Changes to Thurston County’s wireless communication code will be up for consideration by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) during a public hearing scheduled for Feb. 7 at 5:30 p.m. in room 110 of The Atrium, according to a Thurston County news release.
The Atrium is located at 3000 Pacific Ave. SE in Olympia.
“With the changes in technology, and the implementation of 5G, it is important for citizens to be aware of the potential impacts of the proposed code on their property and property values. This new proposed code can impact residents and their property without their knowledge or consent. The new wireless code does not offer citizens a voice, input or notification on what could be right outside their home,” stated the release.
Some potential impacts the new code could have include as small as 10-foot setbacks for wireless facilities from homes, schools and businesses, no safety testing or advanced notice for most wireless facility installations as well as no ability for the public to comment or appeal the installations.
In the release, the BOCC explained that the county’s Planning Commission moved the code forward to them for consideration, with the three of the nine planning commissioners dissenting on the proposed changes.
Aside from the public hearing, the BOCC is also accepting written public comment on this matter through noon on Feb. 7, ahead of the public hearing. Comments can be emailed to county.commissioners@co.thurston.wa.us or submitted in person at The Atrium.
According to an email from Christy White, a member of Thurston County’s Wireless Stakeholder Committee, changes to the code proposed by Thurston County residents through the Citizens Advisory Board were not taken into consideration.
To view the citizen proposed changes, visit https://www.thurstonsensiblewireless.com/general-5.
More discussion of code shortcomings can be found online here, https://www.thurstonsensiblewireless.com/.
A draft of the code can be viewed at https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/planning/Pages/dev-code-wireless.aspx.
To arrange a discussion with a citizen member of the Wireless Stakeholder Committee, email tcsensiblewireless@yahoo.com.
