Title
Proposed Code Amendments to the Uniform Development Code, OMC Title 18 - Briefing
Recommended Action
Information only. No action requested.
Report
Issue:
Discussion on the draft code amendments to the Uniform Development Code.
Staff Contact:
Joyce Phillips, Principal Planner, Community Planning and Development, 360.570.3722
Presenter(s):
Joyce Phillips, Principal Planner, Community Planning and Development
Background and Analysis:
Recent changes in state law require updates to parts of Title 18, the Uniform Development Code. This is also known as the zoning chapter of the Olympia Municipal Code (OMC). These amendments are generally to definitions of "family" and about allowing certain housing types in certain zoning districts.
Additionally, city staff were contacted by Code Publishing, the company that maintains the City's online code, to identify errors in code citations. These citations typically direct the reader to code sections that either no longer exist or that are slightly "off" in the code subsection they refer to, such as DD instead of CC.
Because the City was proposing these amendments, other city staff asked for a few additional changes, primarily to improve the legibility of maps or graphics in the chapter or to clean up text. One example is for the Table in Chapter 18.72 to be updated to reflect that not all conditional uses require a public hearing, so sometimes the Director is the decision maker instead of the Hearing Examiner. In addition, with the recently updated Shoreline Master Program, not all types of shoreline permits require public hearings. Shoreline Substantial Development Permits can be determined by the Director, whereas Shoreline Conditional Uses or Variances will still be determined by the Hearing Examiner (and ultimately the Washington State Department of Ecology).
Another city requested amendment pertains to the maximum allowed amount of hard surfaces as it relates to soil suitability. Some zoning districts all...
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