Kitsap Planning Commission backs 2024 Comprehensive Plan changes, adopts tree‑canopy code with amendments

The Kitsap County Planning Commission on Oct. 15, 2024, voted to recommend adoption of a package of changes to the county's 2024 Comprehensive Plan, the Capital Facilities Plan and associated development regulations after adopting several targeted amendments and deferring other items.

Eric Baker, deputy Kitsap County administrator, opened the deliberations and reviewed the staff-recommended matrix of proposed edits. Commissioner Richard Shattuck moved that the commission consider the package paragraph-by-paragraph and recommend adoption as amended; the commission carried that procedural motion and then addressed specific code changes.

Among the decisions, the commission moved unanimously to defer proposed revisions to Boundary Line Adjustments in KCC 16.04.050.G and to remove a new definition of "Building Site" and a duplicate BLA definition.

The commission debated a proposed Tree Canopy Code (KCC 17.495). An initial motion to remove the tree canopy code resulted in a 3–3 tie and failed. After a unanimous motion to reconsider, commissioners approved Tree Canopy Code 17.495 with amendments. Commissioner Aaron Murphy's amendment clarified that trees planted in public rights-of-way classified as arterials or collectors by the Kitsap County Road Standards shall not count toward a development's existing or replacement tree unit credits, while trees retained or replanted within local and minor collector rights-of-way do count toward tree unit requirements. The commission also adopted staff-recommended Attachment A and accepted staff corrections to the ordinance language.

The commission approved additional technical edits to 17.495, including a change in 17.495.050.c.4.b replacing a 50% reference with 25%, and adopted the recommended changes to 17.495.030.E.

Other package decisions included a 5'to'1 vote to remove previously proposed staff changes to KCC 17.470.070; unanimous acceptance of staff's recommendation of no change to the Park-and-Ride impact fee (to be reconsidered in 2025); denial of the Skokomish Tribe's request (cited by commissioners as driven by jurisdictional feedback and lack of utility availability); denial of the Goldberg land-use zoning request; adoption of a sewer inventory map to Appendix A; and approval of changes to the Capital Facilities Plan including exhibits noted in the staff packet. The main motion to recommend adoption of the entire package, as amended, carried unanimously.

Commissioners then considered and approved Findings of Fact for the meeting and amended paragraph 22 of the Findings to reflect deliberation dates of Oct. 1 and Oct. 15, 2024.

The decisions will be forwarded per the county's process for final adoption and any next procedural steps will be posted to the project website listed by staff.