History

In the 1960’s Thurston County experienced an increased rate of population growth. In the ten-year period between 1960 and 1970, there was a 3.4% annual rate of increase in the total county population. In response to this, the County Commission recognized that there was an increased need to plan the infrastructure necessary to support a quickly growing population. In 1966, Thurston County established by resolution the Thurston County Planning Department and Commission.

Not long after the commission was formed, policymakers began to plan for a regional organization that would include a broader representation of the jurisdictions and special districts in Thurston County. They worked to further the idea of regionalism and considered the kind of organization that would best serve this concept. A document entitled “A Proposal for a Regional Planning Program for the Thurston County Area,” dated August 10, 1967, called for the establishment of a regional planning organization. It explained the need for regional planning because of “the spectacular population growth of the 1950's and 1960’s coupled with the mass exodus of people from rural areas to urban centers.”

It was in this document that the idea of a regional planning organization in Thurston County was officially conceived. The document set out the need for intergovernmental cooperation as follows:

In most large geographic areas, including Thurston County, the foundation for “regionalism” is intergovernmental cooperation. The attainment of the greatest degree of interaction possible will permit achievement of a high level of communication and understanding and assure through cooperation and pooling of common resources, maximum efficiency and economy in government operations, which will provide every citizen with the utmost value for every tax dollar. Regional planning can be one of the most important first steps in this joint effort.

1960s

Regional urban planning and rural water and sewer studies
Regional comprehensive planning
Joint school/park site acquisition program
First population and employment forecast
Current and advance planning for Thurston County, Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater & Tenino

1970s

First regional transportation plans
Law and justice planning
Regional shoreline master program
Over-all economic development plan
Coordination of stormwater planning
Continuation of current and advance planning for Thurston County, Olympia, and Lacey, and assistance to other jurisdictions

1980s

Urban growth management
First Edition of The Profile (1981)
Regional Ridesharing and Flex-Time Program report
Thurston Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (1982)
TRPC Designated a Metropolitan Planning Organization by the Governor (1982)
Transportation System Plan for the Thurston Metropolitan Area (1984)
Energy conservation planning
Amtrak depot site selection
Coastal zone management/shoreline planning
Rural Public Transportation Study
Study of the Public Benefit from Open Space/Open Space Tax Program
Industrial lands inventory
First Cost of Living Survey
Current and advance planning continues for Thurston County and Olympia; Lacey creates in-house planning department

1990s

Management Options for Groundwater Protection in Thurston County
Coordinating Growth Management Act implementation, including
- Interlocal Memorandum of Understanding on UGA Zoning and Development Standards
- First county-wide planning policies
Transportation Future 2010 – Making Connections (introduced Urban Corridors Concept) (1993)
Master Plan for the Capitol of the State of Washington
Compilation of school district data
TransACTION 2020 Regional Transportation Plan (1998)
First benchmarks and indicators to track growth management
Report on financing region-wide transportation infrastructure
First Household Travel Survey
Thurston County and Olympia create in-house planning departments; advance planning continues for Olympia; comprehensive plan updates for Tenino and Rainier

2000s

Second Regional Benchmarks for Thurston County
First report on Buildable Lands with analysis of development densities and land supply
2025 Regional Transportation Plan – Guiding Our Future (2004)
Thurston County Land Cover Mapping
Tracking Developments in Streams and Wetlands
First Multimodal Regional Transportation Model
Participation in regional efforts to complete the Chehalis Western Trail
Commute Trip Reduction program
I-5 Incident Management Planning in the Thurston Corridor
Study of the relationships between the visions established in jurisdictional comprehensive plans and how the region is growing and developing
Rural and tribal transportation program with fixed and variable bus route service
Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan for the Thurston Region
Regional Trails Plan
Small Towns Web Mapping Project
Current and advance for Tenino and Rainier; support for Yelm and Olympia advance planning

2010s

Implementation of Smart Corridors program
Sustainable Thurston Plan (2003)
Connection of the Chehalis Western Trail over Interstate 5 and two arterials
Watershed level land use planning
Completion of Urban Corridors Task Force and Corridor/District Studies
Update of the County-wide Planning Policies
Medic 1 EMS system analysis
Local food systems development and education
JBLM / I-5 Congestion relief action plan
Climate Adaptation plan
What Moves You – Regional Transportation Plan 2040 (2016)
Continuation of current and advance planning for Tenino and Rainier; Tenino, Rainier, and Bucoda Comprehensive Plan updates