Jefferson County Planning Commission to accept comment on shooting range laws

Tarboo Ridge Coalition says it plans to submit petition

PORT TOWNSEND — The Tarboo Ridge Coalition plans to present a petition it said has 1,000 signatures to the Jefferson County Planning Commission during a public hearing on shooting range laws Tuesday.

The Planning Commission is hosting a public hearing from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Chimacum High School auditorium at 91 West Valley Road to discuss ordinances Title 8 and Title 18 of the Jefferson County Code.

The hearing is in response to the Sept. 16 decision made by the Growth Management Hearings Board siding with the Tarboo Ridge Coalition (TRC), which has opposed Joe D’Amico’s proposed 40-acre shooting range near Tarboo Lake, deeming that the two ordinances did not follow state law in regard to commercial shooting facilities.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The petition makes six “bright line” recommendations to the planning commission, which “many or most of” are part of the Kitsap County code, according to the TRC in a press release.

The six recommendations are no military training, no aircraft, 500-yard setbacks from public lakes, no night shooting, eight-foot-tall security fencing and 16-foot-tall sound barriers, the TRC said.

“We’ve had people from Brinnon to Port Townsend and everywhere in between sign this petition and voice serious concerns about the threat that military and paramilitary training operations could bring to our beloved home,” said TRC volunteer Teri Hein. “The community is so supportive of these common-sense measures.

“Everyone we talk to realizes how important preventing these types of private weaponry operations is for the future of the county.”

“We want to promote our farms, fish, forests, and families,” she continued. “We don’t want to become a mecca for private facilities that host large-scale military or paramilitary training.”

The Growth Management Hearings Board determined it has jurisdiction over Title 8 and Title 18 — classifying them as land ordinances and deeming them invalid — and that the county failed to conduct a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review for Title 8, in violation of state law RCW 43.21C.030.

The SEPA review analyzes the environmental impact of governmental decisions.

Not conducting a SEPA review is not automatic grounds for the board to declare invalidity, but because Title 8 directly conflicts with the board’s goals of protecting the environment, the board decided the county must redress that part of Title 8 and bring its code into compliance with state and board regulations.

In addition to the public hearing on Tuesday, the Planning Commission and Department of Community Development will accept written comments on the proposed amendments through 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

Written comments on the proposals may be submitted to the Jefferson County Planning Commission at 621 Sheridan St., Port Townsend WA 98368 or emailed to plancomm@co.jefferson.wa.us.

Include “ZON18-00036” in the subject line of all email comments submitted on this topic.

________

Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5, or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Milan Pohl of Port Angeles points out the features of a greenhouse he built to cover a portion of his plot at the Fifth Street Community Garden in Port Angeles. Pohl said on Friday that the greenhouse and a twin structure on an adjoining bed would be used to grow eggplant, peppers and other heat-loving plants. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Community garden plot

Milan Pohl of Port Angeles points out the features of a greenhouse… Continue reading

x
Nominations open for Community Service awards

Forms due March 25; event scheduled for May 1

Influenza numbers trending down in Clallam, Jefferson counties

Public health officer says it’s not too late for vaccine

NOAA lease in Port Angeles on list of terminations

A lease held by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric… Continue reading

Tyler Leisten.
Leisten gradutes from basic law enforcement academy

Tyler Leisten has graduated from the Washington State Basic… Continue reading

Nicole Merrigan, owner of Strait Up Foam Fun, left, talks with Carol Koenig of Sequim during Thursday’s Clallam County Job Fair at Vern Burton Community Center in Port Angeles. About two dozen prospective employers took part in the event, hosted by the Greater Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Job fair

Nicole Merrigan, owner of Strait Up Foam Fun, left, talks with Carol… Continue reading

Funding from the state Department of Commerce will be matched with private donations to fix the Upper Hoh Road this spring, Gov. Bob Ferguson said Thursday. (Olympic National Park)
State funds to repair Hoh Road

Private donations to match Commerce grant

Grant would help Port of Port Townsend with larger vessels

Two-phase project intended to increase efficiency

Port Angeles City Manager Nathan West gives his annual presentation on the state of the city on Wednesday to the Greater Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce at the Red Lion Hotel. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Port Angeles’ efforts on housing, homelessness top annual address

Manager provides State of the City comments to chamber

Master Gardener Honey Niemann of Port Townsend trims a barberry bush on Wednesday to keep it from infringing on the daffodils blooming at Master Gardener Park at the corner of 10th Street and Sims Way in Port Townsend. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Signs of spring

Master Gardener Honey Niemann of Port Townsend trims a barberry bush on… Continue reading