Thurston County Commissioners will host a public hearing on Wednesday, Aug. 5, to accept comments on the county’s temporary halt on permitting new correctional and detention facilities in Thurston County.
The hearing will start at 3:30 p.m. in Room 110 of The Atrium at 3000 Pacific Ave Southeast, Olympia.
The hearing will also be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/@ThurstonCountyWashington.
The Thurston County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) on June 16 put a one-year halt on permitting new public and private involuntary detention centers and correctional facilities in Thurston County.
The temporary freeze aligns Thurston County with similar land-use actions recently made by King and Pierce counties.
The Aug. 5 public hearing follows state law RCW 36.70A.390 that requires a public hearing within at least 60-days of placing a local moratorium on zoning decisions.
The county’s moratorium is the result of a BOCC initiative begun in March to evaluate local controls regarding federal detention facilities.
By law, the county’s temporary pause isn’t exclusive to federal detention and extends to other involuntary public and private correctional centers as well, but officials say it won’t affect vital services like private residential facilities for sex offenders, halfway houses for juveniles, or tribal facilities which fall under different codes.
For information on the detention center code update project, visit https://tinyurl.com/pvhyrwrd and scroll down to New Uses and Related Standards.
A Zoom link to give public comment virtually will be available available on the Agendas page under the Aug. 5 meeting listing at https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/departments/board-county-commissioners/meetings-public-hearings-and-work-session-agendas
To submit a written comment online, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8JYZF26
Written comments can also be emailed to Senior Planner Ana Rodriguez at ana.rodriguez@co.thurston.wa.us no later than noon on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
To submit a comment by mail, send it to the following address:
Thurston County Community Planning and Economic Development
Attention: Ana Rodriguez, Senior Planner
Thurston County Atrium,
3000 Pacific Ave. SE, Suite 100
Olympia, WA 98501
