Title
Quasi-judicial Consideration of Hearing Examiner’s Recommendation regarding Smith Lake
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee. The Hearing Examiner held a public hearing and issued his recommendation.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve the Hearing Examiner’s Recommendation to Amend the City of Olympia zoning map to rezone the Smith Lake Area from Residential 4-8 Units Per Acre (R 4-8) to Residential - 4 Chambers Basin District (R-4CB).
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve amending the City of Olympia zoning map to rezone the Smith Lake Area from Residential 4-8 Units Per Acre (R 4-8) to Residential - 4 Chambers Basin District (R-4CB).
Staff Contact:
Casey Schaufler, Assistant Planner, Community Planning & Development, 360.570.8254
Presenter(s):
Casey Schaufler, Assistant Planner
Background and Analysis:
The Hearing Examiner held an open-record public hearing on October 25, 2021. After considering the facts and public comments, the Examiner recommended that the zoning of the Smith Lake Area be changed from Residential 4-8 Units Per Acre (R 4-8) to Residential - 4 Chambers Basin District (R-4CB).
Further details may be found in the attached Hearing Examiner Decision and Exhibits. As provided in OMC 18.58.020 regarding site-specific rezones, the City Council must now consider the Hearing Examiner recommendation and make the final decision. No further public comment or evidence is allowed. This is a closed record decision.
Following the City Council’s decision, staff will draft an ordinance for City Council adoption at a future meeting to amend the City zoning map to implement that decision.
Note: In the course of reviewing the potential Smith Lake area re-zone, City Community Planning and Development staff identified a scrivener’s error in the Official Zoning Map. The Official Zoning Map misidentifies a portion of the Urban Growth Area under the jurisdiction of Thurston County as being zoned R-4CB. It should properly be identified as Residential - 1 Unit Per 5 Acres (R1/5). A correction to this error can be included in the ordinance implementing City Council’s decision.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
As referenced in the Hearing Examiner’s recommendation (page 3-4), it appeared up to the hearing that all interested parties were either in agreement to a rezoning to R-4CB or had no objection to it. At the hearing the original applicant, Blackbird LLC, expressed their preference for R-4 zoning instead of R-4CB. Upon learning of this during the public hearing, residents of Shana Park responded by stating that they are opposed to rezoning the Blackbird property to R-4 but continue to support an areawide rezoning to R-4CB. Comments at a virtually held neighborhood meeting on June 17, 2021, were focused on impacts from increased traffic and environmental impacts of future development.
Options:
1. Approve the Hearing Examiner’s recommendation to amend the official zoning map of Olympia, revising the zoning of the Smith Lake Area from Residential 4-8 Units Per Acre (R 4-8) to Residential - 4 Chambers Basin District (R-4CB).
2. Approve the Hearing Examiner’s recommendation with modifications, with appropriate findings supporting that decision.
3. Do not approve the Hearing Examiner’s recommendation and deny the rezone application with appropriate findings supporting that decision.
Financial Impact:
There is no financial impact. Staff work on this rezone application is supported through application fees and the Community Planning and Development Department’s base budget.
Attachments:
Hearing Examiner Recommendation to Council
Link to Hearing Examiner File