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Island County adopts 2026 comprehensive-plan docket; residents urge clearer review schedule
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Summary
The Board of Island County Commissioners adopted Resolution C6125 on Nov. 25 to establish the 2026 annual review docket for comprehensive-plan amendments; public commenters asked the county to publish a calendar showing when draft elements will be discussed to enable meaningful public input.
The Island County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 25 adopted Resolution C6125, establishing the county’s 2026 annual review docket for comprehensive-plan amendments and the planning department’s accompanying work plan.
Emily Neff, assistant director of planning, told the board the docket combines items mandated under the state Growth Management Act — the comprehensive-plan update, plan implementation and a critical areas ordinance update — with other implementation work and an item for the Shoreline Master Program, which remains under state review.
Whidbey Environmental Action Network representative Marnie Jackson used the public hearing to urge greater transparency and timing detail around the release of draft elements. “A little bit of specificity around which quarters will be involved in each body of work would help community members and organizational stakeholders plan their own work plans for the year,” Jackson said, asking the county to provide a calendar or quarter-by-quarter schedule when the draft elements are released Dec. 10.
Commissioners and staff said more granular scheduling will be provided as the planning department finalizes the draft comp-plan schedule. Commissioners also expressed frustration that the Shoreline Master Program (SMP) has been with the Department of Ecology for review; several commissioners said delays at the state level have hampered local implementation and urged state attention to the backlog.
Commissioner Johnson noted the docket is designed to capture both GMA-mandated items and implementation tasks and said the county will publish a more detailed schedule explaining when code updates and specific topics (for example, short-term rentals) will be considered. The board then moved to adopt Resolution C6125; the motion carried and the resolution was adopted.
Neff emphasized the planning department will continue updating the board quarterly on implementation items and that timing of code updates will depend on when the county completes the comprehensive-plan adoption and staff capacity to pivot to implementation work.
The adoption sets the county’s official list of 2026 planning tasks and signals staff priorities for the year; members of the public and stakeholders were encouraged to review draft elements when they are posted on Dec. 10 and to attend upcoming public meetings during the review period.
