Pierce County Residents Asked To Weigh In On Housing Code Changes

TACOMA, WA — As housing costs skyrocket and demand increases, Pierce County Council says it is doing what it can to adapt to the changing times, and find new ways to accommodate more housing. However, before the council makes any big changes, they want to hear what the public has to say about it first.

Back in 2020, the council adopted resolution R2020-125, which required the county's Public Works Department to analyze the county's housing needs and provide potential solutions to the housing crisis. Now, the council is looking at the results, and weighing in on those proposed changes, like:

• Updating 35 residential use terms, which define what kind of housing can be built and where.
• Zoning changes and corrections for senior housing in both Gig Harbor and Parkland-Spanaway-Midland.
• New code language for employee housing.
• New shared housing residential use.

Some of the changes are minor, like updating the term "motel" to make existing legislation about motels more clear, but others could have big impacts, like updating the definition of a short-term vacation rental — which might impact Airbnbs, for example — and adding shared housing, which would allow group homes to be built in single-family, multi-family, and mobile home park zoning.

"By recognizing shared housing as its own use type, Pierce County can better regulate where shared housing is appropriate," the council explains. "By assigning development regulations, it is also easier to address potential impacts related to issues such as increased density or parking."

Shared housing includes rooming houses, group homes, shared housing villages and congregate housing.

Housing issues can be a minefield, and they're complicated to boot. For an easy example, just look at the proposed senior housing changes for the Midland area.

To help make sense of it all, the council will host a public information meeting this Thursday which will walk residents through all the proposed changes. Interested parties can RSVP online for more information. The council has also provided a summary of all the changes on its website.

While the council works to figure out what should change and what should stay the same, the public can weigh in by submitting comments through the proposal website, or by sending a letter to Pierce County Planning and Public Works, co Erika Rhett 2401 S 35th St, Suite 175, Tacoma, WA 98409-7490.