Olympia committee proposes revisions for Reasonable Use Exception Code

“I think there are some things we really need to clean up on this on these codes.””

Olympia Senior Planner Nicole Floyd

The Olympia Planning Commission held a virtual meeting on Monday, January 9, to discuss zoning code text amendments related to Reasonable Use Exceptions (RUE).

Senior Planner Nicole Floyd presented the amendments for the code regarding the RUE, “I think there are some things we really need to clean up on this on these codes.”

“We need to clarify project goals of reasonable use exception versus variances. The code now, as it's written, doesn't really differentiate them very succinctly,” Floyd added.

Floyd elaborated that the consolidated ownership language was re-worded to achieve the intent better.

The regulations were also revised, according to Floyd, to allow more leniency for property owners, who remarked, “At the most, it could be relaxed a little bit in terms of what an applicant needs to do.”

 She also presented the idea of allowing minor variances and reasonable use exceptions to be processed administratively instead of going through the lengthy process of public notice and hearing, which is a requirement of the current version of the code.

 The proposed revisions will include the following changes:

●     Clarification of wording related to consolidated ownership (For more than 75% buffer reduction, consolidated ownership applies)

●     Clarifies submittal requirements (Exhausts all other options, including variance)

●     Allows administrative review for 50%-75% RUE applications

 Protecting critical areas through ordinances

 Thurston County's Critical Areas Ordinance governs how development and redevelopment can occur safely on sites containing critical areas.

 Critical areas include important fish and wildlife habitat areas, wetlands, critical aquifer recharge areas, frequently flooded areas, and geologically hazardous areas.

 Most of these areas are protected by mandated buffers, which are strips of vacant lands surrounding the critical area to protect it from the pressures of growth.

 A property owner may request an exception from any buffer or setback requirement imposed by the Thurston County Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) through an Administrative Variance.

 Property owners may also apply for a Reasonable Use Exception if the buffers and critical areas defined in the Critical Areas Ordinance leave them with no reasonable use of their properties.