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Tenino Planning Commission advances draft comprehensive plan, discusses implementation, housing and transportation priorities
Summary
At its May 14 meeting the Tenino Planning Commission reviewed community survey results, agreed staff will present plan sections to city council and discussed implementation hurdles including funding, housing preferences, design-code trade-offs and transportation priorities such as roundabouts and sidewalks.
The Tenino Planning Commission continued review of the city’s draft comprehensive plan at its May 14 meeting, with staff and commissioners outlining a timeline to take the plan to city council and a list of priorities for implementation.
Staff told the commission a mostly final draft should be available in June, with public hearings and formal council consideration likely in June or July; the climate element will be handled separately and may require its own adoption steps. Staff also said the commission must follow required public-noticing processes and a 60-day review by Commerce under Growth Management Act procedures before council adoption.
Commission discussion focused on turning the plan’s vision into action. Commissioners said the comp plan is primarily a 20-year vision but argued for an implementation section that lists short-, mid- and long-term projects, funding sources and measurable steps so council and staff can prioritize work and pursue grants. Staff recommended building an always-on or annual survey so the city can pull resident feedback when needed for updates or grant applications.
Survey results presented by staff showed that 56% of respondents rated the draft vision statement (which emphasizes history, walkability and local businesses) 4 out of 5; respondents skewed 35–54 years old and 83% said they live in Tenino. Commissioners discussed those results while debating housing types: single-family homes were the most-preferred option in the survey, while cottage houses, duplexes and townhomes also had support. Several commissioners expressed concern about short-term rental impacts on housing affordability and weighed the economic logic of a small hotel to capture lodging tax revenue against the year-round demand needed to sustain one.
Zoning and design were another focus. Commissioners noted the downtown 35-foot height limit and explored mixed-use options—ground-floor retail with limited upstairs lodging—that could provide rooms within current constraints. The commission also debated whether to adopt a design code to preserve Tenino’s historic character (citing other small towns’ examples) while recognizing that strict design rules can raise construction costs and potentially slow housing supply.
On transportation and infrastructure, commissioners raised roundabouts as a long-term improvement and pointed to nearby state-funded roundabouts on SR 507 as a model for seeking WSDOT funding. Gaps identified in the plan included sidewalks, crosswalks, drainage improvements and public restrooms; commissioners noted available funding programs such as the South Thurston County CDBG and searchable state grant databases but cautioned that grants are competitive and require local capacity to implement.
Commissioners also discussed community services and climate vulnerabilities: speakers raised the need for more youth and senior services, local walk-in medical options, and tree and drainage management to balance green-space protection with wildfire and flooding risks.
Next steps: staff said it will deliver a mostly final draft at the next meeting, initiate required noticing and schedule public hearings, and then forward the commission’s formal recommendation to the city council for consideration and adoption.
