Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Comprehensive Plan Update topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Thurston County planning commission opens public hearing on Thurston 2045 comprehensive plan update
Summary
Thurston County Planning Commission on April 23 held a hybrid public hearing on the Thurston 2045 comprehensive plan periodic update, reviewing chapter changes, outreach to date and next steps; written comments accepted through April 27.
The Thurston County Planning Commission on April 23 held a hybrid public hearing on Thurston 2045, the county’s periodic comprehensive plan update required under the Growth Management Act (RCW 36.70A), opening a public comment period that remains active through Sunday, April 27 at 11:59 p.m.
Maya Tipple, senior planner with Thurston County Community Planning, told the commission the periodic update covers the next 20 years and “brings the plan in alignment with recent changes in state law,” calling out housing and climate as the major state-driven changes in this cycle. Tipple said the county has conducted more than 30 community engagement events, sent multiple mailings and notices, and collected more than 600 comments over the life of the project; about 30 comments had been filed specifically for this hearing as of 4 p.m. the day of the meeting.
The draft public hearing packet before the commission includes updated data, rewritten chapters and a set of proposed development regulation changes. Tipple and Associate Planner Anna Rodriguez summarized chapter-level changes: a full repeal-and-replace of the housing chapter with income-level projections and a racially disparate impacts assessment; a new climate chapter to address mitigation and resilience; updated natural resources, utilities, transportation and capital facilities chapters; and a new implementation appendix with actions and metrics intended as a living document.
Commission staff described proposed development regulation changes that accompany the plan, including updates for military compatibility, new standards for electric vehicle infrastructure, a new solar energy chapter, and a chapter for alternative energy storage systems. Staff also outlined housing-related code changes such as permitting permanent supportive and transitional housing countywide (subject to zoning and other regulations), expanded allowance for accessory dwelling units in some areas, and two options proposed for the Grand Mound urban growth area.
The commission open hearing is the first of two public hearings; the chair closed the session in order to reopen the hearing at a later date during a scheduled Saturday session. Written comments on the draft will be accepted through April 27 and can be submitted at thurston2045.org, the staff said.
The planning commission did not take final action on the plan at the April 23 hearing; staff said additional work sessions will follow the hearings to refine chapter ordering, climate mitigation strategies and other details before a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.
