Olympia council approves first reading of ordinance to update permit timelines to match state law

Olympia — The Olympia City Council on Tuesday approved on first reading an ordinance to amend Olympia Municipal Code Chapter 18.70, changing how the city measures and targets project permitting timelines to reflect recent updates in state law.

Nicole Floyd, the city’s principal planner, told the council the amendments establish discrete permit categories and clarify counting of calendar days. “What we have before us today are some proposed amendments. There have been recent updates to State law that require us to make updates to our own Code, and they relate to the permit processing chapter,” Floyd said.

The ordinance formalizes three permit “types” (state-recommended targets the city is setting in its code): 65 days for Type 1 permits (staff-level actions), 120 days for Type 2 permits (land-use applications that include public notice and comment) and 170 days for Type 3 permits (those requiring a hearing examiner). The planning commission recommended retaining 120 days for Type 2 to reflect Olympia’s more robust public-engagement practices. The draft also allows an extra 70 days for especially complex sites that require coordination with multiple outside agencies or have contamination or critical-area issues.

Floyd described a recent real-world example — a proposed 112-unit affordable housing development on about 10 acres — to show how the city’s “review clock” differs from calendar time. In that case the review clock measured 121 days even though the overall project work stretched over months because the applicant paused to respond to comments. Floyd said Olympia typically runs a three‑week public comment period (one week longer than state minimums), expands notice beyond property owners to nearby residents, and holds a project information meeting to help the public understand land-use review.

Council members asked how the changes relate to the city’s affordable-housing emergency and to building-permit timelines. Floyd said affordable-housing projects continue to be expedited and that the ordinance does not change building permit review, which staff said typically receives an initial review within two weeks and often completes within three months depending on project size.

Council member Ryan Cooper moved to approve the ordinance on first reading and forward it to second reading; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The council did not adopt a final ordinance tonight; the item advances to a future meeting for a second reading and final adoption.

The amendment also includes language on calendar-day counting, clarifies notices and expirations, and sets up the state’s incentive/refund framework (refunds for missed timelines are possible under state law but can be avoided if jurisdictions meet other program requirements). City staff said the code changes are meant to balance timeliness with Olympia’s stronger-than-average public‑engagement practices.

Council members and staff flagged that the ordinance preserves extra time where needed for complex environmental reviews and interagency coordination, and the planning commission asked staff to forward community comments from project meetings to long-range planning when relevant.

The ordinance was moved on first reading; a second reading and final vote will be scheduled at a later meeting.