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Tumwater staff proposes code change to require foundation removal in demolitions
Summary
City staff presented Ordinance 2026-008 to add foundations to the definition of demolition and to permit the building official to require removal of foundations and slabs; commissioners asked for a clarified definition of "foundations" (pilings) and a work session is set for June 9 with a hearing proposed for June 23.
Brad Medvid, the City of Tumwater director of community development, asked the Planning Commission on May 26 to move forward with Ordinance 2026-008 to close a gap in the building demolition chapter of the Tumwater Municipal Code (TMC 159.1550).
Medvid said the proposed amendment would explicitly include foundations and slabs in the definition of "demolition" and add a new section giving the building official authority to require removal of foundations unless reuse is documented and approved. "One thing that is missing is a clear process for removing foundations as part of a building demolition process," Medvid said, explaining the change responds to past cases in which owners did not remove foundations and the city lacked a mechanism to require removal.
The staff presentation added foundation locations and removal plans to required site-plan elements and clarified how foundation reuse would affect demolition valuation. Medvid recommended a work session on June 9 and a public hearing on June 23, timed so the SEPA process (staff noted a DNS had been issued May 22 and SEPA was expected to conclude before the hearing) would be complete before a hearing.
Commissioner Kirkpatrick pressed staff to return to the work session with a precise definition of "foundation," citing uncertainty about whether pilings — in some cases 50 feet deep — are intended to be included. Kirkpatrick said developers need clarity in advance. Medvid agreed to consult the building official and to bring a clarified definition and guidance on partial reuse at the June 9 work session.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the ordinance at the meeting; staff will bring the clarified definition and the proposed hearing schedule to the June 9 work session and, if appropriate, forward a hearing notice for June 23.
Next steps: staff will return with a proposed foundation definition and with any additional edits to the demolition chapter at the June 9 work session. If the SEPA process remains on schedule, staff will ask the commission to hold a public hearing on June 23 and then forward a recommendation to the City Council.
