Thurston County to consider rezoning of Tacoma intermodal site

Thurston County to consider rezoning of Tacoma intermodal site Washington State's Thurston County commissioners are expected Wednesday to consider a public request to rezone a Maytown-area property owned by the Port of Tacoma.
   The request will be presented during the county' annual commission consideration of zoning and rezoning proposals.
   The port is considering building a major rail-based logistics center on the 745-acre site, which the port paid $22 million for in 2006. Located about 30 miles southwest of the port, the site is zoned to allow the proposed facility.
   According to local media reports, more than 100 county residents are expected to attend the 6 p.m. commission meeting at the Thurston County Fairgrounds’ Expo Hall in Lacey. Local residents have been vocal in opposing the port proposal, citing concerns about impacts from increased truck and rail traffic through the rural area.
   A local activist group, the Friends of Rocky Prairie, has asked the commissioners to essentially block the development by rezoning the site for either agriculture uses or for low-density residential development.
   The port is asking the county to postpone any decision on a zoning change until port officials decide if they will proceed with the cargo facility project. In late January the port said it was considering four sites for the proposed logistics center, including the Maytown parcel — the only one of the four parcels actually owned by the port.
   Thurston County commissioners, which will be considering numerous zoning requests at the meeting, can decide to consider the FRP request on the port property, delay it, or shelve the request until next year.