Pasco City Council to review land capacity analysis, RS-20 zoning change and school facilities update at Feb. 23 workshop

The Pasco City Council will review a land capacity analysis, a proposed change to RS-20 zoning and an emergency update to the Pasco School District capital facilities plan at a workshop on Feb. 23, the meeting moderator said.

The moderator said the land capacity analysis assesses the state’s population and housing targets and whether Pasco has enough buildable land to meet them — a question that helps determine where to allow new housing and what building types to permit. “A big discussion this week will be how can Pasco grow responsibly,” the moderator said.

Officials flagged a mismatch between the long-range comprehensive plan and current zoning in some areas. The comprehensive plan allows between 3 and 6 homes per acre in the affected designation, while existing RS-20 zoning allows about 2 homes per acre, the moderator said. The proposal under consideration would change the designation to allow between 2 and 5 homes per acre citywide and permit 2 to 3 homes per acre specifically in RS-20 areas, bringing zoning and plan guidance into closer alignment, the moderator added.

Council staff also will present a routine update to the Pasco School District capital facilities plan. The moderator said the item is being treated as an emergency amendment because the city typically does not amend the comprehensive plan outside its 10-year periodic update; the school district updates its facilities plan every two years and the current update aligns with school impact fee revisions the city adopted last year.

During the open-government training at the start of the meeting, the moderator reminded council members and board and commission members that local-government business must be done in the open, warning that private group texts can be considered meetings. “We don't want a government run on secret meetings and backroom deals, and even a group text could be considered a meeting,” the moderator said.

The Planning Commission has discussed the RS-20 issue for months and forwarded a recommendation for council review, the moderator said. The council’s review of the recommended zoning adjustments and the school facilities update is scheduled at a workshop on Monday, Feb. 23; members of the public can sign up for agenda notifications at pasco-wa.gov for details on how to attend or comment.

The workshop will be the next formal opportunity for council members to review the land-capacity findings, the planning commission’s recommendation on RS-20, and the school district’s update. No formal motions or votes were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.