CSA Plan sent to King County Council last week for adoption later this year

Last week, the King County Council received the Vashon-Maury Island Community Service Area (CSA) Plan and will hold a public review and comment process for it before adopting the final version.

The plan, which will guide development on the island for the next 20 years, was created through a recent county-led process on Vashon that included both county officials and many islanders. The most contentious element that arose during the months of the plan’s development was regarding affordable housing, in particular the creation of a Special District Overlay (SDO) that would increase density in the town for affordable housing units. In the latest version of the plan, the county included a change to the (SDO) provision. This change establishes a 120-unit limit on affordable housing units; if that limit is met, a community evaluation process would be triggered before King County would approve more units.

King County Planner Bradley Clark, who led the process on Vashon, said the county chose that number because it is close to what the perceived need for affordable housing is on the island. An explanatory letter he sent out last week to many people following the process described this change.

“King County will not process applications under the SDO once 120 affordable units are approved unless the mandatory evaluation clearly demonstrates a continued community need,” he wrote.

In setting this limit, Clark noted officials reviewed state statutes and county regulations to find legal ways to limit potential development.

While critics of creating an SDO felt it opened the island to the potential for too much development, others, including county officials, noted there are a variety of obstacles to building affordable housing on Vashon, including water limitations, available property and adequate funding.

Last week, Clark noted that those challenges still exist, and nothing in the CSA Plan addresses those.

“This (SDO) tool is to maybe encourage someone who is on the fence to do a project,” he said.

In his email, he acknowledged that county officials understand some islanders will be upset by the inclusion of the SDO, even with the new limit.

“However, staff believes this tool, when set within the legal framework of the Growth Management Act and King County’s Comprehensive Plan, is the most appropriate and preferred option to put forward to the King County Council at this time with the best chance of achieving the desired goal of new, affordable housing units being built,” he wrote.

In addition to affordable housing, marijuana availability in Vashon’s town core received attention toward the end of the CSA Plan process, with some people wanting to remove the possibility of retail shops locating there. County officials did not take that step. Instead, Clark said, they adhered to their first intention, which was to remove marijuana production and processing from the area zoned as community business, but retain marijuana retail businesses as permitted uses.

The plan, now with the council, will be reviewed by the Transportation, Economy & Environment Committee, which is chaired by Councilmember Rod Dembowski. Once that review is complete, the full council will hold public hearings while it considers the plan.

The plan and its supporting documents can be found on the top of the DPER web site. A hard copy will also be available at the Vashon Library by Aug. 1. Public comments are welcome and can be submitted online now.

People who are not already on the county’s CSA a email list for Vashon can sign up for notifications of upcoming public meetings and hearings; email CouncilCompPlan@ kingcounty.gov and request to be added to the that list.