Planner recommends setback variance for Weatherbee lot; applicant agrees, examiner to issue decision

The hearing examiner opened a second matter Jan. 23, 2025, on a request to reduce a zoning setback for a parcel platted in 1966 that is adjacent to a rural wooded zone. Planner Erin Lewis presented the case for the Weatherbee zoning variance (project no. 24-02165) and recommended approval subject to conditions in the staff report.

Lewis told the examiner that the county deemed the application complete May 31, 2024, and that notice of application procedures under KCC Title 21 were followed. She said the parcel (assessor parcel 4279-00-019-005) is about 0.41 acre, addressed as 37190 Madrona Boulevard NE in Hanceville, and is in North Kitsap, Commissioner District 1. Lewis said the request would reduce the 100-foot setback required where a parcel borders rural wooded zoning to allow development of the narrow lot; the northern setback would be reduced by approximately 85 percent to permit a buildable footprint.

Lewis said one comment in the record raised concern that the variance would be too large to fit the neighborhood character but that the submitted site plan shows the proposed single-family house would be consistent with nearby lots, provide three off-street parking spaces, and retain more than half the parcel as tree cover. She noted the parcel has no mapped critical areas and argued the parcel’s small width is an "unusual circumstance" that can constitute undue hardship under Kitsap County Code 17.560.010 and the county’s variance standards.

Applicant John Wetherbee, participating online, told the examiner he appreciated the presentation and "we agree with the County's recommendation for approval," adding the county had not articulated a reason for denial and that the applicant had incorporated edits for a few typographical errors in the staff report.

No members of the public requested to speak. Hearing examiner Emily Terrell closed the record for the Weatherbee variance and said she would provide a written decision within her stated timeframe (about 10 business days, she said). No final decision was read into the record that day.

Why it matters: The variance would permit construction of a single-family house on a narrow, platted lot that county setbacks would otherwise render undevelopable.

What happens next: The hearing examiner will issue a written decision; if she approves the variance, the applicant may proceed with permits subject to the staff conditions listed in the record.