In August, the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board, appointed by the Governor, remanded Kitsap County’s Critical Areas Ordinance because it did not contain buffers for small, insignificant wetlands and because they objected to Kitsap’s 35 foot shoreline buffers.

Most of us have worked very hard to purchase and make the payments on our single largest investment, our homes.

In our case, we took the risk four years ago of borrowing to build a new, fully conforming home. Now we find our home will be sitting in an arbitrary buffer, in which no one has shown there is any critical function or value.

We feel violated.

I-933 only requires the jurisdiction to work with property owners to identify and work around truly critical areas. If there are in fact critical areas and no resolution, only then would compensation be required.

Our State Constitution prohibits taking or damaging private property without compensation. When addressing private property, GMA simply omitted the key words “or damaging.” If “or damaging” had been retained, unelected hearings boards would not be able to force people to live according to the modern “planning” model. The hearings boards arbitrarily dictate to our elected officials. Then State agencies threaten to withhold grant money unless the electeds “comply.”

Is this the government our founders envisioned?

Vote Yes on I-933 and get your property back.

Michael Gustavson
Port Orchard