Tumwater committee reviews final introduction and adoption schedule for 2025 comprehensive plan update

TUMWATER, Wash. ' City planning staff on Sept. 10 introduced the final draft of the comprehensive plan's introduction and outlined a schedule of three ordinances to carry the 2025 update through review, hearings and council consideration. Brad, city planning staff, told the General Government Committee the introduction gathers items that apply across all plan elements and explains amendment and review processes, public participation, and coordination with other agencies. The committee heard that the first ordinance will address the capital facilities plan (CFP) alone so the city can finalize funding assurances for projects; staff told the committee they aim to have council consideration of the CFP on Dec. 2. "Engagement was probably the number one goal," Brad said when describing the introduction's priorities. Staff said they will start State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review and the notice-of-intent process with the Washington State Department of Commerce in mid-September, and that the planning commission will be briefed and will hold a hearing on the proposed CFP in December before the council takes action. The broader comprehensive-plan update and a development-code update will be handled as two separate ordinance tracks. One development-code ordinance will contain items that must be adopted to meet 2025 state deadlines (including middle-housing code changes); the remainder of code changes will be in a second ordinance planned for 2026. Staff described two joint work sessions between the council and the planning commission: one before the commission's public hearing so councilors can discuss issues going to hearing, and a second after the hearing to review the commission's recommendation. Mid-February was identified as the anticipated window for final council consideration of both the comprehensive plan and the development-code updates. Committee members emphasized that presentations to the full council should focus on the differences between the current plan and the proposed update'the "delta" that reflects new or changed goals, including expanded climate-resiliency language being incorporated across multiple elements rather than isolated in a single element. No formal council action on the plan update occurred at the Sept. 10 meeting; the committee approved only the July 9 minutes by motion from Councilmember Kathy, seconded by Councilmember Michael Altauser, and the motion passed unanimously among those present. Looking ahead, staff asked committee members what specific topics they want emphasized in upcoming briefings; members suggested highlighting significant changes, the reasoning behind new language, and areas where staff or the planning commission recommend departures from prior policy.