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County outlines aggressive public participation schedule to update critical areas regulations and coordinate shoreline changes
Summary
Planning staff described a timeline and outreach plan to update critical areas regulations required under the Growth Management Act and to coordinate parallel updates to the Shoreline Master Program with the Department of Ecology.
Colin Maycock, Planner 4 with the county's Community Development and Planning department, presented a proposed public participation plan and schedule to update San Juan County's critical areas regulations and to align those changes with the Shoreline Master Program (SMP). Maycock said the county contracted with Facet Environmental to review the county's adopted best available science (BAS) and to produce a gap analysis and a crosswalk linking proposed regulatory language to the science and GMA requirements.
Maycock described a multi‑island outreach approach that would include public briefings, island meetings, planning commission and council briefings, and written responses to public comments; he said the consultant's crosswalk will help the public trace how the science and legal requirements inform proposed code language. Maycock said the county hopes for a joint meeting and parallel review with the Washington State Department of Ecology so that SMP amendments and upland critical area updates proceed simultaneously, avoiding a period with two conflicting regulatory regimes.
Nut graf: Updating critical areas and the shoreline program is a technically complex process with multiple regulatory reviews; staff proposed an aggressive outreach and review timeline that aims to complete the work by February of the following year while ensuring statutory review steps with state agencies are met.
Maycock told council the draft crosswalk and gap analysis should be available to the public in June or early July; once draft regulations are posted the county will accept comments, respond in writing and hold planning commission and council public hearings. He said the workload will require substantial public engagement and departmental coordination, and council members asked that staff prioritize outreach to outer islands and provide a clear timeline document to make milestones easier for the public to follow.
Ending: Staff will continue the consultant work and return with draft materials, a crosswalk and multiple public engagement opportunities before any adoption vote.
