Olympia city planners actively encourage innovative housing solutions to address the city's housing crisis by offering developers multiple pathways to increase residential density and potentially reduce development costs.
The Site Plan Review Committee held a presubmission conference on Wednesday, May 7, for a proposed residential development on three parcels owned by an adjacent Seventh-Day Adventist church.
Garrette Custom Homes is under contract to purchase the parcels and is exploring development options. The submitted site plan focuses on 16 single-family detached homes on 6.19 acres, but the project team is considering the possibility of building townhomes.
Tiffani King, a senior engineering plans examiner for the city, discussed transportation requirements for the development, including extensive frontage improvements on Walnut and 14th streets. This would require bike lanes, right-of-way dedication and potentially costly street reconstruction.
The Ethel Street improvements alone demand half-street construction, full pavement reconstruction, and the addition of sidewalks, planting strips and street lights.
Beyond road infrastructure, the project must also account for utility costs, such as water facility charges, sewer main extensions and hydrant installations. Additional financial considerations include wetland buffer management.
Matt Weber, the project's civil engineer, asked if there is a way to avoid or reduce the costly road improvement requirements, particularly on Walnut and 14th streets.
He believed the extensive road improvements, which include bike lanes, right-of-way dedication and potential road widening, could make the project financially not feasible.
"Walnut and 14th are going to be costs that will kill the project," Weber said.
King suggested they could meet to explore potential deviations and find a solution that meets both the city's infrastructure needs and the developer's financial concerns.
Nicole Floyd, senior planner with Community Planning and Economic Development, offered many alternatives to the project team so that it would increase density on these lots, and the expensive improvements required can be covered by the cost and the project.
She added that there are some incentive programs the city has related to low-income and affordable housing.
"There is a variety of things that we can offer if that is what you are interested in doing, and some of that can help you get further along with the EDDS (Engineering Design and Development Standards) deviations," said Floyd, adding "but you have to commit to have these units be affordable for 25 years."
In addition, the city also offers incentives, such as reduced impact fees and other financial charges from developers willing to increase housing density and diversify housing types.
Floyd noted the city is interested in working with developers who are motivated to move "up the density ladder" and introduce different housing options.
8 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Callie
I approve of the city offering flexibilty in exchange for affordable, denser housing. I would suggest also to switch to a Housing Land Trust model so that:
Affordable is in perpetuity
No city employee has to track compliance
Accountability continues, even if the builder is no longer in business
4 days ago Report this
BobJacobs
We should all be concerned about the "flexibility" offered to builders. All of those requirements of builders protect taxpayers and livability. For instance, if impact fees are reduced, then either (1) someone else has to pay those costs or (2) we all endure substandard public facilities.
Bob Jacobs
4 days ago Report this
HappyOlympian
Boooooo! No incentives needed, as soon as new developments built in Thurston County they fill up. Olympia government and elected leadership not good and repeated giveaways suggests they are on the take.
4 days ago Report this
Somney
Increasing density benefits the city so it makes sense to offer incentives. Usually it provides the critical mass needed to make public transport viable and efficient. Also city services and park spaces or public green spaces in those more densely populated areas- parks, community gardens, will be used more efficiently and appreciated by the neighborhoods. Plus, many cities are finding low urban density is increasing city expenditures - basically there is less benefit to annex new land vs the cost the new area adds when the new space is just more urban sprawl.
3 days ago Report this
Southsoundguy
Abolish zoning.
3 days ago Report this
PhyllisBooth
The Olympia City Council policies over the decades have done a great deal of damage to affordable housing. They gave away millions in tax exemptions to luxury apartment developers, making the rest of us pay for THEIR SHARE OF TAXES. Missing Middle policies allowed developers to exploit poor neighborhoods where during previous years, young families could purchase a starter home and begin their families (wonder why Olympia schools need students? Well, the starter homes have been upzoned and there are fewer places to get a foothold in the housing here). There are fewer mobile home parks as those too have been replaced by expensive apartments and/or the equity groups from Wall Street have purchased the parks and raised the rent. (And the Olympia council councils over the years could have done things to prevent and protect affordable housing but did not). In essence, developers can build all over every inch of Olympia but that will not solve the problem. There are plenty of people living in whole houses with one or two people and apartments with one person too. In the old days, people shared housing. That works and it's cheaper and better for the community. But here developers rule and common sense is scarce.
3 days ago Report this
Yeti1981
Eliminate impact fees all together. They don't make sense. New development pays for itself several times over through the expanded tax revenue. Everyone benefits from and uses new facilities. You can't legally utilize impact fees for the greatest outlays of a municipality, which are operations, maintenance, and repair. Those items are best paid for by long-term bonds that often interchange over 30 to 40 year terms. spreading the burden equally among all residents is the most efficient, effective, and equitable way to pay for infrastructure improvements.
2 days ago Report this
OlyKid88
The City of Olympia spends a considerable amount of Council, Committee, Staff and community time and resources discussing housing issues. The results for 2024 for a community with a population of 56,0000 seems very underwhelming.
The City's building permits issued for 2024.
ADU 9
Duplex 3
Single Family 29
Townhouse 15
2 days ago Report this