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SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT | ||
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Country Corner LAMIRD approved by councilMore layers of regs than anywhere else in county The clarification is in bold. posted 03/15/2010
Country Corner, courtesy of Eastsound Planning and Review Committee, has the distinction of having a third layer of regulations. The committee successfully lobbied to keep the area in the Eastsound subarea plan. As a result anyone wanting to develop in the LAMIRD will have to consult three sets of regulations - LAMIRD's, Subarea plan's and county-wide's. LAMIRD's boundaries, standards and regulations are developed through a series of public meetings culminating in public hearings before the planning commission and the county council. The final product ultimately goes before the Growth Management Hearings Board for approval. The LAMIRD designation is part of the Growth Management Act. It is a way to allow infill in areas which are already developed but are not part of the Urban Growth Area (UGA). Deer Harbor and Orcas Village are LAMIRDs and have their own standards and regulations. The Eastsound subarea plan boundary was established in the 1980s prior to the GMA. The EPRC wrote: "(It) provides land use and development goals, policies and regulations specific to the Eastsound area." With the establishment of the Eastsound UGA under the GMA, county Land Use Attorney John Cain told the council the Prosecutor's Office would like the subarea plan's boundaries shrunk back to align with the UGA's. This would remove the LAMIRD from the subarea plan. Councilmember Gene Knapp asked county Senior Planner Colin Maycock for his opinion on whether the LAMIRD should be kept in the subarea plan. Maycock said either way would work, but for efficiency in permitting and consistency with other LAMIRDs it made more sense to remove it. He pointed out, if it stayed in, it would differ from the other LAMIRDs by having an additional layer of regulation. "It's clunky," he said. Knapp said he thought it was wise to go along with advice from the prosecutor's office and the planning staff. Councilmember Richard Fralick asked if the LAMIRD could be taken out later. It can. The council then voted 5-1 to leave it in the subarea plan. The finalization of the LAMIRD will happen when the council adopts the Comprehensive Plan docket items at a future meeting. Country Corner LAMIRD public hearing Feb. 8 in EastsoundShould the Country Corner area become a limited area of more intense rural development (LAMIRD)? If so how should it be configured, what uses should be allowed, what design standards should exist? Or should the area just remain in the Eastsound subarea plan? Seven public meetings have been held about the future of this are in the past year. A public hearing before the San Juan County Council is set for 1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8, 2010 in Eastsound Fire Hall at 45 Lavendar Lane. A LAMIRD's boundaries are configured based on the logical outer boundary. This is defined by the built environment as of 1990 - this can include underground infrastructure. The idea is to allow areas where development already exists to infill not expand. After hearing from residents in the area, the plan evolved into a commercial-only LAMIRD. Property owners did not want the residential area included. At the contentious meetings, some of the residents did not see any reasons to allow for any development. Others said planning for future needs was important and using the LAMIRD to set up design standards and land use regulations was a way to control what would happen in the area. The Eastsound Planning Review Committee wrote to the council and has asked that three of the land use regulations in the proposed ordinance be changed. Under the ordinance from the Planning Commission, Mini-Storage, Moving Storage Facilities, Eating Establishments and Drinking Establishments have all been disallowed rather than conditional uses. This would make existing businesses non-conforming. The EPRC would also like the County Corner LAMIRD to remain in the Eastsound subarea plan. County Prosecutor Randy Gaylord has informed the EPRC, the plan is to change the subarea plan boundary to the Urban Growth Area (UGA) boundary. The Eastsound subarea plan boundary was established in the 1980s prior to the Growth Management Act. The EPRC wrote it: "provides land use and development goals, policies and regulations specific to the Eastsound area." With the establishment of the Eastsound UGA under the GMA, Gaylord believes there is no need for a separate subarea plan. Land outside the UGA is zoned one unit per five (or more) acres. Property inside the UGAs has higher densities and greater varieties of uses. The EPRC would focus solely on the UGA once the subarea boundary is synched up with the UGA. The newly established Lopez Planning Review Committee focuses on the Lopez UGA. Country Corner: LAMIRD or No LAMIRD is only one of the questionsposted 05/12/2009
To complicate matters, the residents are deeply divided about even having a LAMIRD. After four months of meetings, CD"P is proposing a Commercial LAMIRD which encompasses six parcels on 16 acres. The staff report states: The Commercial LAMIRD designation will identify and constrain existing uses and limits the form and location of future commercial development to an area already serving commercial uses at an appropriate crossroads, thereby restraining sprawl and minimizing the potential traffic impacts. Commercial activity in the area includes a gas station with a mini-mart, a laundro-mat, retail stores and a barn with storage. The American Legion is also located there. Montgomery Lane is a residential neighborhood. Under the Growth Management Act, the logical outer boundaries of the LAMIRD are drawn around the built environment as of 1990 which was when the county opted into the GMA. Some large undeveloped parcels in the LAMIRD study area, owned by people who had plans to subdivide and develop commercially or as small residential lots, do not qualify because they only had a single residential unit on them and were not areas of more intense rural development in 1990. A case cannot be made to include them inside the boundaries according to Community Development and Planning staff. The plan must be able to be found compliant by the Growth Management Hearings Board if the county is sued. The liklihood of being sued is high. The community is polarized regarding whether there should even be a LAMIRD, let alone where the boundaries should be. Resident Chris Butler is adamantly opposed to any LAMIRD because it could be served by the sewer district. "One of the ways to limit growth is to limit the infrastructure that brings in growth," he said. One of the business owners said there are three interests that need to be considered - the residents, the business owners and the community at large. A discussion ensued on who is entitled to decide and the need for long-term thinking vs an "I've got mine" mind-set. Everyone on the island can participate in the planning. It is not restricted to just the property owners in the potential LAMIRD area. The advantage of having a LAMIRD is the community sets the development standards. If one is not created, the area remains under a Service Park designation and the development standards are the same as under the entire Eastsound subarea plan. Allowable uses for parcels in a Service Park designation:
Eastsound Planning and Review Committee member Patty Miller told the audience if they liked the way the area had developed they should keep the Service Park designation, if they didn't they should go with the LAMIRD. After the list was read, several audience members asked about the types of restrictions that could be included in the development standards such as amounts of noise and the types of businesses. Senior Planner Colin Maycock agreed to draft some development standards for the next meeting to give the group an idea of what can be done. The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. June 15 in the Eastsound Fire Station on Lavendar Lane. Opposition to LAMIRD designation by some; others want to be includedposted 02/23/2009
The next meeting will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, March 30 at Eastsound Fire Hall on Lavendar Lane in Eastsound. The opinions of the residents on whether they want to be designated a LAMIRD will influence whether the process goes forward. Under a LAMIRD, areas within the boundaries can be developed according to the current uses and development standards the community would set through a planning process. Parcels within a LAMIRD have higher densities and can be subdivided. Areas outside the LAMIRD have a minimum of one unit per 5 acres. Curlett's plans for his 11-acre parcel included a small housing development which would only be possible if it is in the LAMIRD. He believes it makes more sense for the boundary to extend out to Ships Bay Inn. Such an extension would include his 11-acre parcel and several other smaller parcels. The argument against the extension is the Growth Management Act requires the county to draw the logical outer boundary (emphasis on logical) based on the built environment as of 1990. While the inn was there, the lots between the proposed boundary and the inn are mostly five acre parcels with single family homes. Extending the boundary out to include the inn would include a large amount of vacant land and several parcels which cannot be justified as a more intensive rural use according to county staff. At the March 30, the advantages and disadvantages of being in a LAMIRD will be discussed. Everyone is invited to attend. More information about the process including notes about the previous meetings is available at COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT " PLANNING DEPT. WEB SITE
LAMIRD meeting Feb. 23 in Eastsoundposted 02/23/2009
The 77 parcels in the study area have been under a subdivision moratorium since 2004. The properties which are inside the study area but outside the LOB will be rezoned once the process is finalized. Under the Growth Management Act, the county must use the built environment to determine the logical outer boundaries of the LAMIRD. This includes both above and underground manmade structures but does not include land which has been subdivided or platted land and not built on. A 2008 hearings board decision about LAMIRDs in Clallam County details the rationale for determining boundaries. Twenty-nine proposed LAMIRDs were reviewed and the majority were not approved. The Country Corner proposal will go to the county council for a public hearing before it is submitted to the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board. |
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