Pierce County Comprehensive Plan Update Nears Completion

In the updated plan, parcels will be labeled rural residential, not R10. Zoning requirements will not change. Parcels that had been labeled R20, R40, rural farm or rural sensitive resource lands will all be designated as rural reserve.”

The planning commission will hold a meeting open to the public to review input from all the land use advisory commissions Oct. 1.

The Key Peninsula Land Use Advisory Commission met Aug. 22 to review changes in the Community Plan recommended by Pierce County staff to ensure it is consistent with the updated 2024 Comprehensive Plan. It is one more step in the nearly three-year process to update the Pierce County vision for the next 20 years. About 15 members of the public attended. 

The first county comprehensive plan was enacted in 1994 in compliance with the Growth Management Act, passed by the state legislature in 1990 to counter the threat of uncoordinated and unplanned growth to the environment, quality of life, and sustainable economic development. It serves as a 20-year policy document with updates every 10 years. 

Pierce County began its work on the plan update in 2022 and completed a final draft outlining three alternatives to growth and development in January 2024. The draft was presented to land use advisory commissions and in other venues for public comment and was available online. 

KPAC met Jan. 25 to review the draft comprehensive plan. The draft presented three alternative approaches to growth and development that ranged from minimal changes in the current plan to one that would aggressively shift growth to high-density near transit and limit growth elsewhere. The draft primarily addressed issues in urban and suburban areas, but one recommendation — the elimination of the rural density bonus — affected the Key Peninsula. 

Most parcels on the KP are designated as R10, which limits one home per 10 acres. The rural density bonus allows for two houses on the parcel if at least half of it is designated as open space. KPAC approved the elimination of the bonus at its meeting in January. (“Pierce County Releases Draft of Comprehensive Plan Affecting KP,” February 2024). 

According to Robert Perez, senior planner for Pierce County, the county council Community Development and Environment Committee reviewed public comment and the county executive’s alternative plan and presented its own recommendation to the council for approval in May. The Department of Planning and Public Works was tasked with completing the final draft of the comprehensive plan and environmental impact statement and amending community plans to ensure they were consistent with the county plan. 

In the updated plan, parcels will be labeled rural residential, not R10. Zoning requirements will not change. Parcels that had been labeled R20, R40, rural farm or rural sensitive resource lands will all be designated as rural reserve. Zoning requirements for each parcel are unchanged, and any rezoning would require public notice and review by the county hearing examiner. 

The other change to the community plan was to remove language stating that recreational trails should not be a part of a paved roadway. The new comprehensive plan allows for street connections that can connect neighborhoods to the regional trail system. 

At the August meeting, KPAC member Sami Jensen objected to the deletion of language without adding replacement language and said the data in the tables was out of date. 

Perez said that staff could delete language that is not consistent with the new comprehensive plan, but they could not add new language or update the data in the existing community plan, which was written in 2007, at this time. That work will require additional staff time and funding. 

Audience member Josh Hosford asked KPAC not to support ending the rural density bonus, stating that 5-acre parcels can maintain a rural sensibility, that families with large parcels who hoped to develop their land will suffer financially, and framed it as taking land rights, saying he feared there would be future attempts to down-zone land in rural areas. Hosford founded the Pierce County Citizens’ Alliance for Property Rights this year and is president of Hosford Construction in Buckley, which according to his profile on LinkedIn focuses on large residential land development and building projects primarily in Pierce County. 

Marita Tarabochia of Lakebay asked if there is a plan to have a survey of Key Peninsula residents to get input. 

Tom Nosenzo of Longbranch said there are many pre-existing plats that are much smaller than 10 acres and that with so many exceptions he didn’t think the R10 limits had much effect. Perez said those plats were formed prior to the Growth Management Act and that code allows building on those lots if there is adequate water and septic. 

Kyle Hett, co-owner of Two Fox Winery, asked if there has been any discussion regarding agritourism. Leila Willoughby-Oakes, senior planner at Pierce County, said that there will be proposals about opportunities in 2025. 

The KPAC commissioners voted on two motions. 

By a vote of 4-to-3, the commission did not approve the updates to the community plan recommended by county staff. One commissioner, Stephanie Andrews, said that she had missed the January meeting and did not support eliminating the rural density bonus. 

Second, the commissioners unanimously approved a motion that staff request funding in the 2025 budget for public engagement in the Key Peninsula Community Plan Update, to get additional funding to update the data in the plan, and to clarify components of the plan including land use, zoning and transportation. 

Pierce County Council Member Robyn Denson (D-7) told KP News that she is already planning to request funding for the necessary updates. 

The planning commission will hold a meeting open to the public to review input from all the land use advisory commissions Oct. 1. It will send its recommendation to the county council’s Community Development and Environment Committee, which will present its recommendation to the council for final consideration, in November or December. The County Executive must review the final plan before Dec. 31. He has veto power that can be overridden by a council majority of 5-2. 

The agenda and associated meeting materials for the planning commission meetings are posted to the website one week before the meeting at www.piercecountywa.gov/5944/Planning-Commission. 

Details about the meeting times and agenda for the development and environment committee meetings are available at www.piercecountywa.gov/4414/ Community-Development-Environment.