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Shelton staff preview broad revisions to the city engineering design manual, from infill rules to sewer standards
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Summary
Public works presented a draft 2026 update to the Engineering Design & Construction Manual that tightens technical standards (ductile iron for shallow mains, manhole linings), clarifies infill definitions and pre‑submission procedures, and reorganizes stormwater/drainage chapters; staff will return with formatted redlines after council feedback.
At the March 24 Shelton City Council study session, public works staff reviewed a draft update to the 2026 Engineering Design & Construction Manual intended to modernize standards, improve constructability and clarify administrative procedures for developers and staff.
Staff said the updates include an order‑of‑precedence for multiple referenced manuals, a clearer definition for infill lots (to determine when infill standards apply), and a formal process for design modification requests. The draft adds a requirement that plan review submittals expire after 180 days if applicants do not progress, and it clarifies when review fees are refundable or creditable toward later charges.
On technical items, staff proposed changing material expectations for shallow buried mains — encouraging ductile iron over PVC where cover is limited — and adding Raven's coating as an option to protect manholes from corrosive downtown soils. The sewer chapter also tightens slope and testing requirements (camera inspection limits for ponding), and staff said they will limit new pump stations by encouraging deeper gravity mains where feasible to avoid long‑term pump maintenance costs.
Staff and council discussed pre‑submission conference fees. One councilor recalled a different fee amount during discussion (mentions of $250 and $100 in the meeting); staff said there are waiver options for qualifying projects and will confirm the amount in the master fee schedule before finalizing language.
Transportation, pedestrian and bicycle guidance was expanded in the draft (vertical and horizontal curve criteria, curb radii and intersection bulb‑outs), and staff said the draft includes more explicit notes on maintenance access, private streets and minimal widths to accommodate maintenance vehicles. Storm drainage language was reorganized to better align with NPDES permit obligations and to add easement language to protect downstream properties.
Staff described the update as a working draft and asked council for feedback. They plan to bring a formatted redline version of the manual to a future meeting after incorporating council comments and verifying fee schedules and other numeric details.
Next steps: staff will check the master fee schedule for the precise pre‑submission fee, incorporate council feedback into the redline, and return with a final draft for adoption.
