Title
Ordinance Consolidating Land Use Permit Processes - Public Hearing
Recommended Action
Conduct public hearing on the attached ordinance and schedule deliberations for the April 17 Planning Commission meeting.
Report
Issue:
Should the Olympia Municipal Code's existing land use permitting processes (Title 18 OMC) be simplified and clarified to increase flexibility and predictability, as called for in the City's adopted Housing Action Plan.
Staff Contact:
Leonard Bauer, Director, Community Planning and Development 360.753.8206
Presenter(s):
Leonard Bauer, Director, Community Planning and Development
Background and Analysis:
Purpose of this Project
The City of Olympia adopted its Housing Action Plan in June of 2021, putting forth strategies and establishing a long-term approach to increase the City's housing supply, promote a variety of housing choices, and to facilitate the development of stable, affordable housing. The City was subsequently awarded a Housing Action Plan Implementation Grant in the amount of $100,000 from the Washington State Department of Commerce (DOC) to implement the following strategies of the Housing Action Plan:
* Action 3i: Reduce parking requirements for residential uses, including for multi-family developments near frequent transit routes.
* Action 3k: Increase flexibility in the permit process as part of a larger scope to review fees/regulations to identify housing cost reductions/remove barriers.
The timeline for this project is set under the terms of the grant. The final deliverable in the form of ordinance code changes is due to DOC by June 30, 2023.
The attached ordinance has been drafted to implement Action 3k. The objective of this action, as described in the grant contract with DOC, is to:
"Prepare and adopt an ordinance to increase flexibility and predictability in the permit process by simplifying and clarifying permit types, processes, requirements and timeline."
The Housing Action Plan found that making...
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