Developer plans 105 new homes on Thurston Co. property with heritage trees
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- Developer proposes clearing 22-acre site near Tumwater to build 105 homes.
- Arborist report documents 2,144 trees, including 363 landmark and 15 heritage trees.
- Hearing examiner held public hearing April 14 with decision expected by May 4.
A local developer aims to clear a heavily forested property near Tumwater to build 105 new homes.
The 22-acre property is located at 1318 88th Ave. SW in rural Thurston County but within the Tumwater Urban Growth Area.
Tenino Land Co. LLC is proposing subdividing the property into 105 single-family lots and removing about 1 million board feet of timber, according to county documents. The plan has drawn the ire of some neighbors who worry about the environmental and traffic impacts of the project.
The developer applied for a preliminary plat in October 2024, and the Thurston County hearing examiner held a public hearing on April 14. County staff and representatives for the applicant detailed the project and responded to public comments during the hearing.
The hearing examiner’s decision is expected by May 4. However, it’s unclear when construction may start.
“The development process is very time-consuming and prone to delay and revision.” Todd Hansen of Tenino Land Co. LLC told The Olympian in an emailed statement.
If the preliminary plat is approved, the developer still needs to get approval for a civil construction plan before seeking construction bids, Hansen said.
“This process can take several months, and it is not certain that it will be complete in time to begin construction in this building season,” Hansen said.
What’s on the property now?
The property is between the southern end of the Olympia Regional Airport and Interstate 5. By available roads, it’s about a mile from George Bush Middle School.
There are two single-family homes and six outbuildings currently on the property, county documents show. About 16 acres, which is more than 70% of the property, is “heavily forested,” according to a Sept. 30, 2025, arborist report prepared by Collin Owen of SCJ Alliance, a consulting firm.
There are 2,144 trees on the property, per the report. Most are Douglas fir trees, but there are also hundreds of bigleaf maple and western red cedar trees among an assortment of others.
Of the total, 363 are considered landmark trees and 15 are considered heritage trees. Landmark trees are greater than 24 inches diameter at breast height (DBH) while heritage trees are greater than 40 inches DBH.
There’s a 74-inch diameter Douglas fir tree within an open space at the center of the site that appears to be in good health, per the report. The arborist estimated the tree is between 250 and 350 years old and recommended it be considered for preservation.
Brett Bures, planning manager with JSA Civil, LLC, the Tumwater-based engineering company working on the project, presented at the April 14 hearing on behalf of the applicant. He said the large Douglas fir will be removed.
“Stormwater, plat design are essentially the reasons why, unfortunately, we can’t keep that tree,” Bures said.
Under the proposed plan, the report says the buildings will be removed, and 55 landmark trees and zero heritage trees will remain.
What will be built on the property?
The developer is proposing 105 new homes in lots that are between 4,000 and over 14,500 square feet, according to a preliminary plat map prepared by JSA Civil LLC. A majority of the lots are on the smaller end, and the average lot size is expected to be about 5,440 square feet, per the map.
As part of the proposal, two access roads would be built that connect to 88th Avenue. There would also be a stormwater tract at the center and a tree tract along the northern boundary of the project.
The new homes would be served by water and sewer utilities from the City of Tumwater, while gas and power would come from Puget Sound Energy, per the documents.
County staff told the Hearing Examiner that the proposed project complies with Thurston County requirements, and the developer will have to pay applicable impact fees.
“I would just like to say that the project has been designed to meet the requirements of Thurston County, and we feel that it does,” Bures said. “So, we’re obviously hopeful that we can contribute a neighborhood to the community.”
What has the public said about the proposal?
The county has received several comments from people opposed to the project. Among them is Lindsay McCoy, a neighborhood resident who has raised awareness about the project on social media.
“I am not opposed to development,” McCoy said in an emailed public comment. “I recognize the area is growing and housing is needed. My concern is the scale and intensity of the project.”
Many of the commenters have objected to the removal of trees and cited concerns about environmental impacts. Others have shared concerns about how the development will change the neighborhood density, traffic impacts and the timeliness of public notices.
“This project will change the character of the neighborhood, not just one parcel,” McCoy said. “Concerns include noise, privacy, crime, lower property values and long-term livability.”
When reached for comment, Hansen said community concerns will be addressed by compliance with applicable regulations required of every project.
“As an investor and developer, I am equally motivated to ensure that the final design is not only compliant with all regulatory requirements but also results in a neighborhood that preserves the desirable qualities our community values,” Hansen said. “This creates some conflict as we work within the regulatory constraints in an effort to produce a compliant, desirable and affordable home.”
Scott McCormick, an associate planner at Thurston County Community Planning and Economic Development, said property owners within 300 feet of the project were notified as is expected for an urban growth area.
“When the notices go out, they go out to the property owners,” McCormick said. “They don’t always go to the people who actually live there, especially if they’re renting or don’t actually own the property.”
The notice radius would extend to 500 feet for a project in rural Thurston County, he said.
The notice for the public hearing was published in Nisqually Valley News on April 2, 2026, according to a copy of the notice filed with the hearing examiner.
How will the project affect traffic?
County documents include a traffic impact analysis prepared by SCJ Alliance and signed off by Ryan Shea, a certified professional transportation manager.
At the hearing, Shea said he worked with city of Tumwater staff and the Thurston Regional Planning Council to factor in traffic data and growth projections through 2031.
The analysis states the project will generate 104 new-to-network trips at the “PM peak hour,” including 66 inbound and 38 outbound trips. Shea said two nearby Tumwater intersections are projected to operate poorly: the I-5 northbound ramps at Tumwater Boulevard and Case Road at 93rd Avenue.
“All other study intersections were found to operate within the identified standard for both agencies,” Shea said.
Shea said the project will pay traffic impact fees and additional mitigation fees to the city of Tumwater to help address the deficiencies at both intersections.
In an April 8 memo about the project, city of Tumwater staff indicated the city plans to eventually convert the Tumwater Boulevard and I-5 interchange to a “roundabout diamond interchange.”
This will be done by replacing the southbound on and off ramp signal and northbound stop-controlled intersections with roundabouts, per the memo.
As for the Case Road and 93rd Avenue intersection, the city memo states that intersection is expected to perform poorly with and without the added traffic from the project. The city plans to eventually turn this intersection into a roundabout as well.
Shea described 88th Avenue as a “very low volume road.” He said he understands local’s concerns about the 105 homes changing the character of the road, but the analysis shows minimal impacts.
“While there will be some additional traffic volume on 88th (Avenue) as a result of this project, given the existing low volume nature of the corridor, there’s still a significant amount of capacity at those adjacent intersections, and we would expect minimal congestion and delay at those locations.”
