HomeMy WebLinkAbout11 1004 04
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STATE OF WASHINGTON
County of Jefferson
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE }
BRINNON SUB-AREA PLAN, THE }
COUNTY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN }
AND THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT }
CODE IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE }
COMPLIANCE WITH THE }
JUNE 23,2004 COMPLIANCE ORDER }
OF THE WESTERN WASHINGTON }
GROWTH MANAGEMENT }
HEARINGS BOARD }
Ordinance #11-1004-04
WHEREAS, the proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment known as MLA #02-
246 was approved after early and continuous public participation by the Board during the
second week of December 2002, said CP amendment making the Brinnon Sub Area Plan
(the "BSAP") part of the County's Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Board also adopted in December 2002, through the same
Ordinance, Ordinance #13-1213-02, changes to the County's Unified Development Code,
or "UDC;" and
WHEREAS, an unincorporated group known as the Better Brinnon Coalition
timely appealed the County's legislative decisions relating to the BSAP to the Western
Washington Growth Management Hearings Board ("WWGMHB") with a Petition for
Review (or "PFR;") and
WHEREAS, after full briefing by the representatives of the respective parties and
a Hearing on the Merits held in June 2003, the WWGMHB issued an Amended Final
Decision and Order ("AFDO") on November 3, 2003; and
WHEREAS, the AFDO upheld the County and found the County compliant with
respect to all but two of the allegations made in the PFR filed by the BBC; and
WHEREAS, the AFDO found that the County had not satisfied the State
Environmental Policy Act or "SEP A" because it had not adequately studied the probable
significant adverse environmental impacts, if any, of the changes proposed to the
ORDINANCE NO. 11-1004-04 Page: 2
County's Comprehensive Plan, Land Use Map and the County's development
regulations, known as the Unified Development Code or UDC; and
WHEREAS, the AFDO also concluded that a Light Industrial district, formally
known as a RCW 36.70A.070(5)(d)(i) Limited Area of More Intensive Rural
Development or "LAMIRD," of some 22 acres immediately north of the Brinnon Rural
Village Center (or "RVC") did not comply with the GMA; and
WHEREAS, a Compliance Hearing before the Western Washington Growth
Management Hearings Board (or "WWGMHB") was held on April 13, 2004 to determine
if the County had achieved Compliance with respect to the two issues listed above: an
adequate environmental impacts analysis as is required by SEP A and a GMA-compliant
zoning designation for the 22 acres immediately north of the Brinnon RVC; and
WHEREAS, the County, according to the June 23, 2004 Compliance Order,
succeeded in gaining GMA compliance on the SEP A issues but its alternative for the 22
acres (an overlay designation permitting small businesses and cottage industries to utilize
those 22 acres) was rejected by the WWGMHB as not being compliant with GMA; and
WHEREAS, since the County must take steps to bring those 22 acres into
compliance with the GMA, the Board makes the following Findings of Fact
1. RCW Chapter 36.70A, et seq., also known as the Growth Management Act
("GMA"), allows counties planning under the GMA to adopt subarea plans that are
consistent with their comprehensive plans.
2. Jefferson County adopted the current Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan August
28, 1998. The Comprehensive Plan has been amended since adoption. The Brinnon
Subarea Plan is the first subarea plan proposed to be included in the Comprehensive
Plan.
3. On December 18,2000, Jefferson County adopted the Unified Development Code
("UDC") as the implementing regulations for the Comprehensive Plan. The UDC, as
amended, provides for the initial adoption of a subarea plan as an exception to the
annual Comprehensive Plan amendment process (UDC 9.3.1.b), in compliance with
the GMA. Amendments to the UDC can be considered at any time (UDC 9.9.1).
4. The Planning Commission recommended a Brinnon Subarea Plan to implement the
Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan goals, policies and directives to promote
"bottoms up" community planning and to increase economic development potential
in South County consistent with the rural character of the community.
ORDINANCE NO. 11-1004-04 Page: 3
5. In particular, the Brinnon Subarea Plan is intended to implement and fulfill land use
policy 4.8 (LNP 4.8 at page 3-70) in the Comprehensive Plan, which states, "Assist
the community of Brinnon, within the limits of available resources, in a public
process to investigate the feasibility of an additional location for future commercial
development, through a comprehensive study to examine factors including but not
limited to environmental issues, economic viability, future growth projections, and
infrastructure requirements, consistent with GMA requirements."
6. The Comprehensive Plan text, at pages 3-14 and 3-19, describes the economy of the
Brinnon area as "distressed" and promotes the diversification of the South County
economy.
7. Jefferson County adopted a community plan for Brinnon on January 20, 1982 via
Resolution 9-82. In the early 1990s, the Brinnon community updated the Brinnon
community plan and submitted the updated version to the County in May of 1995.
The 1995 Brinnon community plan itself was not adopted, but information from the
1995 plan was incorporated into the 1998 Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan.
8. After much community input, dozens of meetings and much analysis by County staff
and this Board a Preferred alternative draft BSAP dated May 1, 2002 was presented
to this Board. -
9. Ordinance #13-1213-02 for MLA #02-246 enacted by the Board during the second
week of December 2002, made the Brinnon Sub Area Plan (the "BSAP") part of the
County's Comprehensive Plan.
10. That same Ordinance also made effective related changes to the County's Unified
Development Code, or "UDC."
11. An appeal of Ordinance #13-1213-02 followed.
12. The AFDO issued by the WWGMHB upheld the County and found the County
compliant with respect to all but two of the allegations made in the PFR filed by the
BBC.
13. The WWGMHB concluded in the AFDO that the County had A) inadequately
studied the probable significant adverse impacts of more intensive rural commercial
development in and around the vicinity of the Brinnon Rural Village Center (the
unincorporated village of Brinn on), an area sometimes called "the Brinnon Flats" and
B) created a Light Industrial LAMIRD in violation ofRCW 36.70A.070(5)(d)(i).
14. The Brinnon Light-Industrial Limited Area of More Intensive Rural Development (or
"LAMIRD") on the upland 21.6 acres was found to be non-compliant in the AFDO
by the WWGMHB because it could not meet the statutory criteria laid out in RCW
36. 70A.070( 5)( d)(i).
ORDINANCE NO. 11-1004-04
Page: 4
15. In other words, the Light Industrial LAMIRD was non-compliant as a "( d)(i)" type
LAMIRD, one of at least three types ofLAMIRD now permitted by the state law
codified at RCW 36.70A.070(5)(d).
16. The County held the belief that those 21.6 acres met the statutory criteria for a
different type ofLAMIRD, a so-called "(d)(iii)" LAMIRD because they supposedly
met the qualifications laid out in the first sentence of the GMA provision codified at
RCW 36. 70A.070( 5)( d)(iii).
17. The first sentence ofRCW 36.70A.070(5)(d)(iii) allows as a type ofLAMIRD "the
intensification of development on lots containing isolated nonresidential uses or new
development of isolated cottage industries and isolated small-scale businesses that
are not principally designed to serve the existing and projected rural population and
nonresidential uses, but do provide job opportunities for rural residents." (Emphasis
supplied in this Ordinance.)
18. In light of the above, the County enacted in Ordinance #01-0301-04, for those 21.6
acres a so-called SBCI ("Small Business-Cottage Industry) overlay. While the
underlying zoning designation of the 21.6 acres remained Rural Residential, the
County's UDC, as then enacted, allowed for development of new small business and
cottage industries employing multiple employees to commence business within the
SBCI overlay zone.
19. However, the WWGMHB found that because the SBCI overlay of21.6 acres was
immediately adjacent to the Brinnon RVC it was not "isolated," a phrase found in the
applicable portion of the GMA, from other LAMIRDs, and thus was non-GMA
compliant. The Compliance Order reaches this conclusion at Findings of Fact #7
and #8.
20. Additionally, the WWGMHB found the SBCI to be out of compliance with the GMA
because it was immediately adjacent to the Brinnon RVC and both LAMIRDs (the
RVC zone and the SBCI overlay) allowed the same types of uses. The Compliance
Order reaches this conclusion at Finding of Fact #12.
21. The Board is normally required to consider with respect to any proposed
Comprehensive Plan amendment the "Growth Management Indicators," or GMI.
22. The Board finds that the Growth Management Indicators need not be analyzed in this
Ordinance because this Ordinance is being enacted in response to a Compliance
Order.
23. The possible adoption of this Ordinance was advertised in the County's official
newspaper of record (THE JEFFERSON COUNTY LEADER) on September 22,
2004 and this Ordinance was the subject of a public hearing more than ten (10) days
after that advertisement, specifically on October 4,2004.
ORDINANCE NO. 11-1004-04
Page: 5
NOW THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED as follows:
Section One:
The Brinnon Subarea Plan, specifically the version entitled "Board of County
Commissioners Preferred Alternative Draft, May 1, 2002, Modified from January 16,
2002 Draft Recommended by Planning Commission, and August 28, 2001 Draft
Recommended by Brinnon Subarea Planning Group," be and hereby is amended by the
deletion of the Brinnon Subarea Plan Epilog dated February 9,2004, made part of the
Brinnon Subarea Plan by Ordinance #01-0301-04.
Section Two:
Sections Two, Three and Five of Ordinance #01-0301-04 be and hereby are repealed
pursuant to the Compliance Order issued on June 23,2004 by the Western Washington
Growth Management Hearings Board in WWGMHB Cause No. 03-2-007.
Section Three:
The 21.6 acres that were the location of the non-GMA compliant SBCI overlay zone shall
have a zoning designation of Rural Residential.
Approved and adopted this 4th day of October, 2004.
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ATT~ST: " "'" \ ~ ;t:.J'-"
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, Julie Matthes, CMC
Deputy Clerk of the Board
SEAL:
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APPROVED AS !R, FORM: I,' I
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Prosecuting Attorney ~
Dan Titterness, Member
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