George Orwell likely wrote “1984” without knowing of the San Juan Islands but his world of Big Brother is coming closer with the latest County Council plan for amending the existing Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO).
As I read the 51 pages of the Community Development and Planning staff report and proposed CAO ordinance general regulations the other night I broke out in a cold sweat trying to wrap my mind around the complexity of these regulations and restrictions. I am no slouch when it comes to critical analysis and unraveling complex issues, but I have trouble finding the time to keep up with these proposed regulations, much less predicting the impact they will have on our community.
Under the council’s proposed Critical Area Ordinance, applicants will be required to navigate a complex set of rules and restrictions to get the county’s approval for the use of their land. Applicants will have to prove they will not “impact” the environment with the “development” they propose on their land and implement expensive “mitigation” of the theoretical impacts.
As I read the 51 pages of the Community Development and Planning staff report and proposed CAO ordinance general regulations the other night I broke out in a cold sweat trying to wrap my mind around the complexity of these regulations and restrictions. I am no slouch when it comes to critical analysis and unraveling complex issues, but I have trouble finding the time to keep up with these proposed regulations, much less predicting the impact they will have on our community.
The San Juan County Council is proposing new rules and restrictions on property owners in the county under what they are calling the Critical Areas Ordinance.
On Jan. 21, the nation marks the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, a decision that enabled corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence federal and state elections. As the 2012 election season ramps up, so will the corporate, union and special interest financing of political advertising. With the proliferation of SuperPACS and 501(c) organizations, major donors funding election advertising remain unidentified to the voters.
“The County Council is completing the General Section of the CAO update. This section covers Mitigation, Reasonable Use Exception, and Nonconforming Use. The latter two are pretty straight forward legal issues, mitigation is not,” writes San Olson.
A common assumption is that we’re against alcohol; that’s not true. We are against unhealthy, irresponsible choices that put our youth and community at risk. We support the legal, safe consumption of alcohol, which by definition excludes teen drinking.
“I have been a Washington public educator for almost forty years, an enthusiastic part of the building of a structure that serves the highest moral endeavor of the land. I have watched as our state has built a public school system that effectively serves our young people. Card by card, we have built a system that not only serves young people well, but has also harbors the potential and hope for a positive future for us all.”
Janet Alderton writes a letter to the editor about how confusing and often conflicting development codes and other county regulations have serious impacts on the lives and livelihoods of our fellow islanders.
What can we do?
The legislature says that it must hear from us, all of us, if we care about keeping Basic Health afloat. To be heard, we need to call the following numbers and state precisely what we desire to see happen ASAP – before Nov. 28.
Steve Adams is the best choice for Port commission position #2. Steve will bring a fair, balanced, and practical approach to the issues facing the Port
Nancy Ewert urges you all to be informed and vote for renewal of our Land Bank
