(Past) April 21, 2022 - Agriculture Advisory Committee briefing on RFQ for a facilitator of the Long-Term Agriculture stakeholder workgroup.
(Past) April 20, 2022 - Planning Commission review of Open Space proposal. Public Hearing scheduled to be held on May 18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQQimS4EVGM
(Past) January 20, 2022 - Agriculture Advisory Committee discussion on Open Space Tax Program
(Past) On January 13, 2022, the BoCC provided direction on the scope of the Long-Term Agriculture expansion. That direction is to conduct a targeted review and update to the long-term agriculutre designation criteria and mapping to review updated soils information and review the following criteria: (criteria 2, 4) consider designating LTA within Urban Growth Areas; (criteria 5) consider adjusting criteria to include smaller acreage farms; (criteria 8) consider elimination of block size requirements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LABND4C-Jsw
(Past) Watch the December 1, 2021 project update provided to the Board of County Commissioners. At this briefing, staff reviewed to options for scope of work of one component of the CPA-16 project, the LTA Review and Re-Mapping Expansion. https://youtu.be/SbTEIetoO-Q
(Past) Local leaders, community members, and planners gathered to hold a virtual summit to discuss Thurston County's Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program. The group discussed how the program might be improved to serve its goals of protecting farmland and managing growth. See a YouTube of the Summit here: https://youtu.be/YzY8lyYoMWw
For more information about the TDR program, visit https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/planning/Pages/incentives-tdr-pdr.aspx.
(Past) Watch the September 16, 2021 project update provided to the Agriculture Advisory Committee, including discussion of near-term action proposals focused on the Open Space Tax Program. https://youtu.be/5e5RTAmAvPU
For more information about the Open Space Tax Program, visit https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/planning/Pages/incentives-open-space-tax.aspx.
(Past) Watch the May 20, 2021 project update provided to the Agriculture Advisory Committee, including discussion of several near-term action proposals focused on incentive programs. https://youtu.be/EX6lzf7xkfI
(Past) Watch the May 13, 2021 project update provided
to the Board of County Commissioners, including a presentation on the final
Community Agriculture Survey Report and preliminary actions planned for the
project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv2cEasALjU
(Past) Watch the April 15, 2021 project update provided to the Thurston County Agriculture Advisory Committee, including a presentation on a second draft of the Community Agriculture survey report, as well as a discussion of long-term agricultural lands designation: https://youtu.be/Jh6gWi3WUcY
(Past) Watch the March 18, 2021 project update provided to the Thurston County Agriculture Advisory Committee, including a presentation on the draft results from the Community Agriculture survey (final report is currently in development): https://youtu.be/B_cOdsIHcSQ
(Past) Watch the February 18, 2021 project update provided to the Thurston County Agriculture Advisory Committee, including a presentation on how Thurston County agricultural lands incentive programs work (Open Space Tax Program, Conservation Futures, and Transfer of Development Rights): https://youtu.be/EwzuXw8PFZ0
(Past) Watch the January 21, 2021 project update provided to the Thurston County Agriculture Advisory Committee, including a presentation on how agricultural lands are designated and zoned in Thurston County, and presentation and discussion of maps comparing designated lands to other data sources about local farmland: https://youtu.be/n8vbRqKU1Js
(Past) Watch a November 25, 2020 presentation and discussion with the Board of County Commissioners on regional agricultural economic development here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8OcL6K3MIA
(Past) Watch a discussion about current Thurston County Agriculture Programs and Policies with the Thurston County Agriculture Advisory Committee at their November 19, 2020 meeting here: https://youtu.be/55DH51RmDKY
(Past) Watch the October 15, 2020 project update provided to the Thurston County Agriculture Advisory Committee, including a discussion of a future mapping project and development of a community survey here: https://youtu.be/9jfo6yB80-o
(Past) Watch the September 17, 2020 project kick-off meeting with the Thurston County Agriculture Advisory Committee, including presentations from county staff, American Farmland Trust, and the Community Farmland Trust here: https://youtu.be/2LlTwLt-wRs