Bainbridge Island PC Meeting Report: October 22, 2026

The Bainbridge Island Planning Commission convened on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 6:00 PM. Chair Chris Garcia presided, with Vice Chair Sarah Blossom and Commissioners John Sandage, Alex Brutholm, Alexander Coston, and Ben Dinas (arrived late) present. Commissioner Peter Schau was absent and excused. The primary agenda items included a public hearing on Ordinance 2026-15 (updating the Bainbridge Island Municipal Code for state law consistency) and a status report on the Comprehensive Plan, Winslow Subarea Plan, and implementing development regulations. A significant procedural error regarding the state's environmental review checklist dominated the public hearing, leading to its continuance.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the meeting agenda as presented.
• Approved the meeting minutes from October 8, 2026, as presented.

Public Comments & Testimony

Ordinance 2026-15 Public Hearing:

• Don Janelle (Resident): Raised a procedural objection, providing evidence that the Determination of Non-Significance (DNS) for Ordinance 2026-15 was published in the newspaper and on the city website but was not submitted to the state's CEPA (SEPA) register as required by WAC 197-11-340. He presented email correspondence from the state's SEPA coordinator confirming no record of the DNS existed as of October 22. Janelle argued this makes the DNS issuance date legally invalid and reserved the right to appeal, noting the $530 cost for citizens to formally challenge such procedures.
• Lisa Neal (Resident): Echoed concerns about the procedural error creating a "messy record" that prevented informed public comment. She stated a position that the ordinance represents a "50% upzone island wide" and raised concerns about insufficient land capacity, sewer, and groundwater analyses. She suggested the commission recommend deferring the ordinance. (Staff later clarified this characterization pertains to a different ordinance, 2026.05, and that 2026-15 addresses separate state-mandated code updates).
• David Schutz (Resident): Asserted that this failure to upload the DNS was not an isolated incident, citing an independent investigation into past procedural issues. He also commented that frequent public commenter Stephen Hoskins is a professional advocate from an out-of-state institute, urging the commission to weigh his testimony accordingly.

Discussion Items

Item 6A - Public Hearing on Ordinance No. 2026-15:

• Presentation: Senior Planner Jennifer Sutton presented the ordinance as a set of discrete, unrelated code changes required for state law compliance. These included updates to permit review timelines, building conversions for residences in all residential zones, the definition of wetland, and the definition of "family" for fair housing compliance.
• Procedural Issue & Response: Interim Planning Director Emily Terrell acknowledged the error of failing to upload the DNS and checklist to the state's Secure Access Washington site, taking full responsibility. She assured the commission it would be re-noticed and uploaded immediately, emphasizing that the SEPA comment period extends until council adoption on December 8, 2026. She stressed the ordinance is a recommendation to the council and is largely state-mandated.
• Commission Deliberation: Commissioner Sandage emphasized the importance of "square corners" and a clean record, proposing the hearing be continued. After discussion, a motion to continue the public hearing to the November 12, 2026 meeting was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to allow for proper document submission and public review.

Item 6B - Status Report on Comp Plan, Winslow Subarea Plan, & Dev. Regulations:

• Director's Report: Emily Terrell confirmed the project is on schedule. The FEIS draft is expected by November 6. The City Council selected the Preferred Alternative on October 13: the September 2026 Land Capacity Analysis (LCA) assumptions with a mandatory inclusionary zoning (MIZ) program. Final Winslow Subarea Plan draft is expected by December 1.
• Key Data:
  • Citywide 2044 Targets (from 2020 baseline): 1,977 housing units, 4,500 people, 1,927 jobs.
  • Preferred Scenario (Sept LCA with MIZ): Creates an estimated 237 new affordable housing units (reducing the overall affordable deficit to 902 units). Provides a surplus of 16 units for the 81-120% AMI band. Total likely net new dwelling units: 1,650 within Winslow, 3,500 city-wide. Total likely net new jobs: 3,042 city-wide.
• Discussion: Commissioner Dinas asked clarifying questions on interpreting the deficit data in the presentation tables.

Item 7 - Good of the Order:

• Council Liaison Laura Lanton reported that the Design Review Board (DRB) will be contacting the Planning Commission to discuss recent state laws limiting their review authority and a potential effort to codify design standards into objective, enforceable codes.

Key Outcomes

• Public Hearing Continued: The public hearing for Ordinance 2026-15 was unanimously continued to the Planning Commission meeting on November 12, 2026, to allow for proper re-notice and public access to all SEPA documents.
• Procedural Correction: Staff committed to immediately uploading the DNS and SEPA checklist to the state's CEPA register and re-noticing the DNS in the newspaper.
• Comp Plan Timeline Confirmed: The project is on schedule for council adoption on December 8, 2026, with the September LCA with MIZ as the preferred alternative.
• Future Discussion: The commission expects to engage with the Design Review Board regarding design review authority and potential code codification.
• Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:08 PM.