City limits of the City of Tumwater, WA.

The Urban Growth Area is used to manage future growth around densely populated areas. The urban growth area is the city/town and adjacent unincorporated growth area identified by the cities/towns/county to receive urban growth in the future. Outside of the boundary only rural growth is permissible.

Correction to this data can only be made through a Comprehensive Plan change or at the direction of Thurston County Long Range Planning due to a scrivener's error. The 1990 Washington State Growth Management Act requires the state's fastest growing cities and counties to designate UGAs around each city and town to accommodate the expected population growth over the next 20 years. In Thurston County, UGAs surround Bucoda, Lacey, Olympia, Rainier, Tumwater, Tenino, and Yelm. The current boundaries of the UGAs were established in 1990 and updated via the 2015 adoption of the Thurston County Comprehensive Plan: CHAPTER II - LAND USE II.URBAN GROWTH AREAS History and Purpose of Thurston County's Urban Growth Areas: In 1983, Thurston County, along with the cities of Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater, blazed the trail for growth management in Washington State by signing an interlocal government agreement called the "Urban Growth Management Agreement." That early agreement included an Urban Growth Management Boundary around the three cities to serve as a limit for the cities' expansion for 20 years. The purposes of the county's original growth areas remain relevant today: To provide for higher intensity development around the county's incorporated cities and towns and unincorporated community centers in order to concentrate development in areas where minimal impact to the environment, natural resources and rural atmosphere will occur. To minimize public costs and conserve energy by using services and facilities efficiently through concentration of development and integration of jobs, shopping, services and housing. To phase urban growth and infill with the provision of urban public services and facilities. One of the main effects of an urban growth area is to provide a limit for the extension of urban utilities, especially sewer service. To that end, overall residential density in urban growth areas should be high enough to support urban public services and to provide affordable housing choices. There should be a variety of housing types, with most densities ranging from 4 to 16 dwelling units per acre. Map M-14 identifies the urban growth areas for each city or town in Thurston County. The UGAs must accommodate the urban growth projected over the next 20 years including a reasonable market factor. Policies and actions emphasize the provision of urban land uses and services and include provisions specifically aimed at reducing low density residential sprawl. Joint plans established with each city and town include planning policies for each UGA. Joint plans are contained in separate documents, but are incorporated as part of the Thurston County Comprehensive Plan. Detailed land use designations for all UGAs around cities and towns are provided in the following joint plans (Map M-14 is keyed to the numbering below):Olympia/Thurston County Joint PlanLacey/Thurston County Joint Plan Tumwater/Thurston County Joint PlanYelm/Thurston County Joint PlanRainier/Thurston County Joint PlanTenino/Thurston County Joint PlanBucoda/Thurston County Joint PlanList of Map Correction's (Correction can only be made through a Comprehensive Plan change or at the direction of Thurston County Long Range Planning due to a scrivener's error.)Made on 5 AUG 2014 by KLW. Made on 15 July 2016 by KAH. - Correction of scrivener's error in Tenino UGA Boundary at the Teitge Annexations. This error was due to parcel and city mapping issues. The UGA has been fixed to be consistent with the parcel legal descriptions and the legal description included in the annexation ordinance approved by the City of Tenino, and the annexation approved by the Boundary Review Board.