Tumwater S.W. UGA Resizing and Land Use Analysis

The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners will be holding a public hearing on this topic on May 27, 2010 at 5:30 P.M. in Room 152 of the Thurston County Courthouse Complex. 

Background

The southwest portion of the City of Tumwater Urban Growth Area (UGA) has a number of unique environmental challenges that have been identified and studied. These challenges include high groundwater, endangered and threatened species, and wetlands. More information has become available since the inception of the UGA zoning in 1994. For more information, please click on the documents link above.

Salmon Creek Drainage Basin

The Salmon Creek Comprehensive Drainage Basin Plan adopted by Thurston County and the City of Tumwater in 2004 was an intensive look at the high groundwater issues in the basin. The Salmon Creek Basin is located just south of the Olympia Regional Airport and the Tumwater city limits, and encompasses approximately 12 square miles.

Above average rainfall caused localized flooding in the rainy seasons of 1996 to 97 and 1998 to 99. Property owners experienced a range of conditions – from high groundwater around and under homes, to failed septic systems, contaminated drinking water, and restricted access to property.

The plan includes recommendations for future actions by both the City of Tumwater and Thurston County to reduce and prevent flooding impacts. To date, the plan has resulted in:

• Very careful stormwater planning in the basin; 
• Removing a small area south of 93rd Avenue SE between Old Highway 99 and Hart Road SE from the City of Tumwater UGA; and
• Rezoning many of the basin properties in the rural county to a more compatible zoning district.

One of the remaining implementation measures called for in the plan is to study the land use and zoning within the City of Tumwater’s UGA that are affected by high groundwater issues.

For more information on the Salmon Creek Basin, please see Thurston County’s Salmon Creek Comprehensive Drainage Bain Plan web page.

Subdivision Moratorium

During the UGA study, the County found significant environmental constraints to development in several locations. In the City of Tumwater UGA, this included the Littlerock Road study area and the 88th Avenue study area. For more information on the Thurston County Subdivision Moratorium, please contact Jeremy Davis (see contact information below) or you can go to the Subdivision Moratorium web page.

Study Area and Scope

The land use analysis study area includes the properties under the subdivision moratorium in the unincorporated portions of the City of Tumwater Urban Growth Area as well as other properties generally located between the southern City of Tumwater boundary and the Urban Growth Area boundary. Please see the Area Map under the documents tab above.

This focus of this project will be to study the environmental constraints and to reassess the land use and zoning of properties in the southwest portion of the City of Tumwater Urban Growth Area that have been impacted by high groundwater, wetlands, and other factors. This assessment may lead to no change in the land use and zoning, changing the land use and zoning to a lesser urban land use and zoning designation, or removing the property from the City of Tumwater Urban Growth Area boundary.

Proposal

The City of Tumwater and Thurston County have analyzed land use constraints present in the area and narrowed the scope down to five specific areas of greatest concern. These include:

1. 101st Avenue Study Area
2. 88th Avenue Study Area
3. Littlerock Road Study Area – Subarea 1
4. Littlerock Road Study Area – Subarea 2 (Skiview Lake)
5. 93rd Avenue SW/Blomberg Street SW Study Area

Several options are available for each of the study areas depending on the location and environmental constraints. Options include removing properties from the Urban Growth Area and rezoning, rezoning to a less intense zoning district, or no change.  

Based on public testimony at public hearings, the Tumwater City Council and the Thurston County Planning Commission revised the areas of greatest concern.  The boundaries of both the Littlerock Road study areas have been consolidated and expanded to include more properties.  In addition, the 93rd Avenue SW/Blomberg Street SW Study Area has been consolidated with the Littlerock Road Study Area. The boundaries of the 101st Avenue and 88th Avenue study areas have not changed.

• On March 16, 2010, the Tumwater City Council made its recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.  Click here for the City Council's recommendation.
• On March 17, 2010, the Thurston County Planning Commission made a recommendation consistent with the City’s recommendation.
• On May 7, 2010, the Urban Growth Management Subcommittee of the Thurston Regional Planning Council recommended that the proposed changes complied with the County-Wide Planning Policies for reducing an Urban Growth Area.

Recommendation Summary

Remove the revised Littlerock Road Study Area from the Tumwater Urban Growth Area.  This includes approximately 172 properties totaling about 853 acres.  Properties removed from the Urban Growth Area would be rezoned from the current urban designations to rural designations.  The Thurston County Planning Commission has recommended that properties in the study area south of Littlerock Road would be redesignated Rural One Unit per Ten Acres (R 1/10), and properties in the study area north of Littlerock Road would be redesignated Rural Residential and Resource One Unit per Five Acres (RRR 1/5).

• Downzone the 88th Avenue Study Area, which includes approximately 71 properties totaling 128 acres.  The properties would be downzoned from Single Family Low (4-7 units per acre) to Residential/Sensitive Resource (2-4 units per acre).
• Leave the 101st Avenue Study Area in the Tumwater Urban Growth Area.
• Amend the text in the Tumwater/Thurston County Joint Plan to reflect the proposed land use changes.
• The Thurston County Planning Commission has recommended the Thurston County Comprehensive Plan land use tables be amended to reflect the changes in the Urban Growth Area as well as Map M-14.

For the revised staff report, maps, and a complete list of changes, please see the staff report on the Documents and Maps page.

Next Steps

The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners will be holding a public hearing on May 27, 2010 at 5:30 P.M. in Room 152 of the Thurston County Courthouse Complex. 

Contact Us

Interested Parties: If you would like to be added to our Web Mail list, please click here.

Thurston County staff contact: Jeremy Davis, Associate Planner
Phone: (360) 754-3355, x7010
E-mail: davisj@co.thurston.wa.us.

Tumwater staff contact: David Ginther, Associate Planner
Tumwater Planning and Facilities Department
Phone: (360) 754-4210
E-mail: dginther@ci.tumwater.wa.us