Tumwater Planning Commission endorses four development code updates 

The Tumwater Planning Commission recommended the adoption of an ordinance that involves four sets of updates to the city’s development code. 

The commission voted to endorse the ordinance and send it to the Tumwater City Council after holding a public hearing about the issue on April 14. 

The updates are being made to comply with new state regulations and to address comments made by the state. 

Before the hearing, Planning Manager Brad Medrud told the commission the updates are minor in nature and cover four areas: accessory dwelling units (ADU), child care centers, signage and essential public facilities. 

Medrud said the first change updates the definition of ADUs, so that they are treated consistently with their main structures in order to avoid additional design requirements. 

He added the change also allows two accessory dwelling units with the main structure, consistent with state law, as well as adds provisions to ensure zoning requirements for ADUs are not more restrictive than for a main structure. 

The second change allows child care centers as a conditional use on all zoning districts except for light industrial, airport-related industrial and open space zones. 

Medrud said staff also removed several terms in the development code to standardize the terminology used for child care centers and mini-child care centers. 

The third change deals with signage. Medrud said staff narrowed the types of conditional exemption provided in the sign code and clarified when an increase in the allowable space of a signage can be permitted for building complexes facing Interstate 5. 

The final change adds “opioid treatment facilities” and “improvements to high-capacity transportation systems” to a list that specifies what are considered essential public facilities.

Medrud said essential public facilities are facilities everybody needs, but nobody wants to be near. The state therefore requires cities to have a process to allow for such facilities. 

No one formally commented on the updates during the hearing.  

With the commission’s endorsement, the ordinance will go to the Tumwater City Council, which is scheduled to review it at an April 28 meeting, before its members consider it for final adoption on May 5.