Panel prepares for wetlands debate

The following article appeared in the August 13, 2006 Jefferson County edition of the Peninsula Daily News.

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Panel prepares for wetlands debate
Advisory committee forms, forges meeting schedule

By Evan Cael
Peninsula Daily News

PORT TOWNSEND — The Critical Areas Committee, a subcommittee of the Jefferson CountyPlanning Commission, met for the first time last week to begin reworking a controversial proposed law.

The committee will meet every Thursday at 7 p.m. in the conference room in the Jefferson County Public Health office, 621 Sheridan Street.

The committee includes 17 residents and four planning commissioners.

Ordinance provisions

The Jefferson County Department of Community Development staff drafted the ordinance and released it on May 17.

The law would change buffers around wetlands areas.

It would increase the buffer from the current 150 feet to a proposed 300 feet for wetlands with wildlife habitat that is on property of high intensity land use.

In some cases, the buffer would decrease, as in a moderate habitat wetlands with moderate intensity land use.

In that case, the current 150-foot buffers would decrease to 110 feet, said Josh Peters, Department of Community Development senior planner who drafted the proposed ordinance.

The committee Thursday agreed to take on the wetland buffer portion of the ordinance during later meetings.

The buffer discussion is expected to get heated.

Many on the committee expressed beliefs that the ordinance, as it's written would take property rights away from landowners.

The members decided to begin with less contentious aspects of the ordinance to give relationships a chance to form and small victories tasted.

Then they will move on to some of the tougher issues, like wetland buffers.

Next week the committee will discuss the portion of the ordinance that makes exempt existing and ongoing agriculture.

Some at the meeting suggested that organic farms also be placed in the exempt category, as well as farms that have not yet started and are looking to use sustainable techniques.

Al Latham, director of Jefferson County Conservation DIstrict, has been invited to give a brief presentation on agriculture at the start of next week's meeting.

The committee is expected to have a report ready of its recommendations to the Planning Commission by Oct. 2, which leaves about nine weekly meetings for the committee.

The Planning Commission will review the recommendations and then give its recommendations to the board of county commissioners, who must act by Jan.18.

Reporter Evan Cael can be reached at 360-385-2335 ir evan.cael@peninsuladailynews.com.