EPRC explores LAMIRD's County-Sewer District Conundrum at Country Corner

Next Country Corner LAMIRD meeting on Monday, Aug. 17.

In discussion of the proposed Country Corner LAMIRD designation on Aug. 6, EPRC members rehashed the incompatible mandates of county law and sewer district directives, with state law also thrown in the mix.

The Eastsound Planing Review Committee (EPRC) is charged by the County’s Sub-Area Plan of 1990 to review plans for development submitted to the County, and to weigh in on proposals by the County. This year, there have been five meetings for the public to discuss their concerns about designating the Country Corner, which is part of the Sub-Area Plan, as a Limited Area of More Intense Rural Development (LAMIRD).

This re-designation would involve changed standards for development, and is driven, in part, by the development that existed in 1990 in the area, nearly 20 years ago. The subject is complicated by the fact that the study area, which includes properties from Mt. Baker Road south past the Country Corner, is beyond the limits of the Urban Growth Area (UGA).

At the EPRC’s regular meeting on Aug. 6, committee members, presented with a whitepaper on the subject by EPRC member Patty Miller, discussed the merits of presenting a position on the matter at the next scheduled Country Corner LAMIRD meeting, on Monday, Aug. 17 at the Eastsound Fire Station.

Miller’s paper outlined the background, options and concerns of the Country Corner redesignation: chiefly, sewer density and the protection of residential character.

“Would the designation of any portion of the study area as a LAMIRD either

1) force them [neighbors]to hook up to the Eastsound Sewer district’s system?

2) Facilitate the expansion for the sewer system by others which would ultimately require them to hook up to the system?” Miller asked in the paper.

These questions have repeatedly been asked at the [intlink id=”country-corner%e2%80%99s-more-intense-development-creates-intense-public-discussion” type=”post”]Country Corner meetings[/intlink], with no definitive answer.

EPRC Member Bob Connell, said that he spoke to Eastsound Sewer and Water District (ESWD) Commissioners, and reported, “The district feels it can force anyone [in the ESWD area] to hook up — whether in or out of  the UGA.”

ESWD Commissioner Ed Sutton spoke in clarification of the sewer district’s position: “ESWD has no plans, current or foreseeable, to extend collection lines beyond UGA boundaries… there are too many unanswered questions.

“But it would seem inevitable that the sewer system will be extended throughout area.” Sutton gave three reasons for this “inevitability”:

1)   health reasons, which Sutton called “ESWD’s primary responsibility;”

2)   if the UGA boundaries move

3)   if  Eastsound incorporates

“I think that’s inevitable too at some point in the future,” Sutton opined.

Connell further reported that he was informed by County Development and Planning staff that if a person’s application to get a building permit concerns property inside the sewer district, but outside the Eastsound UGA, the County will allow that party to hook up to sewer service from ESWD rather than demanding the applicant provide their own individual drainfield.

Colin Maycock, Senior Planner for the County Planning Department, said “The sewer district has a right to compel anyone in district — UGA or not — to hook up if they have a service line within 200 feet [of the property].”

Connell rejoined the argument, stating the disagreement between County Prosecutor Randy Gaylord’s assertion that the sewer district must get a permit to install lines, and the ESWD, which says, “‘We don’t need their blessing at all, we …. can do anything we want in our service area’.”

Maycock said, “It seems they have pretty broad range, and we can’t get a clear answer out of the Prosecuting Attorney’s office.”

For a map of the study area, go to page 2 of the document found at https://sanjuanco.com/CDP/docs/CountyCornerLAMIRD.pdf

As the EPRC continued their discussion of the area, and whether to recommend moving forward with the proposed commercial area of six parcels and 16.29 acres, zoning questions came up regarding the study area, which includes two “Service Parks” —  one at Country Corner and one at the OPALCO property on Mt. Baker Road.

Miller asked the group to consider the implications of not adopting a LAMIRD for the area.  “What’s the compelling reason?” she questioned.

Maycock replied, “Obviously in an area of more intense rural development, it is recognized it as such” and future development can be monitored.

He added that establishing a LAMIRD would result in more local control, “a smaller group to amend the [County Comprehensive] plan through site specific redesignation,” involving the public process for any development, which would come before the County Council for a final decision on changes to the plan.

EPRC Chair Gulliver Rankin moved that the  EPRC support redesignation of Country Corner as a commercial LAMIRD, with the understanding that there is the ability to address site specific development standards in that area and remove the residential component in the service park. He proposed that this motion “be the EPRC position at the Aug. 17 meeting” [the next public meeting regarding the Country Corner LAMIRD.

Rankin’s motion failed for lack of a second.

Miller suggested that separate development standards may be recommended for the commercial LAMIRD and for the greater study area.

Maycock said that he expected the Aug. 17 meeting to consider that “All these parcels connect to residential parcels, so screening of future development needs to be addressed.” He plans to send a report to the EPRC in advance of that meeting. Maycock’s plan can be found at https://sanjuanco.com/CDP/docs/CountyCornerLAMIRD

Rankin pushed for the EPRC to “narrow in” on what developmental standards would be, “so the public knows which direction we should go and so [Maycock] has some direction for the  next public meeting.”

The committee agreed to attend the LAMIRD meeting and then formulate a position  at their Sept. 3 EPRC meeting.

The Country Corner LAMIRD meeting will be Monday, Aug. 17 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at the Eastsound Fire Hall. For further information contact Senior Planner, Colin Maycock at colinm@co.san-juan.wa.us or at 360-370-7573.