Planning commission pauses equestrian code deliberations after large public turnout

The Kitsap County Planning Commission on Oct. 7 heard a lengthy staff presentation and public comment on a proposed equestrian facility code included in the "Year of the Rural" update and voted to postpone final deliberations to Oct. 21.

Heather Cleveland, a long-range planner with Kitsap County Department of Community Development, described the code as intended to address "land-use compatibility" and told commissioners the proposal "is not retroactive." Scott Deener, planning manager, said staff are compiling complaint history that prompted the draft but that those records are difficult to mine quickly.

Members of the public voiced widespread concern that the proposal was developed with inadequate outreach and unclear evidentiary basis. "There is no no way on God's green earth that anything that was discussed there should be moving forward in any capacity," said Eric Olsen, a South Colby resident. Multiple speakers asked how many complaints drove the code change and whether the county had a list of existing commercial equestrian facilities; staff said current records and staffing limit quick, definitive counts and pledged to provide better summaries before Oct. 21.

Commissioners responded to those concerns by moving to continue deliberations. A commissioner motion to postpone deliberations to Oct. 21 was seconded and approved by voice vote; the commission closed public comment and set the continuation date so staff can update the deliberation matrix and post working-group materials.

The continuation gives staff time to produce targeted documents the commission requested, including a one-page summary of complaint records and updated deliberation-table entries, and lets the equestrian working group meet Oct. 15 to advance a draft "2.0" code for reviewers to see prior to the next planning commission meeting.