HomeMy WebLinkAbout042417_cabs01JEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA REQUEST
TO: Board of Commissioners /
FROM: Patty Charnas, DCD Director
Dave Greetham, Planning Manager p_
Donna Frostholm, Associate Planner
1
DATE: April 24, 2017
RE: Critical Areas Ordinance Update
STATEMENT OF ISSUE:
Jefferson County Department of Community Development (DCD) is in the process of
updating the county critical areas ordinance (CAO), as required by the Growth Management
Act. The CAO was last updated in 2008, with minor revisions made by the department in
2009 to address the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board Final Decision
and Order.
The CAO update must be completed by June 2018 and shall include best available science
(BAS), as required under RCW 36.70A.172. Also, RCW 36.70A.710 requires the county to
review and, if necessary, revise development regulations to protect critical areas as they apply
to agricultural activities.
DCD has already conducted outreach activities to get input from county residents. BAS
documents have been prepared for the county in support of the update and DCD has collected
additional BAS documents. The department has begun drafting revisions to the CAO and is in
the process of providing an overview of the update to the Planning Commission.
ANAL NSIS_
To be compliant with the Growth Management Act and to meet Washington Department of
Commerce (Commerce) requirements, the county must complete the CAO update by June
2018.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Growth Management Act requires the county to periodically review and revise the CAO.
Commerce has provided some funding in the past; however, much of the resources needed to
complete this task come from the county general fund, as part of the county long-range
planning budget.