentId",2959982,"title","Yakima Planning Commission debates local design standards, middle-housing impacts, ADUs and parking as comprehensive-plan outreach begins","audioSeconds",461,"startMs",283000,"endMs",744000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2959982-dfe0343a68232dc37c56192b05c94c0f&start=283&end=744","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2959982-dfe0343a68232dc37c56192b05c94c0f/thumbnail_283000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6078299/Yakima-City/Yakima-County/Washington/Yakima-Planning-Commission-debates-local-design-standards-middle-housing-impacts-ADUs-and-parking-as-comprehensive-plan-outreach-begins","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6078299-fcef73f3dc51d2cfee5aaa5ffcfb43e5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151734&Signature=mXCftt~7TkWFrVZZC40BF~s2pGvDbWAOGP9-iJoneLXDvvbSxkTrqYSQXYr0iyK11KMb0depmSMCogYWLJrH~daR9fQcaUpp9Zoq-2ZteEZGrjvnVjsTEqZ~904zK3cE69aCMsVVnYCaGKgGFEmcUArBisT3V1LU-QPhU0W2BpomdyB0EH7ZhWRfW-4Ra23Iyn1V-QBdUmFn02cVST5pw8LExO0b9G66ToQ70TxKnijGYuAM3E-KjRz-MU06uOWqdpIcn6RtG~hhgOLQSjs-fbX1VwXtA7eh137L7ZV~6fIMECRqc6PG4Vd1MQMpO~IfDzCqeFQpgHTz76N6uVUlpg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Yakima City, WA","date","2025-03-12T00:00:00Z","article","Commissioners devoted lengthy discussion March 12 to local design standards, state-mandated “middle housing” requirements, accessory dwelling units and parking and stormwater concerns as part of the Yakima comprehensive-plan update process.

Planning staff told the commission they are preparing a public participation plan and expect to schedule the first public engagement session around April 16. \"I'll shoot the date out to everybody after this,\" staff member Trevor said. The engagement work will be part of a periodic comprehensive-plan update the council started last month.

A member of the public and former commissioner, Shelly White, addressed the commission during public comment and read material she had presented to the City Council. White summarized state bills by name as she understood them and warned of local effects: “HB 1110 … must allow 4 housing units per lot on most or all formally single family residential lots,” she said, adding that the laws also reduce permitting timelines and promote unit lot subdivisions developed with guidance from the Department of Commerce.

Commissioners and staff discussed what design standards could look like locally. Planning staff described design standards as rules or guidelines addressing building elements such as windows, trim, siding and roof forms and also parcel-level considerations such as setbacks, modulation and finished facades. Staff pointed to the City of Wenatchee as an example and said design standards could be applied differently across districts: “we can divide the city up into certain districts or segments,” Trevor said, to reflect differing neighborhood character.

Several commissioners expressed mixed views. Some supported design standards for downtown, historic districts and multifamily projects to preserve neighborhood character and require modulation and landscaping. Others said they opposed rigid, citywide controls on residential appearance and worried about overregulation in single-family neighborhoods. Commissioners repeatedly raised practical concerns tied to middle-housing requirements: narrow streets and on-street parking, emergency access for fire apparatus, sewer and stormwater capacity, and enforcement of building and occupancy standards.

Staff provided an occupancy and project activity summary that planners have recorded for 2024: the packet included project descriptions such as duplexes, triplexes and four-unit townhomes and a compiled total of 407 new units delivered in 2024, according to staff. Commissioners asked for clearer presentation of which units already have certificates of occupancy and which remain under construction; staff said they would provide that alongside future reports.

Commissioners also discussed regulatory limits and enforcement. A commissioner noted that provisions for adequate public facilities — water, sewer and stormwater — remain avenues for limiting development where infrastructure is insufficient, and staff confirmed those limits can apply under the middle-housing statute. Commissioners asked for outreach to utilities and fire to ensure facility data is incorporated into the comp-plan process; staff said they have been in contact with those divisions and have current documents on water, wastewater and transportation facilities.

Several commissioners asked staff to gather examples of design standards other municipalities have adopted and to return with options for public review. Staff said the comp-plan engagement process will be the venue to test community appetite for design standards, and commissioners agreed to continue exploring the topic as state law and the City Council’s decisions evolve.

No formal policy actions on design standards, ADU rules or parking requirements were taken at the meeting; the commission’s discussion was exploratory and focused on potential recommendations to guide planning staff and inform the public outreach effort.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Yakima Planning Commission 03-12-25","oneSentenceSummary","Commissioners spent most of the March 12 meeting discussing local design standards and how state middle-housing and permitting laws could affect single-family neighborhoods, accessory dwelling units, parking and stormwater during the Yakima comprehensive-plan update process.","taxTitle","Yakima City, Yakima County, Washington","taxId",12681,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6078304,"Court order suspends Yakima City ordinance expanding Planning Commission; commission reverts to seven seats and elects Hitchcock vice chair",2425,61000,2486000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2959982-dfe0343a68232dc37c56192b05c94c0f&start=61&end=2486","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2959982-dfe0343a68232dc37c56192b05c94c0f/thumbnail_61000.jpg","/articles/6078304/Yakima-City/Yakima-County/Washington/Court-order-suspends-Yakima-City-ordinance-expanding-Planning-Commission-commission-reverts-to-seven-seats-and-elects-Hitchcock-vice-chair","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6078304-e3c592c4e4ac5e79f2405c403ec9d740/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151734&Signature=Wx71qacx7Duu4lfe6upE~4JIhNHszOYjUz5JNN5cFKR42S0u9OPFAR3nSIfOpcpRGR3qyWdgPnjT1y7HO75cMEvv3bgIEr1DKhzulltntMCpmmWpoaT-aYZue8asMxPnHkJNvY8ftmZZQfl7Z0fvLif9KrvgeIsIc2bE394~CiOqlNwwxU8QOFDD3XYMoCbvsjxXOyrVzwBB5zxwZc1qFFeIl9rmWFzgsP7Yr-QvQyfG1cZ8dxxaBgh0xI3lzDCwcPZjlSOud6f2wX5eXNK35ac3FRzQaVwIbteFgDVV3AyKIaW1XEQgB4abMO1UXpjU0803sAZl4vVFbeOHDwFc-A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At its March 12 meeting, the Yakima Planning Commission learned a judge had suspended ordinances passed by the City Council in March 2024 that would have expanded the commission from seven to 11 members, City Attorney Sarah told the commission. As a result, the commission reverted to the original seven-seat roster and selected Commissioner Charles Hitchcock as vice chair by voice vote.

The city attorney described the sequence for commissioners: the council passed ordinances in March 2024 to change the commission; a lawsuit was filed in May 2024 challenging that process; and “on March 7 … the judge entered an order suspending the ordinances that were passed by the council, which made the changes to the planning commission,” City Attorney Sarah said. She added that the council voted the previous night to appeal the order, but the court order remained effective because no stay had been granted.

The suspension means the four seats created by the ordinance “do not exist right now,” City Attorney Sarah said, and the city must follow the court’s order unless another court action alters it. Commissioners discussed that bylaws and internal positions established for an 11-member commission would need adjustment; the commission added an item to the agenda to elect a new vice chair.

Commissioners nominated and elected Commissioner Charles Hitchcock as vice chair. A motion to nominate Hitchcock was made and subsequently seconded; commissioners approved the nomination by voice vote and Hitchcock was declared elected. The commission also approved minutes from the Feb. 26 meeting after a motion and second.

No additional formal action was taken at the meeting to challenge or change the court order; City Attorney Sarah said the city would keep the commission informed about developments in the court proceedings.

Votes at a glance
- Motion to accept minutes of Feb. 26, 2025: motion made and seconded; outcome recorded as approved (vote taken by voice; detailed tally not specified). Note: the Feb. 12 minutes will be corrected and returned at a later meeting.
- Motion to elect Commissioner Charles Hitchcock as vice chair: nomination made and seconded; outcome recorded as approved by voice vote (detailed tally not specified).","A judge's March 7 order suspended ordinances that had expanded the Yakima Planning Commission from seven to 11 members, the city attorney told commissioners March 12. The commission returned to its original seven-seat roster and elected Commissioner Charles Hitchcock as vice chair by voice vote.","actionData","errors"]

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Yakima Planning Commission debates local design standards, middle-housing impacts, ADUs and parking as comprehensive-plan outreach begins

Court order suspends Yakima City ordinance expanding Planning Commission; commission reverts to seven seats and elects Hitchcock vice chair