Title
Critical Areas Ordinance update - Briefing
Recommended Action
Information only; no action requested.
Report
Issue:
The Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA) requires that the City of Olympia review its Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) and update as needed by June 30, 2016. An extension of this deadline is available if the city demonstrates substantial progress.
Staff Contact:
Linda Bentley, Senior Planner, Community Planning and Development, 360.753.8046
Background and Analysis:
In 1990, with passage of the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA), comprehensive planning for critical areas became a requirement for cities. However, Olympia has been protecting critical areas for many decades through management of land it owns, educational programs, and regulations on building and development. With each update, these programs and regulations have continued to evolve in scope and to integrate the most current and best available science regarding how to preserve and protect those areas.
The Olympia CAO, found in Olympia Municipal Code (OMC), Chapter 18.32, is the primary set of development regulations that protects critical areas. It addresses five types of environmentally sensitive areas:
* drinking water (wellhead) protection areas
* important habitats and species
* streams and important riparian areas
* wetlands and small lakes
* landslide hazard areas
*
Other protections for critical areas include: Frequently flooded areas in OMC 16.70, marine and freshwater shorelines as defined by the Shoreline Management Act in OMC 14.08, and Storm and Surface Water Utilities in OMC 13.16.
Timing and Deadlines
PHASE 1: REQUIRED CAO UPDATE
The GMA requires that cities review their CAO every eight years to remain consistent with the Act's guidelines. The review and update deadline for Olympia was June 30, 2016, but under RCW 36.70A.130(7) all cities and counties get an additional year to complete their CAO u...
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