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Commission agrees to excise ferry detail from plan, adds military resilience and flags new shoreline law
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Summary
In the same work session, staff removed detailed ferry language at commissioners' request, added references to military installation resilience and living shoreline design, and commissioners asked staff to confirm the comprehensive plan's shoreline language aligns with just‑signed House Bill 613.
During the May 18 work session, staff told the Planning Commission that county commissioners had asked to remove detailed ferry planning material from the comprehensive plan; staff emphasized this did not mean the commissioners opposed the ferry concept, only that the level of detail did not belong in the document.
The presenter said the draft now removes the ferry material at the commissioners' request and noted the change as an editorial direction rather than a policy rejection. At the same time, staff added references requested by the Naval Air Station and included a new reference to the Military Installation Resilience Review in the natural hazards and resiliency element.
A commissioner raised an immediately relevant change in state law, reporting that "House bill 613" on shoreline rules had been signed the previous day and asked staff to confirm that the plan's shoreline references match the new statute. The presenter asked the commissioner to forward the bill text so staff could compare it to the draft. Commissioners and staff also discussed practical limits of living shoreline approaches at sites such as Piney Point, where water depth and soils can make living shorelines infeasible.
Staff said the red‑line draft — with these edits — would be circulated to adjacent jurisdictions and, if posted promptly, would allow the county to meet statutory notice timelines for an upcoming public hearing. No formal action or vote occurred on the ferry or shoreline items during the work session.
