Hearing examiner holds public hearing on conditional-use permit for storage, trolley maintenance site on Shelter Road

San Juan County Hearing Examiner Gary McLean held an open-record public hearing on a conditional-use permit application (LandUse-24-0117) for storage container rental and maintenance of transit vehicles at a property accessed from Shelter Road on San Juan Island. County staff recommended approval subject to conditions, but the hearing record was left open for the applicant to respond to the staff report and for staff to supplement the record.

The permit application lists Lisonbee Caruso as the applicant for a portion of a parcel owned by the Port of Friday Harbor. Project planner Miss Brunke summarized staff’s review, saying the application seeks authorization for “storage, repair, and maintenance of transit vehicles and storage containers rental,” that the containers would be “for personal belongings only and would not be used for workspace,” and that “no explosives, toxic, or poisonous chemicals will be allowed in the storage containers.” Brunke told the examiner staff considered the San Juan County code’s land-use designation, overlay regulations, performance and use-specific standards, and development standards; she said a CEBA DNS was issued on 06/04/2025 and that the public-comment and appeal period closed with no comments or appeals.

The staff report, which the county described as approximately 40 pages, includes 12 recommended conditions of approval. Brunke and county staff said the conditions include a screening requirement that would be coordinated with the Port of Friday Harbor, because the port recently submitted (or plans to submit) a building-permit application for a new administrative building on the same parcel that could change screening requirements. County staffer Miss Nielsen described condition 4 as written to require screening while also directing the applicant to consult with the port’s architect about final screening measures.

Attorney Raymie Amaro, representing the applicant, described the site as where the Friday Harbor Jolly Trolley vehicles “are stored when they're not being driven” and said maintenance occurs under cover on a concrete pad intended to prevent leaks into fill. Amaro also said she and the applicant had not received or could not find the emailed staff report and conditions prior to the hearing: “I did do a quick search of my email, and I did not find the email of the condition. So, we are kind of riding blind here,” she told the examiner. Applicant Lisonbee Caruso told the examiner she had not seen the staff report either.

The examiner asked about a prior code-enforcement matter referenced in the staff report. Miss Brunke and other staff acknowledged a code-enforcement case dating to March 2022 (case referenced as CEDash22Dash0021 in the staff report). Nielsen confirmed that if the conditional-use permit were issued, “the case will be resolved,” saying the permit application arose from the code-enforcement research. The examiner requested a copy of the 2022 code enforcement file and asked staff to file it as part of the record.

No members of the public offered live comment during the hearing. The examiner directed staff to supplement the record with: (1) the county’s code-enforcement item from 2022 referenced in the staff report; and (2) documentation evidencing how the staff report and hearing notice were transmitted to the applicant and other parties (affidavit of mailing/service or declarations showing which email addresses or postal addresses were used). The examiner kept the record open and set a deadline of September 5 for the applicant to submit any correspondence challenging or accepting the staff recommendation and conditions; staff was given the opportunity to respond and request a continuance if it needed more time to reply.

No final permit decision was made at the hearing. The examiner told parties that if the permit is ultimately issued, the county intends to close the cited code-enforcement file. The examiner also said staff might consider a continuance to allow adequate time for response to any filings submitted before or on September 5. The hearing was adjourned after those directions.

Next steps: the record will be supplemented by county staff with the 2022 code-enforcement material and proof of service of the staff report; the applicant has until September 5 to submit comments or objections to the staff recommendation; staff may request additional time to respond; and the examiner will consider any continuance requests before issuing a decision.