Tumwater Planning Commission forwards ordinance to raise parking‑lot light height near I‑5 to council

The Tumwater Planning Commission voted unanimously July 14 to forward Ordinance O2026‑016 to the City Council; the ordinance would raise the allowable height for parking‑lot lighting from 24 to 37 feet for multiple‑building or multi‑tenant sites adjacent to Interstate 5.

Brad Madrid, the city’s community development director, told the commission the amendment would change only the height limit for that narrow circumstance and would not alter existing off‑site illumination or shielding standards. “The purpose of tonight’s hearing is to discuss an ordinance that we’ll be amending,” Madrid said during his presentation, which cited the city’s off‑street parking code and the dark‑sky ordinance history.

Madrid walked commissioners through the code references in the staff report, explaining the height standard for parking lot lighting dates to an earlier ordinance (1998) and that, when the city adopted a dark‑sky ordinance in 2009, measurement and off‑site light‑spillage provisions were moved into a separate section of the code. He said the proposed amendment affects only the subsection that currently limits pole height to 24 feet and adds a specific 37‑foot allowance for multiple‑building complexes that front on Interstate 5.

Madrid also described the permitting alternatives. In response to a commissioner question about variances, he said variance criteria are narrow and do not consider economic hardship; variances are limited to unusual parcel‑specific circumstances and therefore would rarely be an alternative in most cases.

Staff told the commission that the city completed its CIPA checklist in June, issued a determination of significance on June 12, and that the notice‑of‑intent transmittal to the state was sent on June 4. The state comment period runs 60 days and the city’s public comment/appeal window on the significance determination closed July 2; the notice‑of‑intent comment period is scheduled to end Aug. 3. Madrid said a council committee briefing was scheduled the following morning and that the full council is slated to consider the ordinance on Aug. 18; council cannot take final action until the state notice‑of‑intent process is complete.

No members of the public offered testimony at the Planning Commission hearing. After brief deliberation, the commission moved to “approve as written” and forward the ordinance to council. The motion was recorded as moved by Commissioner Kotek and seconded by Commissioner Edwards; the chair announced the vote was unanimous and the motion was forwarded to the council for consideration.

The commission confirmed its next joint tree‑tour meeting will be July 28 and adjourned the short meeting after completing the hearing.