End of Year Items - 12/29/08

Letter to Editor re Community Plan. We are sending a short letter to the editor regarding the Illahee Community Plan. Since they don't always publish our letters we wanted you to see what we wrote.

Editor,

In a 12/16 letter we expressed concern that community self determination was at risk and noted the County Commissioners vote on the Illahee Community Plan would be revealing.

And it was --

- It revealed their support for community plans when they unanimously approved the Illahee Plan.

- It revealed their work on more comprehensive county issues when they removed commercial sections from the Plan.

- It revealed three dedicated and involved commissioners working to get Illahee's Plan right.

We are impressed with their modifications and awareness of the issues, and we thank them.

Plan Celebration. When the changes made by the Commissioners are incorporated and the final approved Plan is complete and printed, we are planning on having a celebration. The time and location are yet to be determined. We are trying to locate a facility in Illahee for the party and we are open for any suggestions. (Note that the annual party held by the Illahee Forest Preserve will be part of the Plan celebration.)

Illahee Community Club 2009. It is time to re-up your Illahee Community Club dues for 2009. The dues are an inexpensive $10 per family unit as we want to have a many resident members as possible. You may ask what you get for your membership? An active and involved group of citizens working to preserve and protect Illahee. You can see what was done in 2008 in the paragraphs below and know that once they get beyond the legal issues they are planning to move on to more productive items that are being considered by the ICC board of directors.

2008 Community Accomplishments. There was first of all the support for the Illahee Community Plan. Next was the likely settlement of the Stormwater Outfall of the Illahee Community Dock. The Outfall issue has been costly in time, energy, and money but the settlement will provide for cleaner stormwater for Puget Sound, and some recharge of the aquifers. The community worked with the Port of Illahee on the Outfall Appeal and also supported the Port of Illahee's stormwater grant with the Department of Ecology. Finally, there was the appeal of aspects of the Timbers Edge project. Community members met with the developer to see if he would consider reducing the number of homes and using septics rather than sewers to minimize the impact on Illahee Creek. When he rejected the proposal the community proceeded with the environmental appeal and hired expert witnesses to document problem areas. They solicited funds from residents and together with the Outfall appeal have spent nearly $20,000 this year, almost all associated with legal costs.

Appeal for Funds. They are down to $180 and have the December closing argument bill that will come due in January 2009 and need to appeal to residents to help with the legal fund. They are doing so at the end of 2008 in case there are those who would like to contribute now in order to take a tax deduction on their 2008 taxes. Make checks payable to the Illahee Community Club Legal Fund and sent to the ICC, PO Box 2563, Bremerton, WA 98310. Your support is appreciated and needed.

Timbers Edge Closing Arguments. We have obtained pdf file copies of the Timbers Edge closing arguments and will be putting them up on the community website illaheecommunity.com soon. (We tried to attach them to this update but the files were too big.) Two are from the ICC attorney with the first file representing Kitsap County Code issues and the second representing State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) issues. A reading of these documents helps one understand why the legal costs are high. The other file is the applicant's attorney.

Hearing Examiners Decision Date? We expect the decision from the Hearing Examiner sometime in January 2009. This examiner nearly 100% of the time sides with developers and the county so we don't want to get anyones expectations up too high. The Club expects they will probably need to appeal the decision to the County Commissioners, who nearly always side with the Hearing Examiner. The next step would be to decide if there should appeal to Superior Court. We have been told the Club has been preparing for a possible Superior Court appeal from the beginning and all that would be needed would be the community's support and the funding.

Wildlife Updates. We know residents prefer wildlife updates and we have some more hummingbird input to pass on soon.

Jim Aho

Illahee Christmas Present: Community Plan Approved - 12/24/08

Illahee Christmas Present. The County Commissioners gave Illahee a nice Christmas present yesterday when they approved the Illahee Community Plan.

Afternoon Meeting. The Commissioners met on Tuesday afternoon rather than Monday evening because of the weather and road conditions. Tuesday's conditions were better for getting around and at least four Illahee residents made it to the meeting in spite of some who are still snowed in.

Commercial Corridor Removed. The Commissioners made several changes to the Plan with the most significant being the removal of the Highway 303 commercial corridor, which covers a three quarter mile strip north of Riddell Road, or about 120 acres. The resolution was a little confusing as one section of the resolution read to remove the area from Riddell to Fuson, which would be a half mile strip or 80 acres, and which was reported in the Kitsap Sun article, and another part of the resolution stated to remove the commercial corridor. From the maps presented we know it is the entire commercial corridor and the 120 acres that was removed from the Illahee community boundary. (We realize this is a technical issue, but for the more detailed person we wanted to clarify any confusion early on.)

Impact of the Removal. We have had differing opinions on the removal. Dennis Sheeran and myself, the co-chairs of our early efforts, are of the opinion that this is not a detriment to the Plan, and in some respects makes the Plan easier for the community to work with. We will let others who disagree with us give their side in a later update.

Updated Plan. The Plan will need to revised to make the Commissioner's changes, which means all the maps will need to be updated to reflect the new boundaries. As soon as that happens we will post it on our website illaheecommunity.com.

Commissioners Need to be Thanked. Those who attended the meeting were impressed by our County Commissioners' thoughtful changes and comments regarding the Plan. Each one of them commented on the Plan and the reasons for their changes which would be good to listen to when the meeting is rebroadcast on BKAT. Their actions and reasoned remarks indicated they had spent time looking over even the smaller details which in the end improved an already good Plan. They support community efforts like ours, they worked well together, and we are fortunate to have such good and dedicated Commissioners representing us. Thank you Commissioners Josh Brown, Steve Baurer, and Jan Angel!

County Staff Needs to be Thanked. We also need to thank the County Staff who took our community generated drafts and ran them through the county departments and through the public process, in order to make them compliant with County Code and county procedures. Special thanks to Katrina Knutson, our county planner; Scott Diener, her supervisor, and Larry Keaton, DCD Director. We also need to thank Cindy Read in advance, the map person, who worked all the maps and who will likely be working the revisions.

Website Comments. We are trying to institute a community blog site where Ilahee residents can comment on local issues. Our Illahee Community Updates are put on our website http://illaheecommunity.blogspot.com/ and there is a place to comment.

Kitsap Sun Article and Comments. We would also like to thank the Kitsap Sun and specifically Brynn Grimley for their coverage of the Illahee Community Plan. Brynn's article is in today's paper (Wednesday 12/24/08) and can be accessed on the web. There is a place to comment at the bottom of the article and it is always interesting to see these comments as they are from a more county wide perspective.

Final Thanks to Illahee Residents. We also want to thank Illahee residents for their great support of the Illahee Community Plan. We had approximately a hundred and fifty residents involved in one capacity or another with the Plan and we thank you. There were about a hundred who signed their name to the document. For some it has been a three year endeavor and it is nice to have it finally approved.

Merry Christmas!

Dennis Sheeran & Jim Aho

Illahee Community Plan Approved - 12/23/08

The Illahee Community Plan was approved by the Kitsap County commissioners, with some changes regarding commercial property.

The full story is in today's Kitsap Sun.

Thanks to so many Illahee residents who have put in countless hours of time on this project for the past three years.

More information will follow.

Miscellaneous Items - 12/21/08

A Day Late. This email is a day late as a Fir tree branch took down our Comcast internet line on Sunday and they just got through splicing the line late on Monday.

Commissioner's Meeting Delayed to Tuesday. The County Commissioner's meeting that was scheduled for Monday evening will be held on Tuesday at 1 pm. This is the meeting where the Commissioners will be voting on the Illahee Community Plan. The county offices will be closed on Monday because of the inclement weather.

Timbers Edge Closing Arguments. The closing arguments for the Timbers Edge project were due this past Friday (12/19/08). We will see if we can get copies of both sides arguments to pass on, since they are public records.

Illahee Community Boundaries. We have had added a number of new email addresses and some have wondered what the exact boundaries of the Illahee Community are. The map is also available here on the Illahee community website.

Snow Photos. We received some snow photos and rather than try to attach all of them we have chosen one to attach and the rest are available by clicking on this link.

Additional Hummingbird Information. We have been surprised at the number of people reporting on hummingbirds. We have three more reports.

I noticed what seemed to be a small swarm of hummingbirds out my eastern window about three days ago. The same day I noticed a hummingbird sitting on a feeder looking lethargic and then it fell off. I looked out on the deck and couldn't find it. In the mean time I started a vigil of keeping the feeder food in a liquid form and pulling our two feeders into the house at night. Day before yesterday I saw another hummingbird fall off the feeder and ran out to see if I could find it. There it was. I placed it in a towel and shoebox and brought it into the house. It was ready to leave within 15 minutes. I held it in my hand and it flew away. LaRae called a veterinarian to ask if we were doing the right thing. She was referred to a wildlife rescue (206 855-9057). They told her not to use sugar water and to use commercial hummingbird food because it has nutrients that the other does not have. Also, they said that some hummingbirds do go away for the winter but others choose to stay in the Puget Sound area.

Use at my hummingbird feeder was active all day today. The sugar/water solution (mixed a little rich for the cold weather) freezes at about 23 or 24 degrees, at which point I bring it into the house for a brief warm-up.

We have an interesting situation at our house where we have one dominate male hummingbird that has decided the birdfeeder is his very own and he is not about to share it. He sits on a tree branch about 20 feet away and guards the feeder attaching any other hummingbird that comes near. He sits there nearly all day watching the feeder ready to fly whenever another bird comes near. We decided to set out another feeder some distance away to see if some of the smaller hummingbirds will use it, or if he will chase them away from that one too.

Keep Sending Us Information. Keep on sending us information and we will pass it on.

Jim Aho

More Bird Information - 12/20/08

We had several more comment on how timely the hummingbird information was.

We received a phone call about a hummingbird who was at a bird feeder and fell over onto the ground. The person picked it up and put it in a box and brought it inside. After awhile it evidently warmed up and became active and they released it outside.

A similar type of story as the previous entry was received.

A very timely subject! I had a humming bird going into hypothermia today. Usually the ones that winter over, they tell you to not worry if they go stiff on a branch, it is normal and often they thaw out and go on their way. This was different, I had one guy going to sleep on the feeder, fluffed out and not moving. I actually went out and picked him off the feeder with my hand, and warmed the little guy up. I put him on the porch with the fushia, we have it behind some plastic (it seems to make it through the cold that way) and the little guy then flew on out into the open air. Within the hour he was back on the feeder, again motionless. As I watched, a bigger one literally knocked him off the perch, and he fell to the ground. I went out to check, and he was sitting in the snow, addled.

He's now in my room, I'm letting him fly around in here, and hung a feeder just for him from my overhead lamp. Had to put him in a cage as the sun went down, as he fell to the floor and was hiding, I was afraid I'd squish him. He seems to be a very young naive bird, and when the snow melts, I'll try putting him back out again. I hate to interfer with Nature, but a cat would have had him anyway.

I brought my feeder in twice today, and set it near a heating vent, it melted in a half hour, and out it went again. It's my understanding that hummers also eat bugs, so the feeders are not their only source of food.

We had a report of a number of different kinds of birds at a bird feeder today.

Birds at my feeders today (black sunflower seed and suet):

• Varied thrushes
  
• Mourning doves
  
• Pileated woodpeckers
  
• Oregon juncoes
  
• Red breasted nuthatches
  
• Chestnut backed chickadees
  
• Black capped chickadees
  
• Stellars jay
  
• Downy woodpecker
  
• Red shaftted flicker
  
• Song sparrow
  
• Song sparrow
  
• Hairy woodpecker
  
• Rufous sided towhees

We inquired about the Audubon's Christmas bird count and found it was postponed today because of the poor road conditions due to inclement weather until January 4, 2009. If anyone wants to participate they should contact Vic Ulsh at 479-6900.

Jim Aho

Humming Bird Response - 12/19/08

Quick Response. We received three quick emails regarding wintering hummingbirds in response to the photo and the person who was wondering what to do about about her hummingbird sugar water freezing.

Saturday Bird Count. Saturday is the day scheduled for the Audubon's Christmas bird count, which we presume is going on today. So it is appropriate that we cover one of our local Puget Sound birds on this day.

Response #1

We put out our humming bird feeder and have a visitor.

Response #2

Hi, Jim...In regards to feeding the humming birds, we have had 4 or 5 that stayed over the last few years. In freezing weather we bring the feeder in after dark and put it back out early in the morning. Also the feeder is hanging under the eves on the southeast side of the house, so it gets some protection. It also helps to keep the feeder full. If you keep the feeder out and full after you think the season is over, they will stay around, but you must keep feeding them once you start.

Response #3

It occurs to me I hadn't yet sent you the attached photos of the male Annas hummingbird I mentioned. The little Annas humming bird has taken up residence in our backyard this winter. The photos were taken from 400mm lens last Tuesday afternoon when skies were sunny and bright.

My wife and I are rotating two humming bird feeders to keep them from thawing, then bring them in at night. We put the feeder out at day break and within 30 seconds the hummer is at the feeder. Annas area known to winter-over in Puget Sound area, but this is a first for us.

Apparently, the Annas humming birds can go into a torpid state which is essentially short term hibernation overnight during sub-freezing temperatures, then wake themselves up in morning. It's remarkable these little guys can survive in such frigid temperatures. We're mixing at just over 2 parts water to 1 part sugar for winter time feeding. It helps the juice from freezing so fast. So far, so good.

Thank you for your input and the photos.

Jim Aho

Snow Photos - 12/19/08

We received some photos taken in Illahee on Thursday 12/18/08. Please send us any photos you want to share and if you want credit let us know, so in case they get picked up by others, you will receive the credit.

The first ones are of an accident at the corner of McWilliams and Sunset that occurred Thursday afternoon.

The bird photo is of a humming bird that evidently decided to stay put over the winter. We will try to get more information from the person who is feeding it, like how do they keep the sugar water from freezing.

The picture of the sledding group was from the top of Roosevelt Street.

Jim Aho

Wildlife Update - 12/9/08

Seedlings Dispersed in the Preserve. Approximately 20,000 Douglas fir seeds were dispersed in the Illahee Preserve recently. These seeds fall naturally from the fir trees, but can also be spread throughout an area by just spreading them about. Only a portion of them will actually take root, and an even small percentage will actually grow to any size. Jim Trainer, our local Illahee forester, tells us that approximately 50% will be eaten by birds and squirrels, and the remainder will take root. JIm also has done seedings and said it is easy to do and sent us a picture of the spreader and a bag of seeds, which we were unable to attach because it is part of a gallery. You can access Jim's photo at this link.

Preserve Trees. The Illahee Preserve does have a few big trees in it. Most of the marketable timber in the Preserve was logged in the 1930's except for a few large Western Red Cedar, a number of Western White Pine that probably weren't marketable, and and at least one large Douglas Fir in the Preserve that is over 6 feet in diameter in the northeast section.

Illahee Preserve. We often get inquiries and comments about the Illahee Preserve. People comment that they are amazed at the size, approximately 460 acres and the quality of the trails in the Preserve. A map project was completed last summer with the help of the architectural firm of Rice-Fergus-Miller. Some information about the Preserve is on the community website which is illaheecommunity.com. We will try to get some more up-to-date information about the Preserve to pass on.

Decline In Waterfowl Numbers? Some of the oldtimers and not-so-oldtimers have noticed what appears to be declines in the numbers of waterfowl in the area. That has been our observations also. Below is an email we recently received.

We came here in October of 1999 to live in the home of my grandparents. At that time the bay was full of hundres of scoters, goldeneyes and widgeons. I remember that fall being warm. As the years have progressed, we are now seeing fewer and fewer water fowl. There were so many widgens up until last year that they would wake us in the night while they fed off the shore line, now there are only a few.

Puget Sound Partnership Notes Waterfowl Declines. We recently went to a presentation by Sara Lingafelter, the local representative for the Partnership, who noted that they have documented a decline, not only in fish numbers, but also in marine waterfowl numbers. We can't remember if they provided percentages, but will try to find out.

Enjoy the Low Night-time Winter Tides. There is a local opportunity to do an evening beach walk on Thursday with Beach Naturalists who were trained this past year by Jeff Adams of the UW SeaGrant program. Attached is the email we received today (Tuesday) regarding the beach walk.

Hello All- The winter brings wonderful low night tides, and the first of three Kitsap Beach Naturalist led winter beach walks is upon us (see attached flyer). The walk is this Thursday (Dec 11) at the Lions Park boat launch in Bremerton 7:30-9:30. Thursday's walk is the lowest tide of the three (-3.3 by the end of the walk). For a map...

The weather looks to be fabulous and should allow the full moon help light our way. Bring a flashlight or headlamp, rubber boots and warm clothes to explore this fabulous and biologically diverse beach.

The beach walks are hosted by the Kitsap beach Naturalists and People for Puget Sound. Please invite your friends and family and we'll see you on the beach! JEff
             ---------------------------------------------------
Jeff Adams - jaws@u.washington.edu
Marine Water Quality Specialist
Washington Sea Grant - Kitsap
University of Washington
345 6th Street, Suite 550
Bremerton, WA 98337-1874
360-337-4619

Thanks to all who keep passing information on.

Jim Aho

Now Waiting for Illahee Community Plan Decision - 12/7/08

Thank You For Your Support. We want to thank those who supported of the Illahee Community Plan.

Commissioners Decide on December 22. The Commissioners held their public hearing on November 24 and kept the written record open until this last Friday, December 5th. Thanks to the 50 plus Illahee residents who attended the hearing and to those who sent in emails and letters of support.

Photos of November 24th Hearing. Attached are photos of the hearing that were taken by John Lind. The last one is of Audrey Boyer, who at age 91, got up and spoke before the Commissioners in favor of the Illahee Community Plan.

Kitsap County Community Plan Liaison Katrina Knudson	Illahee resident Judith Krigsman
Illahee resident John Lind	Kitsap County Commissioners
Illahee resident Audrey Boyer

The Public Process is Complete. The public process for community or subarea plans is now complete and now we wait for the decision by the County Commissioners. We have done all we can do and now we hope for a favorable decision.

Excerpts From Letter to the Commissioners. Some of you sent in emails to the Commissioners and provided us copies. We have taken excerpts from some of the emails we received and included them below.

We have watched neighbors with many differing views on everything from politics to the environment come together to work for the common good of the community.

We also have been amazed at the generosity of the community. Rather than requesting services from the county, the community has been willing to volunteer to work on and pay for community projects.

We have watched a community website come into being and a website advisory group emerge to help keep it up and make sure it represented community interests.

We also think it noteworthy to state that there has been very little opposition from within the Illahee community itself. We think that speaks well of the considerable efforts to involve all community groups in the nearly three years the process has taken.

Very few Kitsap communities have a combination of uniqueness , a concerned citizenry and their support and the enterprise to entertain the notion that we must object and fight against the ONE SIZE FITS ALL mentality of growth management. Illahee is among them. The Illahee community and the BOCC, via the able planning staff at DCD have completed a plan fulfills that uniqueness and that merits your approval.

Those in opposition to our plan, do not live here in our unique geologically rich area with our steep slopes , our ravines, our forest preserve, our Creek, and, oh yes, our storm water run off problems from irresponsible upslope development.

We have lived in Illahee for over twenty years and I am concerned about its future, and how unregulated over-development will degrade my property's value and the special, fragile nature of our community. This place that I love and call home.

I am asking for your support of this plan and support of the people who live in this very special, blessed place.

When the development of a community plan began to emerge in 2006, volunteers spent considerable time and energy reviewing other recently-approved or in-process sub-area plans as well as local, state, and federal laws related to zoning, transportation, environment, and infrastructure. This research was critical to ensure Illahee's plan was in compliance with current regulations. Other volunteers spent time researching local historical records to get a sense of the significance of our community to the Native Americans and early settlers who called Illahee home. Throughout the process, numerous community members readily provided input and shared historical perspectives and photos. As a result, the Illahee Community Plan successfully blends the past, present, and future so that prospective residents, like those from earlier times, can take pleasure in some of the same idyllic surroundings current citizens now enjoy.

Local governments encourage its citizens to become involved in their community in order to promote a spirit of cooperation and friendship, a shared vision for safe neighborhoods, a pride in home maintenance, and an appreciation for the environment. Illahee is blessed with hundreds of acres of green space, three miles of pristine shoreline, and active wildlife corridors and streams. Citizens are determined to protect these lands inherited from early settlers while encouraging reasonable growth. What better demonstration of a community's identity and purpose then its own community-developed plan?

I am writing in support of the Illahee Community Plan. I believe the plan is a solid foundation for future development of the Illahee area and allows the community to retain those features which make it so unique. I am a current member of the Illahee CAG and attended most of the planning meetings that were scheduled with our Kitsap County planners. Our planners were very responsive to requests for more information when it was needed and expertly guided us through the process to make sure our Illahee Plan was in compliance with existing codes and laws while balancing with the wants and needs of the community at large.

I am very proud of the fact that both the community and the County made the plan very public and at anytime any citizen could have voiced their opinion. Information was provided both on the Illahee Community website as well as the Kitsap County website. There were also several articles in the Kitsap Sun throughout the process. Mailings were done by both the Community and the County. Multiple emails were sent out during the process to anyone who requested to stay updated on the Illahee Plan. It was a very open and public process.

I, as well as many Illahee residents, have been working on an Illahee Community Plan for more than three years. We started with about 70 Illahee residents and have increased to over 120 active contributors of information and volunteers. It has been an honor to work with such an active, involved and considerate group of people. They have displayed thoughtfulness and consideration for the Illahee Forest, Puget Sound waters and Shoreline, Illahee creek, the Illahee community and neighbors not to mention Kitsap County.

The purpose of the Illahee Community Plan is for the community to define itself and determine the future of Illahee. I believe we have developed a sound, cohesive and Community/County acceptable plan.

We would like to take this time to comment on the Illahee Community Plan in the most favorable light. For the following reasons, we support and applaud the efforts of this project on the behalf of Kitsap County DCD and the many residents of Illahee who gave support and structure to a product which will form the basis of community ideas and a sharing of vision for the future of their community. Three years of community planning went into this project by community residents who strongly felt the need to be active participants. (This was followed by the listing of 12 specific reasons, too long to list here.)

I just wanted to show my enthusiastic support for the Illahee Community Plan and give my input on the letter "RE: Illahee Community Plan" sent to the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners dated October 3, 2008 and signed by Richard A. Brown, Government Affairs Chairperson, Kitsap County Association of REALTORS

I am not responding to their opinions of "what's wrong with the plan" sections, as others can better address those. The Illahee Community is unusually strong in its ability to unite and communicate with each other. We use several methods for disseminating information throughout the community:

Postings on roadways, hand-delivered invitations to participate, continuously updated e-mail reports on community interests (not only for this plan but for anything we find interesting such as Wildlife Reports), US mail, Web sites, word of mouth, and community meetings. I am strongly in favor of working with the County to further preserve our natural resources and beautiful community through this Illahee Community Plan and have been actively involved and well-informed about each step even though I am severely handicapped and often home-bound, thus showing that most of those not involved in this planning process were simply not interested or did not have the time to do so. There has been no selective inclusion or exclusion from any of our community groups and activities but rather the opposite, with a reaching out to try and include as many and diverse a representation as possible.

Note: There were other emails forwarded to us, but this is a representative sample of what we know was sent to the Commissioners. We will try to find out just what the public response was, both for and against, and report back later.

Jim Aho

Wildlife Update - 12/6/08

Wildlife Updates. We have added some new email addresses and need to explain that feedback tells us that wildlife reports are what people like most about the updates. We depend on your passing the information on to us and we thank those who passed on this information. If you want credit for your stories and pictures, let us know as we presume anonymity.

Seals. Last year we had about 20 seals on one of local floats, this year a few less with about 15 seen every morning. As the seals leave the float the cormorants take their place.

Sea Lions. We have only seen one sea lion this year, whereas last year there were many seen feeding on small salmon.

Ravens. Periodically the ravens can be seen flying near the shoreline. We haven't seen them fly over the water yet and we mostly see them around the Illahee Preserve.

Mergansers. Only a few Red-breasted Mergansers have been sighted this year along the Illahee shoreline.

Scoters. The Surf Scoters are back in about the same numbers as last year. They are the ones that make the whistling noise when they take off. They are usually out in deeper water as they are deep divers and feed on shellfish.

Mallards. There is a flock of about 30 mallards that seem to be making the Illahee North detention pond their winter home.

Wigeon. The American Wigeon are common visitors to the nearshore area and local ponds. We used to see big numbers at Schutt's Point and they could be seen flying away whenever an eagle would fly over.

Golden Eyes. This area seems to be a wintering spot for both the Common Golden Eye and the Barrows Golden Eye. We had a report on Saturday of a large flock of the Barrows Golden Eye along the northern Illahee waterfront. Earlier in the week we had a few Common Golden Eyes north of the Illahee Community Dock.

Cormorants. The cormorants are back this winter, as stated earlier, spending most of the day on area floats.

Bald Eagles. There are at least two regular Bald Eagles frequenting the Illahee waterfront. We had a report a few weeks ago of a Bald Eagle chasing down a seagull. This was a first for that long time waterfront resident.

Deer. At the County Commissioners' hearing for the Illahee Community Plan our planner, Katrina Knutson, noted that she saw an albino deer while looking over the area for the View Protection Zone. We just had a picture sent to us earlier this week of two deer, one of which is partially white, which we are attaching.

Send Reports and Pictures. Please send us your reports and pictures of wildlife and we will try to forward them on.

Jim Aho

Illahee Community Plan Comment Deadline - 12/3/08

Plan Comments Deadline 12/5/08. The deadline for public comments on the Illahee Community Plan is 4:30 pm on Friday, 12/5/08.

Example Comment Forms Requested. We have been requested to provide examples of email comments, primarily to show the email addresses of the County Commissioners, as some are more comfortable reading emails than sending them. We have taken the heading from an email sent to the Commissioners which is provided below. Some have sent one-liners, others have expounded with paragraphs. Our suggestion is to do whatever you feel comfortable with.

To: Steve Bauer: <sbauer@co.kitsap.wa.us>,

Josh Brown: <jwbrown@co.kitsap.wa.us>,

Jan Angel: <jangel@co.kitsap.wa.us>,

Subject: Illahee Community Plan

Cc: Katrina Knutson <Kknutson@co.kitsap.wa.us>

Dear Commissioners,

KAPO Letter With 13 Concerns. Yesterday we received a copy of the letter written by William Palmer that described 13 areas of concern that the Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners (KAPO) had with the Illahee Community Plan. It was the letter that was turned in at the public hearing for the Illahee Plan and that was referenced in the linked Kitsap Sun article. We responded to the letter with answers to all 13 concerns, and have attached the letter below for those who have been following the opposition letters to the Illahee Plan.

Let Us Know Your Thoughts. We have been preoccupied during the Thanksgiving holiday and are just getting back to Illahee issues. Let us know your thoughts on this subject and other issues you would like to have more information on.

Jim Aho

Board of County Commissioners

County Administration Building

614 Division Street

Port Orchard, WA 98366

Subject: Illahee Community Response to Palmer/KAPO Letter of November 24, 2008

Dear Commissioners:

The following is a response to the William Palmer / Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners (KAPO) letter dated November 24, 2008, from the co-chairs of the Illahee Community Plan efforts in 2006 and 2007. We have followed the letter's numerical items with a brief restatement of their concern, followed by our response, and then a concluding comment.

KAPO Concern #1. "Criteria For SubArea Comprehensive Planning." KAPO's concern is that the "Board of County Commissioners have established no qualification criteria for how to determine what portion of the County might be considered for SubArea planning consideration," and specifically the absence of the City of Bremerton's involvement. They go on to allege the 2006 adopted Comprehensive Plan does not mention a need to specifically plan for the Illahee SubArea or suggest what constitutes its boundary.

Response. While we cannot respond to the Board's SubArea planning criteria, we can respond that in 2007 Geoffrey Wentlandt, City of Bremerton planner, participated with Kitsap County Planner Linda Bentley in the 2007 County Planning effort that took place prior to Ms. Bentley's departure. Additionally, the City has been kept informed of all planning efforts since 2006.

With regards to the allegation that the Comprehensive Plan did not mention Illahee or its boundaries, the Illahee Community Plan and the Illahee boundary map are presented in Chapter 17 of Volume I of the adopted 2006 Comprehensive Plan Update.

Conclusion. KAPO's concerns regarding the involvement of the City of Bremerton and the alleged failure to include reference to the Plan in the 2006 Comprehensive Plan Update are not substantiated.

KAPO Concern #2. "No Justification of Changed Conditions." KAPO's concern is that SubArea plans must be justified by changed conditions, which allegedly were not discussed in the Plan nor in the 2006 Comprehensive Plan Update.

Response. The Illahee Community Plan did discuss changed conditions in Section 1.3 "Visions for the Illahee Community" and more specifically they were also noted in Section 17.2 "Vision" in the 2006 Comprehensive Plan Update, Volume I.

Conclusion. Justification of "changed conditions" is provided in Section 17.2 of the 2006 Comprehensive Plan Update, and in Section 1.3 of the Illahee Community Plan.

KAPO Concern #3. "SubArea Plans Cannot Modify Policies and Land Use Designations." KAPO's concern is that the Illahee Plan modifies comprehensive plan policies and land use designations.

Response. The fact that the Growth Management Act permits yearly amendments to the 10 Year Comprehensive Plan Updates, and such amendments modify policies and land use designations, counters the allegation that SubArea plans cannot modify the contents of a Comprehensive Plan. The reason the Illahee Community Plan is being enacted on as an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan, rather than enacted earlier in the year similar to the Keyport Plan in 2007, is because it was already in the 2006 Comprehensive Plan. The Illahee Community Plan is simply the further amplification and completion of the process documented in the 2006 Comprehensive Plan.

Conclusion. SubArea plans can and do update policies and land use designations as permitted and authorized by the Comprehensive Plan Amendment Process.

KAPO Concern #4. "Arbitrary Boundaries Set For the SubArea." KAPO alleges the Illahee boundaries are arbitrary and not justified to extend westward to Wheaton Way.

Response. The boundary discussion occurred early in 2006 and then again in 2008. As stated in the Plan, the Citizens Advisory Group (CAG) followed GMA and other guidelines, which were straightforward and noted. The major guideline was to utilize any governmental or public jurisdiction boundaries, which explains the extension of the boundary to State Highway 303. The boundaries are essentially the boundaries of the Port of Illahee, with two "logical extensions" that again fit the guidelines that are to be followed. Also, the Illahee Preserve boundary extends westward to State Highway 303, and much of the northerly and southerly boundaries for the Preserve define the boundaries of the Illahee Community's Westerly extension. It makes no sense to limit the boundary to the top of the ridge, essentially cutting through the center of the Illahee Preserve.

The primary justification of the use of the Port of Illahee boundaries is that they provide a jurisdictional boundary that provides for taxation and representation, through the election of the Port of Illahee Commissioners. What better criteria can there be for a community boundary than one that has already been defined by earlier public officials and has been in existence for decades, that encompasses the major natural features of the area, and that provides for representation and taxation of the community?

Conclusion. The Illahee boundaries are not arbitrary, but were well thought out considering all parameters and inputs. The boundary rationale was presented and approved by the CAG in both 2006 and again in 2008, and represents the most logical and appropriate boundary delineation possible. The boundary map was published in early 2006 and has been in every Plan since, not to mention that it is included as Figure 17-1 in the 2006 Comprehensive Plan Update (Volume I) that was adopted December 11, 2006 by the Board of County Commissioners.

KAPO Concern #5. "No Commercial or Industrial Area in Illahee Proper." KAPO on one hand is concerned that the boundary extends to State Highway 303 (see previous item) and then states that without a commercial area that it would no longer qualify for SubArea status.

Response. The Illahee Plan does include the 120 acre commercial corridor along SR 303, which according to the rationale stated by KAPO, justifies the SubArea plan.

Conclusion. A commercial corridor does exist in Illahee along the east side of SR 303.

KAPO Item #6. "Lack of Compliance with County-Wide Planning Policies." KAPO's letter alleges the Plan does not comply or discuss the County's adopted County Wide Planning Policies.

Response. The first draft of the Illahee Community Plan was completed in July 2006, nearly a year and a half before Kitsap County Ordinance 403-2007 "Kitsap Countywide Planning Policies" was adopted on November 19,2007. Members of the CAG did not feel the need to reference the Ordinance or restate policies, but rather to ensure that the Illahee Plan was in compliance. That compliance was confirmed during the county review process.

Conclusion. The Illahee Community Plan, while not referring directly to the Ordinance, does comply with the policies stated therein.

Note: The Realtor Board's letter of concerns, which are referred to in the KAPO letter, described in greater detail some of the issues with the Ordinance. Those issues were previously answered in the response letter regarding the Realtor Board's concerns.

KAPO Concern #7. "Unnecessary Introduction of New Zones to Zoning Ordinance." KAPO states that the Plan unnecessarily introduces new Zones to the planning area noting that the zones are unjustified and complicate the zoning process.

Response. The Illahee Plan includes two new zones: a View Protection Overlay Zone and a Greenbelt Overlay Zone, both of which satisfy community goals. The View Protection Zone was desired by residents to protect their own and future residents' east facing views. The Greenbelt Zone was desired to protect many of the natural features of the critical areas surrounding Illahee Creek and the natural features and wildlife corridors between the Cheney Estates, Illahee State Park, and the Illahee Preserve.

Conclusion. There are no unnecessary Zones introduced in the Illahee Community Plan.

KAPO Concern #8. "Lack of Substantive Discussion of Property Rights." KAPO's concern is that the Illahee Plan only gives "lip service" to the property rights issue and that the issue "desires a whole lot more discussion than one paragraph."

Response. The property rights statement used in the Plan was adopted early on from the 2002 Manchester Community Plan in order to use a statement that has gone through previous public and county scrutiny. In retrospect, with the addition of view protection overlay in 2008, an additional sentence from the 2007 Updated Manchester Plan could have been added to address the new overlay regulations, which read as follows: "New regulations included in the Plan allow the sensible development of land without inappropriate financial impacts."

Conclusion. There is no need to use more than one paragraph to state that Illahee residents believe in individual property rights.

KAPO Concern #9. "Housing Affordability Issue Ignored." The concern appears to be that "Affordable Housing" was not addressed and the Plan should have a "substantive discussion" of this issue

Response. Affordable housing, or below market rate housing, was discussed at great length during 2006 as the CAG looked at trying to balance zoning designations with the numbers of people being allocated to specific areas. The solution was to increase zoning densities in areas where the infrastructure and services were available. Higher density zoning was proposed along Trenton Avenue and Almira, with senior and low income high rise buildings proposed along Almira. Those decisions were affirmed again in 2008.

Conclusion. Below market rate housing was properly and adequately considered.

KAPO Concern #10. "No Need for Natural Systems Section of Plan." KAPO simply asks the following question for this concern: "Where is the documentation of need for the expanded Natural System's section of the Illahee SubArea Plan?"

Response. Community plans are to highlight the unique features of the community and the area. Illahee has many natural systems, resource lands, and critical areas that limit development and these areas need to be described in a community plan

Conclusion. The abundance of natural features of Illahee are what make this area unique and worthy of special attention, which includes coverage in the Illahee Community Plan.

KAPO Concern #11. "The Transportation Section of the Plan is Duplicative." The concern is with duplication of policy items that are in the Comprehensive Plan and that there are policies that are "not capable of being implemented."

Response. Not everyone in the Illahee community is familiar with the Transportation policies in the Comprehensive Plan. As such there are duplications for the community. That is what the CAG wanted included in the Plan. This Chapter of the Plan was extensively reviewed and updated by county officials. We are not aware of what specific policies KAPO is referring to that are not capable of being implemented.

Conclusion. Duplication of Transportation Policies is appropriate in a community plan.

KAPO Concern #12. "Lack of Capital Improvement Financing Discussion." KAPO simply asks another question regarding this concern which is: "Why is there not discussion of capital improvement financing in the Illahee Sub Area Plan?"

Response. The future infrastructure plans for Illahee, specifically for sewers, are referenced. This issue has been a concern of some for years and has been discussed at various meetings. The community was told that there is generally insufficient density in the Illahee area for the county, or the City of Bremerton, which would be responsible for the areas to the south, for there to be a push for sewers in the near future unless new housing developments came on line. Community members met with both city and county engineers in 2006. County personnel worked with the CAG in 2008 to rework the chapter to suit current thinking and plans.

Conclusion. The discussion of capital improvement financing was not considered appropriate by the CAG or the County for inclusion into the Illahee Community Plan.

KAPO Concern #13. "Public Participation Too Limited." KAPO states that "public participation has been very limited at best," and that the County had "a greater responsibility to solicit participation from a broader area of the County..."

Response. Over the nearly three years the Illahee Community Plan has been in the preparation and review processes, there have been many involved and contributing residents and some non-residents involved in the completion of the Plan. Signs were placed along the roadways of Illahee, Illahee Community Newsletters go out via Postal Service mail to over 260 families, Illahee Community Updates go out via email to over 300 recipients, and the Illahee Community website was created primarily because of the Illahee Community Plan in order to keep the community and any interested others informed about the Plan and other Illahee issues. The first version of the Plan was completed by the community on July 5, 2006, and subsequent versions were issued in September 2007 and February 2008 before the County took over the process in February of 2008. The number of community members who have been kept informed of the Plan during this timespan is considerable, with the final list of public participants (which numbers nearly 100 for the process period between 2006 and 2008) available on the County's website.

We are not sure what more the County could have done to solicit participation from a broader area of the County as public notices were published in the legal sections of County papers. Additionally, the Kitsap Sun, the most widely distributed paper in the County, covered the Illahee Community Plan from 2006 to 2008.

Conclusion. Public notice and participation was more than adequate to properly represent the Illahee community. Additionally, press coverage and legal notices provided adequate notice to interested county residents.

Final Comment. The Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners (KAPO) had every opportunity to be involved with the Illahee Community Plan from the beginning in 2006 until fall of 2008, a nearly three year time frame. They had a chance to bring their concerns before a very interested and involved Planning Commission, but did not do so. The KAPO objections to the Illahee Community Plan are without merit as noted in the above reasoned explanations and answers.

We, therefore, respectfully request the Board of County Commissioners approve the Illahee Community Plan.

Dennis Sheeran & Jim Aho

Sun Article & Misc - 11/26/08

Illahee Community Plan Report. We were hoping for others to report on Monday's public hearing regarding the Illahee Community Plan, but no one took up up on the offer so far. We do have a link to the Kitsap Sun's coverage.

End of Article Comments. There are comments at the end of the Sun article that have been interesting and we were asked to respond to one of them. It is easy to register and respond. This is something like we are attempting to do with our illaheecommunity.com website under the blog section.

Hearing Pictures. We are fortunate to have a photographer in Illahee who was at Monday's public hearing and hope to have pictures when he returns from Thanksgiving travels.

Illahee Property Rights & Realtors. We have residents in Illahee who are concerned about the battle between Illahee and KAPO and the Realtor Board. There are a number of participants who are property rights advocates and while we have realtors in Illahee, we had none that came forward to help with the plan. We do know that residents do not always agree with their organizations positions on some issues and they aren't sure whether to support their group or the community. We watched at least one person at the hearing, from outside Illahee, change his position. He was a supporter of the Plan until KAPO opposed it. It appeared to be a political decision and we understand that some choices aren't easy.

Property Rights Concerns. The majority of Illahee residents are property owners and are respectful of their and other's property rights. They also understand the need for zoning and other regulations that keep order and maintain quality of life. It is that balance that we think the Illahee Plan ensures. We worked hard to make sure everyones voice was heard and in the end we think we ended up with a document that was supported by most Illahee residents. We still don't understand why we have the opposition from the KAPO group on this issue. If you have any further questions on this issue please let us try to respond.

Beach Carcasses? We have a request that if you see a fish or seal, or other marine animal carcass on the beach to notify the Suquamish Tribal biologist. We have attached the email request we received below:

I met with Alison O'Sullivan, Biologist, Environmental Program for the Suquamish Tribe last night and she would like you to coordinate local people who find dead carcasses along the Illahee Shoreline to contact her immediately. Her phone number is 360 394 8447 and her email address is aosullivan@suquamish.nsn.us

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Jim Aho

Battle in Port Orchard - 11/25/08

KAPO & Realtor Board Fight Illahee Plan. There was a knock-down-drag-out battle Monday evening in Port Orchard as the Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners (KAPO) and the Realtor Board set out to derail the Illahee Community Plan. The battle took place before the County Commissioners at the public hearing for the Illahee Plan. There were about 20 KAPO and Realtor Board members who rallied around their presenters, and about 50 Illahee Community members who supported those who got up to speak. It was an exciting hearing that was pushed to the end of the Commissioners' agenda and didn't get started until about 9 pm and ended after 10 pm.

Supporters. The supporters of the Plan were predominately from Illahee, with a few others from other communities there in support of the Illahee community.

Opposition. The opposition were predominately from outside Illahee, with the exception of the owner of Allied Storage, who said he didn't consider himself a member of Illahee and that he didn't receive any of the notices sent by the county.

Realtor Letter. Two of the opposition group covered the items in the Realtor letter that was covered earlier in these Updates. The community response to their letter was also previously covered in an earlier Update so it is not presented here.

KAPO Issue. The primary focus of the KAPO opposition was that there is no need for community plans; that once you start giving each community a say in their destiny, where do you stop as there are many communities who would like to have a plan?

Boundary Issue. Ron Ross brought up the boundary issue. He stated he grew up in Illahee through the 1940's and he does not consider the areas to the north and south of historic Illahee, part of Illahee. He said it would have been more appropriate to use the CK School District boundaries rather than the Port of Illahee boundaries. He also didn't like the fact that the western boundary extended to State Highway 303.

Community Response. The basic community response was that the Illahee Community Plan has been in the news and meetings have been held for nearly three years and if any of these groups had been interested they could have participated. The community thanked Katrina Knutson for her efforts, and also Cindy Read, who developed the maps for the Plan.

Written Comments. Written comments will be taken until December 5, 2008. This is part of the public hearing testimony and the written comments are important.

Final Decision. The final decision on the Plan will not take place until December 22, 2008. It will be interesting to see if the Commissioner's give the community a present or a lump of coal for Christmas.

Other Perceptions? It is always nice to have others comment on their perception and observations on events like these. We will publish whatever you pass on to us.

Jim Aho

Illahee Plan FAQs - 11/22/08

Questions Regarding the Illahee Plan. We continue to have questions asked about the Illahee Community Plan and sub-area plans in general. In the early days of the plan we had so many questions we developed a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) document to pass out. We recently provided it to a late comer in the process and they stated it was a "fabulous document" and helped them better understand the reason for sub-area plans. Even though the document was prepared nearly three years ago, it still is helpful for those just becoming aware of the Illahee Community Plan and wanting more information.

Attending The Public Hearing on Monday Evening. We have heard that a number of you are planning on attending the Commissioners' meeting on Monday. Thanks to all of you who can make the meeting.

Jim Aho

Illahee Community Plan

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Thank you for your input and questions to our efforts to develop an Illahee Community Plan and establish a Citizens Advisory Group (CAG)! Through questions asked at our initial meeting, as well as comments, phone calls, emails, and some research, we have compiled this list of Frequently Asked Questions. These FAQs are intended to provide responses to the most commonly asked questions. If you have a question not included here, or simply would like to discuss particular concerns or questions further, please do not hesitate to contact us.

1. Why are you proposing this Illahee Community Plan? The Growth Management Act permits counties to recognize and define areas and communities with unique characteristics and qualities, and they can develop their own "community" or "subarea" plans. In Kitsap County there are a number of subarea plans listed on the county website. Some of which are Manchester, Kingston, Suquamish, and Keyport. The Illahee Community has been in existence for over 90 years, and along with its history, has unique physical characteristics and features that qualify it for special recognition.

2. Why do we need a community plan? The county has a Comprehensive Plan guiding development in this area. Some of the land uses designated for this area may not be what residents expect or want. With a community or subarea plan, residents have an opportunity to participate in restructuring the land uses for this area to make them more compatible with the desired character. Also, without this plan, it would be more difficult to provide features such as open space corridors, trail connection and other services in a coordinated manner.

3. What is the Comprehensive Plan? The Comprehensive Plan is a policy document and a long-range guide for the physical, social, and economic development of a county or city. Kitsap County's Comprehensive Plan projects the future growth and associated development for the next twenty years. The Plan addresses topics such as where to new homes should be built, the location of commercial and industrial development, utility and service requirements, as well as many other elements that affect our quality of life. Kitsap County is required to review their plan every ten years, as required by the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA) [RCW3.70A.310]. They are currently in the process of a 10 year update, which is required to complete by the end of 2006.

4. Why is this plan being done now? Is there some major development planned? This plan is being completed now because of the impending deadline for the 10 year update. If we don't act now, we must wait another 10 years. This plan is not intended to address any pending or anticipated proposals. In fact the Illahee area is at near "build out" conditions. We do want to have a plan in place for land use, so appropriate development can take place. We feel this area is an extremely unique area and needs a more detailed plan.

5. Does the County have preconceived notions of how this area should develop? Yes, they have designated this area as an urban growth area in the 1998 County Comprehensive Plan. The existing plan slates most of this area for high density residential development, with a zoning classification of 5 to 9 homes per acre. However, there are questions about how this high density classification should fit with the semi-rural nature of this area and whether there are other classifications needed in this area.

6. When were the planning decisions made for this area? When the County last established their Comprehensive Plan in 1998, we feel they used a broad-brush or blanket approach to defining future land use in this area. Their planning was done before the establishment of the Heritage Park and before the culverts were replaced on Illahee Creek in support of salmon runs. With the major changes that have taken place in our area over recent years, it is time we look at our area in more detail.

7. Why did you change the name of your project from "Illahee Subarea Plan" to "Illahee Community Plan"? We were asked by Kitsap County officials to do so. They said we were too late in the planning process to use the "subarea" title and still be considered as part of the 2006 Comprehensive Plan Update, which is due on December 31, 2006. They did say that if we developed a "community" plan in a timely manner that it could be considered as part of their 2006 update. There is a lead time necessary to create a standard subarea plan and the county normally has a consultant work with the community to help with its preparation. We simply came to the table too late to take advantage of this service.

8. Why didn't you start the subarea process earlier? The "critical mass" did not come about until late 2005, which was already too late for the subarea process. Our "critical mass" was essentially a number of events that made us realize the need to establish ourselves as a community and be involved in our future. Some of the major events leading up to our decision were: The creation of the Illahee Preserve as a Heritage Park. The new culvert for Illahee Creek increasing the viability of salmon runs. The purchase of approximately 90 acres of creek corridor lands with grant money. The Port of Illahee grant application to determine how to control storm water in Illahee Creek and other local watersheds. A salmon grant approved to restore portions of Illahee Creek. A primary and possibly secondary wildlife corridor area at and between Illahee State Park and the Illahee Preserve. Our 90th anniversary as a unique community in Kitsap County. These items, coupled with watching others in the county define themselves as unique subareas; have resulted in a resurgence of community pride, community activism, and community independence.

9. What do the terms "community" or "subarea" stand for? "Community" or "subareas" are just terms used to refer to a specific area within the Growth Management Area. Each community or subarea must establish the boundaries for their particular geographical area within the larger Growth Management Area. In our case, the area we are considering for the community of Illahee is the boundary already established for the Port of Illahee and two logical fringe areas.

10. What does it mean that this area is within the larger Growth Management Area? A Growth Management Area (GMA) is an area on a map denoting areas of urban development. Cities and the county have defined their Growth Management Areas. It helps the governing bodies plan for providing public services and facilities in the future. We are within the Kitsap County GMA, but the boundaries are subject to change. The city of Bremerton could likely consider expanding its GMA boundary to the north, and Silverdale could someday be looking at becoming incorporated and would likely be expanding its GMA boundary south to the Bremerton GMA boundary. As such we could find ourselves future residents of either Bremerton or Silverdale. Note: A proposal by some members of the Silverdale subarea committee did propose that its boundaries should be expanded east to the water and that would take in the Illahee area.

11. What issues will this plan address? The Illahee Community Plan will focus on issues involving land use, transportation, utilities, parks and recreation, storm water, greenways, and any other appropriate issues.

12. What are the biggest challenges for this plan?

a. Residents and property owners who have different preferences and visions for the area need to come together to work out future solutions they all can support.

b. While everyone so far has been enthusiastic about this effort, some community members may be skeptical about this plan, and yet we need everyone to be involved.

c. Planning is difficult because of how we may feel about our rights as property owners. On the one hand, people often do not want to be told what to do with their property. On the other, they want neighbor's property to remain unchanged. How can we reconcile these two views?

d. Our goal is to have a 70 to 80% approval rating of the community plan. This will require communication with nearly everyone within the community boundaries.

13. Will the County be involved in this plan if we as a community prepare our own plan? The County will be involved with this plan because the County will need to make decisions about this area's future. Community plans help the counties make decisions about the services they provide, and about land use development within their boundaries. This plan will address the various needs of the community, and the best way to provide for those needs. Ideally, residents and property owners will come together to figure out how to plan for the type of area people want to see in the future while at the same time protecting property owners' rights to sell and develop their properties.

14. How did you get this effort started? What were the steps and what is being planned? First, we began by discussing issues with neighbors to determine the general interest in the concept of a community plan. Next we held a public meeting to determine if there was broader interest, which resulted in unanimous consent, and the establishment of a Citizens Advisory Group. We will be conducting further public meetings to involve as many people as possible. Our goal is to have our community plan completed by summer of 2006.

15. How can I get involved and remain aware of the process and plan decisions? Sign up to receive project updates and meeting announcements. And, feel free to call any of the project contacts with questions at any time.

16. How do we know this process will make a difference? Your question asks whether the County will listen to the community. First, the County Commissioners won't approve this plan unless it has strong community support. If for you, listening to the public means we do what you as an individually want, this may not happen. This is because there are many different people involved in this plan, and a successful plan will mean people with different wants and needs and priorities come together to work out their differences and plan a future all can live with -- including the County.

17. Will community members be kept informed of all stages of the planning and will we get to vote on the proposals? If you sign-up on the emailing list, we will keep you informed of all stages of the planning process. The plan presented to the County Commissioners will be the result of public involvement where community members influence the alternatives to be studied, how they are evaluated, and what goes into the final plan. Community members need to help create this plan, not vote on it.

18. How are these plans for the future decided? Community residents and property owners work together with County staff to create a plan they can support. Typically, the plan doesn't include everything any one person would want or not want, but represents a fair and realistic compromise that hopefully most people can live with. Review and approval by the County Planning Commission and by County Commissioners is needed before any plan is adopted.

19. How will this plan benefit homeowners? Homeowners will benefit by being able to envision what their future looks like with regards to land use regulations and the natural resources within the area.

20. Will this plan pave the way for development? The reality is some development will occur on the community's vacant lands with or without this plan. There is no legal, feasible way to prevent development other than outright property purchase by the County, which is unlikely to happen on most parcels. With that said, this plan will help us identify the type of development most compatible for the different areas, and set up standards to regulate its layout and design.

21. What is your timeline for completing the plan? Our goal is to complete the plan by summer of 2006. Our brief schedule is as follows:

February Present Proposal at Initial Public Meeting

March Distribute Questionnaire to Community

Present Proposal at Expanded Public Meeting

Present Proposal at County Public Meeting (Mar 27)

April-May Develop Draft Community Plan (by Citizens Advisory Group)

June Distribute Draft Plan and Present at Public Meeting

July Present Final Plan to County

Note that even though the Draft Plan was completed in July 2006, it has taken until 2008 to complete the county processes.

Misc Items & Realtor Letter Response - 11/21/08

Whale Report Update. Some additional information on the whale sighting on Wednesday.

The Orca was in the shallow end of the Marina not far from Illahee Road. We pulled over as did another truck behind us. It was just 'hanging out' and so close you could HEAR the spout as well as see it. No mistaking it was an Orca and it was all by itself. We figured the rest of the pod was around somewhere.

Illahee Community Plan Public Meeting. We have added about 20 email addresses to our Update list and so we are repeating that the Illahee Community Plan will have a public hearing before the County Commissioners on Monday evening, 11/24/08. This is a regularly scheduled Commissioner meeting and there is a full agenda that includes several public hearings so the meeting room will probably be full and it may be good to get there before the 7 pm starting time. When the public testimony is opened, there will likely be those presenting for and against the Plan. Comments are limited to 3 minutes. We are hoping for a good turnout from the community. If people don't want to speak, they can turn in written comments. The deadline for written comments is normally a week after the public meeting.

Decision Will Be Later. The Commissioners will not make a decision at this meeting, but at a later meeting in December.

Location of Commissioner Meeting. The Commissioners' Chambers are in the new County Administration Building which is across the street from the old court house. The chambers are to the right as you enter the front door of the building. The address is in the following linked Kitsap Sun article regarding the meeting.

Realtor Letter Response. In October the Kitsap County Realtor Board sent a letter to the Commissioners with concerns they had with the Illahee Community Plan. We obtained their letter from the county and included it in an Update on 10/15/08. The community was waiting for the county to respond, but likely because of limited staff time, no response was issued, so the earlier co-chairs of the Citizens Advisory Group responded. We have had residents ask when the response would be available for them to see, so we have provided it at the end of this email. (Note that the Realtors had a number of concerns so the response, though succinct, is lengthy.)

Jim Aho

October 31, 2008

Board of County Commissioners
County Administration Building
614 Division Street
Port Orchard, WA 98366

Subject: Illahee Community Response to Realtor Board Letter of October 3, 2008

Dear Commissioners:

The following is a response to Kitsap County Association of Realtor's Board letter dated October 3, 2008, from the co-chairs of the Illahee Community Plan efforts in 2006 and 2007. We have followed the letter's numerical items with a brief restatement of their concern, followed by our response, and then a concluding comment.

Concern #1. "Need for this Sub-Area Plan." The Realtor Board's concern is that there are too many sub-area plans and extra rules and "there is no need for another sub-area plan with its own set of rules."

Response. The GMA permits subarea plans and the county has endorsed subarea plans in the past. This is an issue that goes beyond the Illahee Community Plan, and to stop this Plan after three years of work is illogical. Such a decision would be tantamount to deciding to scrap a new house just before final inspection.

Conclusion. This is not the forum to discuss elimination of sub-area plans as a county-wide policy.

Concern #2. "Public Participation." The concern was that there was limited opportunity for public participation.

Response. The Plan has been in the county wide news from its beginning with articles in the Kitsap Sun. It was discussed widely during the 2006 Comprehensive Plan Update as the community came before the Planning Commission and the County Commissioners with a draft Community Plan in July of 2006. An entire chapter (Chapter 17) of the 2006 Comprehensive Plan Update was devoted noting the Illahee Community including a map of its boundaries. In 2007 the Plan was part of a County Resolution for its completion as part of the Update in 2007, but was unable to complete because of the resignation of the County Planner and staff work load. The 2008 effort has had numerous articles of its progress published in the Kitsap Sun. Additionally, the Plan has been available on the Illahee community website since 2006. The Central Kitsap Community Council has been briefed in 2006 and 2007. The meetings have been open to all of the public and have included those outside the Illahee boundaries. As for opening up community plans to county-wide voting - this makes no sense. For instance, why would someone in Holly care about Illahee issues?

Conclusion. There were ample opportunities for public participation for nearly three years.

Concern #3. "Planning Area Boundary." The concern appears to be "no rationale was presented to justify the planning area boundary ..."

Response. The boundary discussion occurred early in 2006 and then again in 2008. As stated in the Plan, the CAG followed GMA and other guidelines, which were simple and listed in the writeup. We would agree that the explanation was brief and more rationale would likely have helped the Board better understand the establishment of the boundaries. The major guideline was to utilize any governmental or public jurisdiction boundaries, which explains the extension of the boundary to State Highway 303. The boundaries are essentially the boundaries of the Port of Illahee, with two "logical extensions" that again fit the guidelines that are to be followed.

Conclusion. The boundary rationale was presented and approved by the CAG in both 2006 and again in 2008, and represents the most logical and appropriate boundary delineation possible as provided for by GMA guidelines.

Concern #4. "Compliance with County-Wide Planning Policies." The concerns center around the fact that the Plan does not mention the "County-wide Planning Policies adopted by Kitsap County Ordinance 403-2007 on November 19, 2007." The specific concerns are discussed below.

General Response. The first draft of the Illahee Community Plan was completed in July 2006, nearly a year and a half before the Ordinance was adopted. Nevertheless, the Illahee Community Plan meets the requirements of Kitsap County Ordinance 403-2007, and specifically the Realtor Board items noted below.

Concern #4A. Subsection B.4.d discusses transfer of governance of areas to associated Urban Growth Areas through Urban Growth Area Management Agreements (UGAMAs) and the question is whether there is an agreement with Bremerton regarding the Illahee area.

Response. There is not an UGAMA between the County and the City of Bremerton regarding the Illahee area. In 2007 the County planner, with the City of Bremerton planner in attendance, coordinated and ran the Illahee Community Plan meetings, until such time as the County planner resigned. Throughout the entire process Bremerton city officials have been kept informed by the community and the County regarding all aspects of the Illahee Community Plan. The Community Plan concept aligns with Bremerton's concept of community centers.

Conclusion. An UGAMA agreement has not been established for the Illahee community.

Concern #4B. The concern raised was there was no discussion regarding "Contiguous and Orderly Development." Though not stated in their concern writeup, this element is to ensure the coordination of development regulations and standards between the county and cities and also regionally.

Response. The Illahee Community provides the City of Bremerton, Kitsap County, and the Suquamish Tribe email notices and updates on Illahee issues. Furthermore, the Illahee Community Plan's matching the zoning and plans of the Wheaton Way corridor area with the City of Bremerton is a prime example of working for development that is orderly and contiguous. Additionally, besides monitoring local city and county issues, the Illahee Community is on the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) mailing list and monitors inter-jurisdictional planning efforts regionally. To discuss and explain items such as "contiguous and orderly development" in a community plan is beyond what a community plan should contain.

Conclusion. The Illahee Community Plan's Wheaton Way corridor zoning is an example inter-jurisdictional planning that documents the application of contiguous and orderly development, without trying to explain it.

Concern #4C. The concern appears to be that "Affordable Housing" was ignored and the Plan should have a "more substantive analysis."

Response. Affordable housing, or below market rate housing, was discussed at great length during 2006 as the CAG looked at trying to balance zoning designations with the numbers of people being allocated to specific areas. The solution was to increase zoning densities in areas where the infrastructure and services were available. Higher density zoning was proposed along Trenton Avenue and Almira, with senior and low income high rise buildings proposed along Almira. Those decisions were affirmed again in 2008.

Conclusion. Below market rate housing was properly and adequately considered.

Concern #5. "Property Rights." The concerns are with the wording of the private property rights statement and the "Community Tree Protection Standards."

Response. The property rights statement used in the Plan was adopted early on from the 2002 Manchester Community Plan in order to use a statement that has gone through previous scrutiny. In retrospect, with the addition of view protection overlay in 2008, an additional sentence from the Manchester Plan could have been added to address the new overlay regulations, which read as follows: "New regulations included in the Plan allow the sensible development of land without inappropriate financial impacts."

As for the tree protection section, there were some very strong feelings expressed on both sides during discussions in 2006 and 2007. The final decision was that this should be a voluntary decision by land owners whether they wanted to participate or not. A further inspection by the Realtor Board of the Plan will note the voluntary aspect of the program.

Conclusion. Illahee is comprised of many private property rights residents and the statement in this section is sufficient to ensure property rights are respected and protected.

Concern #6. "Natural Systems." The concern is that too much space in the Plan is devoted to the natural features in light of the Critical Areas Ordinance that already covers these features. There is a concern that the Goals and Policies are redundant and not necessary. There is a concern that some policies are not policy and should therefore be in the text.

Response. This is one area where the community plan is doing what it is supposed to do, which is highlight the features of the community and the area. There are some unique features that deserve coverage over and above simply stating there are critical areas throughout much of Illahee. Illahee has many natural systems, resource lands, and critical areas that limit development and these areas need to be described in a community plan.

Deciding what specific policies should or should not be included is the decision of the CAG. Not everyone agrees with every aspect of a document of this size and we could discuss these items and, depending on who is in attendance, writeups could change. This is a case where it would have been helpful to have this input during the meetings, rather than afterward.

Conclusion. The abundance of natural features of Illahee are what make this area unique and worthy of special attention, which includes coverage in the Illahee Community Plan. Policy statement write-ups were prepared by the CAG and if problematic can be corrected during future updates.

Concern #7. "Transportation." The concern is with duplication of Goal and Policy items that are in the County-wide Plan and that they should be removed.

Response. Not everyone in the Illahee community is familiar with County-wide Plans. As such there are duplications for the community. That is what the CAG wanted included in the Plan.

Conclusion. Duplication of Goals and Policies is appropriate in a community plan.

Concern #8. "Public Infrastructure." The concern is that there is no discussion about capital improvement financing for infrastructure and how much will be spent by Kitsap County and the City of Bremerton.

Response. The future infrastructure plans for Illahee, specifically for sewers, are referenced. This issue has been a concern of some for years and has been discussed at various meetings. The community was told that there is generally insufficient density in the Illahee area for the county, or the city of Bremerton, which would be responsible for the areas to the south, for there to be a push for sewers in the near future unless new housing developments came on line. Community members met with both city and county engineers in 2006. County personnel worked with the CAG in 2008 to rework the chapter to suit current thinking and plans.

Conclusion. The discussion of capital improvement financing was not considered appropriate by the CAG or the County for inclusion into the Illahee Community Plan.

Final Comment. The Realtor Board had every opportunity to be involved with the Illahee Community Plan from the beginning in 2006 until fall of 2008, a nearly three year time frame. They had a chance to bring their concerns before a very interested and involved Planning Commission, but did not do so. The questions and concerns raised by the Realtor Board have logical and reasoned explanations and answers, which have been provided.

We, therefore, respectfully request the Board of County Commissioners approve the Illahee Community Plan.

Dennis Sheeran & Jim Aho

Illahee Dock Outfall Settlement? - 11/20/08

Settlement of Illahee Dock Outfall Appeal? It appears there will be a settlement of the Illahee Dock Outfall appeal to the Shorelines Hearings Board (SHB).

Background For New Readers. There has been an ongoing issue with a development in Illahee that planned to install a second stormwater outfall at the Illahee community dock. The issue made the papers, went through a hearing before the Hearing Examiner and the County Commissioners, both of who approved the new outfall despite community and Port of Illahee objections.

Appeal To The Shorelines Hearings Board. The Illahee Community Club (ICC) felt neither the Hearing Examiner nor the County Commissioners understood the gravity of the public health aspect of their decision to allow essentially untreated stormwater to be dumped onto a public beach and swimming area, and appealed to the Shorelines Hearings Board.

Port of Illahee Trespass Suit to Superior Court. The Port of Illahee was also involved in their own way in that they filed a no-trespass lawsuit in Superior Court as the development proposed installing their new outfall directly under the Illahee Community Dock.

Parties Remained Cordial. Despite the legal wranglings the parties remained cordial and several members wondered if there wasn't a way that we could resolve our differences.

Engineer Berni Johnston's Efforts. Berni Johnston, the engineer from Team Four, continued to met with two Illahee community engineers in order to see if something could be worked out. Berni was a member of the Illahee Community Plan Citizens Advisory Group (CAG) and understood the community was not against the development, but wanted stormwater cleaned and infiltrated rather than tightlined to the bay, along with some zoning issues.

Community Understood Need For Stormwater Infiltration & Outfalls. The community understood that with the underlying soils in Illahee that 90-95% of the rainwater, that comes slowly, can be infiltrated back into the ground and into the aquifers. They also understood there would always be a need for stormwater overflows to Port Orchard Bay for the major storm events like the Dec 3, 2007 storm.

Another Option Surfaced. It was during those discussions to minimize the impact of stormwater in the area that another option surfaced. It was noted that much of the existing volume problem was from the Illahee North detention pond overflow that should have gone to a Berg Street right-of-way outfall, and that that outfall will eventually be needed to handle any future development in the basin. By doing what should have been done years ago, the proposed outfall at the dock would no longer be needed.

One Remaining Community Issue? Only one smaller pre-existing stormwater pipe coming from above the development would probably end up being connected (tightlined) to the stormwater overflow going to the newly proposed Berg Street outfall. This is only item, and a small one at that, that could not be accommodated with a bioswale option in the settlement agreement. This small sub-basin will require some community effort and possibly an upslope rain garden to take care of water treatment and infiltration.

Benefit to the Developer. There are also benefits to the developer, in addition to not having to fight the ICC or the Port of Illahee in court. The Berg Street outfall should be an easier installation. No pre-treatment Vortechs vaults need to be installed. The developer is also using stormwater applications that better respect the environment and Puget Sound.

Overall Benefits. The overall benefit of this settlement is to the environment which includes the aquifers, which are overallocated in Illahee, and to the waters of Puget Sound, which are being adversely affected by stormwater discharges tightlined to the salt water. This settlement is a step in the right direction that goes beyond what is legally permitted to doing what is environmentally right. In the end we think it will be even less expensive, in spite of the legal costs, except for the community and Port whose legal costs are significant. Ironically it took a dedicated community and one dedicated engineer to make the settlement happen.

Status of Settlement? The basic technical agreement exhibit needs to be finalized. The legal document has been prepared and reviewed by the lawyer teams and is ready for signatures from MT Illahee Corporation, Kitsap County Commissioners, Port of Illahee Commissioners, and the Illahee Community Club Board of Directors, and is expected to be completed by Monday, 11/24/08.

Jim Aho