Housing Action Plan: View the Storymap and Take the Survey

Washington State is in the midst of an affordable Housing Crisis and We’re Feeling it in Thurston County

Washington State is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis and we’re feeling it in Thurston County. New housing production is not keeping pace with demand. Renters struggle to find affordable units and first-time home buyers are priced out of the market.

Olympia along with the Cities of Lacey and Tumwater and Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) are collaborating to tackle this challenge. We’ve assessed housing needs looking out over 25 years and identified actions we as cities can take to foster an adequate and affordable housing stock for current and future residents. Between now and June, each city will draw from this shared regional framework to develop city-specific Housing Action Plans.

Read our storymap for a summary of what we’ve learned about our local housing needs and how meeting these needs fits into Olympia’s Comprehensive Plan vision. From there, please take our survey at Engage Olympia to share more about your housing experiences and preferences, as well as your level of support for various actions. Your input will help inform Olympia’s Housing Action Plan.

The survey will close on March 28.

This project is an extension of ongoing work by the City of Olympia to address housing needs. Previous actions include more flexible codes to encourage accessory dwelling units, a voter-approved Home Fund to create permanent supportive housing, and a tax exemption to incentivize the development of multi-family housing. With this project, Olympia is identifying additional actions we can take, strengthening coordination with neighboring cities, developing ongoing data collection to inform decisions, and preparing for an update to our Comprehensive Plan housing element.

The project is funded by a state grant, aimed at helping cities take action to increase residential building capacity. The grant requires Olympia to adopt its Housing Action Plan by June 15. View the Storymap

TAKE THE SURVEY