Title
Low-Density Neighborhood Zoning Transitions - Work Item Briefing
Recommended Action
No action required - briefing only.
Report
Issue:
The City Council's Land Use and Environment Committee has directed that the 2016 work program of the Community Planning and Development Department, and in turn the Planning Commission, include evaluation of zoning code changes to address commercial and mixed-use zoning lacking appropriate provisions for minimizing impacts to adjacent low-density residential areas.
Staff Contact:
Todd Stamm, Principal Planner, Community Planning and Development Department, (360.753.8597)
Presenter:
Todd Stamm, Principal Planner
Background and Analysis:
In May of 2014 the City staff proposed zoning map changes responsive to the then-pending Comprehensive Plan update known as 'Imagine Olympia.' Among these were elimination of the Community Services - High Density (CS-H) zone by moving the Capitol Campus into a 'Planned Unit Development' zone and changing the zoning of the two small remaining CS-H-zoned parcels to Professional Office / Residential Multi-Family and General Commercial zoning. (See file 13-0120.) Ultimately on July 7, 2014, the Planning Commission recommended the Capitol Campus change, but concluded that the other two properties should remain in the CS-H zone. A related motion to recommend a citywide review of these types of properties and commercial zones failed.
Early in 2015 Jay Elder and other residents of the Bigelow neighborhood northeast of downtown proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Plan to address issues raised by a development application submitted by John Tanasse. The amendment proposal was later revised to be development code issue instead of a Plan change and the City Council referred the matter to its Land Use and Environment Committee for consideration.
On August 27, 2015, the Committee concluded that a specific development code issue related to height bonuses should be addre...
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