OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Olympia Planning Commission Meeting - March 4, 2026

City Council & Commissions — Wednesday, March 4, 2026
BodyOlympia, Washington
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateWednesday, March 4, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:32:55

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

All right, this meeting is now called order.

0:06

Welcome to the March 2nd, 2026 Planning Commission meeting.

0:10

We'll begin with the roll call.

0:11

Casey, will you please call the roll?

0:14

Yes.

0:15

Chair Queaton.

0:16

Here.

0:18

Vice Chair Daniel Garcia.

0:20

Here.

0:22

Commissioner Grubb.

0:23

Here.

0:25

Commissioner Najati.

0:27

Here.

0:29

Commissioner Sauroff, I don't see.

0:33

And Commissioner Talius.

0:35

So I don't see either.

0:39

So we do have quorum chair.

0:42

Great.

0:43

Thank you, everybody, for being here on a sunny day.

0:47

Our first order of business is approval of tonight's agenda.

0:50

Do I have a motion and can the motion maker please state their name?

0:55

So moved.

0:56

This is Daniel.

0:58

Seconded, this is Anub.

1:00

It's been moved by Daniel and seconded by Zainib to approve the agenda for the March 2nd Planning Commission meeting.

1:04

All those in favor say aye.

1:06

Aye.

1:08

Any opposed say nay.

1:10

Any abstentions?

1:12

All right.

1:13

The agenda has been approved as submitted.

1:16

Moving on to approval of the minutes from the January 26, 2026 Planning Commission meeting.

1:21

Is there a motion?

1:24

This is A.N.

1:25

I'll move to approve the January 26th meeting minutes.

1:30

Chair, I'm going to interrupt just real quick.

1:31

I apologize.

1:32

I don't know that I called Commissioner Rafael Garcia in the attendance.

1:37

I apologize.

1:38

I do want to note that Commissioner Raphael Garcia is here and Commissioner Garcia.

1:42

I apologize for that omission.

1:44

Oh, it's all good.

1:45

I'm here.

1:47

Thank you.

1:48

Sorry, Chair.

1:49

No worries.

1:51

Do we have a second for the motion to approve the minutes from the January 26, 2026 Planning Commission?

1:57

I'll second.

1:57

This is Jessica.

1:58

All right.

1:59

It's been moved by Zainib and seconded by Jessica to approve the minutes for the 2020 January 2020.

2:04

Well, goodness.

2:06

January 26, 2026 Planning Commission meeting.

2:09

All those in favor say aye.

2:11

Aye.

2:12

Aye.

2:12

Aye.

2:13

Any opposed say nay.

2:15

Any abstentions?

2:17

Okay.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use Planning████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Procedural████████8%
Transportation Safety████████8%
Program Management███████7%
Parking Management██████6%
Active Transportation████4%
Sidewalk Maintenance██2%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Olympia Planning Commission Meeting - March 4, 2026

The Olympia Planning Commission met on March 4, 2026, to discuss subdivision code updates, a package of 47 code amendments, and the 2026-2027 work plan. The meeting began at 6:31 PM and adjourned at 8:03 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of agenda and minutes from January 26, 2026 (unanimous).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • None were offered.

Staff Announcements

  • Casey Schaufler announced a city survey on sidewalk repair policies and directed attendees to a story map.

Discussion Items

  • Subdivision Code Briefing (Item 6A): Joyce Phillips provided an overview of the existing Title 17 subdivision code, noting it dates to 1984 and needs updating. Key topics included unit lot subdivisions, lot splitting as required by new state law, aligning with Title 18, and improving user-friendliness. Commissioners asked about integration with infill housing goals and the interaction with pending state requirements.
  • 2026 Code Amendments Briefing (Item 6B): Joyce Phillips presented 47 proposed amendments. Approximately seven are state-mandated (lot splitting, child daycare centers, housing conversions, parking standards, etc.), others come from fire, historic preservation, and planning staff. The state requires adoption of some by June 2026. A detailed handout was provided. Commissioners discussed specific items: large multifamily definitions in lower density zones, lot splitting exemptions, downtown bicycle parking requirements, and the challenge of communicating technical changes to the public. The commission will hold a public hearing later.
  • Draft 2026-2027 Planning Commission Work Plan (Item 6C): Casey Schaufler presented the draft, which follows the City Council’s Land Use & Environment Committee work plan. Discussion centered on adding informational briefings, including a potential session tied to “Week Without Driving” (October 1-8) and related topics like commute trip reduction and downtown parking. Commissioners suggested consolidating topics and prioritizing previously unaddressed items from the 2025 work plan. A motion was made and seconded.

Key Outcomes

  • The commission recommended approval of the 2026-2027 work plan with revisions as proposed (motion by Grubb, second by Garcia; unanimous).
  • The work plan will be forwarded to the Community Livability & Public Safety Committee and then to City Council for final adoption by April.
  • Staff will continue to develop the subdivision code rewrite and the 47 code amendments, with a public hearing to be scheduled.

Meeting Transcript

All right, this meeting is now called order. Welcome to the March 2nd, 2026 Planning Commission meeting. We'll begin with the roll call. Casey, will you please call the roll? Yes. Chair Queaton. Here. Vice Chair Daniel Garcia. Here. Commissioner Grubb. Here. Commissioner Najati. Here. Commissioner Sauroff, I don't see. And Commissioner Talius. So I don't see either. So we do have quorum chair. Great. Thank you, everybody, for being here on a sunny day. Our first order of business is approval of tonight's agenda. Do I have a motion and can the motion maker please state their name? So moved. This is Daniel. Seconded, this is Anub. It's been moved by Daniel and seconded by Zainib to approve the agenda for the March 2nd Planning Commission meeting. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay. Any abstentions? All right. The agenda has been approved as submitted. Moving on to approval of the minutes from the January 26, 2026 Planning Commission meeting. Is there a motion? This is A.N. I'll move to approve the January 26th meeting minutes. Chair, I'm going to interrupt just real quick. I apologize. I don't know that I called Commissioner Rafael Garcia in the attendance. I apologize. I do want to note that Commissioner Raphael Garcia is here and Commissioner Garcia. I apologize for that omission. Oh, it's all good. I'm here. Thank you. Sorry, Chair. No worries. Do we have a second for the motion to approve the minutes from the January 26, 2026 Planning Commission? I'll second. This is Jessica. All right.

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