Webinar aired on Tuesday, September 26, 2023. Watch:
And here is the Powerpoint from the webinar:
Background
All cities and counties in Washington are required to adopt regulations protecting “critical areas in order to preserve the natural environment, wildlife habitats, and sources of fresh drinking water” (The Growth Management Act (GMA). These areas include Fish & Wildlife Conservation Areas, Wetlands, Frequently Flooded Areas, Geologically Hazardous Areas, and Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas, so this is obviously a very complex issue.
We hope, through this program, to learn the basics of CAO establishment and what changes are being considered. It’s important that we understand the issues and get these regulations right. Our informed comments will influence what these regulations look like.
We will be speaking with Carla Lundgren and Colin Poff, Planners with the Kitsap County Department of Community Development. League member Amy Lawrence will moderate the webinar.
Learn More
To learn more about CAO in the update, including a CAO handbook, go to
https://www.kitsap.gov/dcd/Pages/Critical-Areas-Ordinance-Update-2024.aspx
To view Eric Baker’s presentation on balancing community priorities, go to
https://youtu.be/LwHFuF0ogbM
Download available Working Group Written Summaries (pdf):
7/20/23 – Fish & Wildlife Habitat Conservation Areas
7/25/23 – Wetlands
7/26/23 – Frequently Flooded Areas
7/27/23 – Geologically Hazardous Areas
7/27/23 – Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas