Title
Low Impact Development Code Amendments
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Review and forward the Planning Commission recommendation to approve the Low Impact Development (LID) Code Amendments to the City Council for consideration.
City Manager Recommendation:
Review and forward the Planning Commission recommendation to approve the LID Code Amendments to the City Council for consideration.
Report
Issue:
Whether to recommend approval of the proposed minor amendments to the Olympia Municipal Code (OMC) and forward to the full Council for consideration. All amendments proposed intend to clarify or adjust language adopted in 2016 related to making Low Impact Development the common and preferred approach.
Staff Contact / Presenter:
Nicole Floyd, Senior Planner, Community Planning and Development, 360.570.3768
Background and Analysis:
The original LID code revision project began in February of 2014 as a State mandate and was completed in December of 2016 as a community supported effort to change the paradigm of development and stormwater management towards a more environmentally sensitive approach.
The update included revisions to numerous City codes, standards, and manuals in order to make LID the preferred and commonly used approach to site development. The strategy emphasizes careful site planning and small-scale stormwater management practices that integrate into project designs.
Several years after the LID update, staff have now identified a few areas in need of modification to better achieve the intent of the 2016 update. These proposed amendments are based on daily practical application and intend to refine and clarify specific sections that have been challenging to implement. Proposed modifications are not substantive, rather they refine the code language to better achieve the principles of LID. The full set of proposed amendments are shown in Attachment 1.
Of the amendments proposed, those relating to hard surface limits hav...
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