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March 2025 Government Affairs Report

City of Olympia

*agenda and minutes can be found here:  https://olympia.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

  • City of Olympia’s Fair housing proclamation will be 4/8/25 @ 6pm
  • Home Energy Assessment briefing—TCRA is involved in this regional effort giving feedback.
    • Timeline:  Start date 5/1/26 with template to be developed 11/30/25
  • City of Olympia 2025 legislative priorities:
    • Range from Homelessness, study of reparations, property tax cap, climate, tenant protections, housing resources, financial stability, behavioral health, gun violence, animal services, housing resources.
  • Black Homes Initiative—we are continuing to be involved in discussions around how to support this effort.
  • Planning commission has been looking at Amendments to the city code 18.05 related to Master Planned Villages:

 

 

Ways to get involved & Stay informed: Engage Olympia (olympiawa.gov)

 

  • The City is working with Cities of Lacey, Tumwater and Yelm, to prepare an economic displacement and racial disparity analysis that is a state required element of the Housing chapter. This analysis is expected to be completed in March 2025, by a third party consultant with input from each of the regional partners and their communities. Comments and questions related to the Housing chapter may be sent to Casey Schaufler at olympia2045@ci.olympia.wa.us.
  • Middle Housing—to meet new state guidelines.

 
Other items:

Thurston County

City of Lacey

Summary of Rezone Requests and Comprehensive Plan Process

Rezone Request Process

  • Traditional Process: Begins with applicant-staff discussions, followed by evaluations for consistency with land use goals. If feasible, requests advance to the planning commission and city council for further review, typically taking 6-9 months.
  • Application Requirements: Includes site details, compatibility, zoning challenges, and justification for the new zone.
  • Evaluation Factors: Considers community-wide zoning distribution, adjacent property impacts, and alignment with city plans.

Comprehensive Plan Update

  • Normally, the city handles 2-3 rezone requests yearly, but community outreach led to 48 requests.
  • Information distributed via city website, social media, and community events.
  • A rubric helps prioritize applications for consideration in the current cycle or defers them to 2026 or later.

Draft Evaluation Criteria

  • Pass/Fail Criteria: Must meet basic requirements, such as being within city limits and having no active code violations.
  • City Priorities: Includes clarifying residential designations on city-owned parkland.
  • Community vs. Owner Interests: Applications against property owner wishes require additional review and high community priority to proceed.

Scoring and Land Use Considerations

  • Scoring: Measures zoning consistency, land availability, and infrastructure capacity.
  • Zone Consolidation: Some zones may merge to streamline land use.
  • Critical Areas: Wetlands, flood zones, and other environmental factors require higher scrutiny.
  • Infrastructure & Access: Rezones demanding significant new resources score lower.

Review & Next Steps

  • Rubric Testing: Applied to past rezone approvals to refine criteria.
  • Land Use Map Amendments: Adjustments may guide future zoning changes, reducing the need for rezone applications.
  • Final Decisions: Based on scoring, some applications move forward while others defer to 2026.

This structured process ensures rezoning aligns with long-term planning goals while balancing property owner interests and community needs.

City of Lacey Comp Plan Website-https://envisiontomorrowlacey.org/

City of Tumwater

City of Tumwater Transportation-https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/1642d2fb121543529f608e8a454ae5a8

 

City of Tumwater Comp Plan-https://www.ci.tumwater.wa.us/departments/community-development-department/tumwater-comprehensive-plan/2025-comprehensive-plan-update

 

Thurston County

Condensed Summary of Rezone Requests & Comprehensive Plan Process

Rezone Request Process

  • Begins with applicant-staff discussions, followed by evaluations for land use consistency.
  • If viable, requests move to the planning commission and city council (6-9 month process).
  • Applications require site details, compatibility analysis, and justification.

Comprehensive Plan Update

  • Typically 2-3 rezone requests per year; outreach generated 48.
  • Information shared via city website, social media, and events.
  • A rubric prioritizes applications for current review or defers them to 2026+.

Evaluation Criteria

  • Pass/Fail: Must meet city limits and zoning requirements.
  • Priorities: Includes updating residential designations on city-owned land.
  • Community vs. Owners: Owner opposition requires strong community support.

Scoring & Land Use Considerations

  • Measures zoning consistency, land availability, and infrastructure capacity.
  • Possible zone consolidation to streamline land use.
  • Critical areas (wetlands, flood zones) require additional scrutiny.

Review & Next Steps

  • Testing rubric on past rezone approvals to refine process.
  • Land use map adjustments may guide future zoning, reducing rezone applications.
  • Final decisions determine which applications move forward or defer to 2026.

This structured approach balances city planning goals with property owner and community interests.

 

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