Title
Update on the Low Impact Development Code Revision Project
Recommended Action
City Manager Recommendation:
Not applicable; briefing only
Report
Issue:
Last year, City Council requested that the Land Use and Environment Committee be regularly updated on the City's low impact development code revision project. The last Committee update occurred in November 2014. The Public Works and Community Planning and Development Departments will brief the Committee on status of the project and our plans to distribute the results of our recent work efforts to a technical work group to review.
Staff Contact:
Andy Haub, P.E., Water Resources Director, Public Works, 360.753.8475
Leonard Bauer, Deputy Director, Community Planning & Development, 360.753.8206
Presenter(s):
Same
Background and Analysis:
Washington State defines low impact development (LID) as a stormwater and land use management strategy that promotes infiltration and evaporation of rainfall rather than the generation of stormwater runoff. The strategy emphasizes natural resource conservation, careful site planning, and small-scale stormwater management practices that are integrated into project designs. Low impact techniques include environmentally-sensitive site design and innovative stormwater management approaches such as narrow streets and porous pavements.
The City of Olympia is required by the State to evaluate our various codes and regulations in order to "make LID the preferred and commonly used approach to site development." Environmentally-sensitive development is also supported by our community. The Public Works and Community Planning and Development Departments assembled an LID Code Revision Work Group in February, 2014. The work group is on schedule to complete the ambitious work effort including Council-approved code revisions by mid-2016.
The LID work group has made steady progress on the project since the June, 2014 study session with the City Council. However, the project has proven to be more complex and time-consuming than initially anticipated. The project schedule has been pushed out by approximately six months. Staff foresees completing the work effort in mid-2016, well ahead of the January, 2017 State deadline. Staff is implementing the public involvement strategy as shared with City Council (attached).
Key tasks that are completed or underway include:
· Identifying specific City codes and standards that need to be evaluated for potential revisions.
· Developing 24 issue papers that evaluate and provide options for potential implementation of low impact development. The multidisciplinary issue papers have been a major work effort.
· Assembling a 16-member technical workgroup that will critique issue papers and conceptual code revisions. The committee is comprised of members of the local development and consulting community.
· Evaluating how potential code revisions would have altered the design of several recently-constructed Olympia developments. The conceptual re-designs will help explain the revisions.
· Communicating with the public through the City's utility bill insert, webpage, and e-newsletter template.
· Coordinating our work with the other three local jurisdictions.
· Hosting a second LID symposium this fall with the help of the Northwest Ecobuilding Guild. The symposium would help publicize and evaluate the draft results of the project.
· Updating the Olympia Planning Commission and Utility Advisory Committee.
Consistent with our project schedule, staff intends to distribute the 24 issues paper to the technical workgroup in late June. In turn, the Utility Advisory Committee will review the papers and technical workgroup comments in September and October. The Planning Commission will begin their review in January, 2016. City Council can anticipate seeing the LID code revisions in May or June of 2016.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
The LID code revisions build upon neighborhood, development and community interests in environmental protection and sustainable development. The outcomes will help guide development practices in Olympia for years to come. The City anticipates considerable community interest in the work effort.
Options:
Not applicable; briefing only
Financial Impact:
Public Works and the Community Planning and Development Departments are providing the in-house planning and technical resources for this project. Additionally, the Storm and Surface Water Utility has provided funding for consultant expertise.
Attachment:
Low Impact Development Project Schedule and Outreach table