[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6637992,"mediaKeyId","2578034-4c6813f38e573aa6a8fe82666e06c0f7","parentId",2578034,"title","Olympia staff outline renter-protection proposals including income-to-rent cap, manufactured-home protections and rent-to-own pilot","audioSeconds",3175,"startMs",4914000,"endMs",8089000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2578034-4c6813f38e573aa6a8fe82666e06c0f7&start=4914&end=8089","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2578034-4c6813f38e573aa6a8fe82666e06c0f7/thumbnail_4914000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6637992/Olympia/Thurston-County/Washington/Olympia-staff-outline-renter-protection-proposals-including-income-to-rent-cap-manufactured-home-protections-and-rent-to-own-pilot","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6637992-a5442fa3304d1cd05f7de46f1a625b4d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159934&Signature=goNrPhNa0zOit2NLEPpvRQQgNCSrelzyD0A5xUVvXxlBZTM8BqifdK~TU6PgWaL2NLZO5-f8J-k4vGZqag2neb8GwgiA8hGpqLHbIsDgb6bqQZ8z9c7-QyPXVar30oNkRXGIAWwJFhyDzD9o5MC2qk-77yK8NwCccEBuf4-XdWwz71Mbu0rU~2F9fz0Go~dG6nWNb0eRy53XWMaOtnTEZTApIYBXWIOkTRQI70ceLEyipJlLxrMcCzCd9T6dRV5b4hmgN5ETlxpvljgY1BctcyFUG5RCrwuTD4lydmrKgbqrXDC1uJqe2AyF6JKKEYkCW8pj5hwVMuVvVn5lLX4kQg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Olympia","date","2025-03-11T00:00:00Z","article","Crystal Lenson, senior housing program specialist for the City of Olympia, briefed the council on current renter protections and a set of policy proposals staff plan to bring forward for council consideration.

Lenson reviewed tenant protections already adopted by Olympia: limits on certain landlord fees, extended notice requirements for rent increases (Olympia requires 120 days' notice for increases over 5% or cumulative 7% in 12 months, and 180 days for increases of 10% or more), relocation assistance rules in specific circumstances, a rental housing registry with annual registration and five‑year inspections and protections against landlord retaliation. Staff reported that registrations have reached an estimated 80–85% of rental units in the first year.

Staff presented proposals the Land Use & Environment Committee reviewed in November and November-to-February community outreach that staff said would be scheduled for council consideration, unless council directs otherwise. Key proposals described:

- Income-to-rent screening: staff proposed capping landlord screening requirements so landlords could not require tenants to earn more than 2.5 times the monthly rent. Tenants may use combined household income or a single eligible household member to meet the ratio; voucher holders' eligibility would be evaluated using the tenant portion of rent, consistent with state law. Staff said the change aims to reduce barriers for cost-burdened renters who would otherwise be rejected during application screening.

- Manufactured-home community protections: staff said they heard residents' top concerns are rising lot rents, lack of transparency from owners, and displacement risk. Proposals include requiring six months' notice for rent increases of 7% or more and providing relocation assistance when tenants move because of such increases. To better align with typical apartment costs, relocation assistance in these cases would be set to 2.5 times the HUD area fair market rent rather than the lower lot rent. Staff also suggested zoning changes to discourage redevelopment of existing manufactured home parks to nonresidential uses; Lenson said zoning changes would require Planning Commission review.

- Rent-to-own pilot and tenant purchase supports: staff described risks tenants face in informal rent-to-own agreements (liability for repairs, unclear title, eviction risk) and proposed a pilot that would allow an exemption from the rental registry only when safeguards are in place. Staff identified mitigation steps: a pre-agreement home inspection, appraisal and title search, and access to qualified legal services to draft/ review agreements. Staff said they are seeking guidance on whether to develop a pilot scope and budget and noted potential options such as reimbursing tenant legal fees up to a set amount.

Lenson also said staff will present tenant-screening policy options to the Land Use committee in May and continue work on tenant opportunity to purchase and other tools to expand affordable homeownership. Staff noted that several state legislative proposals could affect the local policy choices and that staff are tracking bills including recent rent stabilization proposals.

Councilmembers voiced support for several elements and requested additional detail in some areas: zoning changes for manufactured-home communities should go through Planning Commission review, staff should continue to estimate program costs and possible funding, and pilot designs should include outreach to determine local demand. Council gave direction for staff to continue refinement of the proposals and to bring refined ordinance language, budgets and implementation plans back for consideration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Olympia - City Council Meeting on 2025-03-11 at 6:00 PM - Mar 11, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Crystal Lenson, senior housing program specialist for the City of Olympia, briefed the council on existing tenant protections and proposed new measures including a 2.5-times income-to-rent screening cap, expanded manufactured-home protections, and a rent-to-own pilot.","taxTitle","Olympia, Thurston County, Washington","taxId",4862,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6637997,"Council hears regional proposal to require home energy scores at listing; city staff outline costs and timeline",3043,1860000,4903000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2578034-4c6813f38e573aa6a8fe82666e06c0f7&start=1860&end=4903","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2578034-4c6813f38e573aa6a8fe82666e06c0f7/thumbnail_1860000.jpg","/articles/6637997/Olympia/Thurston-County/Washington/Council-hears-regional-proposal-to-require-home-energy-scores-at-listing-city-staff-outline-costs-and-timeline","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6637997-3fe593bcb5cef51e1ce05ae4a28cd237/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159934&Signature=VDy4Te-JZQWtg9UIQqwugtofXDwzoumFSFPdzk39xj4NTgShMOBAXLfhx1gTHt0E7YK6kg4piu-YOuWJrl9v-Rwd3B7HybNMs3KWeh2NpjHJbVJ7WOhuODL66VTB7IfrF1swG4o6YCkFin4N5g32iswhsXO1CbblQqFnuh7KuaNNntQ1RfP6wE4y9-eAOqGHPcyWm5j4x2Arj5Plj4KnFEnFCx4SLcaRAvbGrkGFCROXKzX4~tbjZc9cedZYPta1Zr3T~Q7Pvzw6RDpQr8FYpdEDhhgjvTkTrJSw04urszTFpBxx1RjYvWQb1LHmmmgI5jptdF0Vqh4JjbLhVHDYHQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jaren Burke, the City of Olympia climate program specialist, and Pamela Braff, director of climate programs, briefed the council on a regional model ordinance and program to require home energy assessment and disclosure using the U.S. Department of Energy Home Energy Score.

Burke said the proposed regional policy would require sellers to obtain a Home Energy Score report and include the score in all listings for a dwelling unit at the time the home is listed for sale. The report is based on asset-based characteristics (building shell, major equipment, number of stories and other features) and does not measure occupant behavior. The Home Energy Score produces a 1-to-10 rating, shows estimated bill savings from recommended improvements, and is typically produced by a trained assessor in about an hour at an estimated cost of $150–$300.

The policy draft shared with council applies to single-family detached homes, duplexes, triplexes and similar small-multifamily types that the Home Energy Score model can assess; stacked multifamily buildings and manufactured homes currently fall outside the model's scope, staff said. Exemptions in the draft include buildings on federal or tribal land and transfers that are not true sales (for example, transfers between spouses); staff said they will clarify other jurisdictional exemptions (state or county-owned buildings) in the ordinance language.

Burke outlined a proposed regional approach to implement the requirement: partner jurisdictions would execute an interlocal agreement to share one-time launch costs and contract with a national service provider (the draft identified Earth Advantage as a candidate) to build the data platform, connect the requirement with the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (Northwest MLS) and the green building registry, and provide assessor training and quality assurance. The estimated regional launch cost was $81,000; with equal cost sharing among the adopting jurisdictions Olympia's share would be $20,250 (which Burke said is included in the city's 2025 budget). If Olympia adopted the program alone, the full one-time cost would fall to the city, staff said.

Staff proposed a May 1, 2026 effective date to allow time to develop the supporting program, increase assessor capacity, create a public program web page, and set up a subsidized-assessment protocol. The draft also allows jurisdictions to subsidize assessments for low-income sellers or exempt low-income residents when funding is not available.

Councilmembers asked about enforcement and integration with listings platforms. Burke said adding violation language to the ordinance would support creation of a required field in Northwest MLS so sellers could not complete a listing without attaching the report; staff described enforcement effort as likely minimal if that MLS field is required. Councilmembers also asked about contingency plans if federal or DOE services were interrupted; staff said other home-rating models exist and that the Department of Energy and some vendors are developing alternative integrations and backups.

Other cost details shared with the council included a preliminary estimate of ongoing program costs. Staff estimated Olympia's ongoing share for program management and subsidies at roughly $9,000 per year under equal cost sharing; that figure could rise if fewer jurisdictions participate. Councilmembers raised questions about assessor fees, quality assurance charges, and the practical cost to homeowners; staff said contractors' market rates should be vetted locally during program development.

Staff framed the policy as a regional initiative aligned with the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan; Burke said residential energy is a significant source of community emissions and that better information about existing housing stock is a barrier to addressing building emissions. The regional team will return with ordinance language and details for council consideration; staff emphasized the proposed timeline to allow time for the interlocal agreement, vendor selection, platform setup and community outreach.","Jaren Burke, the City of Olympia climate program specialist, and Pamela Braff, director of climate programs, briefed the council on a regional model ordinance and program to require home energy assessment and disclosure using the U.S. Department of Energy Home Energy Score.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6638002,"City, TRPC brief Olympia council on updates to Commute Trip Reduction plan",1438,352000,1790000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2578034-4c6813f38e573aa6a8fe82666e06c0f7&start=352&end=1790","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2578034-4c6813f38e573aa6a8fe82666e06c0f7/thumbnail_352000.jpg","/articles/6638002/Olympia/Thurston-County/Washington/City-TRPC-brief-Olympia-council-on-updates-to-Commute-Trip-Reduction-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6638002-45c5b44a7e45e999da4ddba1a241f581/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159934&Signature=LUAkEn~yxBsS8PYgVeYyZszZi7kxfaZ9Vo1M87mZ5P05R2O0wZyWe8R4WO093jmwJUinK~IuvMGlasnBu-xQJWxLtQ45vt-I7GITn2Ozz6yTycrCqPLRKkP1ZHWAAuK~dVVoGVc9~04f3MtC1rsMOTKOtCYkG4JTHS2b1K~gfmw6GY~bQWgGOUDWJpuaOVV4-zIZJ8fPqE1kEGRtBe~zzIYgYJughuSvSsoUTALz0lghUF0XcnKzV9msYtPJTvHIknMOfxi8B9lzHCKuofy0TEKPE8oelY1LgAihXTQOrdRepZmbb-mDA50QDOrOvIle15Rq0RBAtmbVQFuetu4v2w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Michelle Swanson, the City of Olympia senior planner for Public Works and Transportation, and staff from the Thurston Regional Planning Council briefed the Olympia City Council on updates to the region's Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) plan at the March 11 study session.

The briefing outlined the purpose of the CTR effort — enacted statewide in 1991 to reduce peak congestion and related emissions — and explained that Olympia plays two roles: as a jurisdiction that oversees employer compliance and as a large downtown employer implementing commute-reduction policies internally.

Swanson said Olympia has long used tools that reduce single-occupancy vehicle travel, noting past decisions such as building City Hall with limited employee parking and expanding metered parking downtown. \"Owning a vehicle is costly and not everyone is able to drive, so it makes Olympia more equitable when it's easier to get around without a vehicle,\" Swanson said.

Veronica Jarvis and George Castillo of the Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) described the regional CTR program, which requires larger worksites and state agencies in Thurston County to prepare plans to encourage carpooling, transit, biking, walking and telework. TRPC staff emphasized that the CTR program is different in Thurston County because it includes many small state agency worksites that would not be covered in other regions.

TRPC presented summary survey results for Olympia worksites showing a substantial shift toward telework: presenters cited a result of 58% of respondents working from home, 35% driving alone, and 7% using other modes (biking, walking, carpool, transit)—although they cautioned that a change in survey methods limits direct comparisons with pre-pandemic data. TRPC and city staff said the survey includes follow-up questions identifying mode-specific barriers, such as safety, work shifts that don't align with transit schedules, and darkness on winter commutes.

Councilmembers asked about how the CTR update connects to other city planning efforts and to regional transit service. Jarvis and Castillo said coordination with local transit — including Inner City Transit and neighboring providers — and integration with Olympia's transportation and comprehensive plans are central to the update. They highlighted regional projects such as transit signal prioritization on Martin Way and federal funding for multimodal improvements on Fones Road as examples of alignment.

Councilmembers also discussed specific corridors, including Capitol Way, and city staff said designs are underway to add bike lanes on segments between Union and the southern city limits as part of a paving and reconfiguration project.

TRPC told the council the updated local CTR plans will be presented to the council for approval on April 8; after local adoption they expected the TRPC board to act on the regional package. Councilmembers generally acknowledged the presentation and asked staff to continue coordination between the CTR update, the transportation master plan, and transit agencies.","City staff and the Thurston Regional Planning Council reviewed an updated Commute Trip Reduction plan, highlighting changes in work patterns since the pandemic, coordination with regional transit providers, and outreach to employers; the council will consider the plan for approval April 8.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Olympia staff outline renter-protection proposals including income-to-rent cap, manufactured-home protections and rent-to-own pilot

Council hears regional proposal to require home energy scores at listing; city staff outline costs and timeline

City, TRPC brief Olympia council on updates to Commute Trip Reduction plan