Puyallup Planning Commission Meeting - August 28, 2025 (Timestamp; Agenda/Minutes State August 27, 2025)

The Puyallup Planning Commission met in Council Chambers at Puyallup City Hall, 333 S. Meridian, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:36 p.m. Chair Kenya Jones-Lowell presided; present were Vice-Chair Marty Kiilsgaard and Commissioners Art Seeley, David De Groot, Greg Martin, Kyle Landon, and Tracy Taylor. Staff included Senior Planner Kendall Wals and Administrative Clerk Yessenia Abarca. Consultant Bob Bengford of MAKERS Architecture and Urban Design participated remotely. Note: the meeting agenda and adopted minutes identify the meeting date as Wednesday, August 27, 2025, while the supplied timestamp is 2025-08-28 14:30:00+00:00; this summary uses the supplied timestamp in the title.

Consent Calendar

• The agenda was approved by a 7-0 vote.
• The August 13, 2025 minutes were approved by a 7-0 vote as amended after Commissioner Martin noted an error in the recorded vote tally on the fish-and-wildlife recommendation.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public spoke during the citizen comment period.

Discussion Items

• Design Review Standards Update (HB 1293): Senior Planner Kendall Wals and consultant Bob Bengford presented the first worksession on proposed changes to the City's design review standards. The update responds to House Bill 1293, which requires design review standards to be clear and objective, prohibits design standards from further reducing density, height, bulk, or scale, and limits design review to a single public meeting conducted concurrently with other permit applications.
• Proposed code structure and applicability: The proposal would consolidate downtown design guidelines and Title 20 design standards into a new Chapter 20.26, applying to commercial, mixed-use, and multifamily development citywide. It would exclude fairgrounds, manufacturing zones, and middle housing/single-family areas. Existing downtown design guidelines would be deleted and replaced.
• Process: Staff plans further worksessions with the Planning Commission and the Design Review and Historic Preservation Board, stakeholder engagement with prior applicants and possibly architects, and a public hearing leading to a City Council recommendation likely in early 2026. Commissioner Taylor suggested inviting downtown business owners to share their experience; staff said stakeholder details are not finalized.
• Block frontage system: Bengford proposed a block-frontage map distinguishing storefront, landscape, mixed, and undesignated frontages. Draft maps keep downtown storefront areas largely the same, with adjustments. Commissioner Taylor asked whether terminology could avoid 'Class A/Class B' because 'Class B' is used for accessible units in other jurisdictions; Bengford suggested 'Type 1/Type 2' as an alternative.
• Storefront standards: Proposed storefront standards include a 12-foot minimum sidewalk width, 60% window transparency between 2.5 and 10 feet above the sidewalk, weather protection at least 6 feet deep over 60% of the facade, and 15-foot minimum ceiling heights on primary storefront streets. Commissioner Taylor questioned the 12-foot sidewalk, noting many downtown sidewalks measure closer to 9 feet and empty lots are rare; Bengford said engineering staff input and possible easement/cantilever approaches would need to be worked through. Commissioner Landon suggested removing on-street parking on Meridian to widen sidewalks, which was noted as a broader policy question.
• Residential ground-floor units: The draft would require a minimum 5-foot setback and a 30-inch raised ground floor when units are within 10 feet of sidewalks, paths, common open space, or parks, to provide privacy. Commissioner Taylor objected to the raised floor due to ADA ramp costs and accessibility-unit requirements, recommending 24 inches to avoid four-step handrail triggers. Commissioner Seeley also questioned ramp impacts and human scale; Bengford clarified the elevation requirement applies only when ground-floor units are built very close to public space, and examples with stoops and landscaping were shown.
• Open space standards: Staff proposed consistent multifamily open-space standards, replacing the current RM-zone 10% net-lot-area requirement unless 500 square feet of private open space per unit is provided. Proposed per-unit open-space amounts are 50 square feet for co-living/sleeping units, 100 for studios, 125 for one-bedrooms, and 150 for two-bedroom units. Options include shared outdoor space, ground-level porches, balconies (up to half), indoor recreation (up to half), and roof decks (up to half). Commissioner Martin called for minimum balcony dimensions to prevent token balconies from counting toward the requirement; Commissioner Taylor flagged liability/insurance concerns around children's play areas and asked for defined thresholds.
• Through-block connections: For large redevelopment sites, the draft sets maximum distances between streets and through-block connections: 250 feet in the CBD core and RM zones, 350 feet in other listed zones, and 500 feet in general commercial zones, with departure opportunities. Commissioners discussed phasing loopholes and mapping connections; Bengford cited examples in Alderwood Mall and Juanita/Kirkland.
• Facade articulation, historic preservation, and materials: Proposed maximum articulation intervals are 30 feet in the CBD core/CBD for buildings over 50 feet, 40 feet for storefronts outside the CBD, 75 feet for large-footprint nonresidential buildings, and 30 feet for residential buildings. Local-register historic properties would remain exempt; national/state register and character-building guidelines would be carried forward as voluntary. Adjacent-development compatibility guidelines would also be voluntary. Commissioner Seeley questioned whether options such as trellises or material changes are appropriate in historic downtown areas; Bengford noted state restrictions on prohibiting materials allowed by the building code, so materials may be limited by conditions rather than banned. Large buildings would need at least two cladding materials over 75 feet of storefront and at least three over 120 feet, with each material meeting a minimum percentage to avoid token use.
• Design Review Board role: Staff proposed shifting the Design Review Board from a decision-making body to an advisory role, with the director making final decisions. The board could review departure requests, larger projects, or projects referred by the director. Commissioner Seeley asked whether the director could override board decisions; Bengford said findings would be needed to support a different decision.

Staff Report

• Senior Planner Kendall Wals said staff is managing multiple concurrent code updates and hopes to return at the Commission's second September meeting to conclude the critical areas code public hearing process. A schedule for any additional Commission meetings has not yet been determined.

Commissioner Comments

• Commissioner Seeley asked whether the City Council has recently given direction on downtown vision, specifically whether the focus should be on preserving historic character or increasing density and pedestrian activity. Staff said the topic had not been recently discussed and that staff would raise the question.
• Commissioner De Groot asked about the possibility of holding additional meetings; staff said it remains possible but depends on workload and coordination for a quorum.
• Commissioner Taylor praised the proposed standards for allowing more creativity and easing regulatory burdens, contrasting them with restrictive regulations elsewhere. She also reported presenting the Commission's reserve-list request to City Council the prior evening, noted Council appeared interested, and noted former Planning Commission Chair Heather Schiller is running for City Council.
• Vice-Chair Kiilsgaard confirmed he presented the reserve-list request to City Council and sensed interest.
• Chair Jones-Lowell thanked the consultant and staff, supported the flexibility in the design standards, and asked staff to consider holiday travel and scheduling conflicts when planning additional meetings.

Key Outcomes

• Agenda and August 13, 2025 minutes approved unanimously, 7-0 each.
• No formal decision was made on the Design Review Standards Update; it was a worksession for feedback.
• Staff will incorporate comments, refine the draft, coordinate with engineering on sidewalk width and ADA issues, explore clearer terminology, and return for further worksessions before a public hearing and City Council transmittal, tentatively in early 2026.
• The Commission adjourned at 8:36 p.m.