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On Monday, November 9, the Island County commissioners held a hearing on the request for a rezone from Rural to Rural Center for a 12.5 acre parcel in Clinton. This is the parcel directly across the highway from Bob Galbreath Road, the one with the “rustic furniture” sign.
The problem with this request was that it is next to the Clinton RAID (Rural Area of more Intense rural Development) but not inside it. Back in 1998 when the county adopted its new comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance, the Clinton and Freeland RAIDs were huge. WEAN appealed those RAID boundaries to the Growth Management Hearings Board, which ordered the county to reduce the size of both RAIDs. In Clinton they very specifically called out this 12.5 acre parcel as being rural in nature and therefore it needed to be removed from the RAID. The commissioners gritted their teeth and did so. That was in 2000.
In 2006 the Bierschenks bought the property. In 2007 they applied for a rezone. Planning staff reviewed the application and recommended that it be denied. The planning commission, led by Ray Gabelein, over-rode planning staff and recommended approval.
Besides the Hearings Board specifically directing that this parcel not be included in the RAID, Island County’s comprehensive plan states unequivocally that RAIDs are not to be expanded. Period. It does so because the Growth Management Act says the same thing. That’s pretty powerful.
Which made it all the more puzzling that Larry Kwarsick, representing the property owners, argued that the legislature, the Hearings Board, and the comp plan all didn’t really mean it. Larry said he was “building a record” leading to overturning all of those determinations. Larry handed out whole piles of paper, one piece at a time, all of which he claimed supported his position.
Eventually the commissioners cut the show short. Commissioner Homola asked the applicant when they had bought the property. They answered “2006.” And that was it. They bought the land knowing its status. No excuses. The commissioners voted unanimously to deny the application.
Its really great having the commissioners doing the right thing, and being able to support them in that, rather than the old model of having constantly to fight to prevent them doing the wrong thing.
