Olympia Planning Commission Meeting Summary

The Olympia Planning Commission met on October 8, 2025, for a business meeting that included a public hearing on proposed code amendments tied to the Olympia 2045 Comprehensive Plan, approval of a comment letter on the 2026–2031 Capital Facilities Plan financial plan, staff announcements, and a report on a downtown walk audit. No agenda was available for this meeting; the following summary is drawn from the meeting minutes and transcript. Note: The source metadata dates this meeting to 2025-10-08, but the minutes and transcript state the meeting occurred on Monday, October 6, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. in Room 207 of Olympia City Hall; the discrepancy is noted per source-conflict guidance.

Attendance and Approvals

• Chair Greg Quetin called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Present: Chair Greg Quetin, Vice Chair Daniel Garcia, Commissioner Raphael Garcia, Commissioner Jessica Grubb, Commissioner Shawna Mershon, Commissioner Aaron Sauerhoff, and Commissioner Jason Taellious (7 present). Commissioner Zainab Nejati was excused (1 excused).
• The October 6, 2025 meeting agenda was approved unanimously (motion by Commissioner Sauerhoff, seconded by Commissioner Taellious).
• The September 15, 2025 Planning Commission meeting minutes were approved unanimously (motion by Commissioner Taellious, seconded by Commissioner Grubb).

Staff Announcements

• Associate Planner Casey Schaufler announced that Commissioner Adams had formally resigned from the Planning Commission after more than six years of service, having joined in June 2019.
• Schaufler highlighted the quarterly Development Project Summary report, available to the public on the City of Olympia's permit portal, which lists active land use permits, building permits, and tenant improvement projects and their current phase.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No general public comments were offered during the public comment period. One speaker, Fred Yancy, reserved his remarks for the Olympia 2045 Comprehensive Plan public hearing later in the meeting.

Discussion Items

Code Amendments for the Olympia 2045 Comprehensive Plan — Public Hearing (Item 6A)

• Long Range Planning Manager Joyce Phillips presented the proposed development regulation amendments, which are part of the Growth Management Act periodic update with a deadline of December 31, 2025. The proposal is split into two parts.
• Part 1 (items 1–7) addresses new state requirements, including: notice requirements for properties located within a certain distance of designated resource lands (none currently exist inside city limits, but could arise if portions of the urban growth area are annexed); revising the definition of essential public facilities to reference state statute; adding provisions to allow organic materials maintenance facilities in very limited instances (in industrial zones under a conditional use permit when associated with a solid waste management plan); updating the definition of development activity in the impact fee ordinance to align with state law; clarifying that local transportation concurrency does not apply to state-owned highways of statewide significance; and addressing tribal participation in regional, countywide, and local planning processes.
• Part 2 (items A–B) maintains consistency between the comprehensive plan and development regulations. This includes allowing designated neighborhood centers in the neighborhood retail zone to be up to three acres in size (the zoning code currently limits the zone to one acre; the previously adopted comprehensive plan allowed up to ten acres). It also includes consolidating three land use designations into a single urban residential designation on the future land use map, with related amendments to the zoning code table identifying implementing zoning districts and rezone provisions.
• The public hearing opened at 6:48 p.m. and closed at 6:52 p.m. Fred Yancy, a volunteer board member of the Ken Lake subdivision on Olympia's west side, expressed concern that the proposed code amendments do not address conflicts between private HOA covenants—which preserve the single-family structure of lots and prohibit accessory dwelling units (ADUs)—and city-issued permits. He stated that property owners can obtain ADU permits from the city despite covenants, putting the burden on HOA board members to police every property for covenant violations. He proposed that the city require permit applicants to check a box acknowledging they have reviewed their HOA covenants, or otherwise put permit holders on notice, to protect neighborhood character. He also asked whether the quarterly permit report includes ADU and detached dwelling unit permits.
• Staff response: Casey Schaufler acknowledged the issue comes up regularly at the front counter, but stated the city has no authority to interpret or administer private covenants and issues permits when they meet city code. She noted that new covenants are not allowed to exclude ADUs or middle housing, but several existing HOAs within the city retain such restrictions. She said she had already worked with the city's permit software administrator (SmartGov) to request adding a note or acknowledgment to the application process indicating the property owner is responsible for knowing any covenants that apply, with support from permit and building staff, and offered to provide a status update.
• Commissioner Jessica Grubb expressed support for adding an application question requiring applicants to confirm they have checked with their HOA or a title company about covenants, while observing that planning staff should not be expected to read potentially hundreds of pages of recorded covenants. She noted that many property owners do not understand that they agreed to covenants when they purchased their home, and most HOAs have architectural design committees that property owners must approach before building.
• Motion: Commissioner Sauerhoff moved, seconded by Vice Chair Daniel Garcia, to recommend approval to council as proposed. The motion passed unanimously.

Capital Facilities Plan 2026–2031 Financial Plan Comment Letter (Item 6B)

• Vice Chair Daniel Garcia reported that the Capital Facilities Plan Finance Subcommittee met twice and incorporated edits from Commissioners Taellious, Mershon, and Quetin. The resulting comment letter was presented to the full commission for edits.
• Staff recommended approving the letter with any final revisions, coordinating with Vice Chair Garcia to finalize it by the end of the week, and forwarding it to City Council.
• Motion: Commissioner Sauerhoff moved, seconded by Commissioner Grubb, to approve the Finance Subcommittee letter related to the 2026–2031 Preliminary Capital Facilities Plan, pending edits by the Chair, and forward it to City Council. The motion passed unanimously.

Reports

• Vice Chair Daniel Garcia reported on a Downtown Walk Audit of Fourth Avenue held the previous Saturday in conjunction with the "Week Without Driving" campaign, organized with Chair Quetin and community member Janae. Attendees included Planning Commission members, BPAC members, city staff, city council members, wheelchair users, and non-drivers. Feedback forms were collected, and Garcia expressed hope for a future joint event with the city to increase turnout next year.

Key Outcomes

• The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval to City Council of the proposed code amendments for the Olympia 2045 Comprehensive Plan as proposed.
• The Planning Commission unanimously approved the Finance Subcommittee's comment letter on the 2026–2031 Preliminary Capital Facilities Plan, pending final edits by the Chair, to be forwarded to City Council.
• Staff will provide a status update on adding a covenant-acknowledgment note to the city's permit application process.
• The meeting adjourned at 7:07 p.m. The next regular Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for October 20, 2025.