Tumwater planning commission reviews land‑use element, hears housing capacity shortfall of lower‑income units

Janet Bowers, Associate Planner for the City of Tumwater, told the Planning Commission on June 24 that the land‑use element of the 2025 comprehensive plan is intended to answer a simple question: “land use is all about space. Do we have enough space for dot dot dot?”

The commission was presented a draft land‑use map and a neighborhood‑level analysis prepared with support from regional planners. Bowers and other staff said environmental constraints such as bedrock, wetlands and floodplains, along with adopted critical‑area protections and sewer/water service boundaries, limit where higher density development can be placed. The chapter and supporting analysis show a shortage of developable capacity for very low‑income housing: staff summarized the estimate as “we have 1.3% only,” representing roughly two dozen units in current capacity counts for households at or below 80% of area median income (AMI).

Why it matters: the Growth Management Act updates from 2023 and related state requirements mean Tumwater must demonstrate sufficient land capacity for housing at a range of incomes. Staff said the commission can respond by changing densities in selected areas, protecting critical areas and open‑space corridors, or…