King County recently released the comments more than 100 islanders made late last month at a meeting regarding the drafting of the Community Service Area Plan, a county-led effort currently underway.

Bradley Clark, the county employee spearheading the several-month process, said that while there was a wide range of opinions offered at the Oct. 20 meeting, which focused on affordable housing and climate change, there were some areas of commonality.

He noted islanders expressed near consensus on the need for more affordable housing and on keeping housing within the existing boundaries of the rural town, where community services are located and there is centralized water and sewer, transit and shopping. Many people would also like to see increased incentives for more affordable and green housing. An additional prevailing opinion was that islanders wanted to retain commercial zoning in Burton and Dockton to allow for small-scale retail businesses in these areas.

Less clear, he added, was whether to keep the area immediately south of town and north of Center low density or to upzone it to allow for multi-family housing. He noted public opinion on that was split, as it is in the Community Advisory Group working on the plan, which will be included in King County’s Comprehensive Plan next year.

Regarding climate change, information Clark provided indicates that islanders would like to see more innovative funding and mitigation tools to ensure that island shorelines are safe from current and future development.

Following last month’s meeting, the subcommittee working on housing and land use issues was slated for several follow-up meetings of its own to discuss affordable housing and potential changes to development parameters, including zoning. Its most recent meeting was Tuesday, after press time, with another meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, at the community service building across from the fire station on Bank Road. The public is welcome to attend.

The full Community Advisory Group will meet to discuss the second draft of the Community Service Area Plan, including health-related topics, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, at the Land Trust Building. That meeting is open to the public as well.

According to the county’s timeline of the project, a second draft of the Community Service Area plan, taking into account public comment, is slated to be released in December for review by county officials and the Community Advisory Group. A third draft will be released in January and another public meeting held in March.

To see the latest information about this planning process, including the recent public comments, see kingcounty.gov/depts/permitting-environmental-review.aspx. Or email Clark at Bradley.Clark@kingcounty.gov.