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Thurston County planning staff propose code changes to align permit timelines, expand some SEPA exemptions inside UGAs
Summary
Thurston County planning staff on Wednesday proposed a development‑code package to align local permit timelines with the state Local Project Review Act, widen some SEPA categorical exemptions for housing inside Urban Growth Areas and keep limited exemptions in rural county.
Thurston County planning staff on Wednesday recommended a package of changes to the development code that would align local permit review timelines with state law, broaden State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) categorical exemptions for housing inside Urban Growth Areas (UGAs) and keep limited exemptions in rural areas.
At issue: state law recently expanded categorical SEPA exemptions for housing to speed housing development. County staff told commissioners the county’s development code had not been updated since 1997 and runs timelines that differ from the state’s Local Project Review Act; the proposed code changes would synchronize the county code with the state statute.
Ashley, a Community Planning…
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