Roche Harbor seeks to shift 180-unit site within resort; county staff recommends conditions

Department of Community Development planner Sofia told the Planning Commission that Roche Harbor Resort has proposed expanding the resort master-plan area onto land the resort already owns, without increasing the total number of dwelling units allowed by the 1996 master plan. "There is no increase in the number of units allowed by the 1996 plan. That's a 180 units," Sofia said. Staff identified wetlands in portions of the resort recreational district that make the originally mapped buildable area difficult to develop; Roche Harbor’s proposal would reallocate where allowed dwelling units could be located on resort-owned land rather than increase the unit total. DCD recommended approval of the map amendment accompanied by several conditions. Key recommended conditions summarized by staff include: - Explicitly retain the 1996 master-plan maximum of 180 dwelling units and apply it to the updated map; - Require a minimum 40% open-space area within the five parcels proposed for amendment so open-space can’t be shifted off those parcels into other resort lands; - Add a map to the master plan showing the current locations of trails and recreational facilities and require that the resort demonstrate continued provision of recreational amenities and pedestrian/bicycle connectivity while allowing reasonable adjustments during a future planned-unit development (PUD) process; - Require a 100-foot forested buffer around the expansion area, with limited exceptions for utilities and access points necessary for fire-safety and circulation; - Incorporate applicable master-plan standards and the conditions into the Unified Development Code so requirements are clearer during permit review. Staff described edits made since a July discussion: condition language was modified to allow limited flexibility for accessing the expansion area (utilities, emergency access) and to allow trail locations to shift within a future PUD while still maintaining required recreational amenities. Sofia said the department will include the draft conditions in the ordinance for the October hearing and that adoption of code amendments could proceed in parallel but will not block permit applications. Anna Nelson, identified as Roche Harbor’s consultant, confirmed at the meeting that there are currently no developed residential units in the 180-acre expansion area and that Roche Harbor intends to pursue employee and affordable rental housing in the expansion. No final decision was made. The Planning Commission set a hearing on Oct. 17, 2025, to consider amendment of the Roche Harbor Resort master plan and related comp-plan text changes. Sofia said any subsequent PUDs or permit applications would need to demonstrate how services, open space and recreational amenities will be provided in accordance with the master plan and adopted development code.