Young Planning Commission Meeting Minutes - May 19, 2026

Session Call to Order and Roll Call

• Call to Order: Chairman Richard Lomsdale called the meeting of the Young Planning Commission to order on Tuesday, $05/19/2026$, at $4:00\,PM$.
• Roll Call:
  • Commissioner Richard Lomsdale: Present
  • Commissioner Robert Bailey: Present
  • Commissioner John Graver: Present
  • Commissioner Dana Allen: Present
  • Commissioner Anne Morman: Excused
  • Commissioner Ashley Brooks: Present
• Ceremony: The commission participated in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Approval of Minutes and Procedural Discussion

• Amendment to Previous Minutes: Chairman Lomsdale noted an error in the previous minutes. The document listed him as opening the meeting; however, Vice Chair Commissioner Robert Bailey opened the meeting as Lomsdale was absent.
• Motion to Approve: A motion was made to approve the minutes as corrected. The motion was seconded and passed via majority vote.
• Discussion on Voting Protocol: Commissioner Ashley Brooks voted "Nay" on the minutes and provided the following reasons for discussion:
  • The vote was taken without the chair first opening the floor for discussion after the second was made.
  • The discussion regarding the April 21 tour of City Hall was missing from the minutes.
• Procedural Correction: Staff advised that in the future, the chair should explicitly ask, "Is there any further discussion?" after a motion has been seconded but before the vote is taken. The tour will be noted in the minutes for the upcoming meeting.

Staff Communications and Operations Update

• City Hall Tour Recap: Staff expressed hope that the commission enjoyed the previous month's tour of City Hall. There is a proposal to make this an annual event to track project progress. Future tours might include the waste treatment plant, featuring activities such as climbing structures with Cody.
• Commission Vacancy: No definitive timeline has been provided by the Mayor for the appointment of the new planning commission member. The Mayor may revisit the recent round of applications to select a candidate. Staff will email the commission once an update is available.
• Staffing Shortages: Clayton will be absent for an additional six weeks, contributing to the commission being understaffed.
• Upcoming Hearings: At least one, and likely two, hearings are scheduled for the next month. Due to staffing and complexity, only a portion of the code changes originally introduced by Andrew will be brought forward during the next hearing.

Residential and Industrial Rezoning Proposals

• Annexation and Parkway Rezoning: Following the city's annexation, several parkways and parcels currently zoned as Industrial are planned for rezoning to Residential.
• Density Zoning Allocations:
  • R-6 Zone: The majority of the industrial areas will be rezoned to R-6.
  • R-4 Zone: Parcels closest to the county line will be rezoned to R-4 to maintain lower density toward the city's edge.
• Rationale for Rezoning: The construction of "the loop" will restrict truck traffic access to these industrial areas. Maintaining industrial zoning would force heavy truck traffic through residential neighborhoods, which is deemed unacceptable. Additionally, there is a high demand for new housing.
• Commercial to Residential Conversion: Two commercial parcels located directly behind Safeway (indicated as small red squares in the handout) are slated for rezoning to R-16.
  • One parcel is already developed as an apartment complex.
  • The smaller adjacent parcel is unsuitable for traditional commercial development and is contiguous to existing residential areas.
• Regulatory Process: These changes must be reviewed by the Department of Commerce. However, the commission can proceed with hearings and recommend approval to the City Council.

New Business: Joint City Council Working Group

• Joint Meeting Request: A request has been made to the Mayor and City Administrator for a joint meeting between the City Council and the Planning Commission. The commission is specifically requesting a "joint working group" format rather than a standard meeting.
• Action Item: Commissioners are asked to provide a list of suggested topics and questions to Chairman Lomsdale at least one week prior to the next meeting to allow for compilation. Lomsdale specifically requested these be submitted in roughly two weeks to ensure they are added to the meeting packet.
• Strategic Planning and Communication (Brooks): Commissioner Brooks highlighted several research points for the joint session:
  • Protocol Manual: Discovery of a Mayor and City Council protocol manual containing an appendix for commission operations.
  • Annual Work Plan: According to the manual, the commission is supposed to provide a work plan for the year (typically in March).
  • Alignment: The need to align the Planning Commission's work plan with the City Council’s vision and goals.
  • Communication Channels: Determining the protocol for interacting with the Public Services Committee, which includes three council members and holds purview over planning.

Public Hearing: Unified Development Code (UDC) Amendments

• Hearing Opening: The public hearing opened at $4:14\,AM$ (corrected contextually to PM in standard practice, though stated as AM) regarding proposed amendments to the City of Yelm Unified Development Code.
• Public Testimony: No comments were offered from the public in-person or online.
• Proposed Amendments Subject to Hearing:
  1. Allowing unit lot subdivisions as an alternative method for dividing land.
  2. Updating arterial and collector access requirements for subdivisions and commercial/industrial projects.
  3. Processing final plats administratively.
• Unit Lot Subdivision Discussion:
  • Notification Requirements: Commissioner Brooks inquired about property owner notification. Staff confirmed that Yelm’s administrative site plan review triggers a public notice for owners within $300\,ft$, exceeding the $250\,ft$ standard seen in other jurisdictions.
  • Setbacks and Fire Code: For detached units in unit lot subdivisions, standard fire code requires a separation of $10\,ft$ (typically $5\,ft$ from a property line to the structure). If fire-rated walls are used, this distance can be reduced, though it increases construction costs. The outside perimeter of the development must meet the primary setbacks of the specific zone.
• Administrative Final Plat Approval Discussion:
  • Efficiency: Currently, even after a developer completes all infrastructure (roads, water, sewer) for a subdivision (e.g., $70\,lots$) and the hearing examiner approves it, the plat must wait two weeks for a perfunctory City Council signature. The amendment allows Cody to sign off administratively.
  • Appeal Process: Quasi-judicial appeals of a hearing examiner's decision currently go to the City Council. A future proposal will direct these appeals to Superior Court, as they require legal merit analysis rather than legislative policy-making.
• Hearing Closure: The public hearing was closed at $4:22\,PM$. A motion to recommend the code updates to the City Council passed unanimously.

Subcommittee Reports and Motions

• Rules and Procedures Subcommittee:
  • Background: The subcommittee was formed one year ago to update rules of procedure, conduct of business, and bylaws, but has seen little progress until recently.
  • Research: The subcommittee has researched handbooks and procedures from Thurston County, Lacey, and Olympia.
  • Vacancy Appointment: Commissioner Brooks volunteered to fill the vacancy left by former Commissioner Lee. A motion to elect Brooks to the subcommittee passed.
  • Reporting Mandate: A motion was passed requiring the subcommittee to provide an update to the commission on a quarterly basis at minimum. The first update is scheduled for the August $2026$ meeting, though it may occur sooner.
  • Quorum Check: The commission confirmed that a meeting of three subcommittee members does not constitute a quorum of the full seven-member body, allowing them to meet legally outside of regular sessions.

Adjournment

• Motion to Adjourn: A motion to adjourn was made and seconded.
• Closing Time: The meeting adjourned at $4:29\,PM$.