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Comp‑plan debate: commissioners split over counting drainage areas as open space
Summary
Commissioner Finnegan proposed reverting a 2022 change that allowed drainage retention areas and certain buffers to count as open space; the motion failed 3–2 after extensive public comment and follow‑up direction to staff to research alternatives and best practices.
A large contingent of residents and civic speakers urged the board to preserve meaningful, usable open space and to stop counting drainage retention areas (DRAs) and buffer strips as the county’s required open space. Chair Diana Finnegan moved to restore the pre‑2022 language that excluded DRAs and similar features from the open‑space calculation; after lengthy public comment and debate the motion failed 3–2.
Supporters of the change said DRAs are engineered stormwater features that are unsafe or unsuitable for recreation and that counting them as open space leads to smaller lots and less usable parks. "We should not have attorneys saying that, well, you could have a putting green on top of a septic field," one public commenter said, urging the board to require true, accessible conservation and parkland. Opponents and some commissioners stressed the need for flexibility and pointed out that clustering development and site‑wide approaches can create large contiguous greenspace while preserving affordability.
Although the motion to restore the old language failed, commissioners asked staff and the county’s comp‑plan consultant (Inspire) to examine policies used by other jurisdictions and to return with options that balance open‑space protection and attainable housing goals. That follow‑up direction drew general consensus among commissioners.
