The Tumwater City Council reviewed a contract with the WA Department of Commerce (Commerce) for a $500,000 grant to help the city develop a climate element for its comprehensive plan update on Tuesday, January 23.
The contract will return to the city council for approval as part of its consent agenda on February 6, documents prepared for the meeting stated. Combined with two other grants the council has already approved the contract for last week, the city is set to receive a total of $700,000 from Commerce to support various components of the city’s comprehensive plan update.
Planning Manager Brad Medrud told the council that the grant would be used to hire a consultant to help the city develop the new climate element and other related updates. The consultant’s work will involve the review of the city’s current comprehensive plan, Commerce’s guidance materials, and other county planning documents.
The climate element will also have two sub-elements: greenhouse gas reduction and climate resilience. The first sub-element will address emission policies and reduction projects, greenhouse gas inventory, and the amount of vehicular travel per capita, while the second sub-element will involve science-based policies to address local community hazards.
The consultant will see through the adoption of the comprehensive plan update and the amendment of the city’s development code to reflect the new climate element.
Other than working on this new element, Medrud said that the consultant will also help to develop a city bicycle and pedestrian plan as part of the city’s transportation plan update.
Of the $500,000 grant, $420,000 will be used to hire the consultant while the remainder will be used for implementation projects after the adoption of the comprehensive plan, according to the contract.
The council approved the contracts for the first two grants as part of its consent agenda in January 16.
The first grant is for $75,000 to help the city support medium-density housing, so-called the “missing middle” by city planners due to the lack of such housing.
The grant will be used to hire consultants to assist the city with state requirements as it amends the city’s development code to encourage medium-density housing.
The contract would result in the drafting and eventual adoption of an ordinance amending the city’s development code.
The second grant is for $125,000 and would also be used to hire consultants to help the city amend its transportation and economic development plans, which are components of the comprehensive plan.
During the Tuesday meeting, Medrud also discussed with the council how the council wants to prioritize the usage of the Community Development Block Grant (CBDG). He recommended that the city council allocate 80% of the grant for low-income housing projects.
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) annually issues CBDG funds to help local governments provide housing and economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income households.
According to documents prepared for the meeting, Tumwater shares the fund with Lacey and south Thurston County in an alternate manner so that each jurisdiction benefits from the grant every three years. Olympia has an entitlement to the grant and receives separate funding.
Medrud told the council that the exact amount of the grant is still being determined but he expects it to be similar to what they last received in 2021, which was slightly above a million dollars.
As the county administers the grant, Medrud said that 20% of the grant would be used to cover the county’s administrative costs. The city would use the rest of the grant to help organizations through capital projects or social service activities.
Medrud said that after the council determines the parameters for awarding the funds, the Thurston County Public Health and Social Services would conduct the selection process by sending a request for proposal (RFP).
The city council will review the proposals and recommend to the Board of County Commissioners how the funds can be allocated. The county commissioners will ultimately approve the allocation of the funds after a public hearing.
According to city staff’s timeline, the RFP will be issued by February 23. Tumwater City Council is expected to make its recommendations by May while the BoCC is scheduled to finalize the allocations by June.
In 2021, the majority of the grants were used to fund capital projects of four non-profits. According to Medrud, the funds were used to support Homes First’s affordable rental homes, Housing Authority of Thurston County’s Sequoia Landing project, and home repairs by Rebuilding Together Thurston County and SPS Habitat for Humanity, whose townhomes project also benefited from the grant.
The 2021 grant was also used to finance social service activities of organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs of Thurston County, Catholic Community Service, Senior Service for South Sound, and TOGETHER!
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