Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Olympia City Council will hold a study session on Tuesday, July 21, to discuss a long-term policy for repairing sidewalks, as officials seek ways to address a backlog of nearly 28,000 defects.
Under Olympia’s current municipal code, adjacent property owners are responsible for repairing sidewalks bordering their property.
However, city staff said the code has been enforced “minimally and unevenly” over the years. Instead, the city focuses repairs on streets where it maintains trees as funding allows.
Staff is recommending an approach, which the Olympia Land Use and Environment Committee backed and forwarded to the city council for discussion:
According to a staff report, the proposal is intended to address two challenges: limited public funding and the need to improve sidewalks where people are most likely to walk, such as near schools, parks, transit stops, grocery stores and other frequently visited destinations.
In 2024, Olympia established a Sidewalk Repair Program in its CFP, dedicating $500,000 annually from Transportation Benefit District sales tax revenue. The city also completed its first comprehensive inventory of sidewalk conditions, providing officials with a clearer understanding of the scope of repairs needed.
As part of the 2026 budget, the city council funded a new four-person sidewalk repair crew within the Public Works Transportation Department. The crew, supported by TPB, has recently started to repair sidewalks throughout the city. The 2026 program includes $681,000 for the crew and an additional $149,000 expenditure for an excavator.
If the council supports the proposed approach, staff plans to shift the repair crew and CFP projects toward sidewalks serving common pedestrian destinations.
Staff would also return to the ctiy council with recommendations outlining how to implement requirements for large property owners and what would be needed to establish a “fix upon sale” program.
Through Engage Olympia, the city conducted community outreach using a story map and a survey.
According to the staff report, a majority of respondents said they believe the city should be responsible for sidewalk repairs.
Participants also expressed concerns about the cost of hiring contractors and paying for repairs, while many people supported requiring owners of large properties to repair adjacent sidewalks and to repair them when properties change ownership.
While the Olympia Planning Commission acknowledged sidewalk repairs should prioritize areas where people are most likely to walk, commissioners recommended the city, not property owners, be responsible for maintaining sidewalks.
In a letter to the city council dated July 6, the commission described sidewalks as critical public transportation infrastructure that should receive public support comparable to streets and roads.
Commissioners said stronger enforcement of the current ordinance could place significant financial burdens on homeowners, many of whom may not be able to afford repairs or efficiently hire contractors.
The commission also questioned whether requiring only owners of large properties to repair sidewalks would be equitable, noting costs imposed on commercial properties could ultimately be passed on to small businesses or apartment residents.
The commission also urged the city to increase funding for sidewalk maintenance, saying that repairing existing infrastructure should take priority even if it means delaying other transportation improvements.
Commissioners further recommended prioritizing repairs near pedestrian destinations, while ensuring improvements are distributed throughout the city, coordinating repairs with high ridership Intercity Transit bus stops, and including grocery stores among priority destinations.
The city council is scheduled to meet at Olympia City Hall at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. City Hall is located at 601 4th Ave. E in Olympia.
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susanh
Doesn’t seem like the sidewalks will ever be fixed at this rate - how long have we been discussing strategy?
Monday, July 20 Report this
Mugwump
Taxpayers want to see value for their money. Maintaining basic infrastructure like sidewalks would go a long way toward meeting that expectation. Instead, we get endless studies (“analysis paralysis”) and consultants paid to convince citizens not to trust their own eyes—and to forget past promises about how their tax dollars would be spent. That approach won’t get us anywhere. Eventually, it breeds the kind of voter backlash where incumbents get rejected wholesale in favor of local leaders who promise the moon and deliver nothing but chaos.
Monday, July 20 Report this
JnNwmn
I hope Intercity Transit is paying for all the new concrete at the bus stops and not the Olympia Taxpayers that want Olympia sidewalks fixed.
Tuesday, July 21 Report this
AnitaThomson
I'm all in favor of halting the building of traffic circles and using that money fixing sidewalks. I believe the traffic circles are not safe for pedestrians or cyclists. And the sidewalks all over Olympia are dangerous and embarrassing. Every day I see hazards on most sidewalks. And that is only where we have sidewalks. I've had one local friend and one visitor fall. If we want sidewalks and tree-lined streets, permeable, alterable sidewalks that accomodate the tree roots seems like the answer. Combining funds from entities at state, county and city levels would make sense. This is the state capitol and we get plenty of visitors from all over the state for events. I wonder why the city isn't completely bankrupt from lawsuits brought against it when people fall or people with mobility issues are unable to navigate our sidewalks.
Tuesday, July 21 Report this
EdgarAllen
Perhaps we should stop requiring street trees to be planted in locations where we know their roots will eventually damage sidewalks. Instead, we could plan for their mature growth and place them where they can thrive without creating predictable infrastructure problems.
It makes little sense to mandate street tree planting in locations where damage is foreseeable. Another option would be to allow the property owners who, under City Code, are required to maintain these publicly owned trees to remove them once they begin causing sidewalk damage, rather than forcing everyone to wait until they become hazards to pedestrians or threaten private property.
In short, perhaps we should approach street tree policy more rationally, balancing the benefits of urban trees with the realities of long-term maintenance and public safety. I strongly support planting trees and reducing carbon emissions, but we cannot realistically expect every location to accommodate both healthy trees and undamaged infrastructure.
Tuesday, July 21 Report this
KinesthesiaAmnesia
It's not just sidewalk repair - Oly still needs to build sidewalks in neighborhoods with heavy pedestrian and bus use. Like I have loved ones that live near the corner of 9th/Capital Mall Way and Blacklake. When they walk from the mall, cross Blacklake to walk up hill past the BoA on the corner, the sidewalk suddenly ends a few hundred feet from there with no sign or ramp. Pedestrians there have to walk in the busy street, bike lane that always have broken glass, or private yards. There's an IT bus stop and city park there that doesn't have a sidewalk along it's edge on Fern St SW. The city of Olympia has a lot of sidewalk building of their own to do!
Wednesday, July 22 Report this