The Issaquah City Council Planning, Development & Environment Committee unanimously recommended on Oct. 7 that the City Council consider three 2025 comprehensive plan amendments at the Nov. 10 meeting: a co‑living policy to comply with state law, a land‑use update for the sold Issaquah Food Bank property, and multiple transportation element changes including multimodal concurrency standards and leading pedestrian intervals.

Thomas Valdres, senior transportation planner, presented the package and framed two committee questions: whether the proposed changes are clear and reasonable, and whether the committee recommended proceeding to the Nov. 10 Council meeting. Valdres described the annual comp‑plan docketing process and said the staff had deferred two requested docket items because of staffing constraints and the complexity of the changes.

The three items the committee reviewed were:

- A co‑living policy (amendment 1): add Policy H.B.6 to allow market‑rate (non‑subsidized) co‑living housing in all zones that permit at least six units, aligning local code with state requirements under House Bill 1998.

- Issaquah Food Bank property rezoning (amendment 2): the city sold the former food‑bank parcel to the food bank; the property’s current "community facilities" zoning is intended for publicly owned parcels, so staff proposed changing the land‑use designation to match the surrounding retail land use to reflect the sale.

- Transportation element updates (amendment 3): a set of edits to align the Transportation Element with the Mobility Action Plan and with House Bill 1181 requirements for multimodal concurrency. Changes include expanding sidewalk tiers beyond the central Issaquah Regional Growth Center, adopting leading pedestrian intervals at selected intersections (tier 1 areas such as Central Issaquah, Highlands, and Old Town), clarifying bicycle goals and facility definitions, and updating transit level‑of‑service standards to a tiered approach aligned with King County Metro metrics to support advocacy for improved service.

Valdres said multimodal concurrency means measuring performance for walking, biking, transit and driving so future growth can be planned without overloading the transportation network. He described the leading pedestrian interval as adding several seconds of walk time ahead of vehicle green phases at selected intersections to improve pedestrian visibility and safety.

Staff reviewed outreach and vetting: the transportation portion was discussed with the Transportation Advisory Board across multiple meetings and with the Mobility & Infrastructure Committee; the Planning Policy Commission reviewed the amendments and unanimously recommended approval. Valdres said the proposed changes have no direct financial impacts and should strengthen multimodal planning outcomes and compliance with state law.

Committee members welcomed the edits. Council President Walsh and others asked for clarity on the food‑bank site’s historic‑preservation status and any potential redevelopment constraints; staff said the historic designation remains and redevelopment questions would be addressed during subsequent land‑use or project reviews. Several council members requested annual or implementation reporting and noted that some deferred docket items may be better suited for a more comprehensive update once staff capacity allows.

Committee action: Council President Walsh moved to approve the 2025 comprehensive plan amendments as presented; a second was recorded and the committee voted unanimously to forward the amendments to the Nov. 10 City Council meeting for consideration and final action.

Ending: The committee placed the transportation-element updates on consent and directed staff to bring the package to Council on Nov. 10, asking that staff include clarity about historic‑property constraints for the Issaquah Food Bank site when the packet goes to full Council.