Title
Text Amendments to Title 18, Unified Development Code - Public Hearing
Recommended Action
Move to approve the text amendments to Title 18, Unified Development Code, Olympia Municipal Code, and forward to Council for consideration.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve the text amendments to Title 18, Unified Development Code, Olympia Municipal Code, and forward to Council for consideration.
Staff Contact:
Joyce Phillips, Principal Planner, Community Planning and Development, 360.570.3722
Presenter(s):
Joyce Phillips, Principal Planner, Community Planning and Development
Background and Analysis:
Recent changes in state law require updates to parts of Title 18, the Uniform Development Code. This is also known as the zoning chapter of the Olympia Municipal Code (OMC). These amendments are generally to definitions of “family” and about allowing certain housing types in certain zoning districts.
Additionally, city staff were contacted by Code Publishing, the company that maintains the City’s online code, to identify errors in code citations. These citations typically direct the reader to code sections that either no longer exist or that are slightly “off” in the code subsection they refer to, such as DD instead of CC.
Because the City was proposing these amendments, other city staff asked for a few additional changes, primarily to improve the legibility of maps or graphics in the chapter or to clean up text. One example is for the Table in Chapter 18.72 to be updated to reflect that not all conditional uses require a public hearing, so sometimes the Director is the decision maker instead of the Hearing Examiner. In addition, with the recently updated Shoreline Master Program, not all types of shoreline permits require public hearings. Shoreline Substantial Development Permits can be determined by the Director, whereas Shoreline Conditional Uses or Variances will still be determined by the Hearing Examiner (and ultimately the Washington State Department of Ecology).
Another city requested amendment pertains to the maximum amount of hard surfaces allowed as it relates to soil suitability. Some zoning districts allow for a higher percentage of the lot to be used for “hard” surfaces than for “impervious” surfaces. This is intended to allow for additional lot coverage while still addressing the low impact development stormwater standards. The amended language is meant to clarify that the increase in lot coverage is allowed only when the soil conditions support that, so it may not be possible in all situations. Additionally, clarification is provided about the amount of each lot that can be covered by impervious and hard surfaces for townhouse lots.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
At the time this staff report was written, no public comment on these amendments have been submitted. Any public comments received prior to the public hearing will be provided to the Planning Commission.
Options:
1. Hold a public hearing and approve the text amendments to Title 18 of the OMC, as proposed.
2. Hold a public hearing and approve the text amendments to Title 18 of the OMC, with specific revisions to the proposal.
3. Hold the public hearing and conduct deliberations and issue a recommendation on the proposed amendments at a later date.
Financial Impact:
None. Resources to complete these text amendments are being covered by the Department’s base budget.
Attachments:
Proposed amendments