GROWTH MANAGEMENT and ILLAHEE
2.1 The Washington State Growth Management Act
The Washington State Legislature adopted the Growth Management Act (GMA)
on
July 1, 1990. This Act set specific standards for local jurisdictionsÕ future
planning efforts. Many jurisdictions needed to revise their gradient scale of
zoning designations, combining them into two distinct classifications, rural
and urban. Newly created rural lots were to be five acres or greater in size
and urban lots five dwelling units per acre or more in density. The Act allowed
for some lot sizes between these two classifications.
Through the development of a Comprehensive Plan, each jurisdiction would reconcile its existing zoning patterns with the new urban/rural requirement. For many jurisdictions, including Kitsap County, this reconciliation was extremely difficult.
2.2 The Kitsap County 1998 Comprehensive Plan
Over the course of the next ten years, Kitsap County developed three separate Comprehensive Plans for consideration by the State of Washington. The Growth Management Hearings Board validated the third Plan in 2000. This Plan designated urban areas around Port Orchard, Bremerton, Silverdale, Poulsbo, and Kingston. Other areas with many urban characteristics (lot sizes and lack of infrastructure) were designated rural (one dwelling unit per five acres). Two of these areas included the communities of Suquamish and Manchester. These areas faced urban problems such as traffic and increased storm water runoff but, nevertheless, were given a rural designation. The Illahee community is seeking to establish an official rural designation. Refer to section 2.5 for further details.
2.3 The CountyÕs 1998 Comprehensive Plan and the Illahee Community
During the considerations for the 1998 Comprehensive Plan, the community of Illahee was included in the blanket urban designation given for the area between Bremerton and Silverdale. Illahee is a small, semi-rural historic community, essentially defined as the area in and around Illahee Creek and Illahee State Park and the surrounding shorelines. The geological features of the stream and steep slopes, with much of the land in its natural state, result in a more rural setting, and the area previously was zoned semi-rural. The community has no industry and only peripheral commercial areas adjacent to major roadways. Just one major roadway runs through the community. The only internal commercial establishment is a vacant community convenience store, which has been unoccupied since approximately 2003. There are no schools and limited bus service.
Approximately 15 years ago, two developments were established north of the community, and sewer lines were extended to cover those areas. The lot sizes and character of those two developments conformed somewhat to the previous semi-rural zoning of the area, and Illahee remains semi-rural in spite of the higher urban densities inappropriately assigned in 1998.
2.4 Subsequent to the 1998 Comprehensive Plan
Many changes were in progress in Illahee during the time the 1998 Comprehensive Plan was being considered. The community had been plagued by storm water discharges for 40 years from upstream developments before mitigation requirements were established. Additionally, salmon raising efforts were failing due to the storm surges and older, undersized culverts. These problems were addressed and partially resolved with the installation of a new bridge culvert under Illahee Road in 1999. Unfortunately, loss of habitat and environmental impacts continue to this day from storm water runoff damage.
In 2001, Kitsap County purchased 352 acres of Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land, and in 2003 the County Commissioners established the Illahee Preserve as a Kitsap County Heritage Park. The Preserve is a substantial holding of natural resources and represents approximately 600 acres of public and private lands, most of which is pristine forest and watershed lands. This major purchase and designation, along with Illahee State Park, further contributed to the open space and semi-rural character of the area and Illahee community.
Additionally, the state and environmental groups have recognized the natural resources of Illahee Creek and its watershed with grants totaling over one million dollars. The Port of Illahee is working with the Washington State Department of Ecology to study methods to control the storm water surges resulting from previous and future developments. Two salmon recovery grants have been approved, and there is a renewed sense in the community and surrounding area that its natural resources need to be protected and preserved.
2.5 What Classification Should Illahee Be Given?
Illahee had been zoned and built out as semi-rural with a limited service infrastructure and, as such, neither fit the urban designation nor the larger-acreage rural designation.
Because of the natural features that restrict urban densities, the semi-rural character of the area, and the previous semi-rural zoning designation, members of the Illahee community felt it should fall into a more rural classification rather than an urban classification. The classification that seemed to best describe the Illahee community is a ÒLimited Area of More Intensive Rural DevelopmentÓ or LAMIRD, which was approved by the Washington State Legislature subsequent to the earlier restricted choices of urban and rural classifications.
However, because the area between Bremerton and Silverdale has already been established as an Urban Growth Area (UGA), the community has been advised that the LAMIRD designation cannot be used. Therefore, Illahee is requesting it be given a community status consistent with GMA guidelines, which allow unique communities to establish themselves and the features and land uses appropriate for their community. In the absence of known criteria to define this unique community, Illahee is using the basic criteria established by the legislature for designating an area as a LAMIRD.
2.6 Unique Communities and Their Boundaries
Establishing Illahee Community Boundaries
In order to determine IllaheeÕs community boundary, guidance was taken from the GMA, the Office of Community Development, and the Kitsap County Comprehensive Plan. Significant requirements from these sources were utilized to develop general guidelines for determining a community boundary. These guidelines are:
- Address:
a. The need to preserve and enhance the character of existing natural neighborhoods, habitats, and communities;
b. Physical boundaries such as bodies of water, streets and highways, and land forms and contours;
c. The prevention of abnormally irregular boundaries.
[Note: Each of the above guidelines is addressed or referenced in the items below.]
- Identify any logical governmental or public jurisdictions.
[This item is satisfied by utilizing the Port of IllaheeÕs boundary, with two logical extensions that are noted in the following paragraph.]
- Identify the existing public infrastructure such as sewer, water, transportation, and public facilities.
[Chapter Five notes the road infrastructure in the area, Chapter Six notes the support services, and Chapter Seven notes the near non-existence of public facilities, other than recreational, within the community.]
- Identify critical areas such as wetlands, areas of geological concern, frequently flooded areas, fish and wildlife habitats, critical aquifer recharge areas or wellhead protection zones, and resource lands.
[Chapter Four notes the extraordinary amount of natural features and resources found in the Illahee community.]
The Illahee Community Boundary
The Illahee Community CitizenÕs Advisory Group (CAG) applied these criteria and established several Illahee boundary maps. The basic boundary map agreed upon is represented in Figure 2.1. This map notes the Illahee community border as the Port of Illahee boundary lines, with two logical extensions. The first extension was to establish the southern-most border to be consistent with a major street rather than meander through lot lines. It merely shifted the border several hundred feet to the south to 30th Avenue.
The second boundary shift was needed to take in the South Fork of Illahee Creek. This required shifting the western border from an extension of Trenton Avenue to a Perry Avenue extension. This was a logical extension that takes into account the natural lay of the land, which includes the southern-most watershed lands of Illahee Creek, and at the same time more closely corresponds to the established roadways in the area.
Figure 2.1 Illahee Community Outer Boundary Map
2.7 Washington State Growth Management Planning Goals
The Growth Management Act set 13 goals for any comprehensive planning process. These 13 goals must be addressed and followed by the Illahee Community Plan. The goals are identified in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW 36.70A.020), which reads as follows:
RCW 36.70A.020 PLANNING GOALS. The following goals are adopted to guide the development and adoption of comprehensive plans and development regulations of those counties and cities that are required or choose to plan under RCW 36.70A.040. The following goals are not listed in order of priority and shall be used exclusively for the purpose of guiding the development of comprehensive plans and development regulations:
(1) Urban Growth
Encourage development in urban areas where adequate public facilities and services exist or can be provided in an efficient manner.
(2) Reduce Sprawl
Reduce the inappropriate conversion of undeveloped land into sprawling, low-density development.
(3) Transportation
Encourage efficient multimodal transportation systems that are based on regional priorities and coordinated with county and city comprehensive plans.
(4) Housing
Encourage the availability of affordable housing to all economic segments of the population of this state, promote a variety of residential densities and housing types, and encourage preservation of existing housing stock.
(5) Economic Development
Encourage economic development throughout the state that is consistent with adopted comprehensive plans, promote economic opportunity for all citizens of this state, especially for unemployed and for disadvantaged persons, promote the retention and expansion of existing businesses and recruitment of new businesses, recognize regional differences impacting economic development opportunities, and encourage growth in areas experiencing insufficient economic growth, all within the capacities of the state's natural resources, public services, and public facilities.
(6) Property Rights
Private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation having been made. The property rights of landowners shall be protected from arbitrary and discriminatory actions.
(7) Permits
Applications for both state and local government permits should be processed in a timely and fair manner to ensure predictability.
(8) Natural Resource Industries
Maintain and enhance natural resource-based industries, including productive timber, agricultural, and fisheries industries. Encourage the conservation of productive forest lands and productive agricultural lands, and discourage incompatible uses.
(9) Open Space and Recreation
Retain open space, enhance recreational opportunities, conserve fish and wildlife habitat, increase access to natural resource lands and water, and develop parks and recreation facilities.
(10) Environment
Protect the environment and enhance the state's high quality of life, including air and water quality, and the availability of water.
(11) Citizen Participation and Coordination
Encourage the involvement of citizens in the planning process and ensure coordination between communities and jurisdictions to reconcile conflicts.
(12) Public Facilities and Services
Ensure that those public facilities and services necessary to support development shall be adequate to serve the development at the time the development is available for occupancy and use without decreasing current service levels below locally established minimum standards.
(13) Historic Preservation
Identify and encourage the preservation of lands, sites, and structures that have historical or archaeological significance.
2.8 IllaheeÕs Compliance with the Growth Management Act Goals
The Illahee Community Plan will achieve the goals required by the Growth Management Act (GMA) in the following ways:
Urban Growth (GMA Goal 1)
The Illahee community supports growth in urban areas. However, major portions of Illahee have natural features that restrict urban development. Prior to the Kitsap County 1998 Comprehensive Plan the area was designated Òsemi-rural.Ó Unfortunately, Illahee is located between the urban areas of Bremerton and Silverdale, and it was included in the blanket zoning proposal that essentially connected these two cities with an ÒurbanÓ zoning designation. The historic section of Illahee is not urban, nor does it have the commensurate infrastructure, such as sewers, for it to be classified as urban. In the two instances where sewers were run to relatively new developments, the area between the developments and the entire area north of these developments was conceded as more suitable for urban densities, and those areas retain the urban zoning designation given them in the 1998 Comprehensive Plan.
Reduce Sprawl (GMA Goal 2)
The Illahee community is at near build-out status so goals for reducing sprawl are, therefore, not applicable.
Transportation (GMA Goal 3)
Illahee has a limited road system primarily due to the steep slopes of Illahee Creek. There is only one north-south road going through Illahee, Illahee Road, which extends from Bremerton to Brownsville and crosses Illahee Creek near its mouth. The next north-south road, Wheaton Way (State Highway 303), is one and one-half miles to the west. This means the road system essentially detours one and one-half miles to avoid Illahee Creek and the Illahee Preserve. This creates a significant open space area and benefits the Illahee Creek, but limits transportation options.
Scheduled bus service is limited by the lack of through roads, and service currently is provided only along the perimeter of the community. There have been no requests submitted as part of the Community Plan to expand service further into the community. Nevertheless, as urbanization increases in the Bremerton and Silverdale areas, bus service will likely be run through Illahee and appropriate stops should be provided.
More and better walking paths were a common request from the questionnaires completed by Illahee residents. To increase pedestrian safety, roadway shoulders should be widened to accommodate walking paths, and paths or sidewalks should be mandated for any new developments within the Illahee community boundary.
Housing (GMA Goal 4)
The Illahee community is at near build-out status and, as such, is limited in its ability to contribute substantially to providing the desired goals of this GMA item. Nevertheless, designated areas within the community can support higher density, increased building heights, and affordable housing.
Economic Development (GMA Goal 5)
Illahee is predominantly an open space and recreation area surrounded by residences. Along the Wheaton Way border, 120 acres of commercial highway businesses constitute IllaheeÕs primary contribution to the GMA economic development goal. Additionally, a few cottage industries exist as non-conforming uses. Because of the overabundance of natural resources, open space, and recreational areas, the communityÕs second primary contribution to the economic development goal is the recreational opportunities provided by the golf course and parks in the area.
Property Rights (GMA Goal 6)
The Plan balances new regulations with private property rights through the provisions of the Kitsap County Code.
Permits (GMA Goal 7)
All permits for development within the Illahee community will meet the requirements of Kitsap County.
Natural Resource Industries (GMA Goal 8)
IllaheeÕs natural resource industries are recreational in nature and center around Illahee State Park, the Illahee Preserve, and Rolling Hills Golf Course. At this time, no other such resource industries are located within the Illahee community and no reference is made to them in this Plan. However, in the past, a partnership existed with the Suquamish Tribe to incubate salmon smolts in Illahee Creek and in pens moored at the Illahee Community Dock. This natural resource industry supporting salmon is currently on hold until the Illahee Creek storm water problems are solved.
Open Space and Recreation (GMA Goal 9)
The Illahee community satisfies open space and recreation goals not only for the Illahee area but also for Kitsap County, the nearby city of Bremerton, and the State of Washington. The Illahee community is an open space and recreation paradise sandwiched between two highly urban locales, the city of Bremerton and the unincorporated Silverdale area.
The Illahee community is distinguished by the amount of open space areas and the recreation possibilities offered. At the center of Illahee are Illahee Creek, a salmon stream, and the Illahee Creek corridor, which is surrounded by deeply incised canyons and heavily forested areas. The bulk of the Illahee Creek watershed is still in its natural state. Comprising and surrounding the creek is the Illahee Preserve. At one end of the waterfront is Illahee State Park and at the other end is University Point, both areas of steep and unstable slopes. Recreation opportunities abound at the State Park, which enjoys a major dock area, and at the Illahee Community Dock, approximately one mile to the north. Rolling Hills Golf Course is a regional golf course open to the general public. Based on total acreage, Illahee is approximately half open space and half Òsemi-ruralÓ residential.
Environment (GMA Goal 10)
Illahee is an environmentally sensitive area. As a salmon bearing stream, Illahee Creek has been devastated by unmitigated storm water flows emanating from developments put in during the 1970s prior to storm water mitigation requirements. Increasing sediment and obstruction to salmon passage required installation of a larger culvert for Illahee Creek in 1999. These problems have not been solved and require continued monitoring and a permanent solution if Illahee Creek is to become a viable salmon stream.
Additionally, Illahee Creek has been plagued by high levels of fecal coliform in the stream. Kitsap County Health Department personnel are working with Illahee Forest Preserve personnel to increase stream monitoring to help determine the source of the problem.
The Illahee Creek watershed is classified as both a Category 1 and Category 2 Aquifer Recharge area. Studies have noted this as an area of porous substrata, which allow water to flow readily from the shallow aquifer feeding Illahee Creek to deeper aquifers. This may affect well water rights in the watershed and possibly development densities.
The steep and unstable slopes and banks along the waterfront and along Illahee Creek create geological hazard zones. Additionally, the 2001 Seattle earthquake revealed a fault line extending through the southern tip of Bainbridge Island into the Illahee area. The impact of this finding needs to be investigated further so community members will know if they are at an increased earthquake risk.
The Kitsap County Critical Areas Ordinance and Shoreline Management Master Program outline the primary governmental protections for the natural systems and habitat. These ordinances are complimented by the Kitsap County Health District water quality monitoring program. Locally, the Port of Illahee, the Illahee Preserve Stewardship Committee, the Illahee Community Club, the Illahee Forest Preserve, and community service groups also monitor the environmental conditions of the community and support community clean-up efforts.
Citizen Participation and Coordination (GMA Goal 11)
To develop the Illahee Community Plan, a CitizenÕs Advisory Group (CAG) was established to research and begin the process. Four public meetings were held to gather ideas from the community and to begin forming a strategy. Additionally, over a thousand questionnaires were distributed to determine community wishes and desires. An Initial Draft Plan was completed on July 5, 2006, and distributed to the Illahee Community, posted on the Illahee Community Website (www.illaheecommunity.com), and distributed to Kitsap County officials and the Planning Commission. When county zoning changes were proposed, door-to-door contacts were made to determine the communityÕs wishes. Whenever at least 70 percent approved a different zoning density, the countyÕs proposed zoning changes were challenged.
Public Facilities and Services (GMA Goal 12)
The major public facilities and services available in Illahee are nearly all associated with open spaces and recreational opportunities. Rolling Hills Golf Course is a privately owned 18-hole golf course open to the public. The Illahee Preserve is a recently established Kitsap County Heritage Park comprised of wildlife habitat conservation areas, a stream corridor, trails, and an old growth forest. Illahee State Park is a major recreation area supporting camping and saltwater activities. The Illahee Community Dock supports year-round fishing and boating activities. The only other public facility is the Kitsap County Fire Station #45 located at the top of Illahee hill off of Trenton Avenue.
Historic Preservation (GMA Goal 13)
Illahee is an historical area from earlier centuries when Native Americans inhabited the area, as verified from various archeological findings, including a registered archeological site at SchuttÕs Point. The preservation of these lands began with the establishment of Illahee State Park in the 1930s and the Illahee Preserve in 2001.
With the coming of the white man, the Illahee community was inhabited by homesteaders. Soon after, the area became a resort and second home community for Seattle residents. The community has been in existence for over 120 years and continues to function as a close-knit and involved group of citizens.
Historic home preservation is being considered for homes near the Illahee Community Dock and the mouth of Illahee Creek, where existing turn-of-the-century homes still exist. To preserve these historical homes, the Plan recommends the development of restoration and preservation standards.
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