Planning staff to take population projections to commissioners; critical-areas update will use DFW site-potential tree-height mapping

Kittitas County planning staff said they will ask the Board of County Commissioners to adopt the county’s medium population projections at an April 15 meeting and then begin land-capacity analysis and open houses, starting May 17 in Ellensburg and Cle Elum.

Staff also updated the commission on the county’s periodic update of its critical-areas code. The update will rely on Department of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) modeling of site-potential tree height and other best-available-science inputs; staff said adopting those models could expand regulated buffers and affect buildable land in the upper county.

“we went in front of, COG on March 19, and we got a recommendation to approval for approval on those population projections,” Jeremy (staff member) told commissioners, describing the regional review and the plan to present the medium projection to the Board of County Commissioners. Staff said several cities raised concerns about their population numbers and that the county extended negotiation time before planning to proceed with the regional recommendation.

Why it matters: adopting the population projections is the next formal step required to start the county’s land-capacity analysis and the public outreach process; changes to the critical-areas code that rely on DFW modeling could materially change where building is permitted and affect property owners in some parts of the county.

Key details from the update

- Population projections and schedule: staff said the Council of Governments (COG) recommended approval of the medium projection after March 19 review; staff will present the projections to the Board of County Commissioners on April 15. Staff plans public open houses and outreach, with a May 17 open house in downtown Ellensburg (morning) and Cle Elum (afternoon), and additional outreach at Memorial Day weekend events in the upper county.

- Critical-areas code and site-potential tree height: staff described DFW’s “site potential tree height” modeling, which estimates potential canopy height per parcel and is being used to establish buffers. The county consultant and staff have raised questions about some model outputs and have commissioned separate GIS analysis to compare local data with the DFW model. Staff said the county is negotiating settlement language with the Yakama Nation and that adopting the DFW models could change buffer widths and therefore affect buildable land.

- Maps, public review and settlement implications: staff said they are requesting legal guidance about whether a mapped settlement will require a public hearing before the county adopts it; staff also said they would rely on DFW priority habitat maps where appropriate but that many locally mapped buffers deserve further review prior to adoption.

Commissioner concerns and context

Commissioners asked for parcel-level maps showing the proposed buffer changes before adoption and raised questions about reasonable-use provisions and the county’s approach to mitigating impacts on property owners. Staff said the critical-areas update includes a reasonable-use section intended to limit taking claims and that the county is seeking to resolve technical mapping issues (for example, channel migration zones) in consultation with Yakama Nation biologists.

Next steps

Staff will return with the population-projection adoption recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners on April 15, proceed with land-capacity analysis and hold public open houses starting May 17. Separately, staff will complete the GIS review of DFW model outputs and will seek legal guidance on settlement approval and whether additional hearings are required before adoption of any mapped changes to buffers or critical-areas regulations.