Submit Comments: Thurston Comprehensive Plan

Easy Ways to Submit Comments

for the Scope of the Thurston Comprehensive Plan Update

BY JANUARY 6

Your opinion will count for a lot in the first stage of the two-year process of creating Thurston County’s new comprehensive plan. The new comp plan, called Thurston 2045, will be the basis of all county codes, plans and financial decisions for the next twenty years. Public opinion is very important in this first stage of the update, called scoping.  The scoping stage will answer this question: What are the most important areas to include in Thurston 2045?  The county is asking for public input on the scope of the plan until the end of the first week of January.

Most importantly, your comments can make a big difference in whether Thurston 2045 will include climate mitigation goals. The Growth Management Act, which governs comprehensive plans, does not require goals for climate mitigation, but they MAY be included. The current Thurston comp plan mentions climate mitigation in general goals and some chapters, but they are not specifically included in every chapter.

Your input on the importance of climate mitigation can make a big difference because county staff have plenty of good language models. Recent comp plan updates for other counties and cities have generally included clear goals and actions to decrease greenhouse gas emissions—in every chapter of their plans.  Also, in February 2023 the Department of Commerce is providing sample language for climate mitigation in comp plan updates.

Until December 31, 2022, and possibly a bit later, a short survey for the public to express their opinions on which topics are important for Thurston 2045 is available at https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/planning/Pages/comp-plan-update.aspx

If you miss the survey or want to send your own comments, you can complete a form at https://thurstoncomments.org/comment-on-thurston2045/

One easy way to include climate mitigation in your comments is to refer to the goals and strategies of the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan (TCMP), a plan adopted in 2020 by Thurston County and Lacey, Tumwater, and Olympia. The TCMP is currently not related to Thurston 2045.  The TCMP includes over 70 actions, from preserving tree canopy and prairies to increasing energy efficiency of existing and new housing.  Any or all of these actions could be specifically included in Thurston 2045.  You can learn more at https://trpc.org/DocumentCenter/View/8322/TCMP_Chapters?bidId=

An even easier way to make comments is available for people who do not want to create their own comments. The Local Good Governance Coalition has created “scripts” on two major topics in the comp plan update through the Take Action Network.  Just copy the “scripts” and paste them in the form at https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/planning/Pages/comp-plan-update.aspx

–For the climate mitigation goals related to transportation, you can find a link to the script on this webpage:  https://www.takeaction.network/xactions/31951?ref=36

–For county-wide planning for low income housing, a social equity issue tied to climate change and environmental degradation, go to https://www.takeaction.network/xactions/31947?ref=360

Photo credit: Streaked Horned Lark, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, https://oregonconservationstrategy.org/strategy-species/streaked-horned-lark/