Lacey responds to proposed RV site near city, announces expectations for such sites
Lacey City Council discussed on Thursday a draft letter it plans to share with Thurston County about a proposed, temporary RV site for 15-20 vehicles on county property near the city.
The sharing was supposed to happen during a virtual town hall on Oct. 14, but that county meeting about 720 Carpenter Road NE was postponed, possibly until early November, county officials announced on Monday.
Still, the council went over the expectations for the site, and then Mayor Andy Ryder took it a step further, declaring the letter contained the framework for how the city plans to address homelessness and what it expects from its partners.
“I really think this is an opportunity to talk about Lacey’s vision when it comes to this issue,” he said, adding, “this is our philosophy.”
As for the RV site, the council requests the following: on-site services, 24/7 security, including someone to control access to the site so that it doesn’t exceed 20 vehicles. They also don’t believe that hundreds of thousands of dollars need to be spent on infrastructure if it’s truly a temporary site, and they want some assurances that parking will be enforced on Ensign Road in Olympia.
If parking is not enforced, then we’re back to square one when it comes to this problem, City Manager Scott Spence said.
Under the proposal, 15-20 RVs would move from Ensign Road to the Carpenter Road site. The council also asked for a specific end date for the site that could be shared with neighboring property owners. The county has said 6-7 months.
Going forward, the council also outlined in the letter what it expects from the city and its partner jurisdictions on the topic of homeless encampments:
▪ All government established sites serving homeless 24/7 must have proper security, on-site services, and active case management.
▪ Jurisdictions must enforce existing rules, standards and regulations on public property, including streets and rights-of-way, to preserve safety and prevent environmental degradation.
▪ Camping ordinances within Thurston County, and its incorporated communities, need to be consistent and uniformly enforced.
▪ Private property must be protected from trespassing.
▪ Thurston County governments adjacent to state Department of Transportation property must collaborate with the state to prevent our interstate rights-of-way from becoming sites for unsafe encampments.
Lacey has an agreement with DOT regarding those camped on state property near the city, according to information shared with The Olympian. Signed in August 2020, the agreement allows the city to enter state property at freeway Exits 108, 109 and 111 and enforce all state and municipal laws, including trespassing.
“WSDOT and the city want to ensure that the number of persons occupying WSDOT property does not increase,” the document reads.
Ryder claimed the DOT arrangement does not exist in Olympia, so those campers who are moved can “simply go to the other side of the interchange.”
Councilwoman Carolyn Cox said she was mostly supportive of the letter, but she also asked: How firmly are we drawing a line in the sand?
“I have no problem at all saying Lacey has high standards and we want everybody working on the same page and let’s do these things together, but I also don’t want the letter to be seen as a threat,” she said.
Such as: “It’s our way or the highway or we’re going to take our toys and go home if you don’t play the way we want you to,” she said.
Mayor Ryder was sympathetic to her concerns, but unmoved.
“I hear what you’re saying, but I feel like we have to set expectations when you go into any regional conversation or negotiations,” he said. “This is our expectation. I am very comfortable going into any conversation in the region with this outline. This is where Lacey stands.”
This story was originally published October 15, 2021 at 4:45 AM.
