Lacey Planning Commission reviews county’s rezone request for Martin Way property

The Lacey Planning Commission recently received an introductory briefing from Planning Manager Ryan Andrews on an out-of-cycle rezone request from Thurston County.

The request concerns an 8.17-acre parcel along the Martin Way corridor in the unincorporated portion of the Lacey Urban Growth Area.

The property, used primarily for trailer storage, has no permanent structures or access to water or sewer services.

Despite being partially developed, the southern portion of the site faced enforcement actions due to unauthorized tree removal and vehicle storage. According to Andrews, these violations fall under Thurston County's jurisdiction, not Lacey's.

"This application came up at the end of the joint planning process,” said Andrews. “Someone pointed out the split zoning, and while it was too late to include in the 2023 update, it was added to Thurston County’s docket for 2024 and is now in front of us as an out-of-cycle request."

Under the Countywide Planning Policies, Thurston County and its cities, including Lacey, jointly plan for the unincorporated portions of the urban growth areas.

This collaboration is reflected in the recently updated 2023 joint plan. During the joint plan update process, Thurston County processed several rezone applications.

However, a zoning discrepancy for one property was identified too late to be considered.

The current rezone application, submitted outside the regular joint planning update process, seeks to address this discrepancy. The property in question is split-zoned, with the northern portion abutting Martin Way designated as Mixed-Use High-Density Corridor (MHDC) and the southern portion zoned as Low-Density Residential. The request proposes rezoning the entire property to MHDC.

The full staff analysis and formal review will be presented at the next Planning Commission meeting on August 28th.

Following the Lacey Planning Commission's recommendation, the Thurston County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing and conduct an environmental review. Ultimately, the Thurston County Board of Commissioners will decide whether to approve the rezone by the end of the year.