Pasco sets dates for public feedback meetings on sex offender homes
Pasco will host public meetings at local schools to gather feedback from residents about essential public facilities, including housing for sex offenders known as Less Restrictive Alternative housing (LRAs) and Secure Community Transition Facilities (SCTFs).
Last month, the Pasco City Council approved a temporary six-month block on any development applications for essential public facilities in Pasco, including transitional housing projects for convicted sex offenders.
Within the next six months, the city will develop a permanent ordinance for the council to consider.
The state mandates that these facilities open in Washington cities, and Pasco may consider implementing an ordinance similar to West Richland’s new policy to only allow them in light industrial areas.
In-person feedback sessions are on the following dates: March 31, 2026 4:30 p.m. Isaac Stevens Middle School 1120 N. 22nd Avenue, Pasco April 15, 2026 4:30 p.m. Ray Reynolds Middle School 9507 Burns Road, Pasco April 29, 2026 4:30 p.m. McLoughlin Middle School 2803 N. Road 88, Pasco. A hybrid (in-person and virtual) session will be held at noon on May 6.
Residents who would like to attend virtually can register online. The hyrid session is on May 6, 2026 Noon Pasco City Hall 525 N. 3rd Avenue, Pasco.
Spanish interpretation will be available at all sessions. Russian interpretation is available by request.
Email CommunicationsTeam@pasco-wa.gov to request translation services at least 72 hours before the session that you plan to attend.
Planned Kennewick sex offender house sells
Early this month, plans for a transitional home for sexually violent predators in a Kennewick neighborhood were scuttled.
Save Our Children Tri-Cities, the neighborhood organization that formed to fight the LRA home on Eighth Avenue in Kennewick, announced that the home was purchased by an anonymous buyer on behalf of the group.
The home at the corner of Eighth Avenue and Edison Street has been at the center of controversy since the announcement in January that it would house sex offenders being released from the special commitment center on McNeil Island.
This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 11:45 AM.
