Planners outline expedited fixes to Kitsap comprehensive plan after remand

County planners presented a condensed package of proposed comprehensive‑plan amendments on Nov. 18 to respond to a remand from the Growth Management Hearings Board and certification comments from the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC). "We are required to address the deficiencies identified by the PSRC by next June, 06/30/2026," staff said during the work study.

Staff identified three principal remand areas: (1) housing‑capacity methodology and the need to demonstrate sufficient capacity for lower‑income groups (0–80% AMI), (2) wildfire risk and evacuation planning, and (3) transportation policies that address air quality and greenhouse‑gas reduction. Planners said they had limited time and were focusing on defensible methodology fixes now while committing to more substantive rezoning or development‑regulation changes later.

On housing, staff reported that GIS reanalysis and a narrower right‑of‑way reduction (from a previously applied 20% down to 5% for infill parcels) materially improved capacity calculations for some targeted areas such as Silverdale and the Puget Sound Industrial Center. On wildfire, staff added goals, policies and strategies to improve evacuation planning and interagency coordination but explained that the comprehensive plan cannot adopt static evacuation‑route maps because routes depend on the specifics of an emergency.

Commissioners asked for more transparency on appeals and how to view hearings‑board documents; staff directed commissioners to the hearings‑board website and said the remand response materials are in the commission packet. Staff confirmed a PC public hearing (Dec. 2) and tentative PC deliberations and findings of fact on Dec. 9 ahead of Board review.