March 10, 2023
Reminder:
Commissioners hold public hearing April 10 on draft alternatives for county's Comprehensive Plan
The Kitsap County Board of Commissioners is soliciting public testimony on draft Comprehensive Plan Alternatives during a public hearing at their regular business meeting that takes place at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 10 in the Kitsap County Administration Building, 619 Division Street, Port Orchard. There is also a virtual option for the public.
Oral testimony will be taken at this hearing with written testimony accepted through April 14. The Board will then discuss all public comment and provide direction on the draft alternatives by April 19.
The three alternatives distribute population, housing and employment growth differently based on Washington state's Growth Management Act, regional plan goals, guidance from the Washington Department of Commerce, growth targets, requests for reclassification of properties, and local circumstances. The three alternatives are generally described as:
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Alternative 1: No Action All maps, policies and regulations remain as they are today with no changes proposed. This accommodates the least population, housing and employment growth.
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Alternative 2: Focused Growth/Urban Center Focus Population, housing and employment growth is focused on existing urban areas such as Silverdale and Kingston with policies to incentivize more diverse housing types such as townhomes, multi-family and cottage housing. Rural uses remain the same as they are currently and policies are developed to set greenhouse gas emission targets and provide greater tree canopy in urban areas. This alternative accommodates the most population growth focused within existing Urban Growth Area boundaries to meet Department of Commerce housing targets.
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Alternative 3: Dispersed Growth Distributes growth similar to historic trends focusing on single-family housing. Urban areas are expanded to accommodate growth and some additional rural development is allowed for housing and jobs. This alternative includes additional environmental protections for the Urban Restricted zone and requires additional tree canopy retention. Population is spread throughout a larger geographic area than the other alternatives but overall includes less population, housing and employment growth than Alternative 2.
None of the three alternatives are a preferred recommendation at this time but rather serve as a menu of options to assess environmental impacts and capital facility needs (road, sewer, schools, etc.). They are intended to test different strategies of accommodating growth in population, housing and employment.
All documents and maps related to these alternatives can be found at kcowa.us/compplan. To submit written testimony or ask questions, please email [email protected] or contact Colin Poff through Kitsap1 at (360) 337-5777 and ask for Planning and Environmental Programs.
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KITSAP COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
Find the project overview and schedule, sign up for electronic notifications, get answers to frequently asked questions, and view the comprehensive plan storyboard, at:
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