Skagit County planning staff and consultants on Monday briefed the county commissioners on the draft 2025 periodic comprehensive plan update, describing state-driven changes and local policy recommendations and setting a schedule for public hearings and deliberations.

The briefing centered on the Growth Management Act–driven update process and the planning commission’s recommendation. “The planning commission has just completed their work, unanimously recommending approval of the comprehensive plan update, with some policy recommendations that will come to you,” said Clay White, a consultant with Kimley-Horn, during the 1:30 p.m. work session.

The update includes a newly required climate element with resiliency and greenhouse‑gas (GHG) subelements, revisions to the housing strategy to reflect recent state law changes, updated critical‑areas regulations to match best available science, and an expanded implementation chapter intended to turn plan policies into an actionable work plan.

Why it matters: the periodic comprehensive plan sets long‑range direction for housing, transportation, natural resources and capital facilities in Skagit County and must be consistent with state rules under the Growth Management Act. Staff said the draft seeks to balance state mandates with local priorities such as protecting agricultural and forestry resources.

Most notable proposed changes and policy clarifications

- Climate and GHG: The draft adds a climate element with a resiliency subelement and a GHG emissions reduction subelement. Staff said they have added clarifying language requested by the Washington State Department of Commerce to show incremental actions the county will pursue through 2050, including concentrating growth in urban areas, expanding walking and biking facilities where feasible, and transitioning county facilities to more energy‑efficient or electric systems where possible.

- Housing strategy: White and staff described changes to comply with recent state guidance on planning for housing by income tiers. Staff said some lower‑income housing targets are generally feasible only inside cities where urban services (for example, sewer) exist. The draft attempts to accommodate required targets while preserving rural character and meeting limitations in updated state statutes.

- Natural resource lands and agriculture: The planning commission recommended reverting many agricultural natural resource policies to their 2016 language with a few exceptions, including adding a county‑wide analysis requirement before designating any new natural resource lands and incorporating advisory‑board suggestions on irrigation and forestry as carbon sequestration.

- Parcel size criteria: The draft contains a planning‑commission recommendation to allow certain agricultural natural resource land designations to consider parcels of one acre or larger when other criteria are met, rather than the prior five‑acre threshold. Staff said the change is intended to allow designation of small existing farm operations (starter farms or microfarms) that meet soils and other criteria; staff emphasized that the recommendation does not change minimum lot sizes in the agricultural zone (minimum agricultural lot size remains 40 acres) and that the change would not permit new small lot creation.

- Utilities and renewable energy: The planning commission recommended adding policies that support transitions to renewable energy for county buildings “where feasible.” Staff noted one planning‑commission suggested utilities change was not incorporated in the draft pending further guidance from Commerce about county planning responsibilities related to natural gas transitions.

Process and schedule

Staff described a multi‑stage outreach process in 2024 and 2025: the county released elements incrementally for public comment in summer and fall 2024; a complete draft went out in February 2025; the planning commission held a public hearing March 11, 2025, and on April 15 issued its recommendation. Staff said additional technical updates (for example, a transportation appendix and a SEPA review) and Commerce comments produced a few post‑planning‑commission refinements.

Board briefings and hearings are scheduled in late May and June. Staff proposed a board public hearing on June 16 with time for deliberations and will hold an additional briefing May 27 on the critical‑areas ordinance and development regulations. The planning commission will hold a hearing on the critical‑areas/development‑regulation package on May 6.

Stakeholder and advisory input

Staff said they received 148 comment letters during the summer/fall 2024 element releases and another 76 comments on the February 2025 draft; the county prepared a policy matrix tying comments to proposed changes for planning‑commission review. The Agricultural Advisory Board, Forest Advisory Board and Skagit Council of Governments (SCOG) provided comments; staff said the planning commission worked with those advisory groups on recommended language.

What the board asked and next steps

Commissioners asked for clearer links to Skagit Transit planning documents and the county said it will add explicit references to the Skagit Transit Six‑Year Transit Development Plan and long‑range transit plan where appropriate so the county’s plan can better align with transit providers. Commissioners also pressed for clarity on how natural resource‑designation changes would look “on the ground”; staff said no map changes are proposed in this update and any future map change would follow a county‑wide analysis and a separate decision process.

Staff and consultants asked commissioners to submit any additional questions so staff can prepare responses and recommended edits ahead of the hearings. The county will accept written public comment during the SEPA/comment period and will take public testimony at the board hearing scheduled for mid‑June.

Ending: The commissioners recessed the session to other work‑session items; staff said they will finalize the hearing record and return with materials and recommended edits before the hearing dates.