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Kitsap County staff propose limited 2025 administrative code edits; public hearing opened and comment period extended
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Summary
Kitsap County staff presented a narrowly scoped administrative code update April 15 to add cross-references, correct inconsistencies and implement state parking law changes; the Planning Commission opened a public hearing and extended the written-comment period to April 25.
Kitsap County long-range planning supervisor Colin Poff presented a limited package of administrative code edits on April 15 that would amend Title 16 (land division and development) and Title 17 (zoning) to add clarifying cross-references, correct inconsistencies, and incorporate recently adopted state-driven changes.
Poff described the project as a routine annual-style update intended to be narrower in scope than a comprehensive code overhaul. He said staff limited this round to items that could move quickly through adoption and that more substantive Title 12 and Title 21 updates would be deferred to separate processes.
Key proposed edits include: adding references in land-division submittal requirements to Kitsap County's recently adopted tree canopy standards (adopted in the 2024 comprehensive-plan process) where tree-canopy demonstration is applicable to plats and short plats; cleaning up a compact-parking definition to match the parking chapter; restoring "outdoor storage" as an allowed use with accompanying screening standards and asking the commission whether certain rural-industrial permissions should be permitted, administrative conditional-use permit (ACUP) or full conditional-use permit (CUP); and fixing a conflicting garage setback in the county's performance-based development rules.
Poff told the commission that Senate Bill 6015 preempts local code distinctions between enclosed and unenclosed parking and requires counties to count both toward minimum parking requirements; staff proposed to bring county code into alignment with that state law. He also noted the county is watching additional parking-related legislation.
On the multifamily tax-exemption (MFTE) program, commissioners asked whether the legislature had opened the program to counties. Poff said the statute has eligibility criteria counties must meet (including, in some interpretations, frequent transit and other criteria) and that staff are tracking possible state changes that could allow or expand county MFTE use.
The presentation also referenced a March 31, 2020 director's interpretation on minimum densities in urban low and urban cluster areas; public commenter and attorney "Mr. Palmer" urged that the director's interpretation should have been taken to public hearing and asked that it be included in the code-update review. Beverly Parsons asked again about SEPA coverage for the tree canopy references; Poff said SEPA checklists are required for development-regulation amendments and the county's checklist for this package did not identify new adverse impacts.
The Planning Commission opened the public hearing on the administrative edits. Mr. Palmer spoke at length and asked staff to include the March 30/31, 2020 director's decision in the code edits; he also raised questions about outdoor-storage permitting and historical director interpretations. Marla Powers asked whether lighting and other standards apply to outdoor storage; Poff said screening standards are included in the allowed-use standards and he would provide a citation.
Commissioner action: during the meeting the Planning Commission voted to approve the agenda and to adopt the March 18 meeting minutes earlier in the session; at the April 15 hearing the commission voted to extend the written-comment period for these administrative code edits. The commission approved a motion to extend written public comment to Friday, April 25, 2025, at 5 p.m.
Votes at a glance - Motion to approve agenda as presented (motion moved and seconded on record; outcome: passed). - Motion to adopt minutes of March 18, 2025 (moved and seconded; outcome: passed). - Motion to extend written public comment for the admin code edits to Friday, April 25, 2025, 5:00 p.m. (moved and seconded; outcome: passed).
Next steps and process: staff asked for any further questions and said planning-commission deliberations are scheduled for May 6; staff said they will post corrected presentation graphics and the draft ordinance and invited written comments via the project website. Poff provided an email contact (cpoff@kitsap.gov) and a general code-updates inbox (codeupdates@kitsap.gov) for written submissions.
Ending: The hearing record was opened and the public comment window extended; staff will compile written comments and provide them to the commission in advance of deliberations.
