Thurston County has four separate zoning ordinances. One applies to the rural area (Title 20). The other three apply to the urban growth areas of Lacey, Olympia and Tumwater, to carry out the jointly adopted land use plans for those areas (Titles 21, 22 and 23). The urban growth area zoning ordinances are very similar to the cities' zoning ordinances. The County agreed to use each of the cities' development regulations as much as possible. That way, each urban growth area will develop in a way that is compatible with the bordering city.
The cities have passed amendments to their zoning ordinances, and the County now proposes to amend the urban growth area zoning ordinances to be similar. In addition, the County will consider additional clarifications and changes as well as amendments to the rural area zoning ordinance. Most of the changes proposed are minor adjustments, clarifications and corrections.
The County also proposes to amend the Critical Areas Ordinance as it applies to Designated Wellhead Protection areas. A few minor clarifications and technical corrections are also included
The following list identifies the general topics covered in amendment proposals for 1999:
Rural Area Zoning:
Parking Lot Landscaping
Clean-Ups
Olympia Urban Growth Area Zoning:
Clean-Ups
Junk Vehicles
Tumwater Urban Growth Area Zoning:
Accessory Dwelling Units in the Residential/
Sensitive Resource District
Clean-Ups
Junk Vehicles
Temporary Uses
Lacey Urban Growth Area Zoning:
Clean-Ups
Junk Vehicles
Temporary Uses
Critical Areas Ordinance
Wellhead Protection Areas
Clean-Ups
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Thurston County welcomes citizen participation in making decisions on development regulation changes. We offer a variety of ways that you can obtain information and provide comments on the proposed amendments to development regulations.
Proposal Information Available
Prior to the first public hearing, the County will prepare information for each amendment. Information will include a summary description, rationale for the change, the effect of the change, the review process schedule, and a staff contact for additional information. The proposal information may take the form of a fact sheet, a staff report, or a similar format. This information is available at the Thurston County Permit Assistance Center, Building 1, 2nd Floor, 2000 Lakeridge Drive SW, Olympia.
Reference Documents Available
To see how the amendment proposals would appear within the whole ordinance, visit a local library, or the Permit Assistance Center, which have reference copies of most ordinances. Development regulations may also be purchased at the Permit Assistance Center.
Attend Public Hearings
The Thurston County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing, and the Thurston County Board of Commissioners will hold another. Notices of public hearings are published in The Olympian at least twenty days before the public hearing. You can receive notices by mail by calling (360) 754-5467. Submit your comments either in person or by mail. Public hearings are usually held in the evenings.
Ask County Staff
Citizens are welcome to contact County staff to discuss amendment proposals. Staff is available by phone or by appointment. Staff can also attend neighborhood or civic organization meetings to promote open discussion of proposals. Call Jackie Kettman at (360) 754-5467 or Fred Knostman at (360) 709-3013 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The County's TDD line for the hearing impaired is (360) 7542933.
REVIEW SCHEDULE
A public hearing before the Thurston County Planning Commission is scheduled for May 19, 1999.
Call the County staff listed above for a copy of the public hearing notice. The Planning
Commission will discuss public testimony and develop a recommendation to the Board of County
Commissioners.
The Board of Commissioners will also hold a public hearing, probably in July 1999. The Board will
discuss public testimony and take action on the proposals, probably in August 1999.
Thurston County Development Services
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