Eastsound County Advisors Look Forward to 2019

Eastsound Planning Review Committee (EPRC) starts the year with public suggestions, review of 2018 projects and plans for 2019 projects

EPRC Committee members present at the Jan. 10 regular meeting of the county advisory committee were:  Yonatan Aldort, Terry Gillespie, Paul Kamin, Margaret Payne, Leith Templin, Brian Wiese. Absent: Charles Toxey.

The EPRC county advisory group pondered the suggestion brought up in the public comment session by Naomi Aldort: Crescent Beach Road, she said, should be closed and traffic diverted to the existing truck-route detour around Eastsound. The road should be closed now, rather than waiting for rising tides to necessitate its closure, to enhance our quality of life.

Aldort added that Crescent Beach offers the only public access to a beach that’s close to town and longer than the short segment of North Beach. She claimed that traffic on the road is too busy and too noisy. “I never walk along the beach because it’s not a natural experience,” she said. “Let’s not have a trail on the north side of the road, because nobody wants to walk there, they want to walk on the beach.”

EPRC Co-Chair Paul Kamin said that the County Council “is not amenable to even talking about it. Even a unanimous vote by this committee [EPRC] would not achieve anything.”

Tina Whitman (Friends of the San Juans staff scientist), however, encouraged the EPRC to start a public dialogue about the issue.

Rick Christmas (OPALCO board member) said that 100 percent of the electric power to the east side of the island goes on the lines and poles that cross Crescent Beach. They were replaced recently, even as a short-term solution, to upgrade to three-phase power.

But those poles and lines are at risk from the winds, king tides, and storm surge that have occasionally forced closure of the road, said Christmas. OPALCO is talking about boring under the Land Bank property along the beach to bury these transmission lines.

Terry Gillespie said that when closing Crescent Beach Road has been discussed before, there has been very strong public sentiment against it.

Brian Wiese supported Tina Whitman’s point, saying, “The role of EPRC is to foster a public forum to discuss the issue.”

In other public comment, Sadie Bailey spoke regarding plans for the intersection of Enchanted Forest Road and Mount Baker Road: “I am against messing anymore with Eastsound Creek and the wetland. A road with a 70-foot-wide right-of-way is not compatible with that. I’m hearing the words but not seeing action to support them.”

Playground on Village Green – Progress Report

Margaret Payne, EPRC Co-Chair, announced that EPRC and Orcas Parks & Rec District were awarded Lodging tax grant money to build a playground on the northwest corner of the Village Green, and are working with a company called GreenWorks to begin the design process, using natural materials, such as driftwood logs and boulders. There’s a meeting to review the preliminary plan on Monday, Feb 18 (location to be determined). Orcas volunteers will help with construction. Payne said, “We’ve worked with folks from the Farmers Market to reconfigure the food concession booths and improve the Green’s infrastructure. There is a separate grant for new trash bins, picnic tables, and so on.”

Fred Klein said, “Back when we were planning to build the stage, Parks wanted to make sure the Village Green was a multi-use space, not dedicated entirely to any one use. This siting of the playground is consistent with that vision.”

EPRC reviewed their work plan for 2018:

Kamin showed slides with the 2018 Work Plan and commented on each item’s status.

• Streetscape Plan: Done. Approved by Council.
• North Beach / Mt Baker Rod intersection: Could land-use designation be improved to enhance quality of life along that road?
• Review and comment of Housing Plan: Can’t complete because there is no housing plan in place yet.
• Comprehensive Plan Outreach: Will help county with outreach/education when the Comp Plan is complete.
• Trail Network – Payne said, “There’s a need for a trail system that connects places within the Eastsound sub-area, and also island-wide. Lopez and SJI have active, successful trail committees. Orcas does not.” Wiese encouraged the EPRC to work on such a system..

Kamin then spoke to the 2019 Objectives and Committee Assignments

Carrying over these items from 2018 work plan:

• Comp Plan review for Eastsound
• Eastsound Land Use Analysis
• Village Green Playground Plan and Construct
• Enchanted Forest Pedestrian Trail
• Prune Alley design review and public outreach
• Community planning of A St improvements
• N. Beach Road “Canopy succession plan”

EPRC members suggested new items to add to the plan for this year:

• Margaret Payne: Crescent Beach public discussion (as suggested earlier in the meeting) and Orcas Trail Network/Trails Committee
• Brian Wiese: Continuation of the North Beach-Mt. Baker Rd. intersection land-use evaluation
• Terry Gillespie: Review architectural standards for the sub-area.
• Yonaton Aldort: Look into/review ordinances regarding vacation rentals. This suggestion drew a comment from Payne: We’re not only reaching the limit of our infrastructure for caring for visitors, but also our “emotional” limit. The Visitors Bureau is charged with marketing tourism on the islands, but are we able to house more, feed them, supply them with adequate water?
  Aldort defined this as “carrying capacity. Does that get reviewed ever? Could a review of carrying capacity be made part of the Comp Plan?”
• Charging stations for EVs—work with OPALCO on infrastructure. People don’t need stations so much for driving on the islands, but for visitors to charge up so they can get home. Also need charging for an electric shuttle bus run by a third-party contractor.
• Light pollution in the sub-area/dark-sky standards
• Transportation Improvement Plan (T.I.P.)—relates to streetscape and traffic improvement on A Street, in front of Post Office and Sea View Theater. Clyde Duke owns some adjacent property, is sensitive to protecting the swale. Kamin said he’d had a conversation with the new owner of the P.O. building, who has no immediate plans for re-development and is aware of coming changes on A Street.

Tina Whitman said, “I’d encourage the committee to consider the swale itself as a project—an open space opportunity. Treat it as its own opportunity for restoration and develop a design for the swale.” She suggested reviving the ecology of the swale and working with the Clean Water Utility and other partners. “There’s funding available.”

Wiese commented that the county “wouldn’t even accept the donation of a property in the wetland.”

Gillespie spoke of historic plans for the swale, “Years ago there was talk of ‘parking it out’ and making it more free-flowing.”

Kamin said, “It’s challenging because there are tax parcels up and down the swale that are divided—part of the property is in the wetland, part is not.

John Campbell made a comment regarding street standards. “I think there’s a gap in ordinances regarding residential streets. The existing standard is a 60-ft right-of-way for a 30-ft gravel road, which is inappropriate for an Urban Growth Area (UGA). In Friday Harbor, the standard is for 40-ft roads with a 5-ft sidewalk. We don’t necessarily need to be that hard-headed, but we need a standard for a UGA.”

Kamin said that Orcas UGA does have standards. “New roads in the sub-area made by developers tend to be private (e.g., Wild Rose Meadow). The county does not want to own more roads. There are street requirements for new developments/subdivisions within the UGA.”

Yonatan Aldort wrote the proposed additions to the work plan on a white board. Paul Kamin asked committee members to go up to the board and “circle the one that you’re willing to take the lead on.”

County Council member Rick Hughes arrived late in the meeting and made comments primarily related to WSF’s recently released long-range plan, which he praised.

The meeting adjourned at 5:15 p.m. The new EPRC work plan with committee assignments will be discussed at the next meeting, scheduled for February 7.