Tacoma City Council is scheduled to discuss amendments to the city’s critical area preservation code during its study session at noon on Tues., April 17.

City Council is considering revisions to the city’s development regulations relative to critical areas, as recommended by the Planning Commission. Critical areas include aquifer recharge areas, fish and wildlife habitat areas, flood hazard areas, geologically hazardous areas, streams, and wetlands. The Planning Commission’s recommended changes would remove barriers to voluntary restoration and enhancement activities within the city’s critical areas, as well as simplify and streamline permit requirements and enable the use of new mitigation tools, such as wetland mitigation banks and in-lieu fee programs. A public hearing on the proposed amendments will be held on Tues., April 17 at 5:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers on the first floor of the Tacoma Municipal Building, located 747 Market Street. Additional information is online at http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?hid=17204 .

As a second item on Tuesday’s study session agenda,  staff will provide a follow-up to the Nov. 1, 2011 study session discussion on capital projects prioritization criteria.  The discussion will include staff recommendations for prioritization of available bond reallocations. In addition, staff will provide a follow-up to previous City Council conversations regarding future infrastructure funding strategies.

City Council will not take public comment during the study session on April 17, which will be held in the Tacoma Municipal Building North, 733 Market St., Room 16. Audio from the session will be broadcast live on TV Tacoma and on http://www.tvtacoma.com . On-demand audio archives are available on the Web within 24 hours of the meeting at http://www.tvtacoma.com .