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01/20/2005: "BOCC to conduct a Work Session for Essential Public Facilities - Again.."

The BOCC recently held a Workshop on EPF (Essential Public Facilities) to receive an update and progress report from the planning staff. For many of the citizens who have been following -and questioning- the progress made by the Commissioners to allow EPF development to occur in areas that are currently off-limits, it came as no surprise that the update stressed that a "rigorous public process with input from all affected parties" will be an important part of the process to "..simplify the siting of new EPFs while assuring compliance with the County's land use code".

It was no surprise, because prior to the BOCC meeting, the PC (Planning Commission) had held their own review of a draft report from Staff, that seemed to be on a fast track toward changing close to a hundred existing barge landing sites in San Juan County from a non-conforming status to a conforming status. As outlined by Staff, the process did not require that an Environmental Review be conducted, however while the meeting was in progress, the PC became aware that an appeal of the Staff's lack of an environmental review had been filed, and as a result no action could be taken until the appeal process was complete.

The Planning Department may have seen the validly of the appeal, because it was announced that contrary to the presented staff report, it had now been decided by the department that an environmental review was necessary.

What may turn out to be the first of a number of meetings on the degree of need for environmental review, has now been scheduled to take place at the Mullis Community Senior Center in Friday Harbor. The hearing will start at 1:00 p.m. on January 26 (a Wednesday).