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City staff propose 10‑foot tree setback, review water/sewer, meter and septic rules in development‑guideline update
Summary
City development staff briefed council on proposed updates to the Development Guidelines and Public Works Standards, highlighting changes on tree placement near utilities, new deposit and bill‑of‑sale timing rules for plan review, ADU meter policy, and a proposed threshold for septic repairs vs. sewer connection.
Tom Stiles, Lacey’s development review manager, presented proposed revisions to the city’s Development Guidelines and Public Works Standards during the March 11 work session. Staff said the update compiles changes since the last full revision in 2017 and aims to reduce redundancy with the municipal code while clarifying engineering and utility requirements.
Street trees and utilities: Stiles highlighted a proposed rule to locate street trees at least 10 feet from water meter boxes, step service boxes and step tanks, as well as from driveways, sight‑distance triangles, street lights and fire hydrants, to reduce root intrusion and damage to utilities and sidewalks. “To prevent a root invasion, street trees shall be located 10 feet from water meter boxes, step service boxes, step tanks,” Stiles said while showing photos of roots damaging meter boxes and step tanks.
Right‑of‑way and planter constraints: Staff noted that the 10‑foot setback narrows available streetscape planting space in new, smaller lots and that council will need to weigh tree canopy goals against infrastructure maintenance and accessible sidewalks. Community development staff flagged that upcoming state middle‑housing requirements (House Bill 1110) and anticipated subdivision design changes may affect lot sizes and therefore tree placement and open‑space planning.
Utility billing, ADUs and septic: Stiles said the draft clarifies metering for accessory dwelling units: if an ADU uses the primary meter, no additional connection fee applies; if the owner requests a separate meter for an ADU, full connection fees would apply. For on‑site septic systems, Stiles said the draft would allow septic repairs in lieu of sewer connection if the cost of connecting exceeds a set threshold (staff proposed about 15% of property assessed value as an example), subject to county and health‑district approvals.
Process changes and timing: Staff added language to require a signed and notarized bill of sale and associated right‑of‑way dedication documents before final civil plan approval, and proposed an upfront deposit for civil drawing reviews to avoid absorbing staff time for projects that do not proceed. Stiles said he hopes to incorporate review comments, return to the Planning Commission for a public hearing in April and to the council for adoption as an ordinance later in April or May; he noted his planned retirement and urged an accelerated schedule.
Council discussion focused on trade‑offs among canopy goals, planter‑strip width, driveway patterns and lot configuration. Several councilors and staff suggested exploring alternatives (alley‑loaded lots, larger planter strips, tree species/root‑barrier details or more open‑space allocation) before adopting standards that could reduce front‑yard street canopy on denser lot patterns.
