Tumwater staff previews 2025 comprehensive plan updates for utilities and public-purpose lands

City staff walked the Tumwater Planning Commission through draft text for the 2025 comprehensive plan periodic update covering the utilities element and the lands-for-public-purposes element on May 13 and outlined a release schedule for public review.

The update matters because the comprehensive plan sets citywide goals and policies for utilities, capital facilities and public lands over a 20-year horizon and feeds the six-year capital facilities plan that identifies specific projects, costs and funding priorities.

Brad, the city’s deputy director, and fellow staff described a two-part format staff will use for each element: Part 1 will present goals, policies and draft implementation actions in a concise, usable table format with department leads and timeframes; Part 2 will contain the technical background and supporting analysis required under the Growth Management Act. “The intent of the parts was to make it easier for the Planning Commission and the Council and other advisory boards and staff to use the goals, policies and actions,” Brad said.

Staff walked commissioners through highlights of the utilities element: policies to promote efficiency when siting utilities, increased renewable energy generation and energy storage, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and attention to utility resiliency and pipeline safety. For lands for public purposes, staff emphasized the element’s role as the 20-year policy framework that underpins the city’s six-year capital facilities plan and functional system plans for water, sewer and stormwater.

Staff noted several technical and procedural items commissioners should expect: an Appendix A listing draft implementation actions tied to specific policies; an Appendix B capital-facilities equity checklist that staff proposes to adopt for future capital planning rounds; and coordination with external agencies such as the Tumwater School District, Thurston County and utility providers. Brad also said staff will circulate stakeholder drafts in two-week increments and aims to include these elements in a single ordinance for council adoption in the fall. “This is all intended to release things in semi manageable chunks to lead up to adoption in the fall,” he said.

Commissioners asked questions about essential public facilities, utility capacity data and how extensions of city water or sewer into the urban growth area would be handled during county permitting. Staff said essential public facilities (airports, jails, regional facilities) are addressed primarily in the land-use element because they are principally a land-use matter, and noted that development outside city limits usually proceeds through county review with city conditions attached when city services are required. Staff also pointed to the capital facilities plan as the document that prioritizes projects and identifies likely funding sources; they cautioned that projects often outnumber available funds.

No vote was taken. Staff asked commissioners to review draft documents and send comments to the compplan@ci.tumwater.wa.us address; staff will compile feedback before advancing the package to the City Council this fall.