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Staff previews wide-ranging update to Title 12 and Engineering Standards Manual; stormwater, sewer and ADU rules in focus
Summary
City staff and consultants briefed the Planning Commission on a comprehensive update to Title 12 and the Engineering Standards Manual, highlighting stormwater compliance, sewer guidance, permitting thresholds and ADU-related frontage triggers; staff will return with draft code amendments and SEPA findings.
City planning and public-works staff and a contracted consultant provided the Planning Commission with an introductory briefing on a comprehensive update to Title 12 (public works, rights-of-way, stormwater and utilities) and the Engineering Standards Manual (ESM).
"Title 12 governs public works rights of way, stormwater and utilities. It's essentially the foundation for the city's infrastructure regulations," Angie Silva said as she outlined the project scope, schedule and goals. Silva said the last full Title 12 update was in 2009 and the ESM had a limited update in 2021, so a broader refresh is timely.
Key findings from the compliance review presented to the commission include the city's heavy reliance on underground injection control systems (more than 1,700 registered with the Washington State Department of Ecology), recommended clarifications to stormwater and LID requirements, and suggested updates to cross-references, sidewalk widths and ADA details to improve multimodal design consistency.
Staff also flagged procedural and technical items for future drafting: the current site-development permit thresholds appear low (one cited trigger is 25 cubic yards of earth moved), and trip-generation assumptions used to determine when frontage improvements are required for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) were set at six trips per ADU based on peer review. Silva said staff and the consultant will produce draft code amendments, a SEPA threshold determination and clearer design checklists and guidance for applicants.
The commission asked for more digestible materials (for example, a single file that compiles modified pages) and for staff to distinguish housekeeping changes from substantive policy amendments. Staff said the next steps include a study session and draft code packet later this year, a Planning Commission public hearing before Thanksgiving, and anticipated council ordinance adoption in February.
