RAINIER — Thurston County has denied a permit request for a proposed expansion of a motocross track in a rural area in Rainier.
The Olympian reported that Thurston County Hearing Examiner Sharon Rice concluded that the proposed 26-acre facility wouldn’t be allowed in the rural residential zoning district. She also overturned the county’s March decision that the proposal met the terms of the State Environmental Policy Act.
Jeff, Bob and Damian Mahan had asked the county for a special use permit to allow expanded motocross operations on a portion of their 370-acre dairy farm. The family previously had a track there in 2010, but was limited to four events per year after neighbors complained about the noise.
So, the Mahans sought a permit to build a ¾-mile track, a 12,000-square-foot day lodge with a restaurant and 97 parking spaces. Jeff Mahan told The Olympian in July that his family needed more income to keep the farm running.
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