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Home My WebLink About4827 Ordinance - 01 CPA Amendment to Low Density Residential ZoneOrdinance – 2018 Comprehensive Plan Amendment - 1 ORDINANCE NO. 4827 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF PASCO, WASHINGTON, ADOPTING THE 2018 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT: LOW- DENSITY RESIDENTIAL-RIVERVIEW BY REFERENCE AND INCORPORATING SUCH INTO THE CITY OF PASCO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BY ADDENDUM. WHEREAS, the City of Pasco City Council adopted Ordinance No. 4663 on April 17, 2023, amending Pasco Municipal Code 25.215.015 and Comprehensive Plan Land Use Density Table (Table LU-1) allowing gross density range for areas designated as Low Density Residential from 2-5 dwelling units per acre to 3-6 dwelling units per acre; and WHEREAS, Ordinance No. 4663 created an unintended conflict with the R-S-20 zoning district, where minimum lot sizes and infrastructure constraints are not compatible with the higher density minimum density requirements; and WHEREAS, comprehensive plan emergency amendments may be reviewed and acted upon outside the annual amendment review cycle; and. WHEREAS, such amendments shall be initiated by resolution approved by a vote of the Council upon a finding that a situation exists that necessitates expeditious action to preserve the health, safety or welfare of the public, or to support the social, economic or environmental well- being of the City; and WHEREAS, on November 17, 2025, The Pasco City Council ADOPTED Resolution 4679 authorizing the initiation of an emergency amendment to the City Comprehensive Plan; and WHEREAS, City of Pasco Planning Staff conducted a workshop with the Planning Commission on November 20, 2025, followed by public hearings on December 18, 2025, and January 15, 2026, to discuss options for resolving the unintended conflict; and WHEREAS, the City of Pasco Planning Commission at the January 15, 2026 meeting, passed a motion recommending the City Council approve Comprehensive Plan Amendment CPA 2025-002, including the Land Use Map Amendment establishing the Low Density Residential- Riverview designation of 2-5 dwelling units per acre. WHEREAS, the City Council held a workshop and regular meeting on February 23, 2026, and March 2, 2026, respectively, and directed staff to include Parcels 118431055, 118461013, and 118461031 (currently designated as Low Density Residential, 3-6 dwelling units per acre) in the Low Density Riverview Designation of 2-5 dwelling units per acre; NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PASCO, WASHINGTON, DO ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: Ordinance – 2018 Comprehensive Plan Amendment - 2 Section 1. The City Council finds that an emergency exists and wishes to proceed with a comprehensive plan amendment outside of the annual cycle as allowed by RCW 36.70A.130(2)(b). Section 2. The City of Pasco adopts by reference, Exhibit A below, referred to as the 2018 Comprehensive Plan Amendment: Low-Density Residential-Riverview Addendum. Section 3. Severability. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or word of this ordinance should be held to the invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity or unconstitutionality thereof shall not affect the validity or constitutionality of any other section, subsection, sentence, clause phrase or word of this ordinance. Section 4. Corrections. Upon approval by the city attorney, the city clerk or the code reviser are authorized to make necessary corrections to this ordinance, including scrivener’s errors or clerical mistakes; reference to other local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations; or numbering or referencing of ordinances or their sections and subsections. Section 5. Effective Date. This ordinance shall take full force and effect five (5) days after approval, passage and publication as required by law. PASSED by the City Council of the City of Pasco, Washington this 20th day of April, 2026. Charles Grimm Mayor ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM: _____________________________ ___________________________ Krystle Shanks Ogden Murphy Wallace, PLLC Deputy City Clerk City Attorney Published: Sunday, April 26, 2026 Ordinance – 2018 Comprehensive Plan Amendment - 3 EXHIBIT A 2018 Comprehensive Plan Amendment: Low-Density Residential-Riverview Addendum City of Pasco Comprehensive Plan Addendum R-S-20 Zone & Low-Density Residential Land Use changes 1. Purpose of Addendum This amendment is intended to correct an existing internal inconsistency between the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map and the City’s zoning map by designating properties currently zoned R-S-20 as Low Density Residential – Riverview on the Comprehensive Plan/Land Use Map. This amendment does not increase development capacity beyond what is currently allowed by zoning. All related Comprehensive Plan text, land use tables, and growth and capacity analysis will be updated as part of the City’s 2026 Periodic Comprehensive Plan Update. The amendment further includes Parcels 118431055, 118461013, and 118461031 (currently designated as Low Density Residential, 3-6 dwelling units per acre) to be converted to Low Density Riverview Designation of 2-5 dwelling units per acre referred to throughout this document as the newly added parcels. 2. Introduction and Purpose This addendum supplements the City of Pasco’s 2018 Comprehensive Plan to re-establish the appropriate density range for properties within the existing R-S-20 zoning district and introduce a new land use sub-designation, Low Density Residential–Riverview, allowing 2–5 dwelling units per acre. This addendum does not alter, strike, or amend the adopted Comprehensive Plan document. Instead, it provides supplemental direction and replaces a specific portion of the Land Use Map for the Riverview area to ensure consistency between land use policy, zoning implementation, and infrastructure limitations. 3. Background and Need for Addendum Following adoption of Ordinance 4663 (2023), the citywide Low Density Residential range increased from 2–5 dwelling units per acre to 3–6 du/acre. However, this amendment unintentionally created an inconsistency for the R-S-20 zone, which allows only two units per acre based on a 20,000 sq. ft. minimum lot size and the septic system requirements identified in Benton- Franklin Health District Table XI. Ordinance – 2018 Comprehensive Plan Amendment - 4 This inconsistency resulted in subdivision denials and prevented development within the R-S-20 district. Staff analysis determined that restoration of the 2–5 du/ac density range for these parcels is necessary to align policy with achievable development patterns and ensure internal consistency. 4. Supplemental Land Use Designation: Low Density Residential–Riverview This addendum establishes a new sub-designation: Low Density Residential–Riverview (2–5 dwelling units per acre) This designation applies only to properties currently zoned R-S-20 (and the newly added parcels) and identified on the supplemental exhibits. It supports a range of lot sizes from 14,520 sq. ft. (when sewer is available) to 21,780 sq. ft. (for septic-dependent parcels) with lot size flexibility built into the proposed zoning code. This designation restores historic density assumptions for the Riverview area without changing other Low Density Residential areas in the city. 5. Replacement of Land Use Map for the Riverview Area To maintain the integrity of the adopted 2018 Comprehensive Plan while ensuring policy consistency, this addendum replaces only the affected portion of the Land Use Map applicable to the Low Density Residential–Riverview area shown in Exhibit C. The following exhibits are hereby adopted as the controlling land use maps for all parcels shown as Low Density Residential-Riverview in Exhibit C: • Exhibit B: Existing Land Use Map • Exhibit C: Low Density Residential–Riverview Supplemental Land Use Map These exhibits replace and supersede the corresponding geographic portion of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map without modifying any other part of the document. All other land use designations and mapping in the 2018 Comprehensive Plan remain unchanged. 6. Scope of Supersession • Replacement applies exclusively to the Low Density Residential-Riverview-area parcels shown in Exhibit C. • Outside the affected geography, the 2018 Land Use Map continues to govern. • Staff, the Planning Commission, and the City Council shall rely on Exhibit C when interpreting or applying land use designations in the Riverview area. 7. Relationship to Zoning – Implementation Through R-15 Low Density Residential District To implement the restored density range, the city proposes replacing the R-S-20 zone and the newly added parcels with a new zone: R-15 Low Density Residential District (2-3 units per acre). This zoning district: • Aligns with the 2–5 dwelling units per acre land use policy framework Ordinance – 2018 Comprehensive Plan Amendment - 5 • Supports a mix of sewer-served lots and larger septic-served lots • Eliminates the inconsistency created by Ordinance 4663 • Prepares the City for mandatory middle housing integration under HB 1110 by 2026 The zoning revision does not alter the Comprehensive Plan; it implements this supplemental land use direction. 8. Findings and Policy Basis The proposed addendum is consistent with the 2018 Comprehensive Plan because it advances the Plan’s goals of providing diverse and attainable housing, ensuring the efficient use of residential land, maintaining compatibility with long-range planning assumptions, and supporting fiscally responsible infrastructure planning. It also corrects a policy inconsistency created by Ordinance 4663, which established a minimum density that cannot be achieved under existing R-S-20 zoning or in areas dependent on septic systems. Restoring the 2–5 dwelling-units-per-acre range at the land use level and 2-3 units-per-acre range at the zoning level aligns achievable development patterns with the Comprehensive Plan’s intent and resolves the mismatch between allowable density and infrastructure constraints. In addition, the proposed density range is consistent with the City’s established planning assumptions for sewer and utility system expansion, transportation modeling, stormwater capacity, and parks and school facility planning, ensuring coordinated and predictable long-term growth. 9. Applicability This addendum applies only to parcels labeled Low Density Residential-Riverview in Exhibit C. 10. Implementation and Forward Integration This supplemental designation and map replacement remain in effect until the city completes its 2026 mandated periodic Comprehensive Plan update, at which time the land use map and density ranges may be comprehensively evaluated and integrated. 11. Adoption This addendum was reviewed by the Planning Commission, subject to public notice and hearing, and adopted by the City Council as part of Comprehensive Plan Amendment CPA 2025-002, pursuant to PMC 25.215.020. Ordinance – 2018 Comprehensive Plan Amendment - 6 EXHIBIT B Ordinance – 2018 Comprehensive Plan Amendment - 7 EXHIBIT C