LID Amendments

One of the main goals of this Project is to address the increased environmental impacts associated with stormwater management and runoff resulting from development.  This part of the Project is associated with the Puget Sound Partnership Low Impact Development Project (PSP LID).

The scope of many of the suggested LID changes from the PSP LID Project are very technical and will be part of later phases of that Project; also, many are somewhat impractical to incorporate within the scope of the Subdivision Project.  

Finally, due to the overall magnitude of the LID changes, they will not be reviewed on their own, but those that easily fit within this Project’s amendments will be added when appropriate.

February Planning Commission Meeting

The Planning Commission meeting for the month of February was intended to complete two major tasks:

1) Review points identifying the suggested new “rules” that will be written into the Code, relating to:

• Buffer Corridor Design
  
• Street Trees
  
• Standards for Stormwater Facilities
  
• Short Plat Design
  
• Low Impact Development (LID)
  

and, 

2) Discuss policy issues/questions associated with the suggested new “rules”.

LID Integration

The integration of Low Impact Development (LID) techniques into the revised Subdivision Code has been one of the goals of this Project.  The City of Oak Harbor has had the benefit of being selected to participate with the Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) to analyse its Municipal Code and identify opportunities and ways that LID techniques can be integrated into the Code.  This partnership is a significant advantage for the community; and the Subdivision Project is designed to align with the work being conducted as part of the PSP LID Project.

To achieve this, the Subdivision Project will incorporate a number of the PSP LID recommendations.  These will primarily be those that address large scale characteristics of development, such as:

1)  reducing the amount of impervious surface with new subdivisions; and,

2)  reducing site disturbance during and after construction.

The final draft materials from the PSP LID consultant have recently been received by the City. The next step is the review of these materials and determining the most appropriate changes, both for the PSP LID Project as well as the Subdivision Project, given the points mentioned above.

Staff Technical Meeting

On June 24th staff continued the review of the Puget Sound Partnership recommendations for incorporating Low Impact Development (LID) into our Municipal Code.

This is a significant body of work, and is expected to take many more months. The benefit to the Subdivision Update Project, is that the City is receiving expert assistance for the LID project that will directly benefit the goals of this project as well.

As the LID recommendations are refined, they will be discussed with the Planning Commission at future monthly meetings.

Staff Technical Meeting

On June 16th staff met to review the preliminary recommendations associated with a project from the Puget Sound Partnership, for which the City is receiving State assistance. The State is providing expert assistance to review our Municipal Code and create amendments that support Low Impact Development (LID).

The range of these draft recommendations includes: subdivision regulations; street design standards; stromwater facility management; zoning districts; and, land clearing regulations. As we move through this process of reviewing the recommendations, those that relate to the subdivision project will be rolled into this project/process.