Page last updated: 1/25/2012
New Items
2012 Meeting Schedule
The Planning Commission will meet at the Tri Area
Community Center in Chimacum for most meetings this year.
However three summer meetings will be held at other locations around
the County. See the 2012 Meeting Schedule
here.
District 1 Vacancy
There is still a volunteer service opportunity for Port Townsend-area residents interested in County land-use issues and
public involvement. A District 1 position is currently vacant.
See the
Commissioner District Map (12/2011), an
informational flyer, and submit a completed
application as soon as possible to:
Board of County Commissioners
PO Box 1220/ 1820 Jefferson St.
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Reduced Meeting Frequency
At their October 19, 2011 regular meeting,
the Planning Commission took formal action by unanimous vote to meet
only once per month until further notice (first Wednesday each
month). This decision was prompted by limited items on the work
plan and in keeping with the Board of County Commissioners’ 2012
Budget Goals & Objectives.
New Meeting Location
Oct - Dec 2011
Starting October 5, 2011 meetings will be held
in the Jefferson County Courthouse, First Floor Conference Room
(1820 Jefferson St. in Port Townsend). Doors will open at 6:15 pm.
District 1 and 2 Appointments
The Board of County Commissioners took action to
appoint Gary Felder as a District 1 representative, and to
re-appoint Patricia Farmer to continue as a District 2
representative. Gary brings his extensive experience as a home
builder and is a long-time Washington resident. Patricia
brings her experience in tourism, as a business owner and an active
local volunteer. There is still a vacancy for a District 1
position - anyone interested is encouraged to
apply immediately.
Periodic Assessment -
Local Food Resiliency
As part of the Planning Commission's review of the
Comprehensive Plan and Unified Development Code (UDC) in preparation
for a 2016 Periodic Update required by the state Growth Management
Act, the group has begun learning more about
local food supply issues. Materials from meetings that address this
subject are below:
10/5/11 Regular Meeting
9/21/11 Regular Meeting
9/7/11 Regular Meeting
8/17/11 Regular Meeting
8/3/11 Regular Meeting
7/20/11 Regular Meeting
7/6/11 Regular Meeting
6/15/11 Regular Meeting:
6/1/11 Regular Meeting:
5/18/11 Regular Meeting:
5/4/11 Regular Meeting:
4/6/11 Regular Meeting:
3/2/11 Regular Meeting:
Meetings Canceled
Due to a lack of quorum or the timing of project assignments, and in
keeping with the Board of County Commissioners'
Budget Goals & Objectives to conserve limited funds by reducing
advisory board meeting frequency when appropriate, the Planning
Commission has canceled the following meetings:
- December 21, 2011
- November 16, 2011
- April 20, 2011
- March 16, 2011
- February 16, 2011
- January 19, 2011
- November 3, 2010
- October 20, 2010
- August 18, 2010
- July 21, 2010
- June 16, 2010
District 2 and 3 Reappointments
Planning Commissioners Henry Werch (Dist. 2) and
Tom Giske (Dist. 3) were both reappointed by the Board of County
Commissioners in March 2010 to serve additional 4-year terms of
volunteer service on the Planning Commission.
District 3 Appointment
Richard Hull of the Coyle Peninsula was appointed
in 2009 by the Board of County Commissioners to serve a four-year
term as a District 3 representative. Richard has an extensive
background in biological and medical science, higher education, and
currently serves on the County's Parks, Recreation and Open Space
Advisory Board.
Project-Specific Information
The Planning Commission reviews and provides input
on a broad variety of issues in their role of assisting Department
of Community Development and advising the Board of County
Commissioners. Use the Issue Links
list of topics to find more information and view materials about
specific projects.

Membership, Duties & By-Laws
The Planning Commission is composed of nine citizen volunteers
appointed by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to support DCD and
to make advisory recommendations on land use planning matters
as authorized in the Planning Enabling Act (RCW
36.70.040).
Membership - The current composition of the
Planning Commission is as follows (with expiration date of
respective four-year terms of service):
District 1:
Gary Felder (3/17/12)
William Miller (3/17/13)VACANT (3/17/15)
District 2:
Patricia Farmer
(3/17/15)
Peter Downey
(3/17/13)
Henry Werch (3/17/14)
District 3:
Tom Brotherton (3/17/12)
Richard Hull (3/17/13)
Tom Giske (3/17/14)
Click here for a map of the three Commissioner Districts.
Duties - See
JCC 18.05.050 for a list of Planning Commission
duties.
By-Laws - As amended
on
June 1, 2011
Application -
Volunteer Statement of Interest

Schedule of Regular
Meetings
The Planning Commission holds
regular meetings on the first and
third Wednesday of each month from 6:30 to 9:30 PM. For years
the meetings were held at the
WSU Spruce Room, Shold
Business Park in Port Hadlock. In late-2011 the meetings were
held at the Jefferson County Courthouse, First Floor Conference
Room. See the 2012 Meeting Schedule above.
Special meetings and
committee meetings may also be scheduled and are publicly announced
in advance.
All meetings and formal public
hearings are noticed in the newspaper of record,
The Port Townsend & Jefferson County
Leader. Also see the
Agendas & Minutes section below.

Public Comment
Citizens may submit comments to the Planning
Commission via the Department of Community Development. There are also
observer comment
periods at most Planning Commission meetings and opportunity for
formal testimony at Planning Commission public hearings on
Comprehensive Plan or Unified Development Code amendment proposals.
Send written comments via:
NOTE: Please don't submit duplicate comments to both as
it slows processing time.

Agendas and
Minutes
NOTE:
The
Meeting Agenda and Meeting Minutes links that follow will take you
to a directory. Use the dated links on the right hand side to access the
PDF files.
Meeting Agenda - Click to access Planning Commission past
and future meeting agendas.
Meeting Minutes - Click to access meeting minutes from past
Planning Commission meetings.

Planning Commission Committees
The Planning Commission has established several
committees to work on issues that are anticipated for future
Planning Commission consideration. Committee membership as of
May 2010 includes:
- Adult Business Committee: Chair Tom Brotherton and
members Tom Giske and Henry Werch. Not active.
- Brinnon MPR Committee - Members Henry Werch and
Patricia Farmer. Not active. (MPR = Master Planned Resort)
- Shoreline Master Program Update Committee: Chair Peter Downey and member Bill
Miller. Not active.
- UGA Committee: Chair Bill Miller and members Tom Brotherton
and Tom Giske. (UGA = Irondale/Port Hadlock Urban Growth Area)
- Planning Commission members Tom Brotherton and Peter Downey
have indicated interest in forming a committee to study the
industrial land bank (ILB) issue, but no formal action has been
taken.
The purpose of the committees is to do the initial review of pertinent issues and bring forward
summaries or initial recommendations to the entire Planning Commission.
When active, these committees strive to meet on a regularly
scheduled basis with occasional special meetings outside of a regular schedule.
Committee meetings are open to the public and are legally noticed in
the
The Leader
newspaper.

More Information
Want to learn more about Planning?
Also check out:
Contact staff for more information
or to join the Planning Commission Interested Parties Email List:
Back to the Long Range Planning
page
Back to the Department of
Community Development (DCD) page