Title
Sidewalk Repair Policy Development
Recommended Action
Information only. No action requested.
Report
Issue:
Briefing on sidewalk repair policy development.
Staff Contact:
Max DeJarnatt, Associate Planner, Public Works | Transportation, 360.570.3723
Presenter(s):
Max DeJarnatt, Associate Planner
Background and Analysis:
Some sidewalks in Olympia are in a state of poor repair, and City efforts to encourage adjacent property owners to fix them are often not successful.
Currently, OMC 12.36.010 requires adjacent property owners to repair their sidewalks. The City does repair some sidewalks on streets where we maintain street trees, which is downtown and along some major corridors. These streets have a lot of pedestrian activity and some transit stops.
Elsewhere, once we are aware of a damaged sidewalk, we send a letter to the property owner and request that they repair the sidewalk adjacent to their property.
Sidewalk Condition
In November 2023, City staff briefed the Land Use and Environment Committee (LUEC), a City Council committee, on the City’s approach to sidewalk repair. The Committee requested that staff do an inventory of sidewalk condition to better understand the extent of sidewalk damage citywide before developing a broader policy to approach repairing sidewalks.
Over the summer of 2024, a contractor did this inventory, identifying nearly 28,000 unique areas of sidewalk damage. They categorized these areas by type and severity level.
Staff briefed the LUEC and the BPAC on the results of this inventory in April and May.
Capital Investments
In 2024, the City used $450,000 in capital funds to repair 19 sites of sidewalk damage throughout the city. Also last year, City crews repaired 25 sites of damage. This data is useful in considering a path forward for addressing sidewalk repair, because it allows us to better understand the costs of repair, both when we do it in-house and when we hire an outside contractor.
This year, the City will spend an estimated $320,000 in capital funds to repair two full block faces, one on Kenyon Street south of Harrison Avenue, and the other on State Avenue between Adams and Jefferson Streets. That work is nearly finished.
Looking Ahead
The City Council is considering funding a sidewalk repair crew starting in 2026. The crew of four people is expected to cost about $681,000 in 2026, and the City will need to purchase a mini excavator for $149,000. We estimate they will be able to repair about 20-25 sites per year. As with the 2024-25 sidewalk repair work, this will be funded using the 0.1% Transportation Benefit District sales tax, passed by the City Council in 2023.
Policy Development
The City still has work to do to better define its policy about repairing sidewalks. Staff is developing an online tool to outline the issues and ask the public for feedback about maintenance responsibility and prioritization. We will share progress on the tool at the meeting.
Options:
None. Information only.
Financial Impact:
None from this item.
Attachments:
None