Commissioners split vote on some rezoning requests in Grand Mound Subarea Plan Update

With varying opinions among commissioners, the fate of some rezoning proposals under the Grand Mound Subarea Plan Update remains uncertain.

No final decisions were made during the Thurston's Board of County Commissioners' (BOCC) second briefing on the rezoning requests on Monday, October 9.

Thurston County Senior Planner Maya Teeples briefed the commissioners on the four zoning requests within the Urban Growth Area boundaries.

Teeples clarified that five other requests are external to the Grand Mound Urban Growth Area boundaries and will continue to be reviewed into 2024 as they require additional information for review.

The first rezone request is from the Steelhammer family. They requested the rezoning for three parcels, totaling about 4.9 acres. They seek to change the current land use from Residential 4-16/1 to Arterial Commercial.

According to the staff report, Arterial Commercial zoning would allow for commercial activities like barber shops, grocery stores, appliance outlets, and repair shops.

The current zoning of the Steelhammer land permits residential uses with a minimum of 4 and up to 16 units per acre, along with home occupations.

The votes resulted in Commissioner Carolina Mejia and Commissioner Gary Edwards in favor, with Commissioner Tye Menser opposing it.

During the first briefing on September 25, Edwards and Menser argued about this specific rezone request.

The second rezone request is from Fire District #14. The votes saw the same results, with Mejia and Edwards in favor and Menser opposed.

The Fire Station requested rezoning for one parcel, covering approximately 0.6 acres. They want to change the current land use from Residential 4-16/1 to Arterial Commercial, enabling commercial activities similar to the previous request.

Meanwhile, all three commissioners voted in favor of the rezoning request for the Tribal Trust Lands and Morgan Land.

Both requests aim to change the current land use from Planned Industrial Park District to Arterial Commercial. Planned Industrial Park District permits parcel delivery service, manufacturing, and research facilities.

Teeples said the BOCC is expected to finalize its decision before the year ends.