Olympia Planning Commission Meeting – April 24, 2026

[Note: The raw transcript repeatedly identifies the meeting as April 6, 2026, and references an April 20, 2026 next meeting, but the supplied meeting timestamp is 2026-04-24. This summary uses the supplied timestamp while preserving transcript details.]

The Olympia Planning Commission met on April 24, 2026, to consider the proposed 2026 Olympia Municipal Code amendments. After a public hearing with no public testimony and a detailed staff presentation, the commission voted to recommend approval to the city council as proposed, and to transmit a letter flagging follow-up items for future consideration.

Consent Calendar

• No formal consent calendar was identified; routine approvals occurred at the start of the meeting.
• The commission approved the April 24, 2026 meeting agenda as submitted by voice vote, with no opposition or abstentions noted.
• The commission approved the March 2, 2026 Planning Commission meeting minutes by voice vote.
• Roll call showed a quorum. Chair Queeton, Vice Chair Daniel Garcia, and Commissioners Berger, Grubb, Ibrahimovich, Saurow, and Talius were present; Commissioner Najati was excused. New Commissioners L and Smear were welcomed.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public offered comments during the general public comment period.
• The public hearing for the 2026 code amendments was opened and closed at 6:55 p.m. with no speakers in person or online.

Staff Announcements

• Staff coordinator Casey asked commissioners to complete a city council survey on advisory committee experiences by April 14, with a fuller update planned for the April 20 meeting.

Discussion Items

2026 Olympia Municipal Code Amendments – Presentation and Deliberation

• Joyce Phillips, long-range planning manager, presented 45 proposed code amendments. She explained that the larger-than-usual package resulted from pausing routine code work during the comprehensive plan update and from new state requirements with a June 2026 adoption deadline.
• State-required amendments include lot splitting with middle housing, allowing daycare centers as permitted uses in all residential and commercial zoning districts, added height and design flexibility for housing in existing buildings, residential parking standards, and conversion of existing buildings to housing.
• Fire department proposals addressed definitions, access requirements, and fire safety and alarm provisions. Historic preservation proposals updated Heritage Commission duties and code citations. Randy Haynes and historic preservation officer Brittany Gillia were available to answer questions.

Key discussion points and commissioner questions

• Proposal 7 – Lot splitting: Commissioner Talius asked whether the restriction against imposing future dwelling-unit limits on split lots would apply in perpetuity. Phillips answered that the language comes directly from state statute, provides little local leeway, and future permits would be reviewed under the requirements in effect when applied for.
• Proposal 14 – Housing units in existing buildings / ground-floor residential: Vice Chair Garcia expressed concern about the provision allowing the city to prohibit ground-floor residences on pedestrian-oriented streets, especially given downtown retail vacancies and upcoming Senate Bill 6026. Several commissioners discussed whether to strike the provision now or flag it for future action. Staff cautioned that removing only that provision could create inconsistencies with design guidelines and pedestrian-street chapters. The commission ultimately agreed to include this as a recommendation in the transmittal letter rather than as a formal code amendment.
• Proposal 10 – Consolidated site plan for split-zoning parcels: Commissioner Talius asked for clarification about whether developing wholly within one zone would cause the property to lose the other zone’s future development potential. Phillips agreed the language could be clarified and offered to help draft a carve-out, noting the issue as 10C3.
• Proposal 12 – Large multifamily units: Phillips clarified that the amendment would close a loophole in the November middle housing code by allowing seven-or-more-unit multifamily projects only in medium- and high-density zones. Lower-density lots could still reach additional units through lot splits or other subdivisions.
• Proposal 18 – Facade modulation and upper-story stepbacks: A commissioner asked whether stepback and facade-modulation exceptions could be streamlined. Phillips explained that many exceptions are state-required and that stepbacks also serve transitional zoning and sunlight purposes. No formal recommendation was made on this topic.
• Fire alarm provisions: Staff clarified that the “constantly monitored location” language aligns with the International Fire Code and relates to manual pull stations in control and riser rooms.
• Minor corrections: Phillips acknowledged stray highlighting in proposal 44 and a missing item number in proposal 43, and said she would fix those formatting issues.

Key Outcomes

• Commissioner Saurow moved to recommend approval of the 2026 code amendments to the city council as proposed. Commissioner Grubb seconded the motion.
• The motion passed by voice vote, with Commissioner L abstaining.
• The commission will transmit a letter along with the recommendation. Expected letter items include:
  • Flagging the ground-floor residential/pedestrian-street issue for further review, tied to the downtown vacancy study and Senate Bill 6026 implementation.
  • Requesting possible clarification of proposal 10C3 regarding consolidated site plans on split-zoned parcels.
  • Noting minor formatting and renumbering fixes for proposals 43 and 44.
• Next steps: The planning commission’s recommendation will go to the city council’s Land Use and Environment Committee on May 28, with a full city council date not yet scheduled. Certain state-required amendments must be adopted by June 2026.

Reports and Other Business

• A commissioner reported receiving a scholarship to attend the Strong Towns national gathering in Arkansas in May and said they would share lessons learned.
• Commissioner Saurow announced an April 22 Northwest Eco Building Guild event on low-carbon concrete.
• The chair relayed comments from a Rockaway planning commissioner about other cities looking to Olympia on middle housing.
• The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m.