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Record of Proceedings

Puyallup Planning Commission Worksession on Zoning Updates - October 22, 2025

City Council & Commissions — Wednesday, October 22, 2025
BodyPuyallup, Washington
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateWednesday, October 22, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:43:52

Original source
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0:04

Good evening, this is ballot planning meeting for Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025.

0:09

Calling it to order.

0:11

Will the clerk please call the role?

0:14

Commissioner Seely.

0:16

Here.

0:16

Commissioner DeGrooth.

0:18

Here.

0:18

Commissioner Martin.

0:21

Here.

0:21

Commissioner Landon.

0:24

Here.

0:25

Commissioner Taylor.

0:26

Excuse.

0:27

Vice Chair Killsgard.

0:29

Here.

0:29

Chair Jones Law.

0:31

Here.

0:31

Thank you at the quorum.

0:33

Thank you.

0:34

First item on the agenda is the approval of the agenda.

0:38

I'll entertain the motion to approve the agenda.

0:41

So move.

0:42

Second.

0:44

All those in favor.

0:45

Aye.

0:47

Any opposed?

0:49

Motion passes.

0:52

To that, we have the approval of the minutes.

0:55

These are the minutes for September 24th, 2025.

1:01

I'll entertain the motion to approve the minutes.

1:06

Motion to approve.

1:08

Second.

1:09

All those in favor.

1:11

All right.

1:12

Any opposed?

1:14

I'm going to abstain since I wasn't at the meeting.

1:17

Okay.

1:18

We will mark down Commissioner Seely as abstaining.

1:23

The motion has passed.

1:26

We have the next item up on the agenda is citizen comments.

1:31

During the section of the meeting, I will call on those who have provided their names in advance.

1:36

And then I will call for other citizens who wish to speak for the record.

1:40

Please state your name, address, or city council district in which you reside.

1:45

Please be advised that each speaker is allowed three minutes.

1:48

The clerk will give a verbal notice at 30 seconds.

1:52

And this portion of the meeting is for the public to come and engage with the planning commission and that time to engage in debate.

2:03

Seeing no one here to approach the dais, I'm going to go ahead and close public comment at 632.

2:17

We have a work session topic on our agenda tonight, and it is dealing with the zoning map and code updates.

2:28

Kendall is going to give us this presentation.

2:31

Thank you.

2:33

Oh, and Miss Kate.

2:36

Yes, thank you.

2:37

Kendall Walls with the planning division.

2:39

We also have Kate Rogers online with MIG, and she will kind of take over the last half of the presentation and discussion portion tonight.

2:50

So I will start us off.

2:53

So let me get the presentation going.

3:14

All right.

3:15

So tonight we are talking about the zoning map and code updates that we're going to be working on for your next several um work sessions.

3:29

For just an overview of the presentation tonight, I wanted to give just a brief overview of why we're doing these updates and give a high-level overview of the updates related to the map and code that will be coming before you in future meetings, but then have more of a focused look and discussion on potential changes for our single family residential zones and our mixed use zones.

3:58

So Kate will kind of take over when we we switch to the mixed use zones.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning and Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████70%
Mixed Use Zones███████████17%
Procedural███4%
Community Engagement█2%
Personnel Matters█2%
Arts And Culture█2%
Affordable Housing█1%
Parking Management█1%
Economic Development█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Puyallup Planning Commission Worksession on Zoning Map & Code Updates - October 22, 2025

The Planning Commission met at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, in Council Chambers at City Hall. The meeting focused on Phase 2 of zoning map and code updates following the Comprehensive Plan periodic update, including consolidation of single-family residential zones and updates to mixed-use zones. A motion to eliminate RS-4 and retain RS-10 failed on a 3-3 tie. The meeting adjourned at 8:13 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of the Agenda: Motion by Commissioner De Groot, seconded by Vice-Chair Kiilsgaard. Passed 6-0.
  • Approval of Minutes (September 24, 2025): Motion by Vice-Chair Kiilsgaard, seconded by Commissioner De Groot. Passed 5-0 (Commissioner Seeley abstained).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public provided comments. The public comment period was closed at 6:32 PM.

Discussion Items

  • Zoning Map & Code Updates Overview: Senior Planner Kendall Wals and MIG Consultant Kate Rogers presented Phase 2 updates aimed at aligning the zoning map and code with the adopted Future Land Use Map (FLUM) and the 2021 Housing Action Plan. Key changes include modifications to low-density areas, a new mixed-use corridor on S. Meridian, and updates to Regional Growth Centers (Downtown and South Hill).
  • Single-Family Residential Zone Consolidation: Staff proposed eliminating RS-4 and RS-10, combining RS-4 with RS-6 and RS-8 with RS-10, while retaining RS-35. Commissioners expressed concerns about impacts on RS-10 property owners facing RS-8 standards and potential density increases from accessory dwelling units and middle housing. Commissioner De Groot questioned retaining RS-35 zones without sewer service. Vice-Chair Kiilsgaard opposed combining RS-8 and RS-10, stating RS-10 property owners had already been affected by ADU allowances. Commissioner Seeley echoed concerns about density increases. Commissioner Landon requested more time to study the Housing Action Plan.
  • Mixed-Use Zone Updates: Kate Rogers presented concepts for the Limited Mixed Use (LMX) zone to support neighborhood commercial nodes, including reducing maximum commercial space from 50,000 sq. ft. to a smaller size (e.g., 10,000 sq. ft.) and allowing standalone residential uses. For South Hill's Community Commercial Mixed Use (CCX) and Urban Center Mixed Use (UCX) zones, proposals included allowing standalone residential development, increasing density limits (e.g., UCX from 22 to 40-50 units per acre), and updating height bonuses. Commissioners raised concerns about visual impacts of five-story buildings near single-family homes, the need for step-back provisions, and the appropriateness of expanding commercial nodes too close to downtown. Commissioner Seeley supported retaining existing small neighborhood commercial uses to avoid non-conforming status burdens.
  • Other Updates: Staff noted future discussions on manufacturing zones, public facilities zones, Fair zoning, and overlays. Mixed-use zones for River Road (RMX) and Shaw Pioneer (CMX) will be revisited in early 2026.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to Eliminate RS-4 and Keep RS-10: Motion by Vice-Chair Kiilsgaard, seconded by Commissioner De Groot. The motion failed 3-3 (Chair Jones-Lowell, Commissioner Seeley, and Commissioner Landon voted in favor; Vice-Chair Kiilsgaard, Commissioners Martin and De Groot opposed). Staff will bring back at least two options for further consideration.
  • Next Steps: Staff to provide new commissioners with copies of the Housing Action Plan and a summary of council-added policy changes (LU 1.9.1) from the Comprehensive Plan update. Draft amendments for mixed-use zones and remaining single-family zones expected by early 2026.
  • Commission Action: A motion was made and seconded to eliminate RS-4 zones and keep RS-10 zones. The motion failed 3-3.

Staff Reports

  • Planning Manager Katie Baker reported that the Puyallup City Council unanimously adopted the co-living code amendments on second reading, with no changes to the Planning Commission's recommendations. She also announced Courtney Burnell as the new DPS Director, formerly of Buckley, Lakewood, and Tacoma.

Commissioner Comments

  • Commissioner De Groot announced that Arts Downtown received a large donation to purchase the interactive red sculpture "Tranquility 2" at the spray pad for donation to the city.
  • Commissioner Martin praised the Department of Public Works for rescuing his keys from a storm drain.
  • Vice-Chair Kiilsgaard noted the Puyallup football team is ranked #1 in 4A with a 7-0 record.
  • Chair Jones-Lowell mentioned the recent APA conference in Tacoma and invited commissioners to a festival street project completion in Bremerton on November 13, 2025.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, this is ballot planning meeting for Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025. Calling it to order. Will the clerk please call the role? Commissioner Seely. Here. Commissioner DeGrooth. Here. Commissioner Martin. Here. Commissioner Landon. Here. Commissioner Taylor. Excuse. Vice Chair Killsgard. Here. Chair Jones Law. Here. Thank you at the quorum. Thank you. First item on the agenda is the approval of the agenda. I'll entertain the motion to approve the agenda. So move. Second. All those in favor. Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes. To that, we have the approval of the minutes. These are the minutes for September 24th, 2025. I'll entertain the motion to approve the minutes. Motion to approve. Second. All those in favor. All right. Any opposed? I'm going to abstain since I wasn't at the meeting. Okay. We will mark down Commissioner Seely as abstaining. The motion has passed. We have the next item up on the agenda is citizen comments. During the section of the meeting, I will call on those who have provided their names in advance. And then I will call for other citizens who wish to speak for the record. Please state your name, address, or city council district in which you reside. Please be advised that each speaker is allowed three minutes. The clerk will give a verbal notice at 30 seconds. And this portion of the meeting is for the public to come and engage with the planning commission and that time to engage in debate. Seeing no one here to approach the dais, I'm going to go ahead and close public comment at 632. We have a work session topic on our agenda tonight, and it is dealing with the zoning map and code updates. Kendall is going to give us this presentation. Thank you.

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