The Yakima Planning Commission will review zoning and licensing regulations for halfway houses and secure community transition facilities after the City Council enacted an emergency moratorium last month.
A is a residential facility for sex offenders who have been civilly committed and conditionally released to a less restrictive alternative. As the state seeks to open聽more of the facilities, several jurisdictions聽鈥 ,聽and now Yakima聽鈥 have discussed temporary restrictions.
Yakima City Attorney Sara Watkins told the council in April that the city doesn鈥檛 currently have a definition or development regulations for secure community transition facilities in its municipal code, but the facilities would likely fall under the term 鈥渉alfway house鈥 under the municipal code. The council unanimously approved an emergency six-month moratorium on the acceptance of applications and permits for halfway houses, effective immediately, to allow the city more time to review and update its code.
The moratorium applies to permits that have come in since the ordinance passed.聽
Last week, the council held a public hearing on the moratorium before handing the issue to the planning commission for further review. Some residents expressed concerns about the potential for halfway houses in residential areas.
Melissa Christianson, a Realtor in Yakima, thanked the council for passing the moratorium. While the municipal code already has rules for where a halfway house can be established, she said she's concerned those rules aren鈥檛 being taken into consideration for some projects.
鈥淶oning is extremely important to the health of a city,鈥 Christianson said. 鈥淶oning helps keep property levels high, and, of course, high property levels lead to more tax income for our ... city. I really encourage the planning commission to look into this.鈥
The moratorium is set to expire on Oct. 6. Watkins said it can be extended for an additional six months if the council decides it needs more time, but staff members anticipate that probably won't be necessary.
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