Comprehensive Plan update enters final review stage

San Juan County’s Department of Community Development shares details about the Comprehensive Plan review process taking place in the months ahead.

Monday marked the first of many County Council meetings devoted to reviewing the 2036 Comprehensive Plan update. The Council will review different elements of the Plan every Monday through Oct. 17 with additional, semi-regular meetings to follow, leading up to the public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 29.

This final series of meetings, reviews, and recommendations is the culmination of years of work. The 2036 Comprehensive Plan update process began in 2016 and has been a major focus of the County’s Department of Community Development and the Planning Commission. Monthly commission meetings, regular presentations to Council, and extensive public involvement have contributed to this final phase of recommended updates that the Council is expected to adopt by the end of the year.

The changes are aimed at meeting the needs of the 2036 population and implementing the County Vision that was updated in 2018. Changes also improve the usability of the Plan and provide new analyses, assessments, and inventories. They also address key challenges like housing, economic diversification, tourism management, preserving rural character, and climate change.

Those interested in reading the current draft and learning more about the Comprehensive Plan updates can visit the Comprehensive Plan website. The preliminary schedule of the Plan elements to be reviewed at upcoming meetings includes:

• Sept. 12: Governance, land use, rural elements
• Sept. 19: Housing, transportation, historic/archeological preservation elements
• Sept. 26: Capital facilities, utilities, and economic development elements
• Oct. 3: Review draft of Official Map changes for Orcas, Lopez, and Shaw Islands
• Oct. 10: Review Section B, Element 4, Water Resources; review draft Official Map changes for San Juan Island
• Oct. 17: Review Plan formatting and tie up loose ends
• Oct. 31: Review draft ordinance
• Nov. 7: Follow up on questions or changes made to the draft ordinance at the previous meetings
• Nov. 29: County Council public hearing, Plan update adoption

Public comments will be accepted throughout the review process.

For more information, contact County Planner Sophia Cassam at [email protected] or 360-370-7589.

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