Welcome to Skagit County

August 17th, 2011

Planning Commission to hold workshop on Agricultural Critical Areas Ordinance, August 23, 2011

SKAGIT COUNTY - The Skagit County Planning Commission will hold a public workshop to discuss development of an ordinance to enroll the County in the new "Voluntary Stewardship Program" created by the Legislature through ESHB1886 and related code changes. The workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, August 23, at 6:00 p.m., in the Commissioners Hearing Room at 1800 Continental Place, Mount Vernon.

Background

Washington counties are required to designate and protect critical areas, such as streams. While other counties protect critical areas using mandatory buffers along streams where agriculture is not allowed, Skagit County instead requires farmers to "not harm or degrade" critical areas, and to comply with specific Watercourse Protection Measures.

Although Skagit County has spent years and millions of dollars defending its approach, Skagit County's approach is not yet compliant with state law. In 2007, the state Supreme Court ruled that Skagit County need only "protect" and not "enhance" critical areas; however, it also confirmed that the County's monitoring and adaptive management program lacks critical details.
For the last four years, agricultural, environmental, and tribal representatives have worked on a new approach to critical areas protection on agricultural lands that the Legislature recently adopted. Skagit County can now opt into a Voluntary Stewardship Program in place of the prior requirement to protect critical areas on farmland through development regulations.
Workshop

The Board of Commissioners recently adopted Resolution R20110239 to consider enrolling in the Voluntary Stewardship Program. Enrollment may include changes to the current critical areas ordinance for agriculture, including modifications to the Watercourse Protection Measures requirements and the County's monitoring program. The Planning Department and Planning Commission is charged with developing an ordinance to enroll the County in the program. The public is encouraged to attend the workshop.

More Information

For more information, and to track this project's progress, please visit www.skagitcounty.net/agcao or email Senior Planner Betsy Stevenson at agcao@co.skagit.wa.us.