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For more information, go to the general 2004 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Cycle page.
Page last updated: 4/19/2005 The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) adopted Ordinance No. 17-1213-04 on December 13, 2004, effectively amending 10 elements of the Comprehensive Plan. For a summary of the results of this process and hyperlinks to PDF files of line-in/line-out of the 10 Comprehensive Plan elements as adopted by the BOCC through this Ordinance, skip to Amendments Adopted by BOCC below. Replacement elements are posted on the Comprehensive Plan page. A critical areas webpage has been created to provide information during the on-going planning process expected in 2005 on the subject of "best available science" and regulatory protections for environmentally critical areas.
The information on this page pertains to two related Comprehensive Plan amendment proposals. The first involves Jefferson County's response to Growth Management Act (GMA) requirements under RCW 36.70A.130(4) to review our Comprehensive Plan and development regulations in 2004. The second involves line-in/line-out amendments associated with the Planning Commission five-year assessment of the Comprehensive Plan pursuant to Section 9, subsection 9.5.4, of the Unified Development Code (UDC). Proposals related to each of these efforts were reviewed as part of the 2004 Comprehensive Plan amendment cycle under file number MLA04-28. Jefferson County's Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 1998 after eights years of community effort and debate. The Plan is a set of guidelines in the form of goals, policies and strategies to give growth and development both context and direction, aimed at promoting the best environmental, social and economic future for Jefferson County citizens. Although the Plan has been amended each year after its adoption, this is the first time the Plan has been proposed for a thorough update to reflect where we are now, six years later.
Pursuant to RCW 36.70A.130(4), Jefferson County must take action every seven years to review and, if needed, revise its Comprehensive Plan and development regulations to ensure that the Plan and regulations continue to comply with the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA). The deadline to complete this first seven-year update is December 1, 2004. The State-mandated review includes the following three basic actions:
For more information on the State-mandated update, visit the webpage of the State Dept. of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) Growth Management Services. CTED has a portal page for information on the update process, including these frequently asked questions. The reference file number for this effort is MLA04-28, Part A, which is part of the 2004 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Docket. The County staff response to these requirements was released on September 22 through a 2004 Docket Integrated Staff Report and SEPA Addendum, thereby initiating a formal public comment period. The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the proposal, as well as other items on the 2004 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Docket, on October 6. The preliminary proposal as developed by staff included amendment proposals to the Comprehensive Plan and Unified Development Code (UDC), the set of development regulations that implement the Comprehensive Plan. The Department of Community Development (DCD) coordinated a multi-departmental effort involving DCD, Central Services and Public Works to develop the staff proposal. County staff hosted a public roundtable discussion on September 7 regarding the 2004 update process. Here are the press release and agenda. On November 15, 2004, the BOCC adopted Resolution 63-04, addressing the December 1, 2004 statutory deadline for Jefferson County to review and, if necessary, update its Comprehensive Plan and development regulations to ensure compliance with the Growth Management Act. The Resolution documents progress to date and lays out a timeline for legislative action. The joint Planning Commission and staff recommendation for addressing the 2004 update requirements was presented to the BOCC on November 15, 2004. The Board held a public hearing on December 6, keeping the period for written comments open until December 8, and took legislative action on December 13. Through adoption of Ordinance No. 17-1213-04, the BOCC adopted amendments to the Comprehensive Plan under MLA04-28, Part A, as presented below and recommended by staff and the Planning Commission, in order to meet the requirements of the "2004 update." See Amendments Adopted by BOCC below. With regard to the requirement to review "best available science" and, if needed, revise regulatory protections for environmentally critical areas, the BOCC, through Ordinance No. 17-1213-04, re-adopted UDC Section 3, the section of the code that contains such regulations, rather than adopt the Planning Commission and staff-recommended UDC amendments or any other changes to the code.
The focus of the County staff response to the 2004 update requirements is on the following areas of the Comprehensive Plan: Population, Capital Facilities, and Transportation. Pre-release versions of the staff proposals were available September 7, 2004 in conjunction with a public roundtable workshop hosted by staff. (See the press release.) The 2004 Docket Integrated Staff Report and SEPA Addendum, which combines proposal analysis with environmental review, was released September 22.
Capital Facilities
Transportation
Transportation Element--Goals & Policies partial line-in/line-out version Transportation Element--1998 comparison full line-in/line-out version
Environmentally Critical Areas The Unified Development Code (UDC) includes protections for "critical areas," a term of art in the GMA that involves environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands, geologically hazardous areas, critical aquifer recharge areas, and fish and wildlife habitat areas. The critical areas sections range from UDC 3.6.4 through 3.6.10. The GMA was amended in the late 1990s to include the requirement that local jurisdictions consider "best available science" (BAS) when establishing protection measures for critical areas. [See Part Nine of Chapter 365-195 WAC.] Jefferson County considered BAS during the review and adoption process for the UDC in the year 2000. As part of the BAS review in 2000, the following "white paper" was drafted, with a focus on riparian buffers for protecting the habitat of anadromous fish (which spawn in freshwaters and live part of their life cycles in marine waters):
The UDC was adopted in December 2000, effective January 16, 2001. The environmentally critical areas protections are found between sections 3.6.4 and 3.6.10. There have been amendments to some of these sections since initial adoption. In 2004, County staff and consultants reviewed current BAS to determine whether amendments to critical area protections in the UDC are warranted. The 2004 Docket Integrated Staff Report and SEPA Addendum incorporates staff review of BAS and associated UDC amendment proposals. The following two documents are Appendix Items in the Report:
These maps and reports are referenced in the BAS Review:
The author of the white paper reviewing BAS (Item 15 linked above) submitted a letter in response to comments received by the County concerning the critical areas proposal:
In the late autumn of 2004, the Planning Commission and staff jointly recommended the following to the BoCC with regard to protections for critical areas. Proposed UDC amendments, 2004:
On December 13, 2004, through Ordinance No. 17-1213-04, the BoCC re-adopted UDC Section 3, the section of the code that contains the regulatory protections for environmentally critical areas, rather than adopt the Planning Commission and staff-recommended UDC amendments or any other changes to the code. The BoCC addressed this letter to the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) concerning the BAS requirement:
A copy of the letter was also sent to the State Dept. of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) and other parties. A critical areas webpage has been created to provide information during the on-going planning process expected in 2005.
Planning Commission Periodic Assessment Over a series of months in 2004, the Comp Plan Review Committee of the Planning Commission developed a Comprehensive Plan amendment proposal in conjunction with the periodic assessment of the Comprehensive Plan called for in Section 9, subsection 9.5.4, of the Unified Development Code (UDC). The periodic assessment process was linked to the 2004 update process described above and included on the 2004 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Docket. The reference file number for this effort is MLA04-28, Part B. The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) requested that the Planning Commission review the Comprehensive Plan and UDC with the aim of simplifying the documents. The request came in a letter dated January 6, 2004. The full Planning Commission considered the Comp Plan Review Committee recommendation and, through discussion at regular Planning Commission meetings, established a public review proposal to amend the Comprehensive Plan on September 1. Additionally, Planning Commission approved a memorandum describing the process used to develop the MLA04-28 Part B proposal. The Planning Commission public review proposal involved the following elements of the Comprehensive Plan. These elements are posted in "line-in/line-out" amendment format. The size of these PDF files ranges from 178 to 433 KB: NOTE: The Implementation & Monitoring chapter has been integrated into the Introduction.The Planning Commission public review proposal also included one site-specific re-zone. The Planning Commission proposed that the 18.1-acre parcel that houses the Wheel-In Motor Movie drive-in theater off Theater Road and just south of the intersection of SR 19 and SR 20 be re-designated General Crossroad (a rural commercial designation) from its current Rural Residential 1:10 (RR 1:10) designation. The parcel was down-zoned to RR 1:10 from commercial in 1998 with adoption of the Comprehensive Plan.
DCD released its 2004 Docket Integrated Staff Report and SEPA Addendum, which incorporated the Planning Commission amendment proposals. The Planning Commission held a public hearing on this proposal and others on the 2004 Docket on October 6. The written comment period lasted through October 13. Prior to the Planning Commission meetings November 3 and November 10 (Land Use and Rural Element), staff presented response versions of the elements to the Planning Commission:
On November 10, the Planning Commission completed a recommendation to the BOCC on the 2004 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Docket, including this Part B of MLA04-28. Visit the 2004 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Cycle page for access to the formal memoranda. The Planning Commission recommendation to the BOCC for MLA04-28, Part B, did not include a recommendation to re-designate the drive-in movie theater property. Under file number MLA04-28, Part B, Comprehensive Plan assessment, the Planning Commission recommended line-in/line-out amendments to the following elements of the Comprehensive Plan. Note that other elements were proposed for amendment under Part A. (See 2004 Update above.) Planning Commission Recommendation for MLA04-28, Part B (completed November 10 , 2004): Comprehensive Plan Elements:
Staff presented a recommendation to the BOCC for MLA04-28, Part B. In most instances, the staff and Planning Commission recommendations are identical. The following elements include areas where the staff and Planning Commission recommendations differ. Staff Recommendation for MLA04-28, Part B (completed November 12 , 2004): Comprehensive Plan Elements:
Additionally, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) added a set of Comprehensive Plan narrative and policy proposals to be considered as part of the public review process associated with scheduled public hearing before the BOCC on December 6:
On November 24, 2004, a legal notice appeared in the newspaper of record announcing a public hearing before the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on December 6. The public was asked to consider the Planning Commission and staff recommendations for amendments proposed under MLA04-28, as well as a set of Board-sponsored Comprehensive Plan narrative and policy proposals developed in a Board workshop in public session on November 15 (Board Additions to MLA04-28, Part B). After deliberations in the morning and afternoon, the BOCC adopted Ordinance No. 17-1213-04 on December 13, 2004, effectively amending 10 elements of the Comprehensive Plan. Following are line-in/line-out or replacement versions of the 10 Comprehensive Plan elements, as adopted by the BOCC through this Ordinance:
With regard to the requirement to review "best available science" and, if needed, revise regulatory protections for environmentally critical areas, the BOCC, through Ordinance No. 17-1213-04, re-adopted UDC Section 3, the section of the code that contains such regulations, rather than adopt the Planning Commission and staff-recommended UDC amendments or any other changes to the code. A legal notice of adoption for Ordinance No. 17-1213-04 appeared in the newspaper of record on December 22, 2004. Visit the general 2004 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Cycle page for procedural details and links to the legal notice and other documents. Replacement elements are posted on the Comprehensive Plan page.
Visit the webpage of the State Dept. of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) Growth Management Services. Contact:
Long-Range
Planning Email: planning@co.jefferson.wa.us Phone: 360-379-4450
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