BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — Residents will have two opportunities to speak at public hearings on the city’s updated growth plan and Winslow development rules, after the City Council added a December hearing to one scheduled just before Thanksgiving.
Council members voted 6-0 Nov. 10 to set hearings for Nov. 24 and Dec. 8 on the comprehensive plan and Winslow Subarea Plan, the development regulations that implement them, and a separate package of code changes required by state law.
The votes scheduled hearings; they did not adopt the plans or approve the proposed zoning changes. Staff are working toward possible adoption Dec. 8.
Deputy Mayor Kirsten Hytopoulos and Councilmember Ashley Mathews said a single hearing two days before Thanksgiving would not give residents enough opportunity to participate. Mayor Clarence Moriwaki also supported the two-date approach.
The comprehensive plan guides the island’s growth through 2044. The Winslow plan addresses the city’s principal urban area, while the accompanying regulations translate planning policies into rules for development.
Interim Planning and Community Development Director Emily Terrell said staff and consultants were still integrating the council’s recently selected preferred alternative into the plans, maps and final environmental impact statement.
The text was substantially complete, but the final Winslow document’s graphics and formatting might not be finished before the first hearing, Terrell said. She described the schedule as compressed and said a cleaner version of the comprehensive plan would replace the annotated draft.
City Manager John Mauro also acknowledged that the draft development regulations needed a correction to reflect an earlier council motion on floor area ratio, a measure of building floor space relative to lot size.
Council members separately voted 6-0 to have staff update a sewer-capacity memorandum and add it to the capital facilities element. During discussion, staff clarified that the land capacity analysis was already included among the packet’s exhibits.
The three ordinance packages are numbered 2026-04, 2026-05 and 2026-15. Residents can review the draft plans, proposed regulations and supporting materials through the city’s meeting portal at https://bainbridgeislandwa.portal.civicclerk.com/.
Hearing logistics and updated documents should be checked in the agendas for the Nov. 24 and Dec. 8 meetings as they are posted.
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