Title
Approval of an Ordinance Adopting Missing Middle Housing Code Amendments
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Move to approve an ordinance adopting middle housing code amendments.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve on first reading, and forward to second reading, an ordinance adopting middle housing code amendments.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve on first reading, and forward to second reading, an ordinance adopting middle housing code amendments.
Staff Contact:
Joyce Phillips, Planning Manager, Community Planning and Economic Development, 360.570.3722
Presenter(s):
Joyce Phillips, Planning Manager
Background and Analysis:
In 2023 and 2024, Washington State passed laws that require the City of Olympia to address middle housing, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and co-living housing in its development regulations. Implementing these new requirements requires modification to multiple Titles in the Olympia Municipal Code (OMC), although the majority of the changes are to OMC 18.04, Residential Districts.
In August 2024, staff began informing the public about the upcoming work associated with this effort. The Middle Housing webpage was updated to include information about the bills. An Enewsletter was sent to three listservs, including Planning and Development, Housing and Homelessness, and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Staff also contacted members of the public who had been "Parties of Record" for related housing efforts to invite them to follow along or participate in this effort.
To help community members understand the types of changes that would be needed, Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) staff prepared information sheets for Middle Housing, ADUs, and Co-Living Housing. The intention was to highlight the primary new requirements of the bills with a focus on what is not already addressed in the OMC. Below is a summary of each, and the information sheets can be found on the project webpage (see Attachm...
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