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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-25-2023 Planning Commission Minutes621 Sheridan St. P: 360-379-4450 Port Townsend, WA, 98368 PCommissionDesk@co.jefferson.wa.us Public Comment: When the Chair recognizes you to speak, please begin by stating your name and address. Please be aware that the public comment period is three minutes. 1 MEETING MINUTES JEFFERSON COUNTY- COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT Regular Meeting – January 25, 2023 Tri-Area Community Center, 10 West Valley Road, Chimacum, Washington 98325 Joint Planning Commission Meeting/Board of County Commissioners Meeting Welcome Chair and Overview Presentation 1. Call to Order/Roll Call District 1 District 2 District 3 Alen- X Sircely- X Hull -X Coker-X Smith - X Nilssen -X Koan- X Richert-X Llewelyn – Unexcused Absence 2. Approval of Agenda 3. Approval of Minutes (Past minutes were not addressed in this joint meeting) Motions Motion # Motion 1st 2nd Yay Nay Abstain 1 Motion to Approve minutes 2 Motion to Approve consent agenda PUBLIC COMMENT 4. Three minutes per speaker--No public comments 5. Planning Commission Updates—Updates were not addressed in this joint meeting 6. DCD Staff and Director Updates (5 minutes)—Updates were not addressed in this joint meeting CONSENT AGENDA 7. General Information Item to Read and Receive—No attached information items REGULAR BUSINESS Planning Commission and BoCC Meetings were called to order 5:32 pm. 1. Introduction of pc chair: appreciates BoCC attendance and hopes it becomes annual a) Past year discussions facilitated by DCD to promote community priorities, pc developed a work plan with recommendations for BoCC o Pc recommends several topics that will be discussed later in this meeting • Heidi: General sewer and plan questions for Hadlock UGA, ordinances, etc. 621 Sheridan St. P: 360-379-4450 Port Townsend, WA, 98368 PCommissionDesk@co.jefferson.wa.us Public Comment: When the Chair recognizes you to speak, please begin by stating your name and address. Please be aware that the public comment period is three minutes. 2 • Joel Peterson presented the 2022 Annual Planning Commission/DCD Report • Discussed goals, planning, and Outreach Subcommittee resulting from Planning Commission Annual Retreats • Planning Commission & BoCC Annual plan and prioritization exercise o Establish a work plan and measures of success that drive the process and allows for annual evaluation. • Community Development suggests that the Joint PC and BoCC meeting become annual. o Important to continue to build bridges between The Department of Community Development, the Planning Commission, and the Board of County Commissioners.  September meeting was a good time of year because it precedes the County budget cycle.  Purpose of the PC retreat: organizational review, processes/procedure improvements, and complete organizational and operational items such as Bylaws review. • Training and meetings o 2022 19 of 24 possible meetings (Average for the past 7 yrs) o Planning Commission provided recommendations on ordinances for temporary housing, legal lots of record, and mineral resource lands overlay. • 2025 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Review  State deadline June 30, 2025  Relief from the Annual amendment cycle during Periodic Review: Proposed deferring the 2025 annual amendment cycle in favor of the Periodic Review. Probably too late to defer the 2024 Annual Amendment Cycle since the deadline for 2023 is upon us. • Brotherton and Peterson discussed meeting in September annually to hear suggestions and concerns from the year.  Mark McCauley: the board adopts the budget on the second Monday in December. Thus, there is time before that date for amendments to the budget (Sept/Oct) • Brotherton: Legislation that informs the update of the comprehensive plan (housing element) may be coming from the state legislature. o Potentially a substantial update and could be a way to include planning commission ideas. • Cynthia Koan: we extended our review last cycle, what are the chances that we will/can extend the deadline again? 621 Sheridan St. P: 360-379-4450 Port Townsend, WA, 98368 PCommissionDesk@co.jefferson.wa.us Public Comment: When the Chair recognizes you to speak, please begin by stating your name and address. Please be aware that the public comment period is three minutes. 3 o Joel Peterson: we may be able to but most likely do not want to go that route, GMA says in a rural county, you may be able to extend an additional year  Unsure if that extinguishes the Commerce planning grant  The offset from the city disturbs other information (demographic, population, etc.) • Brent Butler: important reminder regarding the comprehensive plan: its never taken less than 2 years to complete the plan amendment • Commissioner Dean: we know of some changes to GMA that will affect the Comprehensive Plan o As well as the climate change bill o Timing is especially hard due to the UGA Hadlock sewer coming online in 2024  Good to start thinking about/preparing for UGA planning now o Is there a timeline for the Commerce grant?  Joel Peterson: Dept of Commerce will send the information at some point, but we do not have that information at this time o Brent Butler: In the last community I worked in, it cost $400,000 for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)  Funding would open up at the end of 2023 at the earliest.  Housing  Missing middle housing in the city of Port Townsend and the tri- area that could potentially be added  Loss of historic farms o Incentives for preserving those buildings  What can we do to help these issues without opening up the zoning? o Joel Peterson: The public did not like the timeline last time. The community did not feel our application time was sufficient to be able to give input on the comprehensive plan update. This especially concerned the site-specific zoning changes.  So, deferral of the update may be beneficial o Lorna Smith: We did an excellent job last Periodic Review that engaged the public in a way that is replicable  Happy with community involvement o Josh Peters: my take on it is that the comp plan amendments were significant  This deadline is close  See what happens this legislative cycle and go from there  Maybe not do an EIS unless we are significantly changing the comp plan – however, there are many items that may significantly change the comp plan • Housing • Tribal element • Climate change  Tweak what we have and that will likely expend the budget o Greg: what would trigger an EIS? o Brent Butler: Pop/ demographic change as well as: • Concern about the change in demographics not being accounted for • An exceedance of growth than was anticipated during COVID 621 Sheridan St. P: 360-379-4450 Port Townsend, WA, 98368 PCommissionDesk@co.jefferson.wa.us Public Comment: When the Chair recognizes you to speak, please begin by stating your name and address. Please be aware that the public comment period is three minutes. 4  Facility types  Parks/outdoor spaces based on age o Josh Peters:  Project actions: are there significant adverse impacts (regarding the triggering of SEPA)  Non-project actions are trickier • We have been adopting existing environment documents for the comp plan  If the changes are within the scope of what’s been analyzed in the past we should just adopt existing documents • New things such as climate change changes o Brent Butler: Expanding the UGA in Port Townsend could potentially require that EIS  Looking at big-ticket items is important o Cynthia Koan: the expansion of Port Townsend would require a vote?  Who would make that decision? o Brent Butler: pop growth analysis would determine if a UGA expansion is needed  That analysis would be a component of that  Buildable lands analysis o staff, Board, and PC discussed the process of Port Townsend annexation. o Brent Butler: Local org looks at the ability to serve that area o Mark M.: 60% has to be agreed (of property owners who would be annexed)  Sometimes built into the buyer’s agreement o Brent Butler: Cities draw the line where the most tax draw is and cut the areas with the most police calls o Joel Peterson: Regarding the current Comprehensive Plan, we issued a “DS” (significant impacts) and adopted all the SEPA documents as meeting the analysis requirements of an EIS. Joel Peterson: I would like to introduce Arlene Alen Alan who will discuss a new subcommittee regarding outreach o Arlene Alen: this subcommittee was formed due to concerns regarding community engagement,  Website focus  Challenge we have faced is that in JC we have a very engaged public but they do not use the current pathways to be heard  Purpose of this subcommittee • Community outreach will support DCD in a variety of ways to increase outreach and community awareness • Getting the word out for engineers to submit plans for a review of housing stock plans o Greg: this seems like a great place to start  Leader wants a quarterly article and this committee may be able to utilize that o Heidi: outreach regarding the comp plan is incredibly important Richard Hull: presentation coming up on general forest practices • Lorna Smith: Forest Practices are a long-time problem 621 Sheridan St. P: 360-379-4450 Port Townsend, WA, 98368 PCommissionDesk@co.jefferson.wa.us Public Comment: When the Chair recognizes you to speak, please begin by stating your name and address. Please be aware that the public comment period is three minutes. 5 o Currently, timber harvest on private lands in JC is regulated by DNR and requires a potential 4 different types of permits as well as a potential SEPA review o They are also not beholden to Development requirements and CAO o Pros and cons:  Currently Class IV General Forest Practice authority resides in a few counties • JC would have more land use control and other protections may not be met • JC Critical Areas Ordinance provides a higher degree of protection than a standard DNR approach  Cons: • Cost of personnel time and review and enforcement o The pc was proposing this but I think there needs to be more research o How many occur every year and what level of staff involvement is required?  Cost and benefits should continue to be discussed further with DCD o Cynthia Koan: can we influence the state to benefit from the tax benefits then we may have more resources for enforcement  The unfairness of resources coming from JC and we do not benefit from is a consideration even though it’s a different thing o Greg: the dueling priorities of housing and other zoning is a consideration • Lorna Smith: the intent of taking on Class IV General Forest Practice review is to change the reality that landowners only have to adhere only to minimal DNR policies o If JC takes it we can strengthen the CAO and regulations regarding this  We could impose our regulations  If their intent is to convert and didn’t state their intent to convert they have to wait out the moratorium • LD: when have we seen forestry turned into housing in the last 15 years? o Brent Butler: MPR is planning on it but hasn’t done it yet • Josh Peters: I put this on the list because it has been on the law for a while now o Some counties have added it and some haven’t o You have commercial practices that are regulated by DNR o The conversions are Class IV General permits  We have a stormwater permit and a SEPA review for this  We should think about it because it aligns with our SDR processes • Efficiency standpoint: instead of going to DNR (who doesn’t pay as much attention to this type of permit) o Might be easier to convert  Ross who is in the audience worked for 2 decades at DNR • Ross: “I would recommend it because it benefits landowners from a cost system”  Commissioner Dean: this seems like a less urgent thing to address Richard Hull: Kevin Coker will present on the topic of Housing  Elements that should be revised/clarified o Commissioner Dean: the short-term rental regulations are something I feel very motivated to take on in the next couple of years  Less planning and more process but curious if you are considering it. 621 Sheridan St. P: 360-379-4450 Port Townsend, WA, 98368 PCommissionDesk@co.jefferson.wa.us Public Comment: When the Chair recognizes you to speak, please begin by stating your name and address. Please be aware that the public comment period is three minutes. 6 o Kevin: Yes, as a satellite issue and needs to be looked at  In a way as something to review o Lorna Smith: We are seeing more out in Cape George in what would otherwise be affordable housing o LD: it's a complex issue o Arlene Alen: it's a Matt Sircely of how those owners have taken advantage of tenets and there is a decline in that population and are looking at — o Heidi: a lack of long-term rentals affects tourism o Kevin: at the state level there is discussion on how to increase density in rural zoning  That's another thing I’m keeping an eye on o Josh Peters: my first glance is that it doesn't affect us  There are several ADU bills  ADU’s on rural properties legality was called into question and we are hoping the result aligns with what we already do o Kevin Coker: This relates to stock plans and this may relate to the plans regarding ADUs o Greg: What’s next? This is just your research so far o Kevin: this is to look at various housing topics and address them  Maybe ways to loosen certain housing provisions and I will talk to others and see what will encourage innovations Mat: housing and ADUS  The governor vetoed an ADU provision last cycle because of sprawl concerns • Maybe we are doing something right or maybe he doesn't know  We have a good comp plan and what we haven't done is implement said plan • Public engagement will get us to the finish line  There are lots of different ideas that could be applicable in different zones in the county  Each zone changes what constitutes its character  Types of housing, goals, and GMA satisfactions are addressed in the comp plan  Boarding/cohousing could help like Chimacum commons  Complying with GMA is in our plan and what is possible is vital  GMA Concerns • Environmental issues o Keep them strong and incorporate them into other laws • Service provisions o Proposals do not need to drain services but could instead add • Character o Rural character of different areas o Zoning and their requirements and how do we increase the workforce o How do we include the CAO? • Incorporating CAO and other factors are important for this county