Thurston County planning commission hears public push to strengthen critical areas ordinance

Thurston County Planning Commission members heard more than an hour of public comment urging stronger protections in the county's Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) and a staff briefing on how those suggestions would be handled.

"My ask is that staff incorporate these requests into the CAO update," said Christy White, who proposed adding at least six habitat types, seven species and a dozen best-management or restoration activities and directed commissioners to Whatcom County's CAO as a model. "There's a lot of data," she added, asking staff to review the links she supplied.

The commission's staff presentation, led by Claire, reviewed the county's terrestrial fish-and-wildlife habitat categories drawn from state priority-habitats-and-species (PHS) guidance. Claire listed habitat types that the county treats as fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas, including prairie, oak savannah, old-growth and mature forest stands, talus and seeps. She told the commission that prairie now accounts for roughly 3% of the county and said the CAO can step in where regional Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) leave gaps.

Commissioners and commenters pressed for clearer implementation tools: screening maps, a public verification letter for applicants, mitigation sequencing (avoid, minimize, mitigate), and mitigation-banking options. "We could do something like mitigation banking," a staff member said when the Tumwater tree debate arose during public comment; later staff confirmed the county will explore mitigation-banking ideas tied to county-owned restoration projects.

Several speakers said cumulative impacts should be tracked and reported. "Track and report on cumulative habitat loss from your permitting," Betsy Norton of the South Sound Bird Alliance urged, recommending use of U.S. Fish and Wildlife and WDFW lists and calling for preservation of mature native trees and snags where species depend on refugia.

Staff told the commission they plan to publish a gap analysis that documents how code changes reflect the best available science and provides a transparent "matrix" showing what changed and why. Staff also announced nearly $500,000 from the Washington State Department of Commerce to develop a countywide net-ecological-gain assessment framework in partnership with the Thurston Conservation District. Staff said the metrics, public-access tools and timeline for that framework remain under development.

Commissioners discussed several practical protections and incentives: using screening maps and prescriptive parcel-level standards so applicants know what rules apply; title-notice requirements to disclose protected features; and possible moratoria tied to conversion permits. Commissioners and staff noted implementation challenges, including limited county resources and the need to avoid perverse incentives (for example, people cutting trees before protections take effect).

The commission asked staff to return with implementation-level proposals and to clarify which policy questions require explicit commission direction. Staff said some CAO code chapters will be revised on a second-draft schedule after gap-analysis work, and that other chapters will be paired with a first-draft gap analysis.

What's next: staff will continue drafting CAO code updates alongside the gap-analysis documentation and will return to the commission with more detailed proposals and maps in upcoming meetings (the commission noted May 20 and June 3 as meeting dates).