Thursday, October 1, 2026
The City of Olympia's Land Use and Environment Committee endorsed code changes aimed at modifying development rules for Briggs Village, while preserving a key requirement related to a grocery store.
The committee approved the code changes at a meeting on Thursday, Sept. 25.
Senior Planner Jackson Ewing presented the proposed amendments for the Urban Village code, which focused on the Briggs Village development.
The changes from planning staff aim to create more flexibility for commercial and residential development, as well as maintaining the original vision of a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood.
The proposed amendments are as follows:
The staff recommendation stated square footage for the grocery store could be broken up to make for smaller commercial spaces.
City council member Dani Madrone, who serves as chair of the committee, supported the amendment.
However, Madrone emphasized that residents bought into the Briggs Village concept with the expectation of a full-service grocery store.
“If we allow it to be broken up into smaller food stores, then that expectation (of a grocery store) is just going to fall away pretty quickly," she said.
Madrone pointed to the Eastside Olympia Food Co-op as a useful reference point, noting its 9,500-square-foot space closely aligns with the proposed grocery store size.
“If there was a grocery store that big coming to Briggs, I think people would love that," she said.
The comparison helped validate the 9,200-square-foot recommendation and provided an example of a successful neighborhood grocery store.
The planning commission initially supported code amendments for the Urban Village zone, which would include higher-density housing and a commercial core. The changes would only apply to Briggs Village, which is the only Urban Village zone in the city.
The planning commission recommended a 12,000-square-foot grocery store requirement. Staff later suggested the 9,200-square-foot number based on market analysis.
City Council member Jim Cooper, who sits on the committee, questioned whether Olympia would take the same prescriptive approach to Urban Village zoning today, noting the challenge of being “not successful when we are too prescriptive, and not successful when we are not prescriptive.”
Community Planning and Economic Development Director Susan McLaughlin said zoning cannot anticipate every future scenario, emphasizing flexibility and development agreements as tools.
Principal Planner Nicole Floyd added while the original code assumes “commercial is king,” the amendments balance both housing and commercial needs.
The proposed code changes should benefit Briggs Village, where commercial development has been stalled for two decades. Developers are seeking the code changes to align with market realities.
The committee supported the proposed amendments with a clarification that the grocery store's square footage not be split among smaller food tenants.
Madrone also asked that when the issue reaches the city council, staff bring back Economic Development Director Jennica Machado, who studied the market analysis, in order to answer questions about the grocery store recommendation.
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mhjwilson
We need to abolish zoning. It is racist in origin and has harmed low income people of all racist. It also contributes to environmental problems. And it is expensive . Look at the examples: In Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas Monthly Payment Assuming 20% Down is $1,874. Houston has no zoning. I think the Woodlands-Sugarland, does.
In Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. Monthly Payment Assuming 20% Down is $3,863.
Almost $2,000 a month more thanks primarily to zoning. If over time we were able to get the cost down how would that benefit the community ?
Monday, September 29, 2025 Report this
RondaLarsonKramer
@mhjwilson While it’s true that zoning has a history tied to exclusion and still creates barriers today, it’s not accurate to say that abolishing zoning alone explains differences in housing costs between places like Houston and Seattle.
Houston doesn’t have conventional zoning, but it does have extensive deed restrictions, subdivision rules, parking mandates, and setback requirements that function in a similar way. The Woodlands is actually a master-planned community with some of the strictest private land-use controls in the country.
Housing costs also reflect demand, geography, and incomes. Seattle has strong job growth and limited land between water and mountains, which pushes prices up. Houston, by contrast, has abundant flat land and weaker demand pressures.
The solution isn’t “no zoning,” but reforming zoning to allow more types of housing in urban areas — duplexes, triplexes, courtyard apartments, mixed-use buildings — while ensuring affordability and sustainability. That way, we can address zoning’s discriminatory history without creating new problems like sprawl, flooding, and high transportation costs that hurt low-income people.
Monday, September 29, 2025 Report this
Porter
What a catasptrophe. When government tries to control every last thing ....
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 Report this