Title
Development Code Amendments for Consistency with Updated Comprehensive Plan
Recommended Action
Briefing only - no action required. Information provided may be used to establish Commission's 2014 agenda calendar and work program.
Report
Issue:
The City Council is expected to adopt an updated version of Olympia's Comprehensive by June of 2014. This briefing is a refresher regarding the process for development code amendments to implement that update, and in particular the first set proposed by staff.
Staff Contact:
Todd Stamm, Principal Planner, Community Planning and Development Department, 360.753.8597
Presenter(s):
Todd Stamm, Principal Planner
Background and Analysis:
Washington's Growth Management Act requires that cities like Olympia adopt, "development regulations that are consistent with and implement the comprehensive plan." Although simultaneous amendment of the Plan and the development regulations is not required, amendments are to be 'concurrent' which is generally interpreted to mean as close in time as practical.
State law also requires that any proposed development regulation amendments must be subject to at least one public hearing, and review and recommendation by the Planning Commission prior to City Council action. In Olympia, the Commission usually holds the required public hearing. In general, the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) requires a review of the prospective environmental impacts of a code amendment prior to adoption.
To ensure timely updates of the City's development regulations consistent with the updated Plan, the staff has proposed and the City Council has directed that the process of updating the regulations begin as quickly as possible. This will minimize the period of time between Council adoption of the updated Plan and adoption of development code amendments. Consistent with this approach, the staff identified a set of amendments related to less controversial aspects of the Plan up...
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