Puyallup Planning Commission Work Session: Phase 2 Zoning and Fair Parking Overlay Amendments

The Puyallup Planning Commission met in person in the 5th-floor Council Chambers at City Hall on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at 6:30 PM. Chair Taylor called the meeting to order. The meeting was viewable online via Zoom and by phone (webinar ID 880 7107 6968, passcode 667666). Written public comments were accepted at info@puyallupwa.gov until 3:00 PM and distributed before the meeting; no public comments were accepted via Zoom. The work session covered Phase 2 zoning code and map amendments, including the Fairgrounds Zone (Chapter 20.37), the Fair Parking Overlay (Chapter 20.47), Temporary Uses (Chapter 20.70), the Mixed Use Design Review overlay expansion, and the repeal of the Professional Office zone. Public speakers were limited to three minutes. No formal recommendation votes were taken; the items remain pending a September work session and an October 28 public hearing.

Consent Calendar

• The August 12, 2026 agenda was approved.
• The July 8, 2026 meeting minutes were approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Tom Utterback, representing the Washington State Fair, submitted a letter dated August 11, 2026, and spoke in support of two zoning map amendment requests affecting areas outside the main fairgrounds: base zone district changes in two areas and Fair Parking Overlay changes affecting additional fair-owned parcels.
• Utterback explained the Fair Parking Overlay was established a little over 30 years ago for fair-owned properties outside the main fairgrounds where fair activity, particularly parking, took place, and noted many large, long-time fair parking areas today lack the overlay.
• Utterback stated RV occupancy is allowed in association with the fair, that the fair monitors the use, and that the fair is not aware of community compatibility concerns. He noted the fair receives a steady number of requests from people who are not fair users (e.g., good Samaritans) and asked the commission to consider both the map and text amendments.
• In response to Commissioner DeGroot, Utterback said a temporary RV area would have a maximum capacity and the fair would have to say no when full, citing the Good Guys auto show a couple of weeks earlier, which filled the area with fair visitors. Commissioner DeGroot also requested advance notice of specific overflow locations rather than unspecified spots.
• Commissioners noted one code section allows use during the September fair or spring fair with no duration limits, while the section the fair seeks to amend covers all other events. Utterback emphasized the proposed use is "a very temporary RV" use.

Discussion Items

Fair Zoning, Fair Parking Overlay — Phase 2 (Chapters 20.37, 20.47, and 20.70; Draft Zoning Map)

• Staff presented proposed updates to the Fairgrounds Zone and Fair Parking Overlay, noting the fair's interest in future mixed-use development on fair-owned properties outside the fairgrounds boundary.
• The proposed zoning map amendments would rezone the Blue and Gold lots along South Meridian to Urban Center Mixed Use and rezone fair-owned parcels on the north side.
• The fair requested extension of the overlay to additional fair-owned parcels historically used for fair parking, bringing existing uses into compliance. Staff noted almost all parcels in the expansion have been under long-term Washington State Fair ownership and historical parking use.
• The fair requested amendment of the overlay's RV parking section so an existing RV parking area operating for over 30 years is not treated as nonconforming. The overlay currently permits RV parking and occupancy associated with the fall and spring fairs and fairgrounds events, subject to standards restricting the number of vehicles per event.
• Staff noted the overlay chapter contains development and performance standards, including landscape setbacks required from residentially zoned lots without the overlay.
• Following prior concerns about the Silver Lot — a non-contiguous parcel adjacent to residential parcels — staff acknowledged the overlay could permit other allowed parking overlay uses on site. Staff said they could explore limiting uses on these lots for special events if the commission wishes, similar to possible Silver Lot limitations.

Phase 2 Zoning Code and Map Amendments

• Staff recapped the LMX rezone project (presented by Kendall in July) to rezone properties currently zoned Office Professional and Limited Commercial.
• Staff proposed repealing Chapter 20.37 (Fairgrounds Zone) because the zone would be removed from the zoning map, avoiding a "ghost code" chapter without implementing map designations. All parcels currently zoned Professional Office (OP) would be rezoned, leaving no OP zones citywide.
• Staff identified two conflicting C-zone code sections related to accessory dwelling units (ADUs) that duplicate standards, and proposed streamlining the EV infrastructure code, established about 15–16 years ago and partly outdated relative to building code.
• Staff proposed removing duplicated downtown design guideline and Design Review Board regulations from the C zones.
• Staff cited state legislation allowing cities to place certain mixed-use restrictions on up to 40% of their zoning.
• Staff reviewed council-directed work items for 2026, noted the commission now meets once a month, and said the commission would be polled about adding a second September meeting so all amendment packages are clear before the public hearing.
• Staff presented draft comprehensive plan text amendments to the Land Use Element and the River Road Subarea Plan supporting code work on auto-related uses in the RMX zone, accompanied by LMX rezones and zoning/future land use map updates.
• Staff proposed amendments to the Mixed Use chapter in the manufacturing zone to keep neighborhood node uses very specific, small-scale, and "not scary," and committed to substantially more public engagement than in the past on the rezones.

Mixed Use Design Review Expansion

• Staff proposed extending and expanding the Mixed Use Design Review overlay to mixed-use zones expanded in Phase 1 (last year) or proposed for Phase 2 expansion. Staff stated no change to the design review standards in that code section was proposed at this time, noting the standards provide clear design guidelines.

Infrastructure and Commissioner Concerns

• Commissioner DeGroot asked whether infrastructure planning (e.g., SHA road improvements) would accompany the zoning changes. Staff responded that a developer would construct needed signal improvements and turn pockets at the developer's own expense, not public expense.
• A commissioner stated constituents frequently raise infrastructure concerns in the area, saying the city should concentrate more on infrastructure problems — the only major issue the commissioner keeps hearing about.
• A commissioner commented the council could adopt a moratorium but "I don't think that they're gonna do that," and remarked that a major disaster, "just like... a major fire burning half the city," would be needed before action is taken.
• A commissioner opposed year-round RV use, noting other parking lots would be open and the fair could use them for other activities.
• A commissioner referenced a Shaw Road cul-de-sac project involving two cul-de-sacs, an extension, and a walkway.
• Staff advised the public to contact the staff planner listed in the agenda for specific items and expressed uncertainty about the commission's role in certain state-driven matters. A commissioner noted the state increasingly directs local zoning requirements without providing the necessary funding.

Community Event Announcement

• An August 30 event organized by an underwater sports group was announced for the last Sunday of the month at Old Town Dock on Reston Way from 9:15 AM to 12:15 PM.

Key Outcomes

• The August 12, 2026 agenda and the July 8, 2026 minutes were approved.
• Staff will return in September for another Planning Commission work session for a complete review of the Phase 2 zoning map and code amendments before the public hearing.
• The public hearing was rescheduled to October 28, 2026, due to a City Council budget conflict.
• The commission will be polled about adding a second September meeting.
• Two November meetings and one December meeting are scheduled to deliver the code package to the City Council.
• Staff committed to expanded public engagement on the rezones.
• No formal recommendation votes were taken; the Phase 2 items remain in work-session status until the September review and the October 28 public hearing.