Olympia planning director explains the city’s Comprehensive Plan

Olympia Community Planning & Development Director Leonard Bauer explained how the 20-year Comprehensive Plan aims to prepare the city’s development for the future.

In a post on the city’s website, Bauer said that the Comprehensive Plan envisions how and where growth will occur and how our community will be served with utilities, infrastructure, and public services, and is used to strategize how to maintain living standards as the city grows.

Bauer stated that Olympia is expected to have 21,000 new residents by 2045, which will need 13,500 new housing units.

Bauer invites Olympia community members to provide input on the various areas that the plan covers, including public safety, housing, transportation, land use, natural environment, and parks, by:

• Asking to be added to the interested parties list via email
• Subscribing to our Planning & Development E-news group
• Visiting the Engage Olympia pages

There are also challenges that the Plan also aims to address, such as:

• Adapting to Sea Level Rise
• Becoming a more sustainable City
• Accommodating population growth while continuing to provide high-quality public services
• Identifying affordable and accessible housing for all residents
• Maintaining a strong economy, anchored by local businesses
• Conserving and protecting limited natural resources, while providing public space along marine and freshwater shorelines and waterways
• Continuing the revitalization of downtown, and sparking redevelopment in other major commercial corridors
• Incentivizing small-scale neighborhood centers
• Continuing to provide a greater variety of convenient transportation options
• Reducing greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, and adapting to its impacts
• Funding the city’s long-term vision

“As we grow and face change,” said Bauer, “Olympians want to preserve the unique qualities and familiarity of our community.”

Comprehensive Plans are required of cities every ten years by the Washington Growth Management Act. According to Bauer, the city began its Comprehensive Plan this year and aims to review and update its plan by June 30, 2025.