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Local attorney warns proposed LMO changes could burden native islanders
Summary
Public commenter Chester Williams told the task force the draft LMO changes — particularly buffer averaging removal and new administrative steps — risk imposing additional costs and time on native island property owners and that subjective language needs tightening.
During the public‑comment period, Chester (Chet) Williams, a local attorney, urged the task force to reconsider aspects of the draft LMO amendments that he said would disproportionately burden native island property owners.
"It's gonna make development much harder for the native islanders," Williams said, arguing that new environmental site analysis and tree‑preservation requirements will increase costs and the time required to obtain approvals. He recommended clearer objective standards in place of broad "reasonable efforts" language and questioned the use of public hearings for appeals.
Williams asked that the draft be revised and returned to the LMO task force for redrafting rather than forwarded to planning commission in its present form; staff and task force members debated the feasibility of additional studies and agreed to flag the language for clarification during the planning‑commission phase.
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