HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources Jun 1 2021Whatcom County
Council Natural Resources Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360)778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
VIRTUAL MEETING - ENDS NO LATER THAN 11:10 A.M. (TO
PARTICIPATE, SEE INSTRUCTIONS AT
www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil OR CALL 360.778.5010)
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
10:10 AM
Virtual Meeting
COUNCILMEMBERS
Barry Buchanan
Todd Donovan
Ben Ilenbaas
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C.
Council Natural Resources Committee Committee Minutes - Final June 1, 2021
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee Chair Todd Donovan called the meeting to order at 10:10 a.m.
in a virtual meeting.
Present: 3 - Todd Donovan, Ben Elenbaas and Barry Buchanan
Absent: None
Also Present: Rud Browne, Tyler Byrd, Carol Frazey, and Kathy Kershner
Announcements
Committee Discussion
1. AB2021-297 Discussion of proposed ordinance adopting amendments to the Purchase of
Development Rights Program
The following people briefed the Councilmembers and gave a presentation:
• Becky Snijder van Wissenkerke, Planning and Development Services
Department
• Paul Schissler, Purchase of Development Rights Oversight
Committee Chair
Snijder van Wissenkerke answered why the expansion of the program to
also include forestry and ecological conservation easements was not done
in the 2018 update, why the site selection eligibility criteria would be in the
Conservation Easement Program (CEP) guidelines only and not in the
Whatcom County Code, who has the authority to change those guidelines,
whether the updated Code language states that the County is purchasing
development rights, whether the Lot of Record (LOR) permit fee could be
funded out of the program if an application does not go through because the
County cannot get matching funds, the proposed agricultural and forest
priority areas maps, and why smaller acreage in the agricultural zone gets
more points in the scoring system.
Buchanan moved to recommend to the full Council that the related
proposed Ordinance be introduced tonight.
Councilmembers continued to discuss the item with Snijder van
Wissenkerke, whether the program actually preserves the land for
agriculture to be productive farmland or just about conservation in the
ecological sense, whether the proposed language in Whatcom County Code
Whatcom County page l
Council Natural Resources Committee Committee Minutes - Final
June 1, 2021
Section 3.25A.I 10 Subsection A should be reworded for clarity to express
that the County is purchasing the development rights, and getting more
information on impervious surface ratios.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 2 - Buchanan and Donovan
Nay: 1 - Elenbaas
This agenda item was DISCUSSED AND MOTION(S) APPROVED.
Items Added by Revision
Other Business
Adjournment
There were no agenda items added by revision.
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 11:23 AM
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Kristi Felbinger, Minutes Transcription
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Todd Donovan -via email 6/3/2021
Todd Donovan, Committee Chair
Whatcom County Page 2