Council reviews Title 10 and Title 15 code updates; parking, historic-buildings and clearing rules draw questions

City planning and CGA presented proposed edits to Orting Municipal Code Title 10 (building and development) and Title 15 (land use). Staff emphasized the updates align local code with current building and WSDOT specifications and remove outdated references.

Council members raised specific queries: (1) a new reference to a "community wildlife protection plan" in Title 10 — members asked staff to define the plan’s scope and whether the change creates new restrictions for property owners; (2) repeal of the historic building code — Council member Moore urged retaining historic-building provisions to protect locally significant structures and to avoid imposing costly upgrades on owners of older buildings; (3) parking in the mixed-use town center (MUTC) — several council members suggested relaxing or removing parking minimums that block adaptive reuse of zero-lot-line downtown buildings and impede new small businesses; and (4) clearing and grading thresholds — members asked whether simple actions such as weed removal and placing gravel should require elaborate permitting and infiltration calculations.

Council asked staff and consultant Kim Gunderson to: provide definition and citations for the "community wildlife protection plan," explain why the historic building code is proposed for repeal (or retain it), clarify order-of-precedence language for WSDOT vs. city construction standards, and propose specific changes to parking and clearing standards. Staff will incorporate council edits and return the amended ordinances for council review and possible adoption later in the year.