Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello on Monday rolled out a proposal for a six-month moratorium that would halt the siting, expansion or establishment of involuntary detention facilities in unincorporated Pierce County. The pause would stop the county from accepting permit applications for uses that involuntarily confine people while staff revisit zoning definitions, location criteria and mitigation standards. The council plans a committee hearing this week, with a final vote set for March 24.
What the moratorium would do
Under the proposal, county planners would get six months to revise code language so local rules more clearly distinguish between different kinds of confinement facilities and where they can be located. “Our top priority is for people…..