HomeMy WebLinkAbout016 NewlandNovember 7,2017
Testimony to the Jefferson County Planning Commission
Title 18 Shooting Ordinance
Mr. Chairman, Commissioners, my rulme is Peter Newland. I live on Tarboo Bay. I am a
member of the Tarboo Ridge Coalition.
You are being asked to "harmonize" the existing Title l8 Land Use Code with a recently passed
Title 8 Health and Safety Ordinance. Title 8 has created a new gun range category of
"Commercial Shooting Facilities" governed only by Title 8. You're being asked to change the
existing Title l8 definition of "outdoor shooting ranges" to mean "non- commercial shooting
ranges. DCD first issued a notice of a pending SEPA decision for this proposed "harmonizing"
but has since withdrawn the notice. Withdrawal is an eror. We will submit written comments
explaining our rationale.
Further, we submit that the creation of a new land use category "Commercial Shooting
Facilities" in Title 8 is actually a land use action and should have been subjected to the process
and scrutiny of this body. It was not. That is a violation of the Growth Management Act which is
appealable to the Growth Management Hearings Board. In addition, no Title 8 SEPA checklist
was prepared and no determination has been issued. On its face Title 8 could have significant
adverse impacts.
Without benefit of your wisdom, "Commercial Shooting Facilities" as defined in Title 8 allows
for private commercial gun ranges of unlimited size, unbounded by the need to be "recreational
and small scale." Title 8 allows for military and law enforcement training which is neither a
tourist or recreational use. Those training needs are currently satisfied by JCSA.
Expanding the size of gun ranges in inholding forest lands violates the requirement to be
consistent with the Comp Plan. Comp Plan goals include:
o Conserve and manage the forest resources of Jefferson County for sustainable resource
based economic activities that are compatible with surrounding land uses.
o Conserve and protect forest resource lands for long term economic use.
. Minimize potential conflicts between forest management activities and land use activities
within or adjacent to designated forest lands.
The Planning Commission has an opportunity to rescue the BoCC from these Title 8 missteps.
It was never anyone's intent that Jefferson County will go from allowing only small- scale
recreation and tourist gun ranges to allowing gun ranges of unlimited size and intensity.
PLEASE DO NOT accept the proposed definition 18.10.030 for "commercial shootins
facilities" as presented in vour packet.
There is no hurry. There is plenty of time left on the shot clock Let's use it to do some
sensible planning.
P.O. Box 177 o QutlceruE, WA o 98376
November 3, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RETEASE
New County Ordinance Opens Jefferson County Commercia! Forests to For-
profit Military and Paramilitary Training
On Friday November 2, the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance
that opens commercial forest in Jefferson County to large-scale, for-profit military and
paramilitary training.
Because the ordinance contains no restrictions on the scale or types of shooting or tactical
training that is allowed, Jefferson County will likely become a magnet for outdoor gun range
development. Ranges could be hundreds of acres in size. Helicopters and other aircraft are
permitted as is shooting at night.
ln effect. the Countv could be trading an economv based on agriculture. forestrv and tourism to
one focused on commercial operations that host militarv and paramilitarv training.
The ordinance was the culmination of a year-long moratorium on siting gun ranges that was
approved by the County Commissioners in December of 2OL7. Even though the ordinance that
established the moratorium expressly stated that recent regulations passed by Kitsap County
should serve as a model, the new Jefferson County ordinance is much less restrictive. The
Jefferson County rules allow gun range development along public lakes and streams. ln
addition, it permits any type of training desired by military or paramilitary groups. Overnight
accommodations are allowed, making long-term, high-intensity training programs permissible.
The Tarboo Ridge Coalition (TRC) wanted the ordinance to protect the citizens of Jefferson
County, our forest economy and the environment. They advocated for maximizing public safety
and minimizing the impact of lead, copper, and noise pollution. The new ordinance fails to
address the dangers posed to the public and wildlife by copper pollution. The new ordinance
also ignores concerns raised by the Jefferson County Sportsmen's Association, a 700-member
non-profit that had lobbied for measures that would help their facility meet the design changes
mandated in the new law.
Page 1 of 2
TRC Press Release
Page 2 of 2
TRC favors indoor gun ranges and opposes outdoor gun ranges that are located near lakes and
other public recreation areas, or that are large-scale and designed for military or paramilitary
training. Although the Commissioners received hundreds of written comments and heard over
6 hours of testimony, that public input was not reflected in the ordinance.
"While the Tarboo Ridge Coalition is very disappointed that the BOCC adopted this flawed
ordinance, we are in no way less determined to use every available resource to prevent the
establishment of any military/ paramilitary training center on the shores of Tarboo Lake or any
place else in Jefferson County," said Jim Smith, a Tarboo Ridge Coalition member.
For more information contact:
Peter Newland, 360-765-0600