Growth Management Act Requirements
As required by the Growth Management Act, the City has established a procedure and schedule whereby proposed amendments to the
Comprehensive Plan are considered annually by the City Council, and evaluated concurrently so the cumulative effect of the various proposals can be ascertained. The City considers
annual amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and generally accepts these applications during January and February after a required preapplication conference. A determination of whether the request is considered a Regular or Extended Amendment” is made at the preapplication conference. (Bainbridge Island Municipal Code 18.117.020).
| Download the application form; the deadline for applications is March 1, 2010. Note that only those amendment applications that have completed pre-application conferences will be accepted. |
There are two types of Comprehensive Plan Amendment requests:
- “Regular Amendments,” (accepted each January and February). These include amendment requests that are generally consistent with the vision, goals and policies of the adopted Comprehensive Plan.
-
“Extended Amendments,” (accepted every other year, in years ending in odd numbers; 2007, 2009, 21011; 2013; etc.). These include amendment requests that differ from the vision, goals or policies of the adopted Comprehensive Plan and can demonstrate that community values, priorities, needs and trends have sufficiently changed to justify a fundamental shift in the Comprehensive Plan.
City of Bainbridge Island Comprehensive Plan Amendment Procedures
The City’s process for reviewing Comprehensive Plan Amendments is contained in BIMC Chapter 18.117. Evaluation of the application is based on the adopted decision criteria provided in the code.
Prior to submittal of an amendment request, a pre-application conference is required in accordance with BIMC 18.117.030. Each Comprehensive Plan Amendment requires a written evaluation for compatibility with the Comprehensive Plan, an environmental analysis, and staff recommendation, presented to the Planning Commission for consideration.
The
Planning Commission is required to conduct a public hearing on the amendment requests and to form a recommendation to approve, deny, or approve with modification each of the applications based on the decision criteria (BIMC 18.117.050). The Planning Commission’s findings and conclusions are forwarded to the City Council for review and final decision. Public comment on the applications is accepted throughout the review process and may be submitted in writing or as oral testimony at the public hearing.
The
City Council considers the amendment applications together and may hold another public hearing for an application. Public comment is also accepted during Council review, and written or oral statements may be submitted at the second reading or public hearing. Council must consider the staff and Planning Commission recommendations, determine if each of the applications meets the required decision criteria, and base the decision on consideration of the record, citing findings and conclusions. The Council may approve, deny, or approve with modification the proposed amendment.
