Mid-County Plan

Banner images of Community Plan update areas
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Most of the Mid-County area is rural.
This makes it different from the nearby areas also going through the process of having their community plans updated. While growth has occurred in the Plan area, it is not at the high levels of Frederickson, South Hill and Parkland-Spanaway-Midland. The population grew by approximately 8,000 people between 1990 and 2015.

Mid-County has a small urban area located along 112th Street East between State Route 512 and approximately 120th Street East, and along Canyon Road between 104th Street East and 160th Street East. The remainder of the Plan area is designated rural and only small amounts of additional housing and commercial growth is allowed in those areas.

Since the original Community Plan was adopted in 2005, the Canyon Road East expansion south of State Route 512 has been completed. Continued expansion to serve freight between the Frederickson Industrial Center and Port of Tacoma is anticipated to continue to the north in the coming years. Learn more about the Canyon Road Regional Connection Project.

Descriptions of the proposed changes to the Mid-County Community Plan are listed below by section. The proposed updates include other topics, such as the history of the plan area and information about demographics, development patterns and the environment.
Demographics
Mid-County Population Growth Graph
Trends
Mid-County Housing Trends Graph
Major Zoning Changes—Mid-County
Centers & Corridors rezone:
The existing zoning along the 112th Street East and Canyon Road East corridors is proposed to change to the new Centers & Corridors zones.

The area around the intersection of 112th Street East and Canyon Road East is proposed to be zoned Urban Corridor, a mixed commercial and residential zone.

Areas on the south side of 112th Street East and east of Woodland Avenue East and a few small areas along 112th Street East west of Canyon Road East are proposed to be zoned Neighborhood Corridor, a mixed residential zone.

Remaining areas along 112th Street East and Canyon Road East are proposed to be zoned Employment Corridor, an office and industrial zone.
photo of a neighborhood
Moderate Density Single Family rezone:
Areas zoned Single Family (SF) and Residential Resource (RR) are proposed to be rezoned to Moderate Density Single Family (MSF). This affects areas between Canyon Road East and Woodland Avenue south of 112th Street East, and a few areas in the vicinity of 112th Street East west of Canyon Road East.

All three zones are generally single-family residential zones, however the Residential Resource zone allows 1–3 houses per acre and the Single Family zone allows 4 houses per acre, while the Moderate Density Single Family zone allows 4–6 houses per acre. This change could result in more dense subdivisions in these areas.

Additional small-area rezones are proposed and can be found on the interactive map on our website.
Community Character and Design—Mid-County
Standards for buildings and site design – such as architectural features and landscaping – will stay the same in the Mid-County area. However, zones that fall within the Centers and Corridors area would be subject to new design standards.

The current standards that require special amenities, such as specific street trees, benches, garbage cans, and bicycle racks, will apply to all new developments within the proposed Centers and Corridors zones.
Facilities and Services—Mid-County
photo of future Pipeline Trail
The facilities and services chapter includes discussion and policies related to those services desired by the community, such as schools, law enforcement and sewers. The most significant changes to the policies are related to parks.

The policies support the development of Orangegate Park and the Pipeline/Cross County Commuter trail, as well as the establishment of new parks and trails to serve the Plan area. Acquisition of new park properties could be paid for by the newly-adopted Park Impact Fee.
Transportation—Mid-County
The proposed updates to the Community Plan build on the transportation policies contained in Pierce County’s Transportation Plan. The Transportation Plan sets priorities for transportation improvements over the next 20 years. The proposed changes to the Community Plan include policies relating to roads, transit and pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

These policies call on the County to:
  • Continue to invest in Canyon Road East as a freight corridor and limit new development that would cause major traffic impacts to the corridor.
  • Encourage the expansion of Pierce Transit’s services to include the Mid-County community, as well as investment in transit connections that connect the community to major transit hubs such as Sounder train stations.
  • Invest in safe pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, especially where they connect people to schools, parks and trails.
The updates also include a list of transportation project priorities. The highest priority projects are listed below.
Mid-County Premier and High Priority Transportation Projects
Complete list of transportation project priorities for all plans
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