— by Joe Symons —
You may have heard that San Juan County has embarked on an update to the county’s Comprehensive Plan. What you may not know is what a Comprehensive Plan (CP) is and how it impacts your life and the life of the community. Short answer—the CP is the single legal document that guides growth: how much, when, where, and what the financial, visual, ecological, functional and “sense of place” will be over the coming years. You may not know much about the previous plan’s process or conclusion (the update to the current plan began in 1992, was completed in 1999, and was challenged by a handful of county citizens. The litigation ended in 2008). By GMA (WA state Growth Management Act) requirements, the plan must be periodically updated.
The first thing to do is to learn about how we got to where we are and where we are going. Spoiler alert: you need to spend more than five minutes on this in order to grok the importance and complexity of this seemingly irrelevant issue. With what is going on around the country and the world, you might easily say you don’t have the time. I, however, would argue that you can’t afford to not take the time.
You can educate yourself at doebay.net/appeal Let’s call that the talk.
The next thing is the walk. Your walk.
You can let the decision makers know that to begin with, you want and need a clear picture of what the current CP is and will take us. That picture does not exist now (it never has existed). The current update process will not deliver that picture.
It is very unlikely that the plan as it exists today will ensure a continuation of the quality of life that brought most people here. Absent a significant conversation about the process by which the update will proceed, and an enthusiastic support for a truly thoughtful redirection, we will lose what we love.
If you don’t ask the right question, you are certainly not going to get an answer. Even if you do ask the right question, you may not get a clear direct understandable answer. As you know, many who hold political positions prefer to give obscure answers to tough questions, perhaps hoping you won’t notice that your question remains unanswered.
To begin, ask the right question. The basic question is: What does the CP really say?
You can do that here: https://doebay.net/cpupdate/sjccp%20email.html
Your engagement is time critical. Please don’t assume that others will carry the ball, or that you can carry the ball tomorrow or next week or you know, when you’ve got time. If you want to take a plane, you better get to the gate before they close it. The update gate is being closed as I write. The next plane leaves in twenty years.
Your walk is an expression of your love for this archipelago and your hopes and dreams for how you and those you care about will experience living and/or visiting here.
Joe Symons is the former chair, Orcas committee to rewrite the Comp Plan, 1992-1999, and the former plaintiff, challenging the plan as in egregious violation of GMA, 1999-2008
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Well said, Joe. Don’t let what happened to Eastsound, happen to Doe Bay – putting the (development/tourism) cart before the horse (quality of life, clean environment, tree cover/windbreak, and putting year round workers in the ballpark for affordable housing.) REgulations were changed here BEFORE the Comp Plan “update” – should have been the other way around!
The issues are complex, but the microcosm’s needs are the same as the macrocosm’s – clean water, forest diversity, protection of wetlands and the waters they eventually drain into – the Salish Sea. Our quality of life depends on this, and all too often, economic growth has been put at the forefront of importance, while our supporting watersheds and forests have suffered.
Newsflash: The San Juan Islands are NOT California! I hope people will coalesce to ensure that we cherish and protect all the things that make our Pacific NW homeland so special and precious for us all – humans and other creatures. Good stewardship leads to close community ties. without good stewardship, we have nothing left to protect. I wish with all my heart that people would not only understand that, but get involved to make these islands a place that will sustain diversity of life and health of our waters and lands, now and in the long view. (which is longer than 20 years out!)
The wealthy survivalists are coming!?
I stopped reading at the spoiler alert… Just kidding Joe. Thank you for sharing and I urge one and all to get in on this issue.