OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bainbridge Island City Council Study Session on Comprehensive Plan Elements – June 2, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, June 2, 2026
BodyBainbridge Island, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, June 2, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:26:32

Transcript — Verbatim
1:09

Oh wait, hold on.

1:10

There's no image.

1:12

You may start anyway.

1:13

Okay.

1:16

Calling to order the city council study session.

1:18

Bainbridge Island City Council study session of Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026.

1:29

Do we have another coming online?

1:31

Yeah.

1:32

And we have uh we have Councilmember Fan Trey Johnson appearing via Zoom.

1:36

Uh clerk, could you please call the roll?

1:39

Yes, thank you.

1:40

Christine Brown, City Clerk.

1:41

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

1:46

Present.

1:48

Present.

1:48

Councilmember Matthews.

1:50

Present.

1:50

Councilmember Nelson.

1:52

Present.

1:52

Council Member Lance.

1:54

Present.

1:54

Councilmember Schneider.

1:56

Present.

1:56

Councilmember Fantra Johnson.

1:58

Present.

2:00

Thank you.

2:04

Actually, first of all, I'm sorry.

2:06

Could we have a motion to approve the agenda?

2:08

So moved.

2:10

Second.

2:11

Second.

2:11

All those in favor.

2:13

Aye.

2:15

I'll miss ask for nay.

2:17

Nope, since Brenda's not in the room.

2:19

We have unanimous approval of the agenda.

2:22

Any conflicts of interest to declare.

2:26

We'll move on to regular business.

2:28

So tonight's, as we know, tonight's um study session is dedicated towards our discussion and potential motions regarding uh the land use element, the housing element, and the Winslow Sub-area Plan.

2:40

I would propose we continue the same process that we've been following seemingly successfully, which is rotating across down the dais through the motions.

2:50

Does that work?

2:52

Great.

2:52

All right.

2:53

First item up.

2:54

Oh point of order, please.

2:56

Question.

2:56

Um we have an opportunity to ask questions before we start throwing motions down.

3:03

That would be terrific after presentations.

3:05

Just that sounds like a great idea.

3:07

Thank you.

3:08

Okay.

3:08

Um and and Councillor Rafant, it's possible that you that you something's interfering with your mic and creating sort of a little bit of a whoosher rumble.

3:17

Um I can turn it off.

3:26

Yeah, okay.

3:27

We see we have some sort of a thing, but hopefully it's not a problem.

3:32

Okay.

3:33

All right.

3:34

So the first item up is 3A.

3:39

Um consider land use element of the comprehensive plan.

3:43

City manager.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing██████████████████████████████████34%
Housing█████████████13%
Comprehensive Planning██████████10%
Procedural███████7%
Parks and Recreation█████5%
Environmental Protection█████5%
Water And Wastewater Management████4%
Community Engagement███3%
Tax Policy███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Bainbridge Island City Council Study Session on Comprehensive Plan Elements – June 2, 2026

The Bainbridge Island City Council held a study session on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, beginning at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers and via Zoom. All seven council members were present (Councilmember Fantroy-Johnson attended remotely). The meeting focused on reviewing and amending the Land Use Element and Housing Element of the Comprehensive Plan. The Winslow Subarea Plan was postponed to a future meeting. The council deliberated on numerous motions, with several passing and others failing after extensive discussion.

Land Use Element

  • Council debated and voted on multiple amendments to the Land Use Element. Key motions included:
    • Motion to add language to LU 7.5 requiring new sewer connections to adhere to South Island Sewer policies: Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to restore 'Contributions to public infrastructure in excess of what is required' to Policy LU 5.11: Failed (3-4).
    • Motion to amend Policy LU 13.2 to add 'and other community partners' after Bainbridge Island Metro Park and Recreational District: Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to add 'green space' after 'neighborhood commons' in Policy LU 7.17: Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to revise Policy LU 7.4 to replace 'site porosity' with 'multiple connections, paths, entrances, and shortcuts' and add 'when feasible': Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to change 'eight' to 'nine' guiding principles in Land Use Introduction: Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to add 'and guidance from the Groundwater Management Plan' to Policy LU 10.4: Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to revise Policy LU 1.2 to 'consider designating' Winslow Town Center as a countywide growth center: Failed (3-4).
    • Motion to add new Policy LU 14.6 on reducing barriers to farming: Failed (2-5).
    • Motion to add 'critical' before 'aquifer recharge area' in Policy LU 10.4: Passed (4-3).
    • Motion to add 'creative' before 'uses' in Policy LU 8.1: Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to revise Policy LU 3.1 changing 'will' to 'should' for workshops in under-invested neighborhoods: Failed for lack of a second.
    • Motion to forward the Land Use element to a future business meeting: Passed unanimously (7-0).

Housing Element

  • The council considered and voted on many amendments to the Housing Element, including:
    • Motion to include Appendix F discussion in the Housing Element itself: Failed for lack of a second.
    • Motion to adopt Policy HO 3.13 creating a community benefits incentive program for additional height and FAR: Passed (4-3).
    • Motion to update housing construction statistics (60% single-family, 40% other): Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to revise 'graying' to 'aging population' in Housing Element introduction: Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to remove 'socio-economic' before 'diversity' in Goal HO-3: Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to elevate several Medium Priority actions to High Priority: Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to amend Policy HO 3.11 to 'adopt a specific middle housing code' with density for deed-restricted housing serving below 150% AMI: Passed (4-3).
    • Motion to amend Policy HO 1.9 to monitor and evaluate progress toward housing targets: Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to create new Policy HO 2.3 on considering displacement risk when evaluating tax increases: Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to restore 'aspirational' in Goal HO-1: Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to add new policy under Goal HO-3 on city-owned parcels for affordable housing: Withdrawn for further work.
    • Motion to amend Policy HO 1.10 on establishing a City Housing Authority or supporting an independent one: Passed (6-1).
    • Motion to strike Policy HO 10.3 (parking reductions): Failed (2-5).
    • Motion to change 150% AMI to 120% AMI in Policy HO 3.11: Failed (3-4).
    • Motion to amend Policy HO 3.5 to include 'nonprofit organizations, churches, other taxing districts': Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to amend Policy HO 8.1 to add back specific groups (singles, families, etc.): Failed (1-6).
    • Motion to amend Policy HO 3.8 on expanding human services funding with cost-of-living adjustments: Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to direct the Interim City Manager to provide true redlines of the Comprehensive Plan: Passed (4-2, with one abstention).
    • Motion to create new Policy HO 5.4 on advocating for state recognition of water-based (live-aboard) housing: Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to revise language on Page HO-6 from 'will not meet the needs for many' to 'will not meet the needs of all': Passed unanimously (7-0).
    • Motion to forward the Housing element to a future business meeting: Passed unanimously (7-0).

Winslow Subarea Plan

  • The council discussed the process and postponed consideration of the Winslow Subarea Plan to a future meeting, citing incomplete sections and the need for a full document before review.

Committee Reports

  • Council members provided updates on local and regional meetings, including the Puget Sound Regional Council General Assembly, the St. Barnabas Solar Project ribbon-cutting, and the Asian Arts and Heritage Festival. Councilmember Lant shared a water-saving timer for outdoor watering.

Key Outcomes

  • The Land Use Element and Housing Element were both forwarded to future council business meetings for further discussion and potential approval, following numerous amendments.
  • The Winslow Subarea Plan was postponed.
  • Several motions failed, particularly those related to designating a countywide growth center, restoring certain infrastructure policies, and adjusting AMI thresholds for middle housing incentives.
  • The meeting adjourned at 10:26 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Oh wait, hold on. There's no image. You may start anyway. Okay. Calling to order the city council study session. Bainbridge Island City Council study session of Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026. Do we have another coming online? Yeah. And we have uh we have Councilmember Fan Trey Johnson appearing via Zoom. Uh clerk, could you please call the roll? Yes, thank you. Christine Brown, City Clerk. Please state for the record if you're present after I call your name. Present. Present. Councilmember Matthews. Present. Councilmember Nelson. Present. Council Member Lance. Present. Councilmember Schneider. Present. Councilmember Fantra Johnson. Present. Thank you. Actually, first of all, I'm sorry. Could we have a motion to approve the agenda? So moved. Second. Second. All those in favor. Aye. I'll miss ask for nay. Nope, since Brenda's not in the room. We have unanimous approval of the agenda. Any conflicts of interest to declare. We'll move on to regular business. So tonight's, as we know, tonight's um study session is dedicated towards our discussion and potential motions regarding uh the land use element, the housing element, and the Winslow Sub-area Plan. I would propose we continue the same process that we've been following seemingly successfully, which is rotating across down the dais through the motions. Does that work? Great. All right. First item up. Oh point of order, please. Question. Um we have an opportunity to ask questions before we start throwing motions down. That would be terrific after presentations. Just that sounds like a great idea. Thank you.

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