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File #: 26-0015    Version: 1
Type: ordinance Status: Other Business
File created: 12/30/2025 In control: City Council
Agenda date: 1/13/2026 Final action:
Title: Approval of an Ordinance Amending Olympia Municipal Code Related to Development Code Updates to Support Urban Agriculture
Attachments: 1. Ordinance, 2. Planning Commission Letter, 3. Olympia Farmland Workgroup Policy Recommendations, 4. Urban Farm Park 2024 Feasibility Study Report
Title
Approval of an Ordinance Amending Olympia Municipal Code Related to Development Code Updates to Support Urban Agriculture

Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
The Land Use and Environment Committee recommends moving to approve on first reading, and forward to second reading, an Ordinance amending OMC Chapters 18.04 and 18.06 to allow urban agriculture as a permissible use in additional zoning districts, as well as amendments clarifying household pets not considered under agricultural use.

City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve on first reading, and forward to second reading, an Ordinance amending OMC Chapters 18.04 and 18.06 to allow urban agriculture as a permissible use in additional zoning districts, as well as amendments clarifying household pets not considered under agricultural use.

Report
Issue:
Whether to approve on first reading, and forward to second reading, an Ordinance amending OMC Chapters 18.04 and 18.06 to allow urban agriculture as a permissible use in additional zoning districts, as well as amendments clarifying household pets not considered under agricultural use.

Staff Contact:
Casey Schaufler, Associate Planner, Community Planning and Economic Development, 360.753.8254

Tim Smith, AICP, Director, Community Planning and Economic Development, 360.570.3915

Presenter(s):
Casey Schaufler, Associate Planner, Community Planning & Economic Development

Background and Analysis:
In 2020, the Olympia City Council approved a referral to the Land Use and Environment Committee (LUEC) to review the preservation or mitigation of the loss of farmland. To respond to this referral, the Committee approved convening the Olympia Farmland Work Group. The Work Group initially focused on identifying existing agricultural land within Olympia and its urban growth area. Staff from the Thurston Conservation District completed an analysis combining several data sources. It identified parcels totaling approximately 450 acres of active and pot...

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