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City staff previews major update to Title 12 and Engineering Standards Manual; focus on stormwater, sewer and trip triggers
Summary
City staff introduced a comprehensive update to Title 12 and the Engineering Standards Manual to improve compliance, clarify technical thresholds (including site‑development triggers), and modernize stormwater and sewer design guidance; the commission asked for clearer public materials and for draft redlines to be returned in November.
Staff briefed the commission on a comprehensive update to Title 12 (public works, rights of way, stormwater and utilities) and the Engineering Standards Manual (ESM). Angie Silva said the goal is to modernize technical standards, improve predictability for applicants and ensure consistency with state and federal requirements.
Silva and the consultant team outlined several findings: outdated cross‑references and technical details for street templates, sidewalk widths and ADA standards; stormwater updates to align with Ecology’s Phase 2 permit (including guidance for linear bioretention and limited exemptions for roof runoff/infiltration); and recommendations to relocate detailed sewer design guidance into Title 13 to align with Pierce County practice. Staff said current site‑development permit triggers were low (an example cited was 25 cubic yards of earthwork) and peer review is being used to recommend more consistent thresholds.
Commissioners urged a public‑facing explanation of why stormwater standards are what they are, noting local concerns about infiltration rates and apparent contradictions with residents’ observations of lower creek flows. Jeffrey Mack said staff can produce outreach materials and "traveling roadshow" briefings to explain technical decisions. Silva noted some TMF (Traffic Mitigation Fee) procedures come from the Downtown Plan Action EIS and that substantive changes to the methodology could trigger an EIS update beyond the current scope.
No formal action was scheduled; staff plans to return with redline draft code amendments and clearer, consolidated documents showing the proposed edits.
