Thurston County Planning Commission to hold public hearing on code change for sex offender housing

Mitchell Roland, The Chronicle, Centralia, Wash.
·2 min read

May 13—The Thurston County Planning Commission will host a public hearing next month on code changes for Less Restrictive Alternative (LRA) Housing, an alternative to total confinement for offenders a court deems no longer classify as a sexually violent predator (SVP).

The public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. June 5. If adopted, the new code would outline the requirements and standards for LRA facilities owned and operated by a private provider.

SVPs are defined as offenders who suffer from a "mental abnormality or personality disorder which makes the person likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence" and are considered the most likely to reoffend.

According to the Planning Commission, county governments can require notification of nearby businesses and residences when a request to change building use to LRA housing has been submitted, provide opportunities for public feedback and require facilities to meet building codes. Washington law, however, prevents a county from denying a proposed building use change request based solely on it being LRA sex offender housing.

Public comment is due by noon on Wednesday, June 5. To submit a comment, visit surveymonkey.com/r/CSN7YDF. Additional meeting information will be posted one week before the hearing at thurstoncountywa.gov/planning-commission.

The hearing will take place in Room 110 of the Atrium of Thurston County, located at 3000 Pacific Ave SE. in Olympia.

The proposed code change comes after residents in Tenino rallied against a proposed LRA facility in January 2023. After extended backlash, the third-party operator that planned the facility announced it would not move forward.

During the 2024 legislative session, lawmakers from the 35th District introduced a proposal that would have required post-sentence housing for sexually violent predators to be owned, operated or contracted through the state, which they say would improve oversight.

After House Bill 2093 failed to advance out of committee, Sen. Drew MacEwen and Reps. Dan Griffey and Travis Couture said they plan to introduce similar legislation in 2025.