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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, January 18, 2006
| Contact: |
Jennifer
Hayes, Senior Planner, 360-786-5477 for Rural Rezoning Project |
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Nancy Pritchett, Associate Planner, 360-754-3355x6474 for
LAMIRD Project |
Final County
Workshop On Rural Rezoning to be held Thursday Night
OLYMPIA – The last of four scheduled workshops
on rural planning will be held tomorrow night at the Rainier Sportsman’s
Club in Rainier. This workshop is aimed at residents and property owners in
the south/southeast area of Thurston County, including Yelm, Rainier, Tenino,
Bucoda, and Bald Hills areas. However, any interested County citizen is
invited to attend.
About 550 people so far have participated in
three previous workshops, held in other regions of Thurston County earlier
this month. Senior
Planner Jennifer Hayes says, "We’ve been getting a lot of great
participation. People have learned about why the County has been ordered to
consider some rezoning in the rural area. Most importantly, folks have been
giving us ideas about how to prioritize the types of lands the county should
study for rezoning.” Ideas and input generated by the workshops will be
shared with the Thurston County Planning Commission and the Board of County
Commissioners. Hayes says, “The
concerns we’re hearing from people, as well as their specific ideas about
where to look at rezoning, will all be shared with the decision-makers on this
issue. Once we’ve looked at all the input, it will be time to put together
some rezone study area options." Planners hope to present the information
to the Board of County Commissioners in late February. Later in the year, the
County will hold formal public hearings on the proposals.
Planners will continue to work on state-mandated revisions to rural zoning
throughout the year. In July 2005, the Western Washington Growth Management
Hearings Board ruled that zoning in the rural parts of Thurston County
did not provide enough variety of densities, which in other jurisdictions
includes areas such as one housing unit per 10 acres or one per 20.
The Hearings Board also asked the planners to review rural areas that
are denser than one housing unit per five acres and define them as “Limited
Areas of More Intensive Rural Development” (LAMIRDSs) if they meet specific
criteria; otherwise they must be rezoned.
The County held two open houses on the project in
December 2005. Questions and answers from those open houses will be posted on
the Thurston County GMA Compliance website (http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/permitting/GMA/)
soon.
Hayes says the workshops include an information
session followed by facilitated small group work.
Anyone interested may attend the workshop, although people from the
local area are especially encouraged to attend.
SOUTHEAST AREA WORKSHOP
·
6:30 – 9:00 PM, Thursday, January 19th, Rainier
Sportsman’s Club, 404 Alaska St., Rainier, WA
For more information on the Rural Rezoning or
LAMIRD projects, county residents can visit the county’s web site at http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/permitting/GMA/.
Those interested may also call Jennifer Hayes at 360-786-5477 for
information about the Rural Rezoning project or Nancy Pritchett at
360-754-3355x6474 for information about the LAMIRD project.
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