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Commission ties commute trip reduction, remote‑work supports and EV permitting to permit‑review updates
Summary
Planning commissioners asked staff to tie county climate actions to the regional Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program, add remote‑work infrastructure support to implementation language, and to include residential EV permitting streamlining in implementation actions.
Thurston County planning commissioners on May 21 asked staff to weave several transportation and electrification items into the permit review and climate implementation actions: reference the regional Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program for county employee and employer strategies, include remote‑work infrastructure support as part of low‑carbon transportation efforts, and add a discrete implementation item encouraging simplified residential EV charging permitting.
Rebecca Harvey and other staff proposed linking an action calling for county agencies to increase teleworking and staggered workdays to the regional CTR program administered through TRPC and the county’s updated local CTR plan. Commissioners agreed and directed staff to add language that connects county commitments to the regional CTR program, to monitor progress toward CTR targets at County worksites, and to develop an internal county CTR policy for employees.
The commission discussed the phrasing for remote work. Commissioners preferred the term “remote work” over “telework” and asked staff to include remote‑work infrastructure support (broadly defined to include broadband access, employer incentives and other supports) in the implementation language so that promoting option adoption is paired with concrete infrastructure measures.
On electric vehicles, staff noted existing state requirements for EV‑ready and EV‑capable buildings and suggested that the county add an implementation bullet to create “a simple and consistent residential charging station permitting process to reduce costs and time to development.” Commissioners approved adding a permitting‑streamlining action and asked staff to capture it in IPCL 19 for follow up.
The commission also approved an educational campaign action to promote efficient driving practices and low‑carbon vehicle choices. Staff suggested referencing the existing “Don’t Wait to Inflate” tire‑inflation campaign as an example to include within county outreach.
Next steps: staff will revise the implementation actions to reference the regional CTR program, insert the remote‑work infrastructure language, add the residential EV permitting streamlining bullet to IPCL 19, and schedule follow‑up code language drafting for future meetings.
