Title
Olympia 2045: Comprehensive Plan Update Briefing
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Receive an update on Olympia 2045: Comprehensive Plan Update.
Report
Issue:
Whether to receive a briefing on Olympia 2045: Comprehensive Plan Update.
Staff Contact:
Joyce Phillips, Principal Planner, Community Planning & Development, 360.570.3722
Tim Smith, Deputy Director, Community Planning & Development, 360.570.3915
Leonard Bauer, Director, Community Planning & Development, 360.753.8206
Presenter(s):
Joyce Phillips, AICP, Principal Planner, Community Planning & Development
Background and Analysis:
Olympia’s Comprehensive Plan
Olympia’s first Comprehensive Plan (Plan) was adopted more than 60 years ago. With the passage of the State’s Growth Management Act in 1990, Olympia prepared a new plan which was completed in 1994. In 2014, the City completed a major update of the Plan, with an award-winning process for broad input and participation by community members.
The Plan covers the area of the Olympia City Limits and the urban growth area. It addresses issues like housing, land use, transportation, parks and open spaces, utilities and public services, and the economy. It also reflects community values, such as public participation, addressing climate change, and tree preservation. Ultimately, the Plan will become the adopted vision for how and where our community will grow and change, and be served with utilities, infrastructure, and public services.
Growth Management Act (GMA)
The GMA (RCW 36.70A) establishes a framework for comprehensive planning in Washington State. It includes statewide planning goals that each jurisdiction must balance locally. Some of the primary objectives of the GMA are to protect resource lands of long-term commercial significance (agricultural, forestry, and mineral resource lands), to plan for growth in urban areas where it can be served with a full range of urban services, to prevent sprawl, and to protect environmentally sensitive areas.
Land is in one of three categories - urban, rural, or resource lands. Depending on which category the land is in, there are different provisions of the GMA that apply. Cities and urban growth areas are considered urban.
The GMA identifies what must be included in local government Comprehensive Plans. It identifies required elements of the plans, which are often referred to as chapters. It allows for “optional” elements as well. Each required element contains minimum requirements local governments must address.
Periodic Update
Counties and Cities are required to update Comprehensive Plans at least once every ten years. Thurston County, and the cities within it, must complete the update by June 30, 2025. The update also includes development regulations that implement the Plan.
The update requires the city to:
• Extend the planning horizon to at least year 2045
• Update population projections
• Address changes and new requirements in state laws
In order to assist local governments in identifying the minimum scope of the update, the Washington State Department of Commerce, Growth Management Services, provides a checklist that includes minimum requirements and highlights changes in state laws that have occurred since the last update cycle. City staff completed the checklist in early 2023, which identified areas within the City’s current comprehensive plan that need to be updated. However, the Washington State Department of Commerce has updated the checklist to include the more recent amendments to the GMA. Staff is working to complete the updated checklist, which will be one of the first deliverables under the grant contract between the City and the Washington State Department of Commerce.
Phased Approach and Timeline
The City is using a phased approach to complete the update. This is allowing us to make the most use of staff resources to complete as much of the associated work in-house as is possible. Through a coordinated effort, each chapter will be updated through a public process by staff from across all City Departments.
Some of the chapters began the update process in 2023, while other chapters are just beginning. Chapters that started in 2023 are primarily those for which recent master plan work was completed (e.g. Transportation, Parks) or was about to be completed (e.g. Economy). Other chapters, such as Housing, Land Use & Urban Design, and Climate, start in 2024. One reason was to allow more time for state guidance on new housing and climate requirements to be issued, which will help us work through the new requirements and related issues.
A webpage dedicated to Olympia 2045 has been created. It includes links to a page for each chapter with its update timeline, identification of staff leading each chapter, and information about how to get involved and stay informed.
One of the first ways the City staff team sought input from the community was by checking in on our adopted Community Values and Vision chapter. The values and vision chapter captures the shared values of what matters to the community and identifies the vision of how our community will be in the future in regard to each topic. The values and vision help shape the rest of the Plan. The outcome of the survey was shared with the community, the Planning Commission, and with each of the chapter leads to help inform the chapter updates.
Information and additional outreach about the update process is planned throughout the entirety of the process. To help Olympians keep track of a project with so many parts, staff has started sending a monthly E-newsletter and emailing all parties of record with updates and upcoming public meetings.
Most Significant Changes in the GMA
Some fairly significant changes were made to the Growth Management Act in the 2022 and 2023 Legislative Sessions. Perhaps the most significant of these changes is the addition of a GMA goal about Climate Change and Resiliency and a requirement to add a Climate Change and Resiliency chapter to the Comprehensive Plan.
There are other changes that relate directly to housing issues, both for the Comprehensive Plan and the implementing development regulations. The City will be required to:
• identify local policies and regulations that result in racially disparate impacts, displacement, and exclusion in housing;
• identify and implement policies and regulations to address and begin to undo racially disparate impacts, displacement, and exclusion in housing caused by local policies, plans, and actions;
• identify areas that may be at higher risk of displacement from market forces that occur with changes to zoning development regulations and capital investments; and,
• establish anti-displacement policies.
The Legislature is currently considering a bill that would extend the deadline to complete the periodic update by six months - until December 31, 2024. It did already approve an additional six months for some of the implementing regulations to be adopted. This includes “middle housing” provisions in residential zoning districts.
Status of Various Chapters
To date, the Parks, Arts and Recreation Chapter is the only chapter that has gone through the public hearing process. The Economy Chapter is scheduled for its public hearing on February 26th and the Natural Environment and Utilities Chapters will likely have briefings in March and public hearings in April.
Collaborations with Others
There are opportunities to collaborate with Tribes and other jurisdictions in this work. Some of this work is done at a staff-to-staff level, and an upcoming opportunity for Council-to-Council coordination and collaboration is planned for March 6.
In addition, the long-range planning staff from Thurston County and the Cities of Lacey, Tumwater, and Olympia are meeting quarterly to share ideas and experiences throughout this process. These meetings are informal and are in addition to the quarterly meetings hosted by Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) for all local government planners and state agencies.
Climate Analysis:
Staff is using, and will use, the Climate Framework as it reviews each chapter to help ensure both the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and that being prepared for the impacts of climate change are addressed. This work will consider the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan, the Sea Level Rise Response Plan, Climate Risk and Vulnerability work, and commitments of City Council related to climate issues. The Climate Change and Resiliency chapter will comprehensively analyze and include policies to guide the City’s on-going response to climate change over the next twenty years.
Equity Analysis:
Equity was added to the Community Values and Vision chapter of the Comprehensive Plan in 2021. The City is committed to addressing equity throughout the update process and in the Comprehensive Plan itself. While all public meetings are open for all to attend, City staff will also reach out to community groups, including those who are often unrepresented or underrepresented in planning processes, to seek participation and feedback.
Staff is using, and will use, the Equity Framework to strengthen our approaches to equity for the update process overall and for each chapter of the update.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
It is anticipated that there will be a wide variety of diverse opinions and comments throughout the update process. Staff will work to provide opportunities for people to provide comments during the process, as draft amendments are proposed, and at public meetings.
Staff is working hard to show community members how their comments are used to help shape the update.
Financial Impact:
The update of the Comprehensive Plan represents a significant investment in staff resources, including participation from all City Departments. Financial resources will be needed for any studies or technical reports needed. Consultant services are anticipated to complete the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) the City anticipates preparing for the updated Plan.
The Washington State Department of Commerce offered $175,000 in grant funds to help cover some of these costs. Additionally, up to $700,000 in grant funds may be used in the development of the Climate Change and Resiliency Comprehensive Plan chapter and implementing regulations.
Community Planning and Development staff are working with Housing and Homeless Response staff, who will select a consultant to research and report on issues of racially disparate impacts, displacement, and exclusion as well as the development of anti-displacement policies. The City Council previously allocated $50,000 for this report.
Options:
1. Receive the briefing.
2. Do not receive the briefing.
3. Receive the briefing at another time.
Attachments:
Olympia 2045: Comprehensive Plan Update Webpage