Title
Olympia 2045 - Transportation Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan Update
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to recommend changes to the Transportation Chapter and forward it to a City Council study session for discussion.
Report
Issue:
Whether to recommend changes to the Transportation Chapter and forward it to a City Council study session for discussion.
Staff Contact:
Michelle Swanson, AICP, Senior Planner, Public Works Transportation, 360.753.8575
Presenter(s):
Michelle Swanson, AICP, Senior Planner
Background and Analysis:
Since the Comprehensive Plan's last full update in 2014, Olympia adopted its first-ever Transportation Master Plan in 2021. The focus of this update to the Transportation Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan has been to integrate the master plan and incorporate recent changes the state legislature made to the Growth Management Act (GMA).
Legislative changes
One recent change to the GMA is that cities must measure the level of service of their transportation system for all users of it: pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and drivers. Previously, cities only had to measure how well it worked for drivers. Additionally, cities must estimate future demand on the transportation system for all users and not just drivers.
Olympia is among the first cohort of cities to plan under these requirements. Because of the work done in developing the master plan, we are well-positioned to meet these requirements in a meaningful way.
Integrating climate and equity
Additional changes the legislature required with this update was to integrate climate and equity. Both have a clear nexus with transportation, and the draft chapter reflects this.
Also, goals and policies to address climate resilience and mitigation are being developed and reviewed as part of the Climate Chapter. These goals and policies will be integrated into all chapters of the Comprehensive Plan, inc...
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