Bainbridge Island Planning Commission 2027 Work Plan Meeting - September 10, 2026

On September 10, 2026, at 6:00 PM, the Bainbridge Island Planning Commission met in Council Chambers at 280 Madison Ave N and remotely to review and prioritize the 2027 Planning Commission Work Plan. Chair Chris Garcia presided; Vice Chair Sarah Blossom and Commissioners Alexandra Costin, John Sandich, Ben Dinas, and Peter Schaub were present. Alex Prudholm was excused. Planning Director Emily Terrell and Senior Planner Jennifer Sutton presented, and Council Members Laura Lant and Ashley Matthews participated as liaisons. The meeting opened with the Suquamish land acknowledgement.

Opening, Agenda, Minutes, and Public Comment

• The agenda was approved unanimously and no conflicts of interest were disclosed.
• The August 27, 2026 Planning Commission meeting minutes were approved unanimously.
• There were no public commenters in person or remotely.

Planning Director's Report

• Director Terrell reported that the comprehensive plan update is moving forward. The City Council refined modeling assumptions for LMN and sent them to consultants. Commissioner Blossom's clarification helped resolve the bonus floor area ratio discussion for High School Road and Ferry.
• A new city manager has started, and Terrell offered to share the list of Planning & Community Development items and the updated comp plan calendar.
• Terrell reported four Growth Management Hearing Board decisions since 2025. The first two accepted 'plan for and accommodate' for affordable housing, while the more recent two require jurisdictions to fund affordable housing. She cited Port Townsend's finding of $170 million in affordable housing need with no identified funding source, and said the city may ask the Legislature for clarification.

2027 Work Plan Discussion

Staff prepared a work plan table with a blank priority column, level-of-effort estimates, consultant needs, and dependencies. Sutton explained that the Department of Commerce reviews most land-use code changes and has a 60-day review period; SEPA review is also embedded. The city is on a status-quo budget because permit revenue is down, so consultant funding is limited. The Commission scored items using 5 (high), 3 (medium), and 1 (low), considering value, effort, dependencies, external stakeholders, and regulatory requirements.

• Park overlay / park permit process: Scored 24; seen as a possible quick win with existing community commitments, though some members rated its standalone value as medium.
• Hotel location: Received low priority.
• Voluntary and mandatory inclusionary zoning (VIZ/MIZ): Scored 26; a high-effort, consultant-supported item including market review, funding mechanisms, and new code recommendations. Commissioner Schaub called funding mechanisms the most important piece.
• TDR and bonus FAR: Scored 28; members supported improving the transfer of development rights program and using bonus FAR for public benefits, conservation-area relief, groundwater management, and agricultural land protection. Commissioner Schaub said reducing conservation-area development pressure is essential.
• Minimum floor area ratio (FAR): The Commission unanimously moved this item into the VIZ/MIZ program item as a supporting element rather than a standalone priority.
• Civic/cultural/connection overlay (CCCO): Scored 24; tied to a Hagar Scribner Properties proposal and external stakeholders who have waited for action. It would reward community benefits such as affordable housing, connectivity, and open space with flexibility in development standards.
• Sub-area plans for Ferry and High School Road: Scored 12; members said these should run in parallel with base/bonus FAR work rather than before or after it, and some worried the plans could sit on the shelf. Commissioner Schaub suggested encouraging grassroots community visioning instead of a formal top-down priority.
• Minimum residential density: The Commission unanimously split this into two items: upzoning existing R zones (raising the cap, scored 6) and requiring a minimum density within existing zones without changing caps (raising the floor, scored 20). Discussion referenced the Sportsman's Club Road R0.4 property on city water/sewer and commercial sewer capacity issues raised by Council Member Lant.
• Middle housing: The Commission unanimously renamed the 'middle housing' item to 'middle housing: strategies other than form-based code' and the 'form-based code' item to 'form-based code in support of middle housing.' Middle housing strategies scored 24. Form-based code was described as a key tool for middle-scale, middle-income housing serving households above the 80% AMI threshold.
• Subdivisions: Received a low priority score of 8; members thought subdivision standards were updated relatively recently.
• HAP report card: The Commission unanimously struck this row and replaced it with a column identifying whether each work plan item is a Housing Action Plan action or supports one. Staff were also asked to flag HAP actions that are not complete and not otherwise captured.
• Attracting development/partnerships/process improvements: Scored 26. Members emphasized partnerships, updated MFTE (multifamily property tax exemption) rules, priority permitting, and permit-process confidence. Commissioner Blossom noted Kitsap Builders Association feedback about MFTE and priority permitting.
• Modular/pre-approved construction: Discussed as a worthwhile but not urgent tool; Council Member Lant noted local modular and pre-approved ADU producers.
• Suzuki and Senior Center affordable housing: The Commission unanimously voted not to prioritize this item at this time and instead to ask the City Council what, if anything, it needs from the Planning Commission to start work; if no action is needed, the item will be struck.
• Relief from standards: Scored 10. Director Terrell framed this as a general code allowance for affordable housing projects, not a project-specific waiver; it would identify which standards can be relaxed, by how much, and who decides.
• Shoreline Master Program: Scored 16. It is a mandatory update due June 30, 2029, with significant Ecology rulemaking underway. Terrell noted a small state grant of $22,400 for consultant help.
• Annual joint meeting with City Council: Scored 22; supported as a way to align priorities and avoid surprises, possibly starting with a full-day retreat.
• Process improvement, time management, and Commerce short course: Scored 22. The Department of Commerce offers a free three-hour short course; new commissioners welcomed it as a way to level the learning curve, and the group supported a comp plan post-mortem while the process is still fresh.
• Agricultural resource lands: Scored 16. Members noted the dependency on a functional TDR program and discussed protecting city-owned and private farmland. Council Member Matthews said an agricultural advisory group proposal is heading to the City Council.
• Housekeeping ordinance: Scored 24. Staff identified scriveners' errors, broken references, and conflicting code sections across many BIMC chapters; Terrell said fixing them reduces legal liability and improves customer service.

Key Outcomes

• The Commission directed staff to consolidate the individual 5/3/1 scores into a prioritized 2027 work plan and bring it back for further review.
• Unanimous votes taken during the discussion included:
  • Moving minimum FAR into the VIZ/MIZ item.
  • Splitting minimum residential density into 'raising the cap' and 'raising the floor' items.
  • Renaming the middle housing and form-based code items to clarify that form-based code is in support of middle housing.
  • Striking the HAP report card row and adding a HAP action column, plus requesting staff to flag unaddressed HAP actions.
  • Not prioritizing the Suzuki and Senior Center item absent Council direction.
• In Good of the Order, Commissioner Schaub apologized for his absences, explaining that his wife had suffered a severe leg break and he had been caring for her. Commissioner Blossom clarified that city-owned farmland is not expected to be developed for housing, though farmworker housing may be needed. The Chair marked the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with a moment of silence, and the meeting adjourned.