Thurston County adopts Thurston 2045 comprehensive plan update amid heated debate over Black Lake Quarry rezone
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Summary
After months of review and public testimony, the Board of County Commissioners adopted the Thurston 2045 comprehensive-plan amendments and implementing ordinances, including a contentious applicant-initiated rezone for the Black Lake Quarry (CPA 24) that opponents urged be deferred for more study. The board also added a temporary cap and annual review for rural detached ADUs.
The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners approved a sweeping update to the county’s long-range policy framework, Thurston 2045, on Dec. 16, adopting both a resolution to amend the comprehensive plan and an implementing ordinance to change development regulations and zoning maps.
The package covers more than 790 policy changes, updates to the Grand Mound subarea plan, the capital improvement appendix and several site-specific items. The board approved the resolution and then the ordinance, the latter passing on a 4–1 vote.
Why it matters: The update sets the county’s land-use and climate policy direction for the next two decades and includes changes that affect housing, transportation and environmental protections. The package also contains CPA 24, an applicant-initiated request to rezone roughly 247 acres at the former Black Lake Quarry to Rural Resource Industrial (RRI), which sparked the most sustained public opposition at the hearing.
Opponents and proponents: More than three dozen speakers addressed the board on CPA 24 and other items during an extended public-comment period. Neighbors, conservation groups and birding organizations urged the board to remove CPA 24 from the annual adoption package and place it on the 2026 docket, citing proximity to the Black River National Wildlife Refuge, mapped wetlands, critical aquifer recharge areas, and habitat for the Oregon spotted frog. “Please wait to consider the rezone request and place it on the 2026 docket,” said Kathleen Snyder, representing local conservation interests.
The property owner and supporters argued the rezone has been reviewed for years, that the mining operation can continue under current permits, and that rezoning would provide a managed place for certain resource-related industries. The applicant representative said changes had been made to the request in response to public feedback, including removing 24 acres of the most sensitive area from the application.
Staff analysis and legal framing: CPED staff and the county hydrogeologist told the board their review compared potential future development under the proposed zoning to the existing lawful baseline (the currently vested mine), following SEPA and state guidance. Staff issued a mitigated determination of nonsignificance (MDNS) that was not appealed; conditions in the MDNS are tied to critical aquifer recharge protections and would apply at the time of any development. Staff also noted that even under RRI zoning, mining activities would still require special-use permitting and SEPA review in many cases.
ADU change: The board adopted a separate amendment to the package that sets an initial annual cap of 50 rural detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and requires yearly staff review and a report to the board. Staff noted fewer than 20 detached ADU permits have been applied for countywide since 2020.
Board vote and next steps: After an extended debate in which several commissioners expressed concern about the quality and timing of information and the strength of environmental protections, the board adopted the comprehensive-plan resolution and the implementing ordinance. The ordinance passed 4–1. CPA 24 remains part of the 2025 adoption; the zoning change does not itself authorize a development project — future site-specific proposals would continue to require permits, environmental review and any applicable mitigation.
