The San Juan County Planning Commission recently met on Orcas to review the new bifurcated Eastsound Subarea Plan, the first major revision in 20 years. The main focus, separating the plan and regulations and an expanded land  use table are all welcome improvements. Attendance was light.

Who was missing? A representative of the Eastsound  Planning Review Committee, the Chamber of Commerce or the business community and all but two of the 42 affected property owners whose property is, incidentally, being rezoned.

What is missing is harder to spot because it isn’t there but includes:

1. The parking policies and regulations that made the improvement of North Beach Road possible and allows property owners to pay into a parking fund in lieu of on-site parking. This is essential if Prune Alley and “A” Street are to be improved as planned in the same manner as North Beach Road.

2. Any provision for appeals from the design review committee. There is an appeal process in the Comp Plan and it should be noted so it is crystal clear to applicants, design review committee and the community development and planning department.

3.  Any recognition of the difference between urban and rural land uses and zones as required by the Growth Management Act. In fact, urban and rural zones are thoroughly muddled, mixed together in one use column, and “clearly wrong” in GMA parlance. The next stop is the county council some time in September.

John M. Campbell

Orcas Island