The Olympian

Input sought for land-use plan

County asks public for ideas to rezone rural areas

By Keri Brenner | The Olympian • Published June 30, 2007

Almost two years after Thurston County’s land-use plan was deemed afoul of the state’s 1990 Growth Management Act, the county commissioners on Monday again will seek public comments on how to fix it.

The commissioners, who already have received more than 100 comments on proposals to rezone rural lands, will conduct a public hearing on that issue at 6 p.m. at the Worthington Center at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey.

“The commissioners have hedged their bets,” John Sonnen, the county’s long-range planning director, said about a continuing legal process on the issue. “They’ve appealed these matters, and they’re also keeping other options open by conducting a public hearing and taking testimony.”

The hearing is the latest chapter in the county’s efforts to comply with a July 2005 ruling by the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board. The ruling, triggered by a complaint by land-use watchdog group Futurewise, said the county’s comprehensive plan was out of compliance with the state law in four areas:

• Too many pockets of high density zoning in the rural lands.

• Not enough variety in rural land zoning districts. Most of the rural lands in Thurston County are zoned for one home per 5 acres. The growth board said there should be lands rezoned for one home per 10 acres or one per 20 acres.

• Inadequate criteria for designating agricultural lands.

• An oversized urban growth area.

On June 18, the county adopted an ordinance to address two of the four issues: It reduced the number of high-density pockets and added new criteria to designate agricultural land. Monday’s hearing will look at the rural lands rezoning options.

On the fourth issue, the urban growth area boundary, the county has been given more time.

Under an extension order granted last month by the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board, the county’s deadline to reassess its urban growth area boundaries was moved to Nov. 30.

“Until you know what you’re doing with the rural rezoning, you can’t resize the urban growth area,” Sonnen said.

After Monday’s hearing, the commissioners have scheduled three work sessions to assess the public testimony. They are aiming for a possible decision by early August, Sonnen said.

At the same time, the county is continuing its legal appeal in the case to the state Supreme Court. The county commissioners decided to seek a ruling from the Supreme Court after an April 3 state Court of Appeals decision was inconclusive.

There was no word Friday on when or if the Supreme Court would hear the case.

Keri Brenner covers Thurston County and Tumwater for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5435 or kbrenner@theolympian.com.