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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMLA19-00023 JCPC CP-HOUSING 2-27-19�S0N DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 621 Sheridan Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368 Tel:360.379.4450 1 Fax: 360.379.4451 Web: vv%vw.ec),ieffmoti.,.va.us/comniuritide%,clojirnent E-mail: dcdQco.jcfferson.� SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATION TEXT AMENDMENT PROPOSALS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN/UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE Project/Applicant Name: Jefferson County Planning Commission MLA# 19-00023 For Comprehensive Plan amendments, applications must be completed and submitted to the Department of Community Development by March 1 of the current calendar year in order to be considered during this year's amendment process. Completed applications that are received after March 1 will be placed on the preliminary docket for the following calendar year. Generally, applications for text amendments are proposals that broadly apply to the goals, policies and implementation strategies of the Comprehensive Plan. Applications for suggested UDC amendments may be considered on a rolling basis. Applications that are incomplete (i.e., that do not include all of the information required under the Jefferson County Code) will be returned to the applicant. Submittal Requirements 1. A completed Permit Application and all required Exhibits. 2. A completed and signed State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Checklist. 3. Any additional information deemed necessary by the Administrator to evaluate the proposed amendment. 4. Please prepare and label as "Exhibit A," a description of the proposed text Comprehensive Plan/UDC amendment. Applications for such amendments that do not specify proposed uses and potential impacts are assumed to have maximum impact to the environment and public facilities and services. 5. Please prepare and label as "Exhibit B," proposed amendatory language (i.e., to affected text of both the Comprehensive Plan and UDC) shown in "bill" format, with text to be added indicated with underlining (e.g., underlining), and text to be deleted indicated with strikeouts (e.g., S*F�uts). 6. Please prepare and label as "Exhibit C," a thorough explanation of how the proposed amendment, meets, conflicts with, or relates to the following inquiries (NOTE: Simple "yes" or "no" responses are unacceptable.) a. Is growth and development as envisioned in the Comprehensive Plan occurring faster or slower than anticipated, or is failing to materialize? b. Has the capacity of the county to provide adequate services diminished or increased; C. Is sufficient urban land designated and zoned to meet projected demand and need? d. Are any of the assumptions upon which the Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan is based no longer valid, or is new information available which was not considered during the adoption process or any annual amendments of the Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan? e. Does the proposed amendment reflect the current widely held values of the residents of Jefferson County? See JCC Chapter 18.45 COMP PLAN AMEND APP DOG REV 0112019 Do changes in county -wide attitudes necessitate amendments to the goals of the plan and the basic values embodied within the Comprehensive Plan Vision Statement? g. Do changes in circumstances dictated a need for amendment? h. Do inconsistencies exist between the Comprehensive Plan and the GMA orthe Comprehensive Plan and the County -wide Planning Policy for Jefferson County? Demonstrate that the following conditions are met (if applicable): The proposed text amendment meets concurrency requirements for transportation and does not adversely affect adopted level of service standards for other public facilities and services (e.g., sheriff, fire and emergency medical services, parks, fire flow, and general governmental services); The proposed text amendment is consistent with the goals, policies and implementation strategies of the various elements of the Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan; k. The proposed text amendment will not result in probable significant adverse impacts to the county's transportation network, capital facilities, utilities, parks, and environmental features that cannot be mitigated, and will not place uncompensated burdens upon existing or planned service capabilities; In the case of a text amendment to the Land Use Map, that the subject parcels are physically suitable for the requested land use designation and the anticipated land use development, including, but not limited to, the following: (A) Access; (B) Provision of utilities; and (C) Compatibility with existing and planned surrounding land uses; M. The proposed text amendment will not create a pressure to change the land use designation of other properties, unless the change of land use designation for other properties is in the long-term best interests of the county as a whole; The proposed text amendment does not materially affect the land use and population growth projections that are the bases of the Comprehensive Plan; If within an unincorporated urban growth area (UGA), the proposed text amendment does not materially affect the adequacy or availability of urban facilities and services to the immediate area and the overall U GA; p. The proposed amendment is consistent with the Growth Management Act (Chapter 36.70A RCW), the County -Wide Planning Policy for Jefferson County, any other applicable inter -jurisdictional policies or agreements, and any other local, state or federal laws. See JCC Chapter 18.45 COMP PLAN AMEND APP DOC REV 01/2019 7. Please provide an explanation of why the amendment is being proposed. (Attach additional sheets, if necessary.) See Attachment for Question #7. The applicant hereby certifies that the statements contained in this application are true and provide an accurate representation of the proposed amendment; and the applicant(s) hereby acknowledges that any approval issued on this oppliga ion may be revoked if any such statement is found to be false. Signature: V t, VkAWW— Print Name: Date: 2 o See JCC Chapter 18.45 COMP PLAN AMEND APP DOC REV 01/2019 Question #7 Response — Reason for Proposal 2/27/2019 - DRAFT PLANNING COMMISSION ECO-PERFORMANCE STANDARD ACTION - TEXT CODE REVISION APPLICATION The Jefferson County Planning Commission (JCPC) and the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners, Staff, and Citizens have recently completed more than four years of community engagement in updating the vision, goals, and policies of our Comprehensive Plan. One of the themes front and center in nearly every community and Planning Commission conversation was Housing. And more specifically and urgently, how to create opportunities and remove obstacles for worker housing, including farmworker housing, while holding the true to our community values of preserving rural and community character, protecting agricultural and forest lands, and not just preserving but improving the environmental health of our air, our land, and our waters. This newest revision of our Comprehensive Plan sought to find bold ways of not just "striking a balance" between human and environmental needs, but in actually finding pathways to excel at both goals, improving the ability for humans and the environment to thrive. To this end, the 2018 Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan revision included language to encourage "innovation" and "performance -based" regulations in relation to residential building, agricultural worker housing, and environmental goals and policies. Over the last thirty-five years or so, implementation of green building codes and the development of alternative building materials and water and energy saving designs and products have revolutionized the building industry. And concern for the effects of stormwater infiltration and runoff on our ground water and waterways have brought much needed design and implementation reforms. But far from making housing more affordable, these regulations have (in concert with other factors, such as the cost of land and building materials) made the cost of building and buying homes rise beyond the reach of many. But there is an irony to this trend. While the intention of these prescriptive building standards was to reduce energy use as a percentage and to lower the impacts both of construction and human habitation, there is evidence to suggest that large, highly -engineered buildings that meet all current prescriptive regulations have a far greater impact in real numbers than small, very low-cost, low -impact or impact - positive residential buildings that use proven innovations in water and nutrient recycling. And yet some of these very low -impact or impact -positive building methods are either prohibited outright or they are only allowed along -side higher -impact, higher -cost technologies, costing the homeowner and our environment much, much more in the process. Moreover, we all know that stealthy innovators have been building and living in these dwellings in our county for generations, living always in fear that their low -impact or positive impact homesteads may be discovered and flagged by county officials, while legal, conforming structures use more water, power, fuels, chemicals, and high -impact building materials but are legal to build and live in - if you can afford them. Question #7 Response — Reason for Proposal This creates a financial and eco-impact burden on our communities and our environment that is artificially imposed by well-intentioned prescriptive regulations with unintended consequences. These buildings and systems could be built and maintained at very low cost if we create a set of regulatory opportunities for owners were willing to subscribe to a level of impact far below what now is considered standard. The Jefferson County Planning Commission believes that it is time to start developing new and innovative regulations that meet or exceed the on -the -ground performance of current codes in ways that are not currently recognized. Specifically, to create opt -in standards of low -impact or positive -impact residential performance that would allow property owners to easily and affordably permit and build residential structures and alternative black and gray water systems that are not currently allowed under our current regulations but that significantly and demonstrably lower impact in terms of water use, energy consumption, soil disruption, and storm water impacts, and herbicide/pesticide/insecticide use. Once this opt -in, performance -based low-impact/positive-impact standard is developed, benefits to landowners for signing onto these standards with a note to title might include minimal permitting, the ability to build on sites that would benefit from positive -impact living, and the ability to build residential buildings that would perform better with much lower impact, or even positive impact, than we see demonstrated in conventional building and living. This would also allow existing stealth homesteads to be legally permitted and for them potentially to contribute to a performance -based design database of tested and proven gray and black water systems, and for legal residential structures with out -of -compliance septic systems to build systems that are affordable, impact —positive, and will keep them on their land and in their homes. Jefferson County stands out as one of innovative and hardworking community -minded and independent -thinking individuals who are willing to work together to literally build a better world. It is important to reward that initiative and fortitude with opportunity. People are hungry to build (or live legally in) eco-homesteads, eco-ADUs, and eco-clusters. The City of Port Townsend has a president in their Planned Unit Development code that allows an applicant to request a waiver from current code by demonstrating a public value. Unfortunately this code still involves an expensive application process that goes before a hearings examiner. The JCPC believes that Jefferson County can go farther and with more accessible results by determining a measurable standard and ultimately a pre -determined code, possibly administered by a citizen permit review board comprised of knowledgeable and experienced citizen volunteers, that would allow innovation a legal path to building truly affordable permanent housing for Jefferson County. The Jefferson County Planning Commission believes it is time to build the path, with the first step to endeavor now to set the standard for future opt -in low -impact or positive -impact performance regulations by adding such action item to the Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan in this update. 2/27/2019 - DRAFT PLANNING COMMISSION ECO-PERFORMANCE STANDARD ACTION - TEXT CODE REVISION APPLICATION EXHIBIT "A" This text amendment would add an action item to the Housing Element of the Comprehensive Plan to work now to build ultra -low impact/impact-positive eco-building performance measures that will be used for a future set of opt -in eco-building codes. Exhibit B 2/27/2019 - DRAFT PLANNING COMMISSION ECO-PERFORMANCE STANDARD ACTION - TEXT CODE REVISION APPLICATION ADD TO SECTION 3.5 ACTION PLAN: .[new bullet] Convene panel of citizens knowledgea,bl,e in the innovative_technologies listed in Policy HS-P-2.3 to research and recommend a set of performance measures upon which to build_a het of opt -in, very -low -impact and/or impact -positive standards for Jefferson County. HOUSING Policy HS-P-1.5 Support the Peninsula Housing Authority, Habitat for Humanity, and Olympic Community Action Programs, in their efforts to assist income -limited households with funding for home repairs and other housing rehabilitation assistance, including support for multifamily tax credits such as federal low income housing tax credits (LIHTC) and project -based vouchers (Section 8), Policy HS-P-1.6 Through zoning, incentives, and other strategies, encourage the development of housing affordable to the county's workforce across all incomes. These housing types may include single family dwellings with a variety of lot sizes, manufactured homes, clustered homes, co -housing, accessory dwelling units, townhouses, apartments, or other forms appropriate to the urban or rural location, Promote workforce access to services and transportation options for commuting. O .................................................................................................................. Refer to Land the Element Goal HS-G-2 Promote a variety of housing choices Section 1.4Urban throughout the county with innovative land use and related policies practices, community redevelopment strategies, development standards, design techniques, and building and infrastructure permit requirements. ► Policy HS-P-2.1 Explore regulatory opportunities that help minimize costs to developing affordable housing while ensuring that public health, safety, and environmental quality standards are not compromised. ► Policy HS-P-2.2 Encourage and support greater opportunity for the development of innovative housing types to increase the inventory of affordable housing throughout the county. Work cooperatively with public and private housing experts on community redevelopment strategies, residential mixed -use development, single and multi- family attached housing, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, triplexes, apartment houses, mixed -use, senior, and multi -care facilities, community housing, farm worker housing, tiny homes, etc. Encourage development patterns such as clustering in Rural Village Centers and Urban Growth Areas, provided adequate infrastructure and services are in place. ► Policy HS-P-2.3 Pursue demonstration and pilot projects that document the safety and reliability of innovative technologies such as composting toilets, gray water systems, site -specific nutrient management plans, water conservation, and net zero energy systems that minimize housing development costs, reduce environmental impacts, and provide more affordable housing options throughout the county. Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan 3-16 December 2018