Thurston County staff propose 30-day neighbor notice before transferring surplus land for affordable housing

County staff told the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday that an amendment to county code would add a 30‑day notice to surrounding property owners before the board takes formal action to transfer surplus public land for affordable housing.

"We did work with counsel ... to add an additional paragraph to provide 30 Day notification to surrounding property owners," said Rick Thomas, capital projects planning manager, summarizing the draft. Thomas described the notice as a postcard or mailed notice to property owners roughly within 500 feet and said any comments received would be brought to the board for consideration before final action.

The change is intended to implement greater transparency after public testimony the board heard on May 20 about transfers of county land for housing. Thomas said the added paragraph merely inserts notification language into the existing ordinance; "everything else is the same in the ordinance."

Board members clarified how the notice would operate. Thomas said the notice would provide contact information for people with questions and that staff would report back to the board if outreach produced comments. He also said staff adapted the wording from the county's land‑use code to make the approach consistent with existing notification standards.

Commissioners noted that adding a 30‑day notice will delay any immediate property transfers. The county manager confirmed the effect: if the board approves the code change, staff will send notices and then return after the 30‑day period; the previously planned Homes First property transfer will not be on the agenda until that notice period completes.

No formal vote on the ordinance occurred at the work session; the item was reviewed by staff for placement on the board's upcoming business meeting agenda. Staff identified the amendment as a response to public comment and to ensure transparency to neighbors before disposition of county property.

Ending

If the board moves the amendment forward at its public meeting, staff said they will mail or otherwise deliver notices, accept any responses, and list received outreach in the subsequent agenda materials for the board's final decision. The exact mailed language and final ordinance text will appear in the agenda packet when the item is scheduled for the board's formal vote.