Tumwater pushes Legislature to restore $2M for HCP, seeks $550K EIS and design funding amid tight 2026 budget

Tumwater officials on Oct. 28 asked the state Legislature to restore $2 million for the city's Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and to fund work that would clear the path for housing and redevelopment in constrained parts of the city.

City staff and hired legislative advocates told the council that the HCP appropriation had been included in a prior supplemental capital package but was cut in 2025. "We're looking to get the full $2,000,000 back, so that is the request we're going in with," a staff presenter said during the work session.

The HCP aims to assemble and rehabilitate land to provide prairie habitat for listed species, which staff said would allow development on other parcels once mitigation lands and a plan are in place. City and advocates said the HCP request is attractive to legislators because it could become self-funding: permitting and development fees…