Title
2018 Annual Comprehensive Plan Amendment Screening
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve forwarding three Comprehensive Plan Amendment proposals to the Planning Commission for review and recommendations back to Council and set the Final Comprehensive Plan Amendment application deadline as April 6, 2018.
Report
Issue:
Whether the proposed Comprehensive Plan Amendment proposals should be forwarded to the Planning Commission for review and recommendations and set a Council decision later in 2018.
Staff Contact:
Joyce Phillips, Senior Planner, CP&D, 360.570.3722
Presenter(s):
Joyce Phillips, Senior Planner, CP&D
Background and Analysis:
The Washington State Growth Management Act provides that Olympia generally can amend its Comprehensive Plan only once each calendar year. Chapter 18.59 of the Olympia Municipal Code establishes a specific process for such annual amendments. It provides that:
• Proposals may be submitted by anyone at any time without charge.
• City Council is to set a deadline for proposals to be considered in a given year (November 13, 2017 for consideration in 2018), and
• City staff is to review and present all preliminary proposals to the Council (February 27 this year) to determine which should move forward for formal consideration. The staff’s review and recommendation at this preliminary stage is to be based on specific criteria set forth in code section 18.59.020.
In brief, these criteria are:
• Whether the proposal is consistent with state and federal law
• Whether the proposal might lead to adverse environmental impacts, and if so whether there is time to analyze such
• Whether additional capital improvements and maintenance revenue would be needed, and if so whether there is time to analyze such
• Whether the proposal conflicts with other provisions of the Comprehensive Plan
• Whether other significant amendments would be needed and, if so, whether there is time for such
• If the proposal has previously been reviewed and, if so, whether the applicant has identified a reason to review it again
(A copy with full text of the criteria is attached.)
The City Council’s role at this stage is to “review all such proposals, determine which are appropriate and worthy of further review and consideration, and move those to the Planning Commission for review and public hearing” (OMC 18.59.030). Note that at this stage the Council’s role is not to decide whether or not a proposal should be approved. Instead the Council is to decide - without otherwise pre-judging the issue - which proposals should move to the next stage for review. The City Council has discretion as to whether to consider a proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment - there is no requirement that the City consider any amendments in a given calendar year.
Amendments forwarded by the City Council to the Planning Commission are deemed the ‘final docket’. Prior to further consideration, private proponents of forwarded proposals are required to submit a detailed amendment application including appropriate fees. All forwarded amendment proposals will be subject to environmental review by City staff and appropriate public processes, including review and recommendations by the Planning Commission following a public hearing. Final decisions are scheduled to be made by the City Council late in 2018.
Proposals
Three preliminary proposals were received this year. Each application, including related materials, is attached to this report. In summary, the proposals are:
1. City proposal to memorialize the downtown views identified in the Downtown Strategy for important landmark views from public places in or through the downtown.
2. Proposal from the Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (CNA) to amend text in the Comprehensive Plan which is intended to expand language in the Plan concerning the city’s role in code enforcement and crime prevention.
3. Proposal from James Richards to amend the Future Land Use Map designation for three parcels from Professional Office and Residential Multifamily Housing (PO/RM) to General Commercial (GC) and to rezone the property to GC. One of the parcels is currently zoned GC; however, the other two parcels are zoned PO/RM.
Staff Recommendations
City staff has evaluated these proposals pursuant to the OMC criteria and recommends the Council conclude:
Each of the proposals is consistent with the six criteria and should be placed on the final docket for 2018 by forwarding the proposals to the Planning Commission for consideration.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
There are stakeholders interested in each of the proposed items. All interested parties will have an opportunity to participate in the various public review processes.
Options:
With respect to each of the proposals the City Council may:
1. Direct that the Planning Commission review the proposal, hold a public hearing, and make recommendations to the Council consistent with the 2018 Comprehensive Plan amendment schedule.
2. Decline to consider one or more of the proposed amendments in 2018.
3. Direct consideration of one or more of the proposals as part of a different process, instead of as part of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan amendments.
Financial Impact:
Consideration of the proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments is within the base budget.
Attachments:
OMC 18.59
Review and Evaluation
City Views Application
CNA Application
Black Lake Blvd/US 101 Application