The Board of Island County Commissioners met in a joint Special Session with the Island County Planning Commission, on July 14, 1998, at 6:00 p.m., in the Island County Courthouse Annex, Hearing Room, Coupeville, Wa. The purpose of the special session, rescheduled from June 29, 1998, was for a public presentation on the release of Phase B Comprehensive Plan Elements, Phase B Development Regulations and DEIS.

County Commissioners: Wm. L. McDowell, Chairman; Tom Shaughnessy, Member; Mike Shelton, Member

Planning Commission: Anne Pringle; Sheilah Crider; Pat Churchill; Tom Olsen.

Staff/Consultants: Keith Dearborn; Emil King; Vince Moore; Stacy Tucker

Public: Approximately 20 people were in the audience, including representatives from two local newspapers.

Keith Dearborn reviewed the documents for tonight’s presentation and summarized key points of what had changed, using an overhead presentation [copy on file], and noted the Phase B documents that are part of the public review process:

• Island County Comprehensive Plan, including Land Use Element from Phase A verbatim with changes that had been reviewed by the Planning Commission, including art work from elementary school children in Island County [some of the art work posted on display tonight].
• New Zoning Code. Much of the new Zoning Code was reviewed in Phase A
• Draft Shoreline Master Program composed of three different documents, each ultimately a separate section of the Plan and Regulations

• master program & goals & policies
• new chapter 16.21 – shoreline administration chapter
• new chapter 17.05 – shoreline use regulations

• Capital Facilities Plan Element
• Technical Appendices
• Supplemental Draft EIS [combines the first supplemental draft EIS with the staff draft plan in 1996, the second supplemental EIS that was made available in Phase A and further supplemental EIS being presented to accompany Phase B.]

The Phase B documents are available for those who attended the presentation free of cost. Once the 150 copy supply is exhausted people will be directed to the Internet, libraries, or purchase at Bay Printing, Copy Stop and Printery Connection [about $65 cost to copy]. Diskettes will be made available for those who do not want to down load off the Internet.

To comply with GMA there is a 30-day review period within which [refer to current GMA calendar – copies available and/or on Internet]: There will be five hearings: joint Board of County Commissioners and Planning Commission hearings on July 21, 22 and 28, 1998, with two additional hearings scheduled by the Planning Commission on August 11 and 13. The Planning Commission will complete final deliberations the end of August and in September the Board is tentatively scheduling two additional l hearings to receive public testimony on the final PC recommendation. The schedule is to complete the GMA Comp Plan and adoption of Development Regulations by September 28, 1998.

A tabulation of what has occurred in the way of public process since November, 1997 shows [public workshops, public hearings, public comment period, community open houses and public meetings the County has scheduled and completed or will complete by the end of the Phase B process]: 103 events each probably 5 hours in time which equates for the Planning Commission eight hours for 12 weeks listening to people.

Mr. Dearborn described, in overview form, key highlights about what was new in the Phase B documents:

A Vision Statement

Water Resource Element, optional element under GMA, combined in one element all

Affordable Housing – an attempt to deal with affordable housing

attached housing permitted in PRDs

duplexes/triplexes permitted in RR zone

multi-family permitted in Freeland & Clinton

guest cottages may be rented

affording housing bonus

Farm/Forest

small farms in rural zone encouraged

earned development unit [EDU] proposal modified

approval process & requirements for management plan clarified

permitted uses expanded to include some institutional and NR uses

Non-Residential/Institutional

RAID NR zones established

certain NR and Institutional Use permitted

design guidelines proposed

new Land Use standards established

Measures to Protect Rural Character

eliminated NR floating zone

substantially modified PRD requirements

non-residential design guidelines

increase Ag/forest land protection

new stormwater/clearing & grading requirements

natural lands plan

Public benefit rating system [PBRS]

revised Shoreline Master Program

all RAIDs have permanent boundaries

Responses to Address Property Rights

no TDRs

increased flexibility/options for farmers & foresters

propose making subdivision/site plan/PRD processes more user friendly

more objective land use standards proposed

more uses permitted outright

Last, Mr. Dearborn presented what he termed "Big Picture Issues" with a view to keep in mind that right now proposed Phase B provides for the following, along with key points:

The Bigger Picture

• over 70% of old Residential Zone down-zoned
• over 50% of NR zoned lands down-zoned
• average lot size in rural zone is 3 acres [existing lots]
• only 19 parcels of land over 80 acres remain in the rural zone today
• County population grew by over 200% between 1960 and 1990

expected to grow at ½ that rate 1990-2020

• by 2010 population of those over the age of 65 will out-number school

age children

• over ½ of our projected population will not be able to live affordably in

Island County without housing incentives

• even with our best efforts, over 40% of the workforce will commute off- Island in 2020
• all County Road Improvement needed by 2020 can be funded with existing revenue sources. Using the high population forecast, the Public Works Director projects this County will be able to meet all of its county road improvement needs with existing revenue sources, no new moneys, between now and 2020, and will not have more than between 3 to 10 miles of road that will drop below standards established for LOS.

On the overview for display a graphic was shown to provide a summary of Phase B Zoning comparisons [including Phase A team draft and Planning Commission recommendation from Phase A, 3/9/98, and Phase B Plan. The map from the March 9, 1998 plan was posted on the wall for citizens to compare with the composite map. Within the next few days there will be available a zoning atlas update [contact Jeff Tate to look at the zoning atlas]. With regard to RAIDs, it is hoped by the first hearing to have the detailed RAID information.

In closing, Mr. Dearborn commented that he had worked with a lot of elected officials in his 30-year career but clearly this Board did its homework. The Planning Commission worked very hard and spent 12 weeks in the hearing room and other rooms during this process. He acknowledged staff, in particular Emil King and Jeff Tate, neither who ever suggested they could not get something done. He extended thanks to all Planning staff who had been working under very extreme circumstances. He acknowledged and thanked the folks attending the meeting tonight. He believed thanks were deserved for a good product to Tom Roehl, John Graham, Charlie Spromberg.

The Commissioners took the opportunity to thank Keith for his work, but especially Planning Commission members as volunteers who put in all those hours and hours. Their appreciation was expressed too for the citizens who took the time review the documents and came to meetings and hearings to comment.

There being no further business to come before the Board at this time,

the meeting was adjourned by Chairman McDowell at 7:00 p.m.