| Late Friday afternoon, the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board (CPSGMHB) dismissed the Sept. 13, 2007 appeal of Kitsap County's Comprehensive Plan regarding its Capital Facilities Plan, which had resulted in a sewer planning remand. As a consequence of the ruling, the Kitsap County Commissioners had imposed a development moratorium on all land inside the proposed Urban Growth Areas (UGAs).
The arguments of the appellants, the Suquamish Tribe, Kitsap Citizens for Responsible Planning (KCRP), Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, and South Kitsap resident Jerry Harless, were all rejected. The CPSGMHB ruled that the county's 2006 Comprehensive Plan is compliant with the state's Growth management Act (GMA) and that all the expanded Urban Growth Areas (UGAs) outlined in the plan are valid.
According to Kitsap County's manager of special projects, Eric Baker, as a result of the ruling, the Board of Commissioners intends to lift the development moratorium at its earliest opportunity. This would open up all of the County's expanded UGAs for new subdivision and development permits. It will also allow land inside the contested UGA's to now be annexed by the cities.
“I have never been so happy to hear midling words like 'valid' and 'compliant' in my life, but in planning they are golden,” said Baker.
The ruling also opens the door for a possible incorporation of Silverdale, as well as annexation of several areas of South Kitsap by the City of Port Orchard - most notably the Bethel Avenue corridor and the portions of Sidney Road/Pottery Avenue between Sedgwick Road and Tremont Street that are not currently inside the city limits. Both areas are inside the expanded UGA and targeted for commercial development in the comprehensive plan. A number of property owners in those areas had previously indicated they would petition the city for annexation once the moratorium was lifted.
Annexation of Bethel Road between Lund Avenue and Sedgwick Road would also eliminate the onerous Bethel Corridor Design Standards. The restrictions on development contained in those regulations, which were imposed at the insistence of former county commissioner and current commission candidate Charlotte Garrido, are blamed for making development on Bethel financially unfeasible, and no development has occurred on Bethel since they were imposed over a decade ago.
Baker was quick to thank County staff for all their help and hard work in addressing the contested issues. “This would not be remotely possible without all of your efforts,” he stated.
He also cautioned that although the CPSGMHB ruling is good news, Baker added, “It does not lessen the importance of continued coordination on sewer provision within our urban areas as discussed in the Wastewater Infrastructure Taskforce (WIT) or other arenas. We look forward to working on these issues in the future."
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