Olympia 2045: Community Values & Vision

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 Community Values & Vision chapter update. To learn more about the general update process or other chapters, visit our Comprehensive Plan Update home page.

What does the Community Values & Vision chapter address?

This chapter captures the aspirations our community holds for the future of Olympia, based on shared values.

The land acknowledgement at the beginning of the chapter recognizes that the City of Olympia resides within the traditional lands of the Steh-Chass band of indigenous people of the Squaxin Island Tribe, who were removed from their land for the settlement that became Olympia. It also recognizes the need for additional work to overcome past wrongs because institutional and systemic barriers are still prevalent and have resulted in a lack of equitable access to resources and opportunities. An equity section includes additional information about how our community is becoming more diverse and that we will strive for an inclusive community for all to enjoy.

Then, for each of the Plan’s existing chapters, there is a statement about what we value related to that topic. Next, a vision statement of what the future of Olympia will be like is provided.

The community values and vision help shape the entirety of the Comprehensive Plan

What recent plans/work influence this update?

Our community values shape everything we do. The City of Olympia has been doing a lot of work since the plan was adopted in 2014 to implement it. This includes investments in parks and infrastructure, community services, and updates to engineering standards and development regulations. It also includes ongoing work around public safety, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

How to get involved

During the summer, staff will report back on the feedback we received from the questionnaire that was open during May. Results will influence the update of the chapters. To get involved, follow the update webpages for opportunities to participate, sign up for the “Planning and Development” newsletter at olympiawa.gov/subscribe, and become a party of record by sending a request to olympia2045@ci.olympia.wa.us.