San Juan County Department of Community Development staff briefed the Planning Commission on July 18 on a site-specific redesignation request to allow a Public Works road maintenance and storage yard on Shaw Island.

Sofia, county planning staff, said the proposal would redesignate a five-acre, county-owned parcel on Neck Point Road from Rural Farm Forest to Rural Industrial to allow "construction yards" and "outdoor storage yards," activities that are currently prohibited in the parcel’s existing designation. The parcel includes an existing single-family residence that public works proposes to convert to office and staff rest space; there are smaller outbuildings on site. Staff noted the change would not alter residential density limits (the current density is one dwelling per five acres) and the proposal does not increase dwelling-unit allocations.

Why it matters: County code includes an essential public facilities (EPF) siting process for facilities that provide services the public needs but are difficult to locate. Public Works identified a demonstrable need for on-island storage, material processing and staging to support road projects and emergency response; staff concluded the proposal would benefit public health, safety and welfare if mitigation conditions are met.

Staff said the parcel was selected after community outreach and an EPF siting process. The Department of Community Development issued a mitigated determination of nonsignificance (MDNS) with conditions that include maintaining vegetative buffers, using stormwater-management best practices and other measures to limit impacts. The department concluded the proposal meets the county’s site-specific redesignation criteria because: there is an identified need for land where the proposed industrial activities are allowed on Shaw; on-site buffers and parcel size can reduce impacts on neighboring properties; and the public benefits of improved local maintenance and faster emergency response outweigh potential adverse effects.

The county council directed Public Works to submit the application on June 13; the next step is a Planning Commission public hearing, expected to be set in September and bundled with the annual comprehensive-plan work. Sofia warned that the timeline is tentative because an outstanding appeal of the EPF siting is pending before the hearing examiner and the superior court. No final decision was made at the July 18 briefing; the commission asked staff to schedule the formal public hearing and to return with finalized recommendations and notice materials.