Committee reviews draft greenhouse gas subelement for Tumwater comprehensive plan

City staff presented Draft 1 of the greenhouse gas reduction subelement of the City of Tumwater’s 2025 Comprehensive Plan periodic update and sought direction and feedback from the General Government Committee.

Alyssa (identified in the meeting as the presenter) told the committee that the discussion focused on the mitigation subelement (actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled and to consider environmental justice) and that the resilience (adaptation) subelement will be discussed at a later meeting. Staff described extensive community engagement to date, including a Climate Policy Advisory Team, public open houses, coordination with the Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative and the Thurston Climate Action Team, tabling at the Thurston County Food Bank and Tumwater Library, and outreach to community-based organizations. Staff said the formal public comment period for the climate element was concentrated through Jan. 31, 2025, although comments are still accepted.

Staff walked the committee through goal areas in Draft 1: reducing building emissions (energy efficiency and performance ratings), supporting on-site renewable energy, enabling shifts to low- and zero-carbon transportation (biking, walking, transit), reducing vehicle miles traveled through land-use and permitting tools, and strengthening natural carbon solutions (urban canopy and habitat-appropriate planting). For each goal, staff asked committee members about timing, unintended consequences, and groups that might be left out; several council members discussed rural residents, boards and commissions involvement (for example the tree board/urban forestry advisory board), and questions about which actions would require code changes (ordinances) versus incentives or guidance.

Specific points raised: staff said an energy performance rating requirement would need an ordinance if it were mandatory; the existing Clean Building Performance Standard covers larger multifamily buildings but not small single-family homes; solar-ready residential requirements exist and staff is considering whether to incentivize or require similar approaches for commercial properties; tree canopy and solar trade-offs need careful design; tree board involvement requires a council request or authorization; and staff intends to front-load mitigation actions and seek funding and capacity to accelerate the work.

Committee members generally offered supportive feedback and suggested routing specific items (for example, urban forestry items) to relevant boards and commissions with council authorization. Staff said resilience-subelement actions and a Gantt chart outlining timelines and phasing will be presented at a future meeting. Staff invited additional comments and one-on-one meetings for further detail.