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Record of Proceedings

Puyallup Planning Commission Meeting: February 11, 2026 (Middle Housing Code Amendments)

City Council & Commissions — Wednesday, February 11, 2026
BodyPuyallup, Washington
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateWednesday, February 11, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:26:08

Transcript — Verbatim
0:14

Good evening.

0:15

This is the Puyallop Planning Commission meeting for February 11th, 2026.

0:21

Call to order at 6:30 PM.

0:26

Clerk, will you please call the road?

0:29

Commissioner Seely.

0:32

Here.

0:33

Commissioner DeGro.

0:34

Excuse.

0:35

Commissioner Martin.

0:38

Here.

0:39

Commissioner Landon.

0:41

Here.

0:42

Vice Chair Taylor.

0:44

Here.

0:44

Chair Jones.

0:46

Here.

0:46

Thank you.

0:46

We have a quorum.

0:47

Thank you.

0:49

The next item on the agenda is the approval of the agenda.

0:53

Everyone's had the time to look that over.

0:55

I'll entertain the motion to approve.

0:59

So motion.

1:02

I'll second.

1:04

All those in favor?

1:06

Aye.

1:07

Any opposed.

1:11

I think that that passes.

1:17

The next item on the agenda is the approval of the minutes from January 28th, 2026.

1:25

All those have had a chance to look over those minutes.

1:29

I'll entertain a motion to approve.

1:33

I'll make a motion to approve.

1:35

And can I have a second?

1:37

Second.

1:38

All those in favor say aye.

1:40

Aye.

1:41

Any opposed.

1:45

Is Commissioner?

1:46

I'm sorry, just for a second.

1:49

Is Commissioner Martin on my oh okay?

1:56

I couldn't hear you voting, so I was just making sure.

2:00

Thank you.

2:01

You're welcome.

2:02

Um the Commissioner.

2:05

I'm sorry.

2:05

The next item on the agenda is the citizen comments.

2:10

This meeting also has a public hearing, but we're going to do citizen comments first.

2:14

Um, so the way that citizen comments works here is that I will call on all those who have provided their names in advance, and then I will call on other citizens that wish to speak.

2:26

When you approach the podium for the record, if you could please state your name, address, or city council district.

2:32

Um, and please be advised that each speaker has a limit of three minutes.

2:38

While you're speaking, the clerk will provide a verbal notice of 30 seconds remaining.

2:43

Um after those 30 seconds expire, we will need to stop you from speaking so that other people can take their turns.

2:51

As a reminder, this portion of the meeting is so that the planning commission can hear the citizens' feedbacks and um concerns from the community, and it's not a time to engage in debate.

3:03

Do I have comments that have been submitted?

3:07

I did not receive any um in advance to sign up to speak.

3:11

Okay.

3:14

Is there anyone in the audience who wishes to speak as citizen comments?

3:18

Okay.

3:19

If you can come on up and give us your name.

3:39

Okay.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning and Land Use███████████████████████████████████35%
Zoning And Land Use████████████████16%
Flood Control███████████11%
Procedural██████████10%
Community Engagement██████████10%
Affordable Housing██████6%
Public Safety█████5%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%
Emergency Preparedness██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Puyallup Planning Commission Meeting – February 11, 2026

The Puyallup Planning Commission held a meeting on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:56 p.m. at Council Chambers. The primary agenda item was a public hearing on proposed Middle Housing Code Amendments, required by House Bill 1110. Commissioners discussed and voted on several changes, including removal of restrictions on middle housing in the lahar (volcanic hazard) zone, and ultimately forwarded a recommendation to City Council with a 4–1 vote.

Consent Calendar

  • Roll Call: Commissioners present: Chair Kenya Jones-Lowell, Vice-Chair Tracy Taylor, Commissioners Art Seeley, Greg Martin, Kyle Landon. Commissioner David De Groot was excused.
  • Approval of Agenda: Motion by Vice-Chair Taylor, seconded by Commissioner Seeley. Passed 5–0.
  • Approval of Minutes (January 28, 2026): Motion by Commissioner Seeley, seconded by Vice-Chair Taylor. Passed 5–0.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Isaac Stocks (local home builder/developer, Puyallup) spoke during citizen comments and again during the public hearing. He emphasized the need for comprehensive review of regulations affecting housing production, citing data on Puyallup’s housing supply challenges compared to other metro areas. He urged the Commission to align local policies with state housing goals under the Growth Management Act and challenged the interim zoning controls that exclude much of the valley floor (lahar zone) from middle housing allowances, arguing the restrictions are not evidence‑based and undermine state objectives for urban density.

Discussion Items

  • Middle Housing Code Amendments (Public Hearing):
    • Planning Manager Katie Baker presented the background: House Bill 1110 requires cities to allow middle housing (duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhouses, stacked flats, cottage housing) in residential zones. Puyallup (tier 2 city) must allow up to 2 units per lot (up to 4 if affordable or within ¼‑mile of the Sounder station). An interim ordinance was adopted in June 2025 to meet the state deadline while permanent regulations were drafted. The draft before the Commission used that interim ordinance as a basis, including a prohibition on new middle housing regulations in most of the lahar (volcanic hazard) zone. Staff recommended forwarding a recommendation of approval.
    • Commissioners discussed the lahar zone restrictions at length. Several commissioners (Seeley, Landon, Taylor, Jones-Lowell) argued that the prohibition is inconsistent with past City actions (e.g., building City Hall and apartments in the valley) and is an overreach not based on evidence. They suggested alternative approaches like hazard notifications, evacuation planning, and risk communication. Commissioner Martin supported the restrictions, stating that building in the lahar zone is unwise.
    • Other technical amendments were discussed: adding “odors” to the limited manufacturing definition, and removing two specific provisions (page 42 letter M and page 43 item C2) that restricted middle housing in the lahar zone. Also, a discussion on fence height adjustments due to city street improvements was referred for future code amendments, along with impact fee reductions for affordable housing units.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to add provisions regarding odors in limited manufacturing definition (page 24): Motion by Commissioner Seeley, seconded by Vice-Chair Taylor. Passed 5–0.
  • Motion to remove letter “M” on page 42 (lahar zone restriction): Motion by Commissioner Seeley, seconded by Vice-Chair Taylor. Passed 4–1 (Commissioner Martin opposed).
  • Motion to remove item C2 on page 43 (lahar zone restriction): Motion by Commissioner Seeley, seconded by Vice-Chair Taylor. Passed 4–1 (Commissioner Martin opposed).
  • Motion to approve Middle Housing Code Amendments as amended: Motion by Commissioner Seeley, seconded by Vice-Chair Taylor. Passed 4–1 (Commissioner Martin opposed). This forwards a recommendation to the City Council.
  • Staff direction: Planning Manager Baker noted that the next meeting (February 25) will be canceled, and that further discussion with City Council on these amendments is expected in March and April. Direction was given to bring back fence height and impact fee proposals in future code amendment packages.

Commissioner Comments & Adjournment

  • Commissioners expressed gratitude to outgoing members Chair Jones-Lowell and Commissioner Seeley (who are leaving the Commission) for their long service. Chair Jones-Lowell noted the need for a cultural shift toward resilience and transparency in addressing lahar risks. Commissioner Seeley advocated for reinstating annual joint planning meetings with City Council to improve communication.
  • The meeting adjourned at 7:56 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. This is the Puyallop Planning Commission meeting for February 11th, 2026. Call to order at 6:30 PM. Clerk, will you please call the road? Commissioner Seely. Here. Commissioner DeGro. Excuse. Commissioner Martin. Here. Commissioner Landon. Here. Vice Chair Taylor. Here. Chair Jones. Here. Thank you. We have a quorum. Thank you. The next item on the agenda is the approval of the agenda. Everyone's had the time to look that over. I'll entertain the motion to approve. So motion. I'll second. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed. I think that that passes. The next item on the agenda is the approval of the minutes from January 28th, 2026. All those have had a chance to look over those minutes. I'll entertain a motion to approve. I'll make a motion to approve. And can I have a second? Second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed. Is Commissioner? I'm sorry, just for a second. Is Commissioner Martin on my oh okay? I couldn't hear you voting, so I was just making sure. Thank you. You're welcome. Um the Commissioner. I'm sorry. The next item on the agenda is the citizen comments. This meeting also has a public hearing, but we're going to do citizen comments first. Um, so the way that citizen comments works here is that I will call on all those who have provided their names in advance, and then I will call on other citizens that wish to speak. When you approach the podium for the record, if you could please state your name, address, or city council district. Um, and please be advised that each speaker has a limit of three minutes.

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