Cashmere considers updating code to include path to adult day care businesses

CASHMERE — The City of Cashmere is preparing to tackle a gap in its zoning code after resident Marlana Moses asked the City Council last week to consider allowing adult day care centers in residential neighborhoods. Moses hopes to open a small, home-based adult day center called Valley Senior Cottage, serving seniors who need daytime supervision, socialization, or respite care while family caregivers work or attend appointments.

“I would like to open an adult day center,” Moses told the council during public comment on Nov. 24. “It’s a great place for socialization and a cozy environment, and right now there are no codes to meet this need.”

Moses, who has worked seven years in senior living, home health and hospice, said she was motivated by a growing gap in affordable care. Many local families struggle to balance caregiving with full-time jobs or their own health needs, she said. She emphasized that she was not proposing a full-time residential care facility.

“This is just during the day,” she said, describing a typical future schedule from 7:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. so working adult children could “drop their loved one off, get to work on time, and pick them up afterward.”

Cashmere’s code currently defines child day care but does not address adult day services. Director of Operations Steve Croci told the council that the state regulates adult day centers separately from child facilities, which means the city cannot simply apply existing language.

“You just can’t say, ‘oh, it’s treated like a child’s daycare,’ because it’s not the same agency that oversees it,” Croci said. “Our code doesn’t speak to it.”

According to Croci, the city’s comprehensive plan update — already underway — was expected to address adult day care businesses. Completion is projected for January 2027, but Moses asked whether the city could expedite a change.

Croci said it may be possible sooner. “Now is a good time to do it,” he said, noting that the state is currently accepting proposed updates from cities. If pursued separately, the change could take as little as three months, depending on state review timelines.

Moses said her proposal would operate like a home occupation similar to a small child-care business under six participants. She emphasized that she would live on-site and would not open a standalone commercial facility in a neighborhood.

To address concerns about traffic and residential impacts, Moses said she has built her business concept around minimizing disruption. She told the council she would not allow drop-offs or pick-ups to consume street parking.

“I wouldn’t have six vehicles taking up the neighborhood parking,” she said. “I would meet them outside and help get the loved one in.”

Councilmember Jeff Johnson said the process still needs to include public involvement. “We want it, but we also don’t want the neighbors to say, ‘wait a minute, you didn’t give us a chance to comment on it,’” he said.

Mayor Jim Fletcher agreed the city needs a clear pathway so residents are not left guessing. “What we need to do is find the correct process for which to permit something like this,” Fletcher said.

During the discussion, staff noted that adult day programs are an emerging need statewide. Croci said that Wenatchee and Leavenworth have no codes for adult day care either, though Wenatchee is working on interim guidance.

Moses said part of her goal was not just to open her own business, but to create a pathway for others. “It’s really important for people in the community and for others who might want to start a business like this,” she said.

Her proposed name — Valley Senior Cottage — reflects the idea of small-scale, homelike care. “I want to serve the rural areas around here,” Moses said.

The council took no formal action but signaled interest in pursuing a code update. Recommendations for amendments to Cashmere’s development code are now being accepted through the beginning of 2026, as the city prepares its comprehensive plan revisions.

Residents with suggestions for zoning or code changes may submit them through City Hall.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media