OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bainbridge Island Planning Commission Reviews Housing and Environmental Elements — February 12, 2026

Planning Commission — Thursday, February 12, 2026
BodyBainbridge Island, Washington
SessionPlanning Commission
DateThursday, February 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:11:17

Transcript — Verbatim
2:26

Calling to order the planning commission regular meeting for Thursday, February twelfth, two thousand twenty-six.

2:32

We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is within the ancestral territory of the Sequamish people of clear salt water, expert fishermen, canoe builders, and basket weavers, the Sequamish live in harmony with the lands and waterways along Washington's central Salish Sea, as they have for thousands of years.

2:49

Here the Sequamish live and protect the land and waters of their ancestors for future generations as promised by the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855.

2:58

Is there a motion to approve the agenda?

3:06

I move to approve the agenda as presented for February twelfth, twenty twenty-six.

3:13

Second.

3:14

Okay.

3:14

Motion and a second.

3:15

All those in favor?

3:17

Aye.

3:18

That motion is unanimous.

3:20

Are there any conflicts of interest to disclose?

3:23

Seeing none.

3:25

Uh is there a motion to approve the minutes for January twenty-second.

3:34

Move approval of the minutes from the planning commission session January twenty-second.

3:42

Second.

3:43

Okay, there's a motion and a second.

3:44

All those in favor, aye.

3:47

Uh that motion passes unanimously.

3:50

It's now time for public comment.

3:53

Members of the public are encouraged to submit written public comment to the planning commission at any time by emailing PCD at Bainbridge Wa.gov.

4:00

Members of the public who wish to provide public comment in person at a planning commission meeting should sign up to speak on the sign in sheet by the chamber doors.

4:07

The planning commission chair will call the people signed up on the sign-in sheet and speakers will have up to three minutes to speak from the podium.

4:14

Please speak directly into the microphone, which is adjustable.

4:17

A timer on the screen will indicate when three minutes or such other time set by the chair has elapsed.

4:22

Orderly behavior and civility and remarks is expected with no clapping or booing and no yielding of one person's time to another person.

4:30

Guidelines for public comment are provided.gov, provided that all remote commenters shall be required to display their true name and to keep their camera turned on to show their true uncovered face while delivering their comments.

4:50

Public comment is not accepted during the bounce of a planning commission meeting unless a public hearing or public participation meeting is on the agenda.

5:00

The first person to sign to speak is Kim McCormick.

5:06

Good evening, planning commissioners.

5:07

I'm Kim McCormick representing the Hagger Scribner properties.

5:11

I just have a brief comment to let you know in case you didn't receive it that I sent in this morning to well, actually, probably around noon, a red line with some comments on the housing element that you'll be discussing this evening.

5:25

There are really just two substantive uh suggestions that we have uh for additional policies.

5:30

They're uh for policy uh HO 4.10 uh underneath goal H04 and policy HO6.1A underneath call H06.

5:41

And these are both to support the both the comprehensive plan amendment application of Hagger Scribner properties, but also just in general the development of affordable housing and workforce housing on the island.

5:54

Thank you very much.

5:55

Thank you, Kim.

5:56

John Quitsland, good evening, planning commissioners.

6:09

I've uh sent you some comments in writing that I hope they've been helpful in one way or another in connection with the housing element.

6:18

I expect that you'll be completing that work.

6:21

And I have a comment tonight uh just on one of the uh the last pieces of the uh housing element, the implementation uh language at the end.

6:35

Um there are six high priority actions listed, and one of those uh in that's six in six actions listed in the 2016 uh comprehensive plan.

6:54

And uh one of those has been counseled.

6:58

Uh and there's a good reason why action five was set aside or set aside uh eliminated.

7:05

It called for creating a short-term 60 to 90 day citizen affordable housing task force to consider the revised housing element and provide specific recommendation for near-term action.

7:19

Obviously, that's over and done with.

7:28

Why does the planning staff see no need for some kind of follow-up?

7:35

Uh some task force when we come to the end of the all of this work on the comprehensive plan, there is so much more work to be done.

7:44

Uh one good reason of out of several that I could give you.

7:50

Uh one of the policy statements, page uh 17 in the housing element uh that's before you says conduct a review of zoning codes, development regulations, permit procedures to identify and remove regulatory barriers that disproportionately affect marginalized communities, low-income households, and other historically excluded groups.

8:15

And that's only one of the that's one focus on the work that needs to be done to implement all of these changes, especially changes related relating to Winslow.

8:29

And we know that some of that work on implementation will be done before our work is complete and reviewed by Commerce and uh the Puget Sound Regional Council because they're insisting that implementation be very specifically provided for.

8:48

Uh we don't just have plans, we we need to be committed and know how to go about implementation.

8:54

But completing that work is going to take months beyond uh whatever success we have in getting our comprehensive plan and housing uh and uh uh Winslow plan uh approved.

9:10

So the the public has got to be involved in that process.

9:15

It will be a public process involving the planning commission deeply, and we've seen the consequences of not having a uh uh diverse and uh hardworking and sometimes argumentative uh group of citizens who are part of the process getting it making it better.

9:39

Uh so um I just want you to recognize that and see what you can put in place as a post placeholder at least for uh that piece of the implementation language in your comp your housing element.

9:54

Thank you.

9:56

Thank you, John.

9:57

Dennis Golick.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Housing████████████████████████████████████36%
Environmental Protection████████████12%
Affordable Housing█████████9%
Procedural████████8%
Land Use Planning███████7%
Public Engagement█████5%
Community Engagement███3%
Transfer of Development Rights███3%
Comprehensive Planning███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Bainbridge Island Planning Commission Reviews Housing and Environmental Elements — February 12, 2026

The Bainbridge Island Planning Commission met in Council Chambers and via Zoom on Thursday, February 12, 2026, from 6:03 p.m. to 9:11 p.m. to continue work on the Comprehensive Plan update. Chair Sarah Blossom called the meeting to order, read the Suquamish land acknowledgement, and presided with Commissioners Criss Garcia, Alex Preudhomme, Ben Deines, and Sean Sullivan. Senior Planner Jennifer Sutton staffed the meeting, and City Council Liaisons Ashley Mathews and Lara Lant attended via Zoom. Climate and Sustainability Manager Laura Reeser participated remotely for the Environmental Element portion. All motions carried unanimously; Commissioner Sullivan excused himself at 8:00 p.m., so later votes were 4-0.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the February 12, 2026 agenda 5-0, with no conflicts of interest disclosed.
  • Approved the January 22, 2026 Planning Commission minutes 5-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Kim McCormick, representing Hagger Scribner properties, said she submitted red-line comments on the Housing Element and proposed two additional policies, HO 4.10 and HO 6.1A, to support both the Hagger Scribner comprehensive plan amendment application and affordable/workforce housing development on the island generally.
  • John Quitsland, a regular commenter, said he submitted written comments and questioned why the 2016 Comprehensive Plan’s short-term citizen affordable housing task force had no follow-up mechanism. He urged that implementation language be specific and that the public remain involved after the plan is approved.
  • Dennis Golick said he appreciated the Planning Commission’s “systems view” compared with the City Council and encouraged the commission to keep moving on timelines and stay aligned with the council.

Planning Director’s Report

  • Planning Director was absent due to illness, and no formal report was given. Chair Blossom instead reported commission meeting time in 2025: 114 hours and 32 minutes over 33 meetings. The approved minutes record 133 volunteer hours, so the source metrics differ.

Discussion Items

Environmental Element

  • Laura Reeser, Climate and Sustainability Manager, recommended referring to the Climate Action Plan without a specific date because the plan is being updated in 2026. She noted an updated greenhouse gas inventory from 2023 data is expected by the end of March, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency adopted a regional climate plan, and the Department of Ecology is working on sea-level-rise rulemaking.
  • The commission adopted, 5-0, a motion to strike the “2020” date in Policy EN 12.1 and refer to the most current Climate Action Plan.
  • The commission adopted, 5-0, a motion to amend Policy EN 12.6, bullet 2, striking “hybrid fuel vehicles” and inserting “zero-emission vehicles.” Discussion noted fleet-conversion and charging-infrastructure challenges.
  • The commission adopted, 5-0, a motion directing staff to revise the Dark Skies Goal EN 13 to include the environmental reasons behind controlling glare and light trespass.
  • The commission adopted, 5-0, a motion asking staff to create language supporting a public outreach campaign for residents to report invasive species through the city’s relevant reporting tool.
  • The commission adopted, 5-0, a motion to add “Preserve existing farmland” before “encourage small scale farming” under the relevant environmental policies.
  • Staff agreed to check the 2015 statistic citing approximately 529.34 acres of designated timberland for updated figures.
  • The commission adopted, 5-0, a motion to recommend that staff update the Environmental Element sections as shown in the meeting materials and verbal edits to reflect updated references.

Housing Element

  • Jennifer Sutton reviewed progress from the January 22 meeting and noted that the City Council on February 10, 2026, discussed the commission’s Winslow and housing recommendations; nearly 30 council-member motions were submitted and six or seven were approved, with staff still digesting them. Councilmember Schneider’s approved motion proposed a middle-housing density policy, which the commission folded into Policy HO 3.11.
  • The commission adopted, 5-0, a motion to add a policy under Goal 1 referencing the Housing Action Plan and directing the city to use its toolkit and work toward its goals.
  • The commission adopted, 5-0, a motion to add tax increment funding and the USDA Section 502 Homeownership Direct Loan Program to Table HO-2.
  • The commission adopted, 5-0, Policy HO 3.11 as shown: “Consider housing types, including programs that provide additional density for deed-restricted, limited-equity workforce housing, such as units serving households below 150% AMI.”
  • The commission adopted, 5-0, a new HO 6 policy encouraging development and conservation programs that co-locate housing and land conservation or dually promote those goals.
  • The commission adopted, 5-0, Goal HO 4 as presented onscreen, increasing the supply of permanently affordable multifamily housing each year using data from the Housing Needs Assessment and the city’s income-based housing targets.
  • After Commissioner Sullivan left, the commission voted 4-0 to edit HO 4.3 to encourage partnerships creating multifamily housing in designated centers with a significant percentage of affordable housing and to explore surplus public property or airspace.
  • The commission added HO 4.10, 4-0, encouraging private development in the Winslow Subarea that supports diverse housing (affordable, workforce, and aging-in-place) through flexible development standards, overlays, pedestrian connections, community gathering, open space, and below-grade parking.
  • The commission recommended, 4-0, that staff add short-term rental properties to the Housing Element and determine the best placement.
  • The commission adopted, 4-0, a motion to study a program allowing two mid-sized units—smaller than a standard single-family home and larger than an ADU—in lieu of a standard-sized home plus ADU.
  • The commission amended HO 6.4, 4-0, to the language minuted as: “Create a new conservation villages and tiny home permit processes to apply outside of designated centers to increase housing choices including affordable housing and encouraging green building practices while better conserving open space.”
  • The commission reverted HO 6.7, 4-0, to the original language, “Support the development of livable neighborhoods.”
  • The commission revised the new HO 6.X, 4-0, to add consideration of converting existing single-family homes to two units within the same footprint.
  • The commission directed staff, 4-0, to return with stronger language promoting accessible housing.
  • The commission directed staff, 4-0, to return with a goal or policy on studying creation of a Housing Authority.
  • The commission directed staff, 4-0, to develop language maintaining/modifying the real estate excise tax (REET) reference for HO 9.1.

Key Outcomes

  • The Planning Commission completed its line-by-line recommendations on the Environmental Element and moved substantially through the Housing Element, with all environmental and housing motions passing unanimously.
  • Staff were directed to incorporate all verbal amendments, council-received motions, and meeting materials into the next draft.
  • In Good of the Order, the commission voted 4-0 to have staff bring back the Transportation Element at the next Planning Commission meeting.
  • Staff noted that the next meeting would review water resources and utilities elements, with the civic/cultural connection overlay discussion aimed for March 12, 2026.
  • The meeting adjourned at 9:11 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Calling to order the planning commission regular meeting for Thursday, February twelfth, two thousand twenty-six. We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is within the ancestral territory of the Sequamish people of clear salt water, expert fishermen, canoe builders, and basket weavers, the Sequamish live in harmony with the lands and waterways along Washington's central Salish Sea, as they have for thousands of years. Here the Sequamish live and protect the land and waters of their ancestors for future generations as promised by the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855. Is there a motion to approve the agenda? I move to approve the agenda as presented for February twelfth, twenty twenty-six. Second. Okay. Motion and a second. All those in favor? Aye. That motion is unanimous. Are there any conflicts of interest to disclose? Seeing none. Uh is there a motion to approve the minutes for January twenty-second. Move approval of the minutes from the planning commission session January twenty-second. Second. Okay, there's a motion and a second. All those in favor, aye. Uh that motion passes unanimously. It's now time for public comment. Members of the public are encouraged to submit written public comment to the planning commission at any time by emailing PCD at Bainbridge Wa.gov. Members of the public who wish to provide public comment in person at a planning commission meeting should sign up to speak on the sign in sheet by the chamber doors. The planning commission chair will call the people signed up on the sign-in sheet and speakers will have up to three minutes to speak from the podium. Please speak directly into the microphone, which is adjustable. A timer on the screen will indicate when three minutes or such other time set by the chair has elapsed. Orderly behavior and civility and remarks is expected with no clapping or booing and no yielding of one person's time to another person. Guidelines for public comment are provided.gov, provided that all remote commenters shall be required to display their true name and to keep their camera turned on to show their true uncovered face while delivering their comments. Public comment is not accepted during the bounce of a planning commission meeting unless a public hearing or public participation meeting is on the agenda. The first person to sign to speak is Kim McCormick. Good evening, planning commissioners. I'm Kim McCormick representing the Hagger Scribner properties. I just have a brief comment to let you know in case you didn't receive it that I sent in this morning to well, actually, probably around noon, a red line with some comments on the housing element that you'll be discussing this evening. There are really just two substantive uh suggestions that we have uh for additional policies. They're uh for policy uh HO 4.10 uh underneath goal H04 and policy HO6.1A underneath call H06. And these are both to support the both the comprehensive plan amendment application of Hagger Scribner properties, but also just in general the development of affordable housing and workforce housing on the island. Thank you very much. Thank you, Kim. John Quitsland, good evening, planning commissioners. I've uh sent you some comments in writing that I hope they've been helpful in one way or another in connection with the housing element. I expect that you'll be completing that work. And I have a comment tonight uh just on one of the uh the last pieces of the uh housing element, the implementation uh language at the end. Um there are six high priority actions listed, and one of those uh in that's six in six actions listed in the 2016 uh comprehensive plan. And uh one of those has been counseled. Uh and there's a good reason why action five was set aside or set aside uh eliminated. It called for creating a short-term 60 to 90 day citizen affordable housing task force to consider the revised housing element and provide specific recommendation for near-term action. Obviously, that's over and done with. Why does the planning staff see no need for some kind of follow-up? Uh some task force when we come to the end of the all of this work on the comprehensive plan, there is so much more work to be done. Uh one good reason of out of several that I could give you. Uh one of the policy statements, page uh 17 in the housing element uh that's before you says conduct a review of zoning codes, development regulations, permit procedures to identify and remove regulatory barriers that disproportionately affect marginalized communities, low-income households, and other historically excluded groups.

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