After months of community meetings, the planning commission is holding its first public hearing regarding the proposed Country Corner LAMIRD.
The proposed 16-acre Limited Area of More Intense Rural Development allows for the continued existence and expansion of commercial businesses, denser residential and more accessory dwelling units, and public services like sewer and water. Orcas Village, Deer Harbor, and Olga are all examples.
It is called the Country Corner LAMIRD only so the area can be easily identified; the business bearing that name has no involvement with the plan. The land has been deemed a LAMIRD study area because it has experienced development since 1990 and its current density, two residential units per acre, is not rural and the Growth Management Act requires either the zoning or the density be changed. It is currently designated as a service park area in the Eastsound subarea plan, which means most kinds of commercial businesses can be constructed.
“There are three options going before the planning commission at the Sept. 18 hearing on Orcas,” senior planner Colin Maycock said.
Option A calls for a commercial LAMIRD with residential zoning around it set at 5 acres per unit. It would leave the service park zoning outside the LAMIRD the way it is. Maycock calls this a “very conservative” option.
Option B is no LAMIRD at all. It would remove the split zone (within the service park that are some rural designations mixed in) and extend the service park to include the storage facility in the area.
Option C, which is what the planning staff is recommending, is a commercial LAMIRD with residential zoning set at two acres per unit. It would also leave the service park zoning alone.
“This option allows for some development of the land, and it is not too extreme,” Maycock said. “It is defendable and reasonable.”
He explained that the study area currently has 48 houses on 102 acres that are zoned residential.
“So roughly, you get two acres per unit,” Maycock said.
The last several community meetings have been spent establishing development standards for a LAMIRD if it were adopted.
“The main things were a 15-foot buffer between commercial and residential uses and businesses must have a 20-foot setback from side of the road, and be no more than 30 feet high, which is about two floors,” Maycock said.
The planning commission will hold the public hearing on Friday, Sept. 18 at 10:15 a.m. in the Orcas Grange. Copies of the draft plan can be found at www.sanjuanco.com/cdp/default.aspx. A copy of the proposed document can also be mailed without charge upon request.
During the hearing, members of the public are invited to speak or provide written statements regarding the proposed LAMIRD. After public testimony, the planning commission will deliberate and consider amendments to the proposal.
“Depending on the amount of public input, there could be several public hearings,” Maycock said.
The planning commission will ultimately make a recommendation to the County Council, which will give the project its final stamp of approval. If it is appealed, it will then go before the Growth Management Hearings Board; otherwise, it will be adopted.
Maycock says he’s happy with how the LAMIRD process has gone, and is now working on other projects.
“I’m working on site specific redesignation on San Juan Island and drawing up new sign regulations for Eastsound,” he said.
Written comments may be submitted in advance of the hearing by mail or email or at the hearing by delivery in person. Send all written comments to Colin Maycock, Community Development and Planning, P.O. Box 947, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. Call Maycock at 370-7573 or email him at colinm@co.san-juan.wa.us.
