Moses Lake’s urban growth areas, as currently outlined, contain more than enough capacity to meet long-term growth needs, said Kevin Gifford, senior associate of Seattle-based BERK Consulting Inc. However, reductions and revisions could create more logical boundaries that are easier to serve.

Once the city’s new comprehensive plan is adopted — tentatively in June — the city will start the zoning change process, Gifford said at a planning commission workshop April 13.

Several portions of the current areas have little short-term development potential or no capacity for future development and should be removed, he said. The southeast corner of the urban growth areas along state Route 17, for example, forms an isolated rural pocket.

For maximum growth potential, Gifford recommends designating a new future land use for downtown, he said. It’s currently a commercial business district, but a new goal would be to emphasize community centrality as a cultural, civic and mixed-use area.

“(The new designation) would probably not be a radical departure from what’s there now, but would potentially allow some additional types of uses and again more emphasis on pedestrian connections and design standards and things of that nature,” he said.

Broadway Avenue, currently designated as general commercial zoning, would change to gateway commercial zoning, which would promote a compatible mix of commercial, office and light industrial uses.

The goal is more opportunity, Gifford said. He recommends a similar conversion off Interstate 90, near Blue Heron Park, the industrial area northeast of downtown and along state Route 17 -- commercial to gateway commercial.

The purpose of newly designating these areas as gateway commercial would be to prioritize urban design and recreation-oriented commercial uses, de-emphasize large format and outdoor storage-based commercial uses, such as warehousing and office parks, and to consider allowing multifamily residential uses to create more housing options and an altogether more vibrant visual environment.

Areas near Blue Heron Park, northeast of downtown, and state Route 17 could also be neighborhood commercial zoning, with more housing and businesses to serve those homes, he said.

This means small-scale, neighborhood-serving commercial development based on resident needs -- potentially restaurants, fitness facilities and grocery stores, he said.

“The focus here would be welcoming visitors to the community and promoting good urban design in these areas,” he said.

BERK Consulting Inc. laid out three major goals. First, renew focus on mixed use, live, work and arts and culture uses. Second, emphasize bicycle and pedestrian connections to nearby recreational resources. Third, revise land use element policies to promote a mix of residential and commercial uses in appropriate areas.

These changes might not be as easy as they sound, said Deputy Mayor Daryl Jackson.

“Having gone through the original UGA (urban growth area) thing, you need to understand that every bit of that UGA was hard fought for, and I think you’re going to have a dickens of a time having the city give up anything,” he said. “It is difficult to get any UGA thing through the county and virtually impossible in the last several years.”

Any time the city proposes expanding urban growth areas, it requires analysis to show why it makes more sense to be part of the city than the county, said city manager Allison Williams. Some of the past decisions that defined the current areas were very difficult to get through the process.

It may be a bad idea to lose any urban growth areas as currently outlined, said council member Dean Hankins, as the county might not give it back in the future.

BERK Consulting Inc.’s analysis is a requirement, Williams said, and it is a process that is being done with input from the county.

The council can opt to keep the current urban growth area boundaries as is, she said, but if they choose to expand those areas in the future, based on BERK Consulting’s analysis, they will be hard-pressed to justify it, and it will be much harder.

“This was a wonderful opportunity to get the conversation started. So you see we have a lot to weigh and many work sessions ahead of us,” she said.

The next planning commission workshop is right before the next regular council meeting at 6 p.m. April 27, where other aspects of the city comprehensive plan will be discussed.