Thursday, October 1, 2026
Black Lake Quarry could be in line for a land use reclassification.
The Thurston County Planning Commission is set to host a public hearing on a plan to permit rural industrial development for the property.
The property is currently zoned Rural 1/20 for low-density housing and resource activity. The hearing is scheduled for Aug. 6.
The proposal seeks to amend the Comprehensive Plan to change the zoning on about 270 acres at 4741 88th Avenue SW from Rural 1/20 to Rural Resource Industrial (RRI).
Black Lake Quarry lies in unincorporated Littlerock and has pursued surface mining for years. The current zoning limits the site to one dwelling per 20 acres and resource activities, such as farming and timber harvest.
The planning commission said the change aims to set the property for economic use as extraction winds down. The RRI allows industrial activity supported by rural resource networks and some general industrial work permitted under county code.
“This proposal is only for a land use and zoning change. There is currently no application to develop for a particular use,” a county plan states.
The public hearing starts at 7 p.m. in the county’s Atrium Building at 3000 Pacific Ave. SE in Olympia. The hearing can also be attended through a virtual Zoom link.
After the hearing, the commission will forward a recommendation to the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners. A State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review is also expected in August. The board will then hold its own public hearing in October before voting to redraw the land map.
If the Comprehensive Plan amendment advances, the quarry can move to RRI use, though projects must still complete SEPA review and county permitting before building.
To provide written comments, use the online form on the county site.
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SecondOtter
Once again the developers seek a way to sneak around the GMA. Note the 'this is just a little rezoning change, no development is CURRENTLY planned. MY ARSE. This is PRECISELY what is planned. This gravel mine has been a nuisance for years. It's so close to the Black River that any developement will DEFINITELY destroy the RIver. NEver mind add tons of traffic to already overused Littlerock road. I smell Tumwater's looking to build yet anouther thousand homes.
"Economic use and some general industrial use." That's spells WAREHOUSES. That spells yet another chunk of rural land turned into a parking lot.
Leave it alone. Shut it down and allow nature to regenerate what has been damaged. No more building in unincorporated Thurston county!
Tuesday, July 29, 2025 Report this
Southsoundguy
Not that I’m pro-development, but why not destroy all physical improvements and let nature heal from the “damage?”
Wednesday, July 30, 2025 Report this