What is PRRD Supposed to Do?

The Thurston County Code reads, "The purpose of [a planned rural residential development] is to provide for residential development in rural areas in a way that maintains or enhances the county's rural character; is sensitive to the physical characteristics of the site; retains large, undivided parcels of land that provide opportunities for compatible agricultural, forestry and other rural land uses; protects sensitive environmental resources; facilitates creation of open space corridors; and minimizes impacts of road and utility systems."

A Local Example

Within the Griffin area, an example of what's wrong with PRRD is the Aloha Lumber project on Steamboat Island Loop. This forested site will soon become a 31-acre clearcut with 9 houses, some on parcels less than one acre in size. Click here for more details.

Planned Rural Residential Development ("PRRD," sometimes called "clustered housing" or "clustered development") is intended to preserve sensitive areas and the rural character of unincorporated portions of the County by "clustering" housing units on lots smaller than those normally allowed. A relatively large portion of a site is designated as a "resource use parcel" and, in exchange for setting aside most of that parcel, developers may be awarded a "density bonus" to build more homes than would normally be allowed on the remainder of the site.

On the resource use parcel, an additional home may be built. The remainder of the resource use parcel need not remain undeveloped. Permitted uses on that parcel include community and individual water systems, sewage system drainfields, and stormwater detention ponds and facilities serving the subdivision. And, it may be okay to remove all timber from both the resource use parcel and all the smaller parcels.

There is no minimum lot size, except what's required for water and sewage.

Individual buildings can be separated by as little as 10 feet.

Critics argue that PRRD violates the Growth Management Act, permitting developments of unacceptably high density outside urban growth boundaries. Some Griffin residents believe that sewage system drainfields and stormwater detention ponds aren't a resource worthy of awarding a density bonus. Contrary to its stated purpose, PRRD does not preserve critical areas. Some have said that PRRD assists in the forced conversion of forest lands into developments which are not at all in step with the rural character of our neighborhoods.

Clustered development can be a useful tool. It allows developers to fit more units on a smaller area, leaving more space in its natural state. While some do support the concept of clustering, they note this ordinance allows densities of greater than one unit per five acres and believe this will degrade the rural and agricultural lands of Thurston County.

On August 2, 2004, the County Commission adopted an interim ordinance, limiting some portions of PRRD, particularly in areas zoned Rural Residential Resource 1 dwelling per 2 acres. Their interim regulations impact, to a letter degree, on areas zoned 1 dwelling per 5 acres. The ordinance also sets out a one-year plan to study the impacts of clustering in rural areas.

There were 18 cluster development submissions to the County during the first six months of this 2004. Between July 27, 2004, when The Olympian published news reports that the County Commission was going to enact an interim ordinance limiting clustered housing, and August 2, 2004, when that ordinance was enacted, some 97 new PRRD applications were filed with the County. "This is quite a popular development program," said Jennifer Hayes, an associate planner for Thurston County, told a reporter for The Olympian.

Important Internet Destinations

Click here for the Thurston County flyer on PRRD (rev effective 2004).

Click here to read the Thurston County Code sections

Click here to visit the Thurston County Planning Department's web page describing clustered development regulations and changes to those regulations (updated 2010).

Letters to the Commissioners

"BHAS believes that the culstering aggravates the impact on sensitive critical areas and their associated wildlife." Click here to read the Black Hills Audubon Society letter.

". . . the use of density bonuses in the rural area could be eliminated . . so a maximum of one dwelling unit per five acres could be reached." Click here to read the letter from 1000 Friends of Washington.