Kitsap Planning Commission reviews 2024 Comprehensive Plan update; staff highlights housing, CAO draft and urban tree‑canopy proposals

KITSAP COUNTY — At a Sept. 3 virtual meeting, the Kitsap County Planning Commission received a staff briefing on the 2024 Comprehensive Plan update that focused on housing capacity, critical‑areas regulations and proposed urban tree‑canopy standards.

Eric Baker, a Kitsap County planner, said staff is recommending the staff‑preferred "Alternative 2" for population and housing capacity and urged the commission to consider adding multifamily and missing‑middle housing and infill development within Urban Growth Areas (UGAs) to meet targets. "The Comp Plan, County‑wide Planning Policies, and code must all work together," Baker said, summarizing the integration staff seeks among plan elements.

The briefing covered several linked items: a March draft of the Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) that would constrain development in sensitive areas; limits on UGA expansions after the Board of County Commissioners removed some single‑family UGA expansions from the Planning Commission's previous recommendations; and a proposal to apply tree‑canopy requirements in urban areas, with tree‑unit calculations and retention standards explained by staff.

On economic policy, Baker said the plan seeks to leverage the local Naval presence to diversify the economy while ensuring an adequate and varied housing stock to limit displacement. Staff described strategies to encourage multifamily development, so‑called "missing‑middle" housing types, and infill within UGAs.

Commissioners raised implementation questions during a Q&A. Commissioner Richard Shattuck asked whether changes to UGAs affect a reported shortage of about 1,400 housing units; Baker said single‑family capacity remains on target but that the county will need to identify where multifamily capacity can be increased and possibly address individual properties or developer agreements in 2025. Commissioner Alan Beam asked whether existing buildable‑lands maps and incentives can better target underutilized parcels; Baker confirmed those maps exist and staff can highlight incentive options. Commissioner Jonathan Tudan pressed for robust multifamily development standards and noted a 15% landscape requirement for multifamily projects; Baker said the standard is applied to whole‑project areas. Chair Joe Phillips confirmed assisted‑living and congregate care are folded into multifamily housing requirements.

Public comment bookended the meeting. Bill Palmer, president of the Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners, submitted written comments on the Comp Plan and the Environmental Impact Statement and spoke during the meeting to raise concerns about permitting delays, the proposed tree ordinance and expanded buffers, and urged deregulation to increase available land. Doug Hayman, a North Kitsap resident, urged commissioners to consider homelessness and various housing needs in plan decisions.

There were no formal land‑use decisions taken at the meeting beyond the approval of prior meeting minutes. The commission voted unanimously to approve minutes from March 26, April 2 and April 16, 2024. Baker and staff will return to the commission with additional material and are seeking specific topics the commission wants addressed at future meetings as the schedule advances toward BOCC deliberations.

The commission adjourned by unanimous consent at 6:41 p.m.