SPOKANE, Wash. – A proposal would implement Senate Bill 5509 early in hopes of expanding childcare in Spokane.
The bill allows for child care centers to be permitted in all zones except industrial zones, light industrial zones and open space zones. Reasonable restrictions can be enforced, including pickup and drop-off areas.
The current bill requires cities to adopt the rules in the two years of the bill’s implementation, however, the proposal being introduced to the Spokane City Council would fast track this for the area.
A release from the City of Spokane says the city currently requires a paid conditional use permit if a childcare center is opened in some residential zones, but under the new proposal, the centers would be allowed outright in all residential and commercial zones.
City Council members will be introduced to the proposal at the Finance Committee meeting on July 28.
