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Record of Proceedings

City Council Study Session – February 17, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, February 17, 2026
BodyBainbridge Island, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, February 17, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:16:11

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:00

Agenda's on such a speaker.

0:02

Yeah.

0:06

Sometimes there's like better than wasting it.

0:12

It's like everyone has a invitation.

0:29

Recording in progress.

0:34

Calling to order the Bainbridge Island City Council study session of Tuesday, February 17th, 2026.

0:42

All council members are here as well as the acting city manager and uh city attorney.

0:47

Uh city clerk, could you call the role?

0:50

Yes, thank you.

0:51

Christine Brown, City Clerk.

0:52

Please state for the record if you are present after I call your name.

0:55

Mayor Moorwalkie.

0:57

Present.

0:57

Deputy Mayor Hytopolis.

0:59

Present.

1:00

Councilmember Matthews.

1:01

Present.

1:02

Councilmember Fantray Johnson.

1:04

Present.

1:04

Councilmember Nelson.

1:05

Present.

1:06

Councilmember Land.

1:07

Present.

1:08

Councilmember Schneider.

1:09

Present.

1:10

Thank you.

1:11

Thank you.

1:12

Could I have a motion to approve the agenda?

1:15

I move to approve tonight's city council study session as presented.

1:19

Second.

1:20

All those in favor?

1:22

Unanimous.

1:23

Any conflicts of res uh conflicts of interest to declare.

1:28

All right.

1:29

Seeing none, we'll move on to regular business.

1:31

And the first item up is receive presentation of Washington Department of Commerce Housing Accountability Act.

1:36

Thank you, Council Ellen Schroer, Acting City Manager.

1:40

City staff has been working with the Department of Commerce on a review that they are performing under the Housing Accountability Act.

1:47

We are one of eight jurisdictions statewide that they are working with.

1:51

As this process proceeds, staff will be working with the Commerce Department and will be providing updates on the finished work product on our city website.

2:00

There is currently a press release or a press notice, news notice that shows kind of what is happening, under what authority, and what the tentative timeline will be.

2:10

We'll hear more today about the steps that are coming up and the timing.

2:15

So with that, I'll turn it over to our planning and community development director, Patty Charnas, and then staff from Department of Commerce.

2:22

Thank you.

2:22

Good evening, City Council, Patty Charness Planning and Community Development.

2:26

It's a pleasure to be here.

2:27

And without further ado, it is my pleasure to introduce Laura Hodgson of the Department of Commerce.

2:33

She's our housing accountability program manager.

2:36

And I don't know if uh the housing um manager uh Ann Fritzel is also with us, but um uh I'll let Laura do that introduction, and Laura will give us an overview and take your questions afterwards.

2:52

Without any further ado, Laura.

2:55

Hello, can you hear me tonight?

2:58

Yes, we can.

2:59

Yes.

2:59

Wonderful, great.

3:01

Yes, I don't know if Anne will be able to join us.

3:04

Ann Fritzel is the housing section manager in the Department of Commerce, but she is um had a prior engagement um prior to being asked uh to attend tonight.

3:14

But I have coordinated with her, and we are uh excited to share this information with you tonight.

3:22

So good evening.

3:23

My name is Laura Hodgson, Housing Planning and Data Manager.

3:26

I'm the Growth Manager's services unit at the Department of Commerce.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Comprehensive Planning█████████████████████████████████████37%
Affordable Housing██████████████████18%
Land Use Planning█████████████████17%
Housing███████████11%
Zoning Regulations██████6%
Procedural██████6%
Community Engagement████4%
Public Engagement█1%
Summary of Proceedings

City Council Study Session – February 17, 2026

The Bainbridge Island City Council held a study session on February 17, 2026, from 6:00 pm to 8:15 pm. The agenda included a presentation from the Washington Department of Commerce on the Housing Accountability Act, a discussion on receiving technical assistance directly from Commerce, and a presentation on land capacity analysis methodologies for the comprehensive plan and Winslow Subarea Plan updates. Council unanimously approved the agenda and a motion to further discuss item B at the steering committee and a future study session.

Consent Calendar

  • Unanimous approval of the agenda (7-0). No conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were recorded.

Discussion Items

A. Receive Presentation on Washington Department of Commerce Housing Accountability Act

  • Laura Hodgson, Housing Planning and Data Manager from Commerce, presented on the Housing Accountability Act (HAA) selected review process. She explained that Bainbridge Island was one of eight jurisdictions selected for review based on criteria A (not having planned for countywide housing need). The process involves submitting plans by February 2026, receiving written comments from Commerce, and having 120 days to adopt amendments. Non-compliance could trigger a by-right affordable housing provision. Councilmembers asked detailed questions about voluntary vs. mandatory inclusionary zoning, subsidies, adequate provisions, and how to balance housing goals with other GMA requirements such as water supply. Councilmember Nelson expressed concern about the island's groundwater constraints and posed that housing goals cannot subordinate other GMA goals. Councilmember Lant asked about impacts on other agencies (e.g., parks, fire) if grants were withheld. Councilmember Mathews asked about the timeline and the possibility of being found non-compliant. Hodgson noted that Commerce's guidance is evolving and they are watching the Mercer Island case.

B. Discuss Provision of Department of Commerce Technical Assistance Directly to the City Council

  • Council discussed whether Commerce would provide direct technical assistance to council. Hodgson confirmed that Commerce primarily works with staff, not directly with council, but indicated a possible future presentation when specific recommendations are ready. Councilmember Nelson suggested a motion to discuss this further at the steering committee next week and at a future study session. The motion was seconded by Schneider and carried unanimously (7-0). Councilmembers expressed that direct dialogue with Commerce was valuable and wanted to continue that channel.

C. Receive Presentation on City Land Capacity Analysis Methodologies

  • Acting City Manager Schroer introduced the item. Planning Director Patty Charnas provided context, noting that the city must demonstrate sufficient capacity for housing at all income levels. Consultants from LMN Architects (AP Amrhein and Riley MacPhee) and Strategic Economics (Dena Belzer) presented the land capacity analysis methodology used for the Winslow Subarea Plan. They explained that the methodology differs from Kitsap County's Buildable Lands Report because Winslow has higher land values and more urban character. They detailed adjustments for upzoning scenarios, such as using FAR thresholds instead of the county's improvement-to-land-value ratio. They noted that the analysis projects development expected within the 20-year planning period, not full build-out. Councilmembers asked questions about parcel-level accuracy, platted subdivisions, and the treatment of existing buildings. The presentation noted that the analysis is being updated to reflect the planning commission's voluntary inclusionary housing policy, with results due to Commerce by the end of February.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to approve the agenda passed unanimously (7-0).
  • Motion to discuss the Department of Commerce technical assistance item (Item B) at the steering committee next week and at a future study session passed unanimously (7-0).
  • Council received the land capacity analysis presentation with no formal vote. Next steps include staff providing the updated capacity analysis to Commerce by the end of February 2026.
  • Committee reports were given; no further actions taken.

Meeting Transcript

Agenda's on such a speaker. Yeah. Sometimes there's like better than wasting it. It's like everyone has a invitation. Recording in progress. Calling to order the Bainbridge Island City Council study session of Tuesday, February 17th, 2026. All council members are here as well as the acting city manager and uh city attorney. Uh city clerk, could you call the role? Yes, thank you. Christine Brown, City Clerk. Please state for the record if you are present after I call your name. Mayor Moorwalkie. Present. Deputy Mayor Hytopolis. Present. Councilmember Matthews. Present. Councilmember Fantray Johnson. Present. Councilmember Nelson. Present. Councilmember Land. Present. Councilmember Schneider. Present. Thank you. Thank you. Could I have a motion to approve the agenda? I move to approve tonight's city council study session as presented. Second. All those in favor? Unanimous. Any conflicts of res uh conflicts of interest to declare. All right. Seeing none, we'll move on to regular business. And the first item up is receive presentation of Washington Department of Commerce Housing Accountability Act. Thank you, Council Ellen Schroer, Acting City Manager. City staff has been working with the Department of Commerce on a review that they are performing under the Housing Accountability Act. We are one of eight jurisdictions statewide that they are working with. As this process proceeds, staff will be working with the Commerce Department and will be providing updates on the finished work product on our city website. There is currently a press release or a press notice, news notice that shows kind of what is happening, under what authority, and what the tentative timeline will be. We'll hear more today about the steps that are coming up and the timing. So with that, I'll turn it over to our planning and community development director, Patty Charnas, and then staff from Department of Commerce. Thank you. Good evening, City Council, Patty Charness Planning and Community Development. It's a pleasure to be here. And without further ado, it is my pleasure to introduce Laura Hodgson of the Department of Commerce. She's our housing accountability program manager. And I don't know if uh the housing um manager uh Ann Fritzel is also with us, but um uh I'll let Laura do that introduction, and Laura will give us an overview and take your questions afterwards. Without any further ado, Laura.

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