Title
Olympia 2045 - Community Values and Vision Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan Update
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
The Land Use and Environment Committee reviewed the draft Olympia 2045 - Community Values and Vision Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan and suggested minor revisions. The Committee recommended the chapter be forwarded to the full City Council for discussion at a Study Session.
City Manager Recommendation:
Review and discuss the draft Community Values and Vision Chapter of the Olympia 2045 Comprehensive Plan.
Report
Issue:
Whether to review and discuss the draft Community Values and Vision Chapter of the Olympia 2045 Comprehensive Plan.
Staff Contact:
Susan McLaughlin, Director, Community Planning & Economic Development, 360.753.8206
Tim Smith, Deputy Director, Community Planning & Economic Development, 360.570.3915
Joyce Phillips, Planning Manager, Community Planning & Economic Development, 360.570.3722
Presenter(s):
Joyce Phillips, Planning Manager
Background and Analysis:
The City of Olympia is required to update its Comprehensive Plan at least once every 10 years, to meet new Growth Management Act (GMA) requirements, to extend the planning timeline, and to plan for additional population and employment growth. The GMA includes a list of required "elements" or chapters of the Plan but does allow local government to include additional or "optional elements" as well.
Olympia's Plan includes optional elements, such as Public Participation and Partners, Natural Environment, Public Safety, and Community Values and Vision chapters.
Comprehensive Plans are designed to achieve the vision for what a community will be like in the future. Olympia's vision is developed based on the identified community values for certain topics, then the vision for what our community can be based on those shared values. These statements are then expressed at the beginning of every chapter.
These values and vision statements are developed or revised as each chapter goes through its development, public review, and adoption process. Now that each draft chapter is available, the full Community Values and Vision chapter can be reviewed.
This chapter immediately follows the Introduction chapter of the Plan. It begins with our community's Land Acknowledgement, a powerful statement acknowledging that the land where Olympia now sits is within the traditional lands of the Steh-Chass band of indigenous people of the Squaxin Island Tribe, who were removed from their land for the settlement that became Olympia. This section is proposed to be expanded, to recognize the Accord between the City of Olympia and the Squaxin Island Tribe and our shared commitment to long term actions, through understanding and mutual
respect, to work cooperatively and collaboratively. In this draft, words of welcome are provided by the Tribe.
This section also acknowledges that Olympia has a history that includes racial inequality, specifically against Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and the Chinese community specifically. This section has been revised to include:
* acknowledgement of past harms to the natural environment through past actions of earlier development patterns and practices
* acknowledge past harms to members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Two-Spirit, with the plus sign representing other identities within the broader LGBTQIA2S+ community), that resulted in some people feeling they were not fully welcome, protected, or included equitably in our shared community.
The section ends with a commitment to do and be better. It states:
These institutional and systemic barriers are still prevalent and have resulted in a lack of equitable access to resources and opportunities. We are dedicated to rebuilding trust through reconciliation and making ongoing efforts to remove these barriers.
The chapter also includes the City's values and vision statements around issues of equity, which have been expanded upon in the updated chapter. As a result, equity is addressed in every chapter of the Plan.
And finally, the values and vision statements for the subsequent chapters within the Plan are included. These are embedded in each chapter but are consolidated and provided upfront and early in the Plan, to provide the reader with an overall sense of our community's shared values and our vision for the future based on those values.
Planning Commission
The Olympia Planning Commission (OPC) received a briefing on the chapter on June 2, 2025. A public hearing followed by deliberations was conducted on June 16, 2025. The Commission voted to recommend adoption of the chapter with revisions that emphasizes "meaningful" engagement over frequency of engagement. This is in consideration of community burnout as well as acknowledgement that marginalized communities have less opportunity to participate. The Planning Commission recommendation is attached (Attachment 2).
Land Use and Environment Committee
The Land Use and Environment Committee (LUEC) considered the draft chapter, with revisions proposed to address comments from the Planning Commission. The LUEC recommended a few minor revisions to the chapter, which have been incorporated into the draft chapter (Attachment 1) and further recommended that the draft Community Values and Vision Chapter be forwarded to the full City Council for discussion at a future Council Study Session. The LUEC recommendation was made with the understanding that the Social Justice and Equity Commission's review of the chapter would occur between the meeting of the LUEC and the City Council.
Social Justice and Equity Commission
The Social Justice and Equity Commission considered the Community Values and Vision Chapter at its meeting on July 28th. The Commission's comment letter is attached (Attachment 3). The Commission offered suggestions, which have been addressed in the draft chapter for Council's consideration.
Climate Analysis:
Staff are using the Climate Framework as each chapter is developed to help ensure both the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and being prepared for the impacts of climate change are addressed. With this update, the new planning requirements for addressing climate will be included in the new Climate Action and Resilience chapter, with goals and policies specific to climate being incorporated into almost all Plan chapters. As a result, values and vision statements specific to climate are proposed to be added to this chapter.
Equity Analysis:
Equity was added to the Community Values and Vision chapter of the Comprehensive Plan in 2021, at the request of the City Council. The City is committed to addressing equity throughout the update process and in the Comprehensive Plan itself.
As each chapter is being updated, staff are using the Equity Framework to strengthen our approaches to equity for the update process overall and for the chapter. Additionally, the Social Justice and Equity Commission had the opportunity to review and comment on each chapter.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
Community input has shaped revisions to the community values and vision statements, and to develop them for the two new chapters. This began with the survey comments we received at the beginning of the Olympia 2045 Comprehensive Plan update process and continued as each chapter went through its own public process. While the majority of people who commented on the Values and Vision statements did so through the community survey, there was one written comment submitted in regard to this chapter (see Attachment 4).
Financial Impact:
The Washington State Department of Commerce is providing a grant for up to $175,000 to help cover the costs of the City of Olympia's Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update.
Options:
1. Review and discuss the draft Community Values and Vision Chapter of the Olympia 2045 Comprehensive Plan.
2. Review and discuss the draft Community Values and Vision Chapter of the Olympia 2045 Comprehensive Plan at another time.
3. Do not review and discuss the draft Community Values and Vision Chapter of the Olympia 2045 Comprehensive Plan.
Attachments:
Draft Chapter
Planning Commission Letter
Social Justice & Equity Commission Letter
Public Comments
Project Webpage