Elements Of The Week: Capital Facilities, Transportation, And Parks And Rec

Elements Of The Week:

Capital Facilities, Transportation,

Parks And Recreation

Island County released draft elements for the Comprehensive Plan on December 10, 2025, and is holding short workshops on each draft element now through the close of the public comment period on February 9, 2026. Each week during the comment period, WEAN will post a blog outlining the workshop topics from the past week, the presentations given by the county, the comments WEAN has officially submitted to Island County, and our key takeaways from the elements reviewed that week.

This past week, the Board of Island County Commissioners (BOCC) and the Planning Commission both met to discuss the Capital Facilities and Utilities, Transportation, and Parks and Recreation elements. Island County also held three public in-person meetings in Oak Harbor, Clinton, and Camano Island, which included a presentation from the Island County Planning Department. WEAN's Executive Director, Marnie Jackson, attended both the Oak Harbor and South Whidbey in-person public meetings last week and was surprised to learn that the State Department of Commerce is already reviewing the draft concurrently with the public, who got their first look at the majority of this content on December 10, 2025. She was pleased to hear planner Emily Neff assert that the intention, and the public’s will, is to keep rural areas rural and appreciated discussion of ways in which the current draft aspires to—and in some ways, still falls short—of that objective. There was a robust discussion of water and septic challenges. The meetings included an update from Emily Wildman on the county’s concurrent development of a five-year Homeless Housing Plan.

Meetings and Presentations:

BOCC Workshop 1/21/26 audio
Planning Commission Workshop 1/21/26 video not yet released — WEAN Executive Director Marnie Jackson and Engagement Director Amanda Bullis both gave public comment on behalf of WEAN at the beginning of the Planning Commission workshop; WEAN founder Steve Erickson also gave public comment as a private citizen.
Planning Department Presentation (Planning Commission Agenda 01.21.2026)

Draft elements discussed:

See the Capital Facilities and Utilities element
See the Transportation element
See the Parks and Recreation element

WEAN ED Marnie Jackson's comments to the Island County:

WEAN's comments on Capital Facilities and Utilities (PDF)
WEAN's comments on Transportation (PDF)
WEAN's comments on Parks and Recreation (PDF)

You can view all of the draft elements here on the Island County 2045 website.

WEAN's Capital Facilities Takeaways

Perform Concrete vs. Conceptual Planning: While the need for sewer alternatives in Clinton and Freeland is mentioned, the draft lacks specific, time-bound capital funding plans and a 6-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) necessary for implementation. The lack of a funded CIP for Large Onsite Sewage Systems (LOSS) or some other group solution(s) in Freeland/Clinton creates a concurrency failure that will legally block the housing targets set in the Housing Element. Make good by planning for funding of Policy CFU 6.1.2: “Utilize large on-site sewage systems (LOSS), community septic systems, or individual on-site sewage systems combined with the installation of dry lines as an interim means to achieve urban densities within the UGA until such time [as] sanitary sewer service is available.”
Incentivize Decentralized Innovation: Promote alternative toilets (composting/incinerating) and gray water diversion to protect the sole-source aquifer and maintain rural character more effectively and affordably than traditional sewer plants.
Prioritize Waste Diversion and Composting: Establish a 6-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for composting infrastructure to meet state organic management laws, and mandate public reuse/resale centers at county transfer sites.

WEAN's Transportation Takeaways

Mandate Critical Area Protection: Require non-negotiable protections and formal Critical Area Assessments for road widening and pathway projects to prevent the degradation of adjacent wetlands, native species’ habitat, and critical areas.
Restate Goal 4 to be Protective: “Minimize negative environmental impacts” should be “protect the environment”.
Achieve Consistency with Climate Resilience Goals: Ensure the element directly supports the Climate Resilience element by codifying commitments and directly addressing climate hazards.
Adopt active language. For example, in Policy 4.5, “Proactively identify opportunities to replace road culverts to improve fish passage, wildlife habitat, and other aspects of the natural environment” should be “replace road culverts to improve fish passage, wildlife habitat, and other aspects of the natural environment”.

WEAN's Parks And Rec Takeaways

Preserve "Passive Recreation" Categories: Restore the term "passive recreation" to goals and policies to prevent high-impact developments, such as ballfields or motorized use, in sensitive natural areas.
Correct Inaccurate Scientific Standards: Update habitat rating criteria to reflect Best Available Science (BAS), removing arbitrary acreage thresholds that disqualify vital small prairie and wetland remnants.
Prioritize Intrinsic Habitat Value: Decouple habitat protection from recreational capacity to ensure ecological sites are preserved for their biological significance rather than only as amenities for human use, and ensure key habitat such as Deer Lagoon Preserve is stewarded appropriately with a sound management plan.
Avoid Divestment of Public Land (Goal 5): Section 5 suggests divesting park lands that do not conform to the new comp plan or "areas of focus". We strongly oppose this; stewardship of the public interest implies the County should not divest itself of the public's land. Properties like the Hurt property demonstrate the value of "quiescent" land; though it has lacked public access for decades, it remains a vital undeveloped asset for the future. Request: Remove divestment language to prevent the permanent loss of open space to private development.

WEAN's Overarching Takeaways

Please provide supporting documents for public review (lists, plans, etc).
Please make each element consistent with the climate element and with one another, including by using consistent, accurate definitions throughout.
Consultants’ work, on many elements, needs careful local review. Many elements still contain factual and mapping errors, plus information copied from other jurisdictions without consideration of local context.
Convert discretionary language into binding and enforceable requirements throughout.
Give the public an adequate window for reading and commenting upon your next revised draft after the close of this public comment period and integration of feedback.

Submit Your Public Comment

Submit your comments to Island County on the Capital Facilities and Utilities, Transportation, and Parks and Recreation elements.

Include the following language in your written comments to make sure they are included in the official record:

"Please include these comments in the official public record regarding the [insert element] of the 2025 Comprehensive Plan update. These comments are submitted pursuant to the public participation requirements of the Growth Management Act (RCW 36.70A). I request that these comments be included in the final record of adoption and that I be notified of all future hearings, work sessions, and final actions regarding this matter."

Written comments can be submitted:

Via the comment forms on the Island County 2045 website under the "Draft Comprehensive Plan" and "Draft Code" tabs.
Via email: CompPlan@islandcountywa.gov.
Via mail: Planning & Community Development, 1 NE 7th St, Coupeville, WA 98239.

Verbal comments can be submitted:

At any Planning Commission meeting (in person or online)
At Board Tuesday Regular meetings (in person or online)

See the Island County Agenda Center for upcoming meeting information.

Up Next: Economic Development

And Clinton Subarea Plan

On Wednesday, February 4, both the Board of Island County Commissioners (BOCC) and the Island County Planning Commission will hold their final workshops of this public comment period on the Economic Development element and the Clinton Subarea Plan. The Wednesday BOCC workshop is open to public attendance but not to public comment. The public may comment orally at the start of the Planning Commission meeting that evening.