Temporary Moratorium on LRA Housing in Pasco

​The Pasco City Council voted unanimously at the February 17 regular meeting to declare a six-month moratorium on applications related to “Essential Public Facilities,” including Less Restrictive Alternative (LRA) Housing and Secure Community Transition Facilities (SCTF). This temporary ban will allow the City to create ordinances and policies regulating future applications. 
 
“There are certain requirements in state law that we can’t override,” explained City Manager Harold Stewart, adding: “it’s not a question of whether or not these facilities are allowed in our community or not…This buys us time to allow for public input, and process for us to explore options and alternatives that we can legally pursue.”
 
State law requires a public hearing on this emergency moratorium within 60 days. That public hearing is expected in April.
 
During the six-month moratorium, the City will gather public input and prepare changes to City ordinances. The goal of this effort is to create a process that preserves as much local control as state laws allow, and increase opportunity for community input on proposed LRA Housing and SCTF applications. Public meetings will be announced on the City of Pasco website: pasco-wa.gov/lrahousing and social media pages. Members of the public may also submit written comment through the City of Pasco website.
 
Comments from City Manager Harold Stewart can be found here: https://we.tl/t-cB3hopjI6R This link will expire on February 22, 2026.