Comprehensive Plan Update
Board of Commissioner Direction - Preferred Alternative
To meet requirements of the Growth Management Act and conduct a robust community process, Kitsap County began the update of its 2024 Comprehensive Plan in Summer 2022. After over 18 months of public meetings, workshops and other outreach, Kitsap County released draft documents illustrating three alternatives for future growth through 2044. These documents and their included land use alternatives (No Action, Focused Growth and Dispersed Growth) were released in December 2023, outlining different land use patterns for population, housing and employment growth through 2044.
After additional public outreach through early 2023, the Kitsap County Planning Commission held a public hearing on March 5, 2023, to solicit public comment towards developing a single Preferred Alternative. This single Preferred Alternative would direct additional environmental and capital facilities review based on revised urban growth area boundaries, zoning composition, rural reclassifications, maximum height and density allowances, tree canopy requirements and other major policy initiatives. The Planning Commission deliberated on March 26, 2024 and made a recommendation on a Preferred Alternative to the Board of County Commissioners.
The Board of Commissioners held a public hearing on the Planning Commission Recommendation as well as the three previously released Alternatives on April 8, 2024 (written record was held open until April 10, 2024). The Board began deliberation on April 17, 2024, and provided direction on a single Preferred Alternative (maps and major policies) on April 17, 22 and 24, 2025.
Preferred Alternative
In development of this recommendation, the Board considered the contents for the draft documents, all public comment received, the Planning Commission recommendation and staff feedback. Based on this review their direction on major policies, UGA boundaries and land use maps assumed the following:
- The Planning Commission recommendation, whose foundation was Alterative 2 (Focused Growth), is most in line with regional planning, GMA-consistency and new Commerce requirements. It comes closest to addressing future growth including balancing population and housing needs and achieving employment targets. It should be used as the base for the Preferred Alternative.
- Rural areas have substantial existing capacity well beyond 20-year forecast (2024-2044). While improving dramatically, our rural to urban development ratios are not yet meeting Countywide Planning Policy (CPP) policies.
- Increasing housing diversity including missing middle (e.g. townhomes, duplexes, row and cottage housing) and multi-family housing is a priority. This is a priority primarily in urban centers but also throughout UGAs to improve housing accessibility and improve racial disparities in housing.
- Commerce guidance based on recently passed ( HB1220 ) provides direction on estimated housing need for the 2024-2044 planning horizon. These estimates are distributed by household income ranges based on percentage of Annual Median Income (AMI). The guidance also suggests certain housing types for these income levels (e.g. incomes 80% AMI and below generally require multi-family housing opportunities).
- Based on Commerce guidance for Kitsap, current zoning (No Action - Alternative 1) is significantly below its needed multi-family capacity and above its single-family, detached capacity.
- Requiring continued tree canopy be part of future development is a priority but also carries impacts on developable land.
Based on these findings, below are UGA and area-specific details regarding the Board direction on the Preferred Alternative. Please see the Exhibits for specific details on UGA boundaries and land use designations.
Board of Commissioner Direction - Preferred Alternative
Other Major Policy Recommendation
Next Steps and More Information
Kitsap County will use the Preferred Alternative to complete staff draft documents including Comprehensive Plan, Capital Facilities Plan and Development regulations for release by the end of August 2024.
For more information on the Comprehensive Plan Update process, draft documents and past presentations and other content, please visit kcowa.us/compplan .
As Kitsap encourages early and active public participation, please provide comments via the website or at compplan@kitsap.gov .
A list of all previously submitted comment can be found on the project webpage kcowa.us/compplan .
