Lacey public works standards update proposes street‑tree separation, private street flexibility and septic‑connection threshold

City staff presented proposed amendments to Lacey’s Development Guidelines and Public Works Standards at the July 8 work session, focusing on tree‑planting separation requirements, a new allowance for SPR committee modification of private residential street standards, and a financial threshold for mandatory sewer connection when on‑site septic systems fail.

The amendments aim to reduce maintenance conflicts between street trees and utilities on increasingly smaller lots and to give flexibility on private streets in cottage‑style or environmentally constrained developments. Staff said the current trend toward smaller, front‑loaded lots and the proliferation of step (step‑tank) sewer systems leave little room in the planter strip for street trees without repeated root‑related damage to sidewalks, water and sewer boxes, and other infrastructure.

Street trees and separation: Project manager Joey Etter told the council the draft chapter introduces minimum separation…