PACIFIC?COUNTY – The board of Planning Commissioners is undertaking a 10-year review of Pacific County’s Comprehensive Plan. Major items for review are land use, municipal and unincorporated village boundaries, and how to meet the anticipated increase in population growth in our area.

The commission is headed by Chairman Rob Snow, broker for Pacific Realty, and Vice President Ken Osborne. Other members include Eric deMontigny, Marlene Martin, Stan Smith, Bill Kennedy and Jim Sayce.

This review is prompted by a process that began in the 1980s when the state was concerned about losing open space, forest and agricultural lands due to population growth, traffic congestion and air pollution. As a response to these threats, the legislature enacted the Growth Management Act (GMA), which provided for a unified approach and process for managing growth in our state.

In 1992, after the passage of the GMA legislation, our county commissioners, on behalf of the incorporated cities of Ilwaco, Long Beach, Raymond and South Bend, began a planning process. Citizens were involved in discussions, a consulting firm was hired to facilitate, and in 1998 a final Comprehensive Plan was approved for Pacific County.

What is currently being reviewed during 2009 are boundaries for both incorporated and unincorporated areas. These boundaries are critical as they delineate the limits of control for and specific certain types of land use.

The villages or towns in our area are described in multiple terms. As well as the incorporated areas mentioned above, we have “the unincorporated Seaview, the rural village of Ocean Park, the rural activity center of Chinook, the community crossroads of Surfside and Klipsan and the historic Long Beach communities of Oysterville and Nahcotta.”

The terminology varies in the document but is critical in determining land use. For instance, note that Seaview – situated between incorporated Long Beach and Ilwaco – is unincorporated and is more formally designated a “rural area of more intensive development,” or RAID.

Many citizens who were part of the Seaview dunes conversation several years ago are carefully watching this process as it could have long-term influence on the conservation of the dunes and other aspects concerning the business make-up and identity of the Seaview area.

There are provisions in the planning document for “controlling rural development and assuring visual compatibility with surrounding rural areas … in a manner that does not permit low-density sprawl.” (Section 2.2.1)

Clearly stated is the policy to establish or preserve greenbelts and open space within urban growth areas.

The crux of the plan is this statement from the GMA requirements (RCM 36.70A.110): “For each city or town within its borders, the County must designate an urban growth area, within which urban growth shall be encouraged and outside of which growth can occur only if it is not urban in nature.”

However, the document also states that “urban growth areas in the county must be sufficient to permit the urban growth that is projected to occur in the county over the next 20 years.” So it appears that the county may have limited power in terms of closing the gates to increased urban development.

The requirements of this development mandate are based on census data and population projections. For our county the data assumes that we will grow from 21,110 in 1996 to 27,107 in 2016, an annual increase rate of 1.26 percent or 28.5 percent over the entire 20-year period.

However, this data was compiled before global climate change began disrupting our weather patterns and it is unlikely that the factor of ‘weather refugees’ was taken into account in population projections. Also missing is the fact that our coastal property is still one of the most cost-effective for second homes for our urban neighbors from Portland or Seattle.

However, applying this data, it is projected that Seaview will need to accommodate 169 new households and to do so will need an additional 18 acres of land developed. For Chinook the number of new residents is anticipated to be 134, with 56 acres needed. Raymond’s projection is 1,022 more people and 102 acres needed. Long Beach is anticipated to have 640 more citizens and 55 new acres of residential development. Ocean Park is projected to grow by 188 citizens with a residential development of an additional 79 acres.

There are no specific population projections tagged to Oysterville or Nahcotta: it is assumed that they have been lumped into the total of ‘other rural areas’ county-wide projected at 2,131 new citizens with a need for 4,458 acres of new residential development.

Some of these figures seem too conservative; others when projected on specific areas may seem shocking.

The Planning Commission meetings are open to the public. Interested citizens can also request a copy of the Comprehensive Plan, related maps and other materials by calling Mike Desimone, Department of Community Development Director and Project Manager, at 360-875-9356, or 642-9382; or by e-mail: mdesimone@co.pacific.wa.us

According to the participation document produced by Pacific County community development department “staff will post meeting and hearing notices in local libraries, post offices, County buildings, on the County’s Web site, and will maintain both a mailing list and an email list for periodic mailing.”

Note that staff are also available to meet individually on request with organizations interested in the specifics of the comprehensive planning process.

The timeframe for this review is February to August to receive public feedback on the scope of potential revisions; and a November/December series of public hearings on proposed amendments to the plan, including recommendations, findings and conclusions.

In general, the Planning Commission meets at 6 p.m., on the first Thursday of each month, alternating between north and south county.

The next meeting of the planning commission for discussion of the Comprehensive Plan Review is May 7 in north county. (Pacific County Commissioners’ meeting room for north county located at 1216 W. Robert Bush Drive, in South Bend.)

The June 4, 2009 meeting in south county will be held at the Pacific County Administrative Facility-South at 7013 Sandridge Road, in Long Beach. The July 9 meeting is in north county.

For further information see: (www.tinyurl.com/d3lue5)