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Regional plan debate over Log Cabin Road extension prompts council request for more jurisdictional guidance
Summary
Public comment and Transportation Policy Board discussion about the proposed Log Cabin Road extension and the regional transportation plan prompted the council to postpone a recommendation. Council asked jurisdictions to consult their full bodies before the board’s July meetings because of easement, funding and planning consequences.
Public comment and council reports at the June 17 Lacey City Council meeting brought renewed attention to the Log Cabin Road extension and the regional transportation plan (RTP). A citizen urged the city and regional board to remove the proposed road from the RTP; council and regional staff described a complex, decades‑long history and asked member jurisdictions for clearer guidance before the Transportation Policy Board (TPB) and regional board take final action.
In public comment, Mike Ruth opposed the Log Cabin Road extension, describing the LBA Woods as a park of regional significance and asking regional officials to respect Olympia’s earlier decision to remove the road from that city’s comprehensive plan. At length, Mayor Andy Reiter and other councilmembers recounted the corridor’s history: the route has been discussed and planned regionally for decades, Lacey funded portions of the corridor (including the Mullen Road extension), and Olympia later redesigned a segment to reduce tree impacts during its design phase.
TRPC staff ran quick modeling ahead of the TPB meeting and said removing the corridor without a study shows localized street failures and increased congestion on routes such as Yelm Highway. Several council and board members indicated the issue is not only environmental or local; it affects funding eligibility and long‑term regional mobility. TRPC staff further advised that removing the project from the RTP could have unintended consequences because an existing road easement through the parcel could lapse if the project is removed from the project list.
Because the TPB wished to ensure full jurisdictions had opportunity to weigh in, the council’s regional representative asked peers to consult their full city or county bodies. The Transportation Policy Board tabled a recommendation and requested jurisdictional guidance; staff scheduled a July 8 Lacey work session and the TPB will meet July 9, with a TRPC meeting and potential final action on the RTP expected July 11. Councilmembers emphasized the need for jurisdictions to provide formal positions so the regional board can act with complete context.
