Sept. 23, 2022
This week the Lakewood Planning Commission began the city’s 2024 Periodic Review process. It started with an overview and introduction of what to expect in the coming months.
All cities and counties in Washington are required to conduct a periodic review and potential update of their Comprehensive Plan and development regulations. Lakewood’s next periodic review must be completed by December 21, 2024. Future periodic reviews will be conducted every 10 years.
Five years after the review and a revision of the Comprehensive Plan the city is required to submit an implementation progress report on key outcomes. Counties and cities must be up-to-date with the requirements of the Growth Management Act (GMA), including the periodic update requirements, to be eligible for grants and loans from certain state infrastructure programs.
There are five overall tasks counties and cities must take during the periodic update process:
- Establish a work program (including a public participation plan) and schedule.
- Review, and revise where needed, relevant plans and regulations.
- Conduct a public engagement program throughout the periodic update process.
- Submit notice to the state.
- Take legislative action on proposed amendments.
As part of the 2024 Periodic Review the city will also reorganize its Comprehensive Plan to be more readable and easily updated in the future.
Focus of the review
The city’s 2024 Periodic Review will focus on local housing planning. This includes total number of needed units, and numbers of affordable units to various income bands. This is a result of recent state legislation and regional planning policy updates due to the statewide housing crisis.
In addition to the GMA-required Comprehensive Plan elements, Lakewood adopted three subarea plans and associated development regulations: Tillicum, Downtown and Lakewood Station District. The city will update the Tillicum Neighborhood Plan and conduct the 2024 biennial review of the Downtown Subarea Plan as part of its 2024 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Review.
City staff will bring updates regarding the 2024 Periodic Review to the Planning Commission for the remainder of 2022 and regularly in 2023 and 2024. Next year the commission will also review the 2023 Comprehensive Plan amendment docket and the 2023 biennial review of the Lakewood Station District.
Learn more at the city’s 2024 Periodic Review website. View Planning Commission meeting materials here and watch commission meetings live or after the fact here. Information about how the public can get involved will be shared as opportunities are available.
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