Title
Approval of an Ordinance Extending a Declaration of Public Health Emergency Related to Insufficient Supply of Affordable Housing
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve on first reading, and forward to second reading, an ordinance extending a declaration of public health emergency related to insufficient supply of affordable housing.
Report Issue:
Whether to approve on first reading, and forward to second reading, an ordinance extending a declaration of public health emergency related to insufficient supply of affordable housing.
Staff Contact:
Jacinda Steltjes, Housing Manager, Community Planning & Economic Development, 360.753.8482
Presenter(s):
Jacinda Steltjes, Housing Manager
Background and Analysis:
In December 2024, Olympia City Council adopted ordinance 7414 declaring the insufficient supply of affordable housing a public health emergency. The ordinance includes a sunset date of June 30, 2026. The conditions leading to the ordinance continue today. LUEC considered the extension of the declaration of public health emergency on April 23, 2026, and recommended the declaration be extended for a two-year period with a new sunset date of June 30, 2028.
The ordinance extending the declaration will continue to make available six strategies. All strategies are intended to increase the supply of affordable housing, which is defined as housing which costs a household no more than 30% of its gross annual income, for low-income households, which is defined as households whose annual gross income is at or below 80% of the Area Median Income, in Olympia. The ordinance is fashioned after similar emergency ordinances adopted in locations such as San Diego, California; Los Angeles, California; Portland, Oregon; and the state of Hawaii.
The ordinance extends the following six strategies:
1. Prioritize affordable housing projects in the permit queue;
2. Provide developers of a...
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