The Yakima Planning Commission is responsible for making recommendations to the Yakima City Council on items related to land use, zoning, housing and commercial developments and more.
The commission also helps develop and amend the documents that guide city growth and development, from the Housing Action Plan to the Comprehensive Plan.
The city of Yakima has a hearing examiner to conduct special reviews or make recommendations to the City Council. A hearing examiner can review rezones, some land-use appeals, interpretations of the zoning ordinance, subdivisions, environmental review appeals and right-of-way vacations. The city’s hearing examiner, Gary Cuillier, is not an employee of the city but is independently contracted.
Yakima County also has a Planning Commission and a hearing examiner.
As the city works to fill a vacant seat on the planning commission, City Planning Manager Joseph Calhoun answered a series of questions about the commission in an email and interview. His responses are combined below.
Who is on the Yakima Planning Commission?
The commission consists of seven community members who are appointed by the Yakima City Council. The current makeup of the YPC is: Jacob Liddicoat, Lisa Wallace, Mary Place, Al Rose, Leanne Hughes-Mickel and Rob McCormick. Position 7 is currently vacant.
What is the role of the staff contact and City Council liaison for the YPC?
The staff contact develops the meeting agenda, drafts meeting minutes and presents topics during a study session or public hearing. The council liaison (Soneya Lund) is a non-voting adviser who is able to provide more perspective from the council’s point of view.
What is one important item the planning commission has worked on in the last year?
The 2021 Housing Action Plan. The commission held numerous study sessions, deliberated text, policies, and strategies, and held a public hearing recommending approval of the plan.
What is the Comprehensive Plan? What is the role of the commission in developing the plan?
The comp plan is a 20-year planning document required by the Growth Management Act. The plan includes goals and policies related to a variety of topics including land use, housing, transportation, etc. It is a policy document which drives how development regulations are amended (and) updated. The comp plan also includes future land use designations, which then establish implementing zones, i.e. the zoning ordinance. Land-use applications are required to demonstrate compliance with zoning ordinance standards and comp plan goals and policies. Similar to the (Housing Action Plan) process, for the comp plan, the planning commission held several study sessions to review the plan and held a public hearing recommending approval.
How does the commission collaborate with council members and city staff?
The planning commission is one component of the processing. I wouldn’t say that they handle tasks absent staff or council members. Staff works with the YPC on a variety of issues and then they make a formal recommendation to the Council who has the final vote on the matter. To take a rezone as an example:
Application submitted to the Planning Division.
Notice is sent to property owners (within 300-feet of the property) establishing the comment period and hearing date.
YPC holds a public hearing, hears the staff report, comment from the applicant and the public, and renders a recommendation.
City Council holds a public hearing to consider the YPC recommendation.
It’s a collaborative effort between the commission and the staff. (Commissioners) will have topics that they’ll want to talk about, and we’ll research them collaboratively. Sometimes (City Council) will direct the planning commission to research a topic.
So there’s multiple different ways that things generate, and then the commission and the staff go through it together and come up with solutions that are amenable to the group.
How can community members provide feedback to the Planning Commission?
All commission meetings are public meetings. Right now, they are still on Zoom. When the meeting is set up, the pertinent login information can be found here: www.yakimawa.gov/services/planning/ypc/. When the commission is back to in-person meetings, meetings are held in the council chambers on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, from 3-5 p.m.
What else should people know about the Planning Commission?
The YPC is an integral and important part of the land-use process. As a recommending body, they provide a public forum for residents to voice their opinion on land-use matters early in the process, prior to going to the City Council for final consideration.
These things can morph and change over time. And we’re very interested in what works for folks and want to be able to provide those different options for people.
Contact Kate Smith at katesmith@yakimaherald.com.
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