Imagine Olympia

The Process

Phase 1 - Scoping

For the past year the City has been asking community members to imagine the city over the next 20 years. We wondered, what are your hopes and dreams for Olympia? What are your priorities? What would a perfect day in the Olympia of the future be like?

This year-long conversation took place through meetings both small and large, online comments, mailed-in forms, a phone survey, as well as numerous personal interviews. We learned a lot about what matters to our community.

Phase 2 - Focus Areas

After reviewing the hundreds of comments collected during Phase 1, your Planning Commission selected four focus areas around which to engage the community in a deeper dialogue.  The focus areas are downtown, high density corridors, neighborhood planning, and environmental stewardship.

The Commission hosted meetings from October 2010 through Spring 2011 in an effort to learn more specific concerns and preferences of the community as well as to share the City’s constraints and challenges around these issues, with additional opportunities to get involved online.

Learn more about what we heard at the focus meetings.

NEWSFLASH!

Gov. Chris Gregoire honored Olympia with a 2011 Smart Communities Award for creating livable communities in Washington State!

 

Olympia received the Smart Vision Award for Comprehensive Planning

for the Imagine Olympia Public Participation Program.  

 

What's next? Keep reading to find out!

Phase 3 - Drafting, Public Hearings & Adoption

Staff will be drafting the Comprehensive Plan update for the remainder of 2011.  Changes may include incorporating new demographic, scientific and technological information, removing outdated references or goals, and reflecting the desires of the community as expressed through our multi-year outreach process.  The City Council also asked staff to make the plan more accessible to the public in terms of readability and internet friendliness.

Beginning in September of 2011, the Planning Commission's Comprehensive Plan Committee will meet with staff to discuss potential policy updates.  These meetings are open to the public.  Check the What's Happening page for dates and times.

In spring of 2012, City staff will release a draft of the Plan update.  Staff will host public meetings to explain the changes, and there will be a public comment period.  Later in the year, both the Planning Commission and City Council will hold public hearings.  It's important to remember that this isn't an entirely new Comprehensive Plan, but rather a review of our existing Plan. The City Council will ultimately adopt the update.

Phase 4 - Implementation

As part of the update, the City will develop an Implementation Strategy with performance measures to help us implement and communicate what's in the Plan.  Action items may include zoning code amendments, new programs, projects or partnerships.