Title
Olympia 2045 - Housing Element Chapter of the City of Olympia Comprehensive Plan Update
Recommended Action
Information only. No action requested.
Report
Issue:
Discussion of the Housing Element to be included in the Olympia 2045 Comprehensive Plan Update.
Staff Contact:
Casey Schaufler, Associate Planner, Community Planning & Development, 360.753.8254
Presenter(s):
Casey Schaufler, Associate Planner, Community Planning & Development
Background and Analysis:
In 2021, the Washington Legislature changed the way communities are required to plan for housing. House Bill 1220 (2021) amended the Growth Management Act (GMA) to instruct local governments to "plan for and accommodate" housing affordable to all income levels. This significantly strengthened the previous goal, which was to encourage affordable housing.
The amended law also directed the Department of Commerce to project future housing needs for jurisdictions by income bracket and made significant updates to how jurisdictions are to plan for housing in the housing element of their comprehensive plans. These new changes to local housing elements include:
* Planning for sufficient land capacity for housing needs, including all economic segments of the population (moderate, low, very low and extremely low income, as well as emergency housing and permanent supportive housing).
* Providing for moderate density housing options within Urban Growth Areas (UGAs), including but not limited to duplexes, triplexes and townhomes.
* Making adequate provisions for housing for existing and projected needs for all economic segments of the community, including documenting programs and actions needed to achieve housing availability.
* Identifying racially disparate impacts, displacement and exclusion in housing policies and regulations, and beginning to undo those impacts; and identifying areas at higher risk of displacement and establishing anti-displacement policies.
Attachment 1 is the Department of Commerce'...
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