Island County did not meet the June 30 deadline for completing its 2016 periodic review of the Comprehensive Plan, but planners are moving forward with a phased approach to subsequent updates.
Commissioners recently adopted a “resolution of substantial progress.” It’s a process by which a jurisdiction without final approval of periodic updates by the legislative deadline will instead agree to finalize the update by the end of 2016.
“We’re going to continue working on our update this year until we get it done,” county Long Range Planner Beckye Frey said. “We’ve completed substantial progress, but there are a few elements we’re just looking to finalize and do some extensive public outreach.”
The commissioners ran over some bumps in the road during the ongoing update process. They fired their planner in the midst of the update and reorganized the planning department. And the county prosecutor filed a lawsuit after the commissioners hired an outside attorney to help with the update instead of relying on his office for legal work; the state Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case this fall.
Though not directly involved in its drafting, the state Department of Commerce, Frey said, did guide the county in adopting the resolution. It was approved by the county commissioners on June 21 and submitted to the department prior to the deadline.
“The comprehensive plan is one of those things that can actually have a direct impact on how the county is developed,” Frey said. “It’s definitely not a plan that’s put on the shelf, it’s a plan that’s being used to guide the development that occurs in the county.”
According to Frey, who is also the lead for the Comprehensive Plan update team, the plan covers 10 elements of development, including housing, land use, historic preservation and economic development.
It is meant to project the growth and population of Island County for the next 20 years and outlines how the county intends to prepare for potential expansion while addressing community issues and needs identified by the public.
According to the resolution, the county needed more time to update the Land Use and Housing elements, update the Freeland development regulations and incorporate policy changes from the Critical Areas Ordinance passed earlier this month.
More time was also needed to revise necessary development regulations and conduct code cleanup efforts, as well as additional public outreach.
The county plans to finalize a draft of the comprehensive plan by the end of July. The periodic review as a whole should follow at the end of this year.
Frey said the county also plans to establish a new review process for future use as a part of the 2016 periodic review.
“As a part of the 2016 update we’re going to be making code changes to make a new updating process possible,” she said.
Though the county is required to update the plan once every eight years, as directed by the Growth Management Act of 1990, Frey said the future process will take a slightly different approach.
Rather, the plan will undergo a complete overhaul over the next eight years, with the county updating one or two elements of the plan each year.
Four community meetings throughout Whidbey and Camano Island will seek feedback from the public on the county’s future growth, continuing the current review and kicking off the new process.
With the county estimating a population increase of just under 9,500 by 2036, Frey says the meetings will be an essential opportunity for community members to voice their visions for how the county should evolve.
Community meetings set
Community members can drop in from 4:30-8:30 p.m. at the following meetings to learn about and give input for future comprehensive plan updates:
Monday, July 11, South Whidbey High School Commons, 5675 S Maxwelton Road, Langley
Wednesday, July 13, Coupeville Rec Hall, 901 NW Alexander St., Coupeville
Tuesday, July 19, Elks Lodge, 155 NE Ernst St., Oak Harbor
