Envision Skagit 2060 Public Meeting

The Envision Skagit 2060 project will host a public meeting called "Conversation on Regional Collaboration", from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Burlington City Council Chambers, 833 S. Spruce Street in Burlington.  The meeting will provide members of the public an opportunity to learn about and comment on the Envision Skagit Citizen Committee's recommendation, which were released in October 2011.  Additional information about the meeting and the projects implementation of these recommendations can be found on their website at http://www.skagitcounty.net/envisionskagit.  The Envision Skagit 2060 project involves Skagit County and numerous local and regional organizations, including conservation groups, tribes, local farmers and foresters, cities and towns, economic development interests and universities.  The effort is funded with a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency with substantial in-kind contribution from Skagit County and its partners.

Skagit County Shoreline Master Program Update Comment Period on Draft Analysis and Characterization Report

The SMP Update Report is now available and the public is encouraged to review and provide additional input and information.  Click on http://www.skagitcounty.net/SMP

This document is one of several that is required as part of the grant contract with the Washington State Department of Ecology.  The report is a working draft and has been compiles using readily-available information.  The analysis report is the basic foundation for the update process and will be updated as comments are received.  Updated information from organizations and agencies involved in restoration work for projects listed in the document are welcomed; however information regarding projects not described are also appreciated.  Please email comments to Betsy Stevens at betsyds@co.skagit.wa.us or deliver them to Skagit County Planning and Development Services, 1800 Continental Place, Mount Vernon, WA  98273.

For more information, contact Betsy at the above email address or by phone at 360-336-9410.

Envision Skagit 2060 News

Skagit County’s Envision Skagit 2060 project recently posted its compiled community comments regarding the future of Skagit County. Included in the comments, are vision statements from local seventh graders at Immaculate Conception Regional School in Mount Vernon.

Since January 2011, the Envision Skagit Citizen Committee has held 10 public visioning sessions with Skagit Valley residents, including community meetings in Edison, Anacortes, La Conner, Concrete, Mount Vernon, Sedro-Woolley, and Burlington. The committee also held visioning sessions with local farmers and the Skagit County Planning Commission, as well as a second Mount Vernon meeting conducted in Spanish, and received written comments from local seventh graders.

In all, more than 300 participants attended the meetings and described what they value most about Skagit Valley now, what they hope to see retained or improved on in the future, the greatest challenges facing the Valley, and what changes they would most like to avoid.
Key themes that spanned the meetings included:
·         Natural beauty, wildlife, and access to natural areas, together with the strength and diversity of local agriculture and access to fresh, local food
·         Better public transportation and improved bicycle and pedestrian trails
·         Concern regarding sprawl and increased development in the floodplain
·         Desire for more compact, walkable, and mixed-used communities, but with the concern of losing the “small-town” feel of local communities
The meeting with local farmers called for enforcement of current county and state regulations as well as additional bold and innovative steps to ensure the long-term protection of agricultural land. Participants in the bilingual meeting expressed a strong interest in more recreational programs to keep kids of out trouble, improvements in public education, and greater inclusion of the Hispanic community in public processes. The seventh graders shared refreshing hopes and expectations, including the importance of farmland and tulips, access to parks, open space and nature, small town character, a need for a better transportation system to reduce congestion in the future, and more job opportunities for a growing population.

To view the compiled comments, visit www.skagitcounty.net/envisionskagit http://www.skagitcounty.net/envisionskagit , click on Public Comments and scroll down to Community Meeting Responses. Many residents have also submitted written comments that are available for viewing under Received Written Comments.
The Envision Skagit Citizen Committee is taking all of these comments into account as it develops its long-term vision for Skagit Valley and recommendations for implementing that vision.
For a more detailed description of the public comment process, or for more information on the Envision Skagit 2060 project, visit www.skagitcounty.net/envisionskagit  or contact Skagit County Public Information Officer Emma Whitfield at emmaw@co.skagit.wa.us.

Envision 2060 Requesting Public Comments

The Citizen Committee is requesting public written comments from Skagit Valley residents on the future of Skagit County for the next 50 years.  To add your comments online, visit this link:http://http://www.skagitcounty.net/Common/asp/default.asp?d=envisionskagit&c=General&p=main.htm

Skagit County Planning Commission Public Hearing Schedule for 2011

Notice is hereby given that the Skagit County Planning Commission’s regular meeting schedule for 2011 is as follows.  All regular meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of each month, with one exception.  Regular meeting dates for the year are as follows:  September 6, October 4, November 1, and December 6.

Unless otherwise advertised, all meetings begin at 6 p.m. and are held in the Skagit County Commissioners Public Hearing Room, 1800 Continental Place, Mount Vernon.

For further information, contact Patti Chambers, Planning & Development Services, 1800 Continental Place, Mount Vernon, Washington, (360) 336-9410, ext. 3497, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

County Commissioners and Mayors Select Envision Skagit 2060 Citizen Committee

The Skagit County Commissioners and the Mayors of Anacortes, Burlington, La Conner, Mount Vernon, and Sedro-Woolley have selected a 14-member citizen committee to help guide the next phase of the Envision Skagit 2060 project.

The committee members include business owners and managers, farmers, retirees, community activists, an affordable housing expert, and an employee of North Cascades National Park.  For a full list of the committee members, click on http://www.skagitcounty.net/Home/HTML/Press/091310.htm

The citizen committee will work over the next 10 months considering input from diverse community viewpoints and developing a forward-looking plan for Skagit County over the next 50 years.  The committee will draw on its own visioning process, workshops with the broader community, and discussions with the mayors and county commissioners.  It will also review land use modeling results of four different future conservation and development scenarios using Oregon State University's Envision modeling software.

In June 2011, the committee will present its final recommendations to the mayors and county commissioners.  The recommendations will be further discussed with tribes, ports, utilities and special purpose districts, interest groups and the general public.

Envision Skagit 2060 will ultimately recommend possible changes to Skagit County's and other jurisdictions' plans and policies for land use planning, community and economic development, environmental protection, and natural resource conservation.

For more information, contact Kirk Johnson at kirkj@co.skagit.wa.us.


View the Envrion Skagit home page at http://www.skagitcounty.net/envisionskagit

For more information contact:

Kirk Johnson, Project Manger, 360-336-9410, ext. 5916 or Emma Whiftield, Public Information Officer at 360-3336-9410, ext. 7667, or Linda Christensen, Project Administrator at 360-336-9410, ext. 7620.

Skagit County Open Space Plan

The UGA Open Space plan can be viewed by clicking on the following link:  http://www.skagitcounty.net/Common/asp/default.asp?d=PlanningAndPermit&c=General&p=openspace.htm

Farmers Markets

For a list of Skagit County Farmers Markets, visit the website http://http://www.pugetsoundfresh.org/farmers_markets.htm