Title
Low Impact Development Code Revisions
Report
Issue:
The City's Community Planning & Development and Public Works Departments are revising City development codes and regulations in order to implement more environmentally-sensitive stormwater practices. The Planning Commission will review the proposed code revisions in mid-2015. The Low Impact Development briefing will set the stage for future deliberations.
Staff Contact:
Todd Stamm, Principal Planner, Community Planning & Development, 360.753.8597
Andy Haub, Water Resources Director, Public Works, 360.753.8475
Presenter(s):
Todd Stamm, Principal Planner, Community Planning & Development
Eric Christensen, Planning and Engineering Manager, Public Works
Background and Analysis:
The Washington State Department of Ecology defines Low Impact Development (LID) as a stormwater and land use management strategy that strives to mimic natural hydrologic processes such as infiltration, filtration, and evaporation of precipitation. The strategy emphasizes natural resource conservation, site planning, and small-scale stormwater management practices that are integrated into the project design. Low impact techniques include careful site design and innovative stormwater management approaches such as minimizing impervious pavement surfaces, bioretention, and compost-amended soils.
The City of Olympia is required by the State to evaluate our various codes and regulations in order to "make LID the preferred and commonly used approach to site development." Regardless of the State mandate, Olympia has long-standing interest and experience with LID techniques. However, unlike past work, Olympia's code and regulations will now be comprehensively evaluated and refined. Washington State Department of Ecology provides a mandatory process for conducting revisions to the codes.
Olympia's Public Works and Community Planning & Development Departments assembled a LID code revision team in February 2014. The ...
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