Title
Briefing on developing a long-term policy for sidewalk repair
Recommended Action
Information only. No action requested.
Report
Issue:
Briefing and discussion about the development of a long-term policy for sidewalk repair
Staff Contact:
Michelle Swanson, AICP, Principal Planner, Public Works Transportation, 360.753.8575
Presenter(s):
Michelle Swanson, AICP
Max DeJarnatt, Associate Planner, Public Works Transportation, 360.570.3723
Background and Analysis:
The City is working toward creating a long-term policy for sidewalk repair. As part of that process, staff created a story map and embedded a survey into the story map to ask people what they thought about some key points. A story map is a website that has maps, photos, and narrative to more easily explain complex topics than the City's typical web pages allow.
We have included a link to the story map as an attachment to this staff report. If you have not already reviewed it, please do so. The survey that was embedded was open from March 2 - March 20, 2026. We have included a high-level overview of the survey's results within the story map for the public to see. Please also review the attached summaries of the public response. If you'd like to see the full responses people wrote to the survey prompt, "I have another idea," we have posted them on Engage Olympia, to which we have also included a link.
The issue
Current City code holds property owners responsible for repairing the sidewalks adjacent to their property, but the City has enforced that code unevenly. Courts have found that cities may be found liable if someone trips, falls, and gets hurt on a sidewalk in poor repair.
Over time, the City has developed an interim approach of addressing sidewalk repair by prioritizing streets where the City maintains street trees as resources allow. Those streets are shown on the attached map.
Recent actions
To supplement the sidewalk grinding and repairs that were historically funded in the opera...
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