GUEMES ISLAND PLANING AND ADVISORY COMMITTEE

MEETING MINUTES

JUNE 4 2012

Present:  Kit Harma, Nancy Fox, Allen Bush, Gary Curtis, Stuart Charles, Bruce Rooney

Absent:  Sandy McKean

In the Audience:  Edith Walden

Treasurer’s Report

The CD was rolled over for another six months.

The board voted to print five copies of the Final Adopted Edition of the Guemes Island Sub Area Plan (GISAP).  Bruce will take a disc to Bay Shore Copy Center.

The Board voted to donate $100 to the Guemes Island Church for use of the meeting room for board meetings.

The Board agreed with Nancy that after this year working on regulatory changes with the County (Land Use Code and Shoreline Master Program) , next year’s priority will be education.

Kit would like the GIPAC webpage to have more presence and be up to date.  Bruce said that he would try to get all of the meeting minutes together under one heading and would change the year old article about the next steps of GIPAC.  (This was accomplished.)  Some new possible headings include Agenda, Minutes, Resources including links to other sites and documents like the GISAP and the update of the Shoreline Management Plan (SMP).

Nancy reported that she had a productive meeting with Betsy Stevenson today.  Betsy did not have the GISAP (only a copy of the Makers’ appendix) but promised to get one and do a more detailed review.  The GIPAC meeting with Betsy for the end of May will be rescheduled for mid- to late- July. 

Both the Shoreline Management Advisory Group and the County Planning Commission will be working on the SMP through July when  a preliminary draft will be submitted to the State.

Nancy led the Board in a comparison of the draft SMP update with the final GISAP.

The Board compared the shoreline zones in the SMP with those in the GISAP.  Some of the inconsistencies were:  The area around the resort is shown as Natural but the GISAP has it shown as Rural Conservancy in figure 5.5.  Ocean Acres is shown as Natural not rural residential.  It was the feeling of the Board that the shoreline areas should match the inland zoning.  The GISAP has the ferry landing in a much higher use zone than does the draft SMP.

The areas on the map in figure 5.5 were based on a physical rapid shoreline inventory of Guemes’ seaward areas.  The Board thought that, in general, the GISAP shoreline map should be used instead of the SMP map.

Nancy asked everyone to review the shoreline section in the GISAP.  It is not too long she promised.

Nancy pointed out some of the inconsistencies between the SMP and the GISAP in regard to uses and construction practices.

The height of houses in GISAP is 10’ at the set back line, rising to 30’ on a 45 degree slope; while in the SMP, it is 35’ within 100’ of the water and 40’ after that.

The setbacks in the SMP and the GISAP are the same:  150’ from the water in Rural Conservancy and 100’ in Rural Residential.

The county incorporates view corridors of as much as 25% of a lot’s width; GISAP calls for 30% of a lot to be in setbacks, with a minimum of 8’ setback and maximum of 30’ required.  Either could cause problems in areas with their own more stringent height limits as part of a set of CC&R’s.

Nancy emphasized again that aquaculture use cannot be banned outright.  The state lists aquaculture as a preferred use.  Perhaps, areas rich in eel grass or native aquatic life could be exempt from aquatic farming.  A good reason would be needed for any changes to the state’s rules.  No one knew what part, if any the county plays in granting permits for aquaculture.

The Board thought that if would be a good idea to invite Carol Ellers of the County’s Planning Commission to over to the island for a discussion.  Ms  Ellers has been seen on the island.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 PM

Respectfully Submitted,

Bruce Rooney

(with help from Nancy Fox)