Port rethinks request for county to delay rezoning

Change would make Maytown development more difficult

By Jim Szymanski | The Olympian • Published March 21, 2008

The Port of Olympia on Friday withdrew a request for Thurston County officials to delay a zoning decision that could have made it more difficult to develop a Maytown-area cargo facility under consideration on Port of Tacoma property.

The Olympia port is joining with the Port of Tacoma to consider developing a south Thurston County facility where cargo would be transferred between trucks and trains. Port of Tacoma officials think such a facility could speed deliveries through the use of trains to avoid trucking delays during Interstate 5 traffic problems.

In a January letter to county officials, both ports asked that a request by citizens to rezone a 745-acre site owned by the Port of Tacoma be delayed until the Tacoma port decided whether to build the cargo center. The Port of Tacoma owns the Maytown-area site but has not decided whether to build the cargo center.

Citizens known as Friends of Rocky Prairie want county officials to rezone the site in such a way that it would make an industrial development proposal out of character with its rural surroundings. The citizens' request would allow less-dense development of the site, making its industrial facets out of character with its rural surroundings.

In withdrawing the Port of Olympia's request for a delay executive director Ed Galligan said he made the move to ensure open and free dialogue about the development idea.

"The Port of Olympia is committed to First Amendment rights, transparency and open dialogue in public process," Galligan wrote in his letter to Donald Krupp, Thurston County's chief administrative officer.

If the Port of Tacoma gets its way, there will be no public discussion this year of the rezoning request by Friends of Rocky Prairie, a group of Maytown-area activists opposed to the cargo project.

A spokeswoman for the group praised Galligan's letter.

"Olympia doesn't want to be party to something that would stifle public discussion," said Sharron Coontz, who opposes to the Maytown cargo center project. "Congratulations to them. They're listening to their public."

Tacoma port officials have not withdrawn their request for county officials to put off a rezoning decision.

Tacoma port officials think that changing the zoning on their property would devalue it as the site of a possible industrial center, John Wolfe, deputy director of the Tacoma port, said.

The Tacoma port paid $22 million to acquire the site for possible development.

Olympia Port Commissioner George Barner, an opponent of the Maytown site for a cargo center, also complimented Galligan for withdrawing the Port of Olympia's request. Barner said he was not consulted before the ports asked in January for a delay in deciding the rezoning request.

"I think it's a reasonable thing to do," Barner said. "We have an interest in this process, but I don't think it runs so deep that we would attempt to alter the county's (zoning) review process, or be perceived as trying to alter it."

Jim Szymanski is business editor for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-357-0748 or jszymanski@theolympian.com.