Lakewood, Washington, has published the list of land use and code changes it may take up next year, and the City Council scheduled a public hearing on it for Monday, Nov. 2, at 7:00 pm, according to the city's Comprehensive Plan page.
Lakewood updates its Comprehensive Plan every year. This year's amendments went into effect October 21, 2026. The new list, called the docket, decides what the Planning Commission and council will study in the 2027 cycle. Private applications only move forward if the council puts them on the docket.
Changes builders will notice
The draft list runs to two dozen items. Several touch everyday residential and commercial work:
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- Pre-approved ADU designs. The city would change its code to allow pre-approved accessory dwelling unit plans, a shortcut several Puget Sound cities have adopted for backyard cottages.
- Taller fences. The maximum height of residential fences would rise from 6 feet to 7 feet, matching the International Building Code.
- Construction storage. "Construction Storage" would become an allowed use in the Commercial 3 and Industrial zones.
- Food truck pods. The code would allow permanent or semi-permanent food truck pods.
- Wetland buffers. Category III wetland buffers would be brought in line with the state Department of Ecology's latest guidance.
- Land use table. The city's main land use table and related rules would get a cleanup.
State housing and permit laws
A long block of items carries out new state laws. Lakewood would review densities and building heights in transit areas under HB 1491, permit review procedures under HB 2418, housing in commercial and mixed-use zones under SB 6026, and affordable housing on land owned by religious organizations. Other items cover permanent supportive and transitional housing, land banking authorities and tax exemptions for affordable housing.
Four private rezones
Property owners asked for four map changes:
- A group of parcels along Steilacoom Boulevard SW and one on South Tacoma Way would go from Commercial 2 to Industrial 1.
- A property on Maas Lane SW would go from Neighborhood Commercial 2 to Commercial 2.
- Part of a parcel on Bridgeport Way SW, now zoned for a fourplex under Mixed Residential 2, would go to Neighborhood Commercial 2.
- Another Steilacoom Boulevard parcel would go from Commercial 2 to Neighborhood Commercial 2.
Downtown context
The docket arrives as the city courts downtown redevelopment. In an October bulletin, Lakewood noted its Downtown Subarea Plan expects up to 2,257 new homes, 7,369 new jobs and 2.85 million square feet of commercial space by 2035, and that qualifying projects can skip a separate environmental review because the city already completed one.
What's next
After the hearing, the council sets the final docket. Each item then goes through Planning Commission study sessions and hearings before the council votes, usually the following spring or summer.
Sources
- Comprehensive Plan, City of Lakewood
- List of potential 2027 Comprehensive Plan amendments, City of Lakewood
- Lakewood Weekly Bulletin, October 16, 2026, City of Lakewood
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