Puyallup Prevails In Challenge To Homeless Facility Regulations

From the City of Puyallup:

Posted on: December 31, 2019

The City of Puyallup’s “Homeless Drop-In Centers And Overnight Shelters” ordinance has been upheld in a unanimous decision by the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board.

The ordinance was originally adopted by the City in 2018 to fill a gap in its land use code and provide siting and operational guidance for such facilities. Homeward Bound appealed the City’s original ordinance to the Board on nine different grounds. The Board initially rejected six of those grounds and remanded back to the City to address three of them.

The City did so in a process involving extensive staff work, public participation and City Council discussion that extended from the spring through the fall of 2019. The final ordinance adopted on September 24, 2019, was again attacked by Homeward Bound in the Growth Board. After legal briefing and a hearing, the Growth Board has now issued a Decision rejecting all of Homeward Bound’s objections and upholding the City’s revised ordinance.

The ordinance strikes an appropriate balance between the needs of homeless facilities and the right of the community to ensure public health, safety, and civility with respect to the siting and operation of such facilities.

For more information, contact City Attorney Joe Beck (jbeck@ci.puyallup.wa.us) or 253-864-4196. The Board’s decision can be read here.

This press release was produced by the City of Puyallup. The views expressed here are the author’s own.