Planning staff brief commissioners on three state bills that require rapid local code updates

Jim Fisk, Port Orchard's principal planner, briefed the commission on three state laws that will require local code and procedural updates.

Fisk said House Bill 1859 obligates cities to allow increased residential density for qualifying affordable-housing proposals on property owned or controlled by religious organizations; once a qualifying organization makes a request, the city has 90 days to adopt necessary changes. House Bill 2418 sets new standards for permit efficiency and transparency; Fisk noted the city already performs a 28-day completeness determination and highlighted a new requirement for housing projects to have one dedicated point of contact. House Bill 2266 requires cities to update zoning by 2028 to support permanent supportive housing, transitional housing and indoor emergency shelters.

Commissioners asked whether the 28-day completeness rule would force shortcuts. Fisk clarified that a completeness determination after 28 days does not equate to automatic approval; it means staff must treat the application as complete for processing unless specific additional information is identified. He identified the single point-of-contact requirement as a significant procedural change that staff will need to implement.

Fisk said staff will prioritize code updates based on statutory deadlines and return to the commission with separate, item-specific code amendments for each bill.