Olympia 2045: Housing

What’s happening?

Every 10 years, the City is required by State law to review and update its Comprehensive Plan. This update will look out to year 2045 to show, among other things, how the City will accommodate new population and employment growth. It is also an opportunity to make sure the Plan and Development Regulations meet current state requirements that may have changed since the last major update of the Plan.

Each chapter of the Comprehensive Plan will be updated individually, with its own public participation process and opportunities to provide feedback.

This page is for the Housing chapter update. To learn more about the general update process or other chapters, visit our Comprehensive Plan Update home page.

What does the Housing chapter address?

Housing will be a new chapter in the Olympia 2045 plan. Currently, housing issues are addressed in the Land Use and Urban Design and Public Services chapters.

This chapter will provide policies and guidance for addressing the housing shortage in the community. It will address multiple aspects of housing such as: existing housing conditions; supply; affordability; population growth; and planning for future residents of Olympia.

What recent plans/work influence this update?

The City is working to address the varied aspects of the housing issue within the community. Efforts include work to implement the recommendations and policies within the Housing Action Plan, participation on the Regional Housing Council, and a City department dedicated to addressing affordable housing and providing support and temporary housing for unhoused residents.

The Growth Management Act was recently amended to include several new requirements around housing issues, which will be addressed in the update.

How to get involved

We anticipate beginning the public participation on the Housing chapter in Spring/Summer 2024. Details on how to get involved will be added here as they are available.