The Planning Commission heard staff briefings May 16 on official map updates, urban growth area (UGA) amendments and the forthcoming critical areas ordinance update; commissioners also debated land-use treatment for utility-scale renewable energy and essential public facilities.

Maps and timing: Planner Colin/Sofia displayed the county's official map sheets and said map updates (including East Sound UGA amendments, mineral resource overlay updates and Friday Harbor requests) will be the focus of July and August work before a September public hearing. Staff said town-level requests from Friday Harbor remain in progress and the county must determine UGA boundaries before finalizing official maps.

Public and commissioner input: Commissioner Bill Banks urged the commission to adopt more explicit map-based material in the land-use element (a family of maps showing acres of agricultural, forest-resource and other designations) and to require 50% of new single-family dwelling permits on each island to be directed into that island's UGA (a policy he proposed to encourage compact growth). Banks proposed a set of policies to recognize renewable energy generation and storage as essential public facilities, subject to SEPA review and with caps (for example, limiting cumulative area on agricultural land to 5% of designated AG land) and specific decommissioning and site restoration requirements.

Staff and consultant input: Sofia and planning staff said Facet Northwest will help update the critical areas ordinance and that land-use policy language was adjusted to align with state requirements; staff noted that permitting for essential public facilities must still comply with SEPA and other state rules. Planning staff also displayed a table of land-use categories and where commercial power generation is currently allowed or prohibited and highlighted that opening rural residential and rural farm-forest land would be the largest change.

Why it matters: Official maps and UGA boundaries determine where higher-density development and infrastructure siting are appropriate; renewable energy siting and essential facility designations intersect directly with land-use designations and community expectations about rural character and agricultural land protection.

Next steps: Staff will bring map amendments and mineral resource overlay work to the commission this summer; commissioners asked staff to ensure cross-checks with capital facilities and utilities appendices and to prepare material for public hearings in the fall. Commissioners may propose minority reports if they disagree with final recommendations at public hearings.