Title
Olympia 2045 - Capital Facilities Goals and Policies of the Comprehensive Plan Update
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
The Land Use and Environment Committee reviewed the draft Olympia 2045 - Capital Facilities 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 goals and policies of the Olympia 2045 Capital Facilities chapter of the Comprehensive Plan.
Report
Issue:
Whether to review and discuss the draft goals and policies of the Olympia 2045 Capital Facilities chapter of the Comprehensive Plan.
Staff Contact:
Susan McLaughlin, AICP LEED AP, Director, Community Planning and Economic Development, 360.753.8206
Tim Smith, AICP, Deputy Director, Community Planning and Economic Development, 360.570.3915
Joyce Phillips, AICP, Long Range Planning Manager, Community Planning and Economic Development, 360.570.3722
Presenter(s):
Joyce Phillips, Long Range Planning Manager, CPED
Background and Analysis:
The Comprehensive Plan exists in two volumes.
Volume One includes the main chapters of the plan, including Land Use; Transportation; Utilities; Economy; and Parks Arts and Recreation among others. There is a half-page chapter titled “Capital Facilities Plan” that essentially directs the reader to Volume Two, which is the Capital Facilities Plan that is updated each year as part of the capital budgeting process.
Volume Two, or the Capital Facilities Plan (CFP), includes information about proposed capital facility projects, estimated costs, how they will be paid for, and when they are likely to occur. Some projects take multiple years of funding before they can be physically constructed. By statute, the CFP focuses on the first six years. The Introduction section of the CFP includes the goals and policies related to capital facilities. These goals and policies have not been updated since the plan went through its previous major update, which was adopted in December of 2014.
A small team of City staff worked to review and propose updates to the goals and policies. It was then shared with recognized neighborhoods, interested parties, adjacent jurisdictions and agencies, and the public. A 30-day comment period was provided, with a commitment to consider all comments received by October 24 in revisions proposed prior to the public hearing.
The draft chapter was also shared with three of the City’s Advisory Committees for an opportunity to ask questions and provide input. This included the Planning Commission on November 4, 2024, the Utilities Advisory Committee on November 7, 2024, and the Social Justic and Equity Commission on December 2, 2024.
Comments from the public and Advisory Committees received were considered and a public hearing draft was issued on December 9, 2024. The hearing draft was posted online the same week. Staff provided a copy of the revised draft and responses to the two community members that provided written comments on the first draft.
Advisory Committees Input
Minor revisions were suggested by the Advisory Committees regarding prioritizing equity, efforts that help address climate change, and increasing accessibility. The Social Justice and Equity Commission provided a comment letter (see Attachment 3).
Planning Commission Recommendation
After conducting a public hearing and deliberating on the proposed amendments, the Planning Commission recommended approval. The Planning Commission recommendation letter is attached (see Attachment 2).
Land Use and Environment Committee
The Land Use and Environment Committee reviewed the proposal at its meeting on March 27, 2025. The committee recommended approval with a few minor revisions and to forward the draft to the full City Council for discussion at a Study Session. Suggested revisions promote equity, consider climate impacts of city owned buildings, and to provide more support for affordable housing.
Climate Analysis:
The wide variety of projects included in CFPs, over a number of years, can make it challenging to assess changes to greenhouse gas emissions. Overall, the projects proposed help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by addressing energy use in city-owned buildings, transportation projects that also benefit bicyclists and pedestrians, and projects designed to increase capacity and efficiency or our drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems.
By continuing to serve our community members, as well as accommodating new growth, within the existing City limits and urban growth areas, we are working to create a compact and urban community. This helps us reduce emissions from the transportation sector by promoting active forms of transportation and providing for shorter trips required in order to meet our daily needs. It allows for the delivery of drinking water, sanitary sewer, and stormwater treatment facilities in a contained, compact area which is more efficient and costs less to serve than it would otherwise.
The CFP supports the following portions of the Climate Mitigation Plan:
• Reduce energy use in existing buildings.
• Reduce energy use in new construction or redevelopment. The new maintenance facility for Waste ReSources will meet or exceed current energy efficiency requirements.
• Helps implement land use policies that increase urban density and reduce urban sprawl. Compact, walkable communities help increase urban density and reduce sprawl. The CFP includes several transportation projects that support compact environments for bicyclists and pedestrians.
• Increase the efficiency of the transportation system. The variety of multimodal transportation improvements in the CFP aim to provide greater mobility options and consider people trips rather than volume to capacity ratios for automobiles. This considers efficiency of the whole system. It also supports the related strategy of increasing the use of active forms of travel, such as walking and biking.
• Increase the use of public transit. Sidewalks, bicycle lanes, safety improvements and streetlights all support greater use of public transit.
• Increase the efficiency of water and wastewater infrastructure. The CFP includes replacement of aging and small diameter pipes and projects that address seismic issues.
• Divert more solid waste from landfills. The new Waste ReSources facility will help the city capture more recyclable materials that would otherwise go to the landfill.
While not every project will directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, by providing the infrastructure and services necessary to support our existing community and anticipated growth within the growth boundary, we can serve a greater number of people efficiently and compactly, while also providing parks, open spaces, and fire protection.
Changes were made in the public hearing draft to address comments regarding prioritizing projects that address climate change.
Equity Analysis:
Equity is a policy consideration that is integrated into individual chapters of the Comprehensive Plan. Subsequent plans, projects and programs will prioritize equity in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan's directional guidance. In addition, equity issues are considered during budgeting and decision making. The City strives to address equity in capital projects by committing to equitable distribution across the City, across multiple types of projects (transportation, parks, drinking water, etc.), and by improving accessibility in City facilities (ADA Transition Plan for accessibility). This work is done within the limitations of the various fund sources for capital projects.
Some of the high-level data considered, is that in Olympia, roughly 37% of all households are cost burdened, with almost half of those households being severely cost-burdened. Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) members of our community are more likely to be cost-burdened than others. Approximately 42% of Olympians have a household income of less than $50,000. Approximately 15% of our population live in poverty. In 2021, 13.5% of people in Olympia have a disability, up from 12.9% in 2016. Additionally, obesity rates have been rising in children and adults in Washington State.
Changes were made in the public hearing draft to better incorporate comments about equity and accessibility for those with disabilities.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
The first draft was routed to all Recognized Neighborhood Associations (RNAs) and emailed to all “parties of record” for the Olympia 2045 planning project. Two written comments were received that are specific to these goals and policies.
The public hearing draft was routed to all RNAs and parties of record at least 10 days prior to the public hearing. Additionally, staff reached out to the two people who had commented on the first draft, to answer questions and to ensure they were aware of the new draft and their continued ability to provide comments on it.
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 goals and policies of the Olympia 2045 Capital Facilities chapter of the Comprehensive Plan.
2. Review and discuss the draft Olympia 2045 Capital Facilities chapter of the Comprehensive Plan at another time.
3. Do not review and discuss the draft Olympia 2045 Capital Facilities chapter of the Comprehensive Plan.
Attachments:
Draft Olympia 2045 - Capital Facilities Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan
Planning Commission Letter
Social Justice & Equity Commission Letter
Public Comments