Staff outlines two‑part overhaul of Title 23 zoning code

Nicole, a planning staff member, presented an overview of the first part of the Title 23 zoning update and explained why the city is splitting the rewrite into two meetings. The packet reviewed tonight includes selected sections for initial comment; staff said a full draft will be supplied later. Nicole told commissioners the work aligns Title 23 with changes in Title 19 (administration/permits) and Title 24 (subdivision), and with state legislative updates including recent middle‑housing statutes.

Why it matters: Nicole said the state has changed how cities may regulate design standards and housing types, and the municipal code must be updated so local permitting matches state requirements. She described the approach as a combination of mandatory edits (to comply with state law) and local improvements or 'housekeeping' to consolidate duplicative language and modernize definitions. "We gave you kind of an overview what that's going to look like," she said while walking through the packet and slides.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about which chapters will be majorly revised and which are largely line‑edits. Staff identified chapters that will be carried forward with minimal substantive change and others that will be held for separate, more targeted ordinances (for example, accessory‑building and lot‑split rules). Staff asked commissioners to send clerical corrections or contradictions by email before Part 2 review.

Nicole also reminded the commission of the public outreach already completed for housing and zoning: a comprehensive‑plan open house, an online survey, a display at the Richland Public Library, and a housing‑element open house in April 2026. She said the city reviewed the draft housing element and a technical report to inform the code changes. "We've also tried to do a little bit of education along the way, so that you would feel confident when you were, now at this stage looking at these code revision proposals," Nicole said.

Ending: Staff said the agenda tonight focused on major mandatory changes and left some topic areas for later, inviting further commissioner feedback and noting the next packet will include additional definitions and use‑table edits.