Debra "DJ" Sessner,
			Sr. Planner
		Lynda Guernsey,
			Departmental Assistant

Six subarea plans are currently in effect in the county: the Eastsound Subarea Plan, Shaw Island Subarea Plan, Waldron Island Limited Development District (LDD) Subarea Plan, San Juan Islands Trust Lands Management Plan, Open Space and Conservation Plan, and Personal Wireless Communication Service Facilities Subarea Plan.

Consistency Reviews

The Waldron Island, Shaw Island, Personal Wireless Facilities, Washington State Trust Lands, and Open Space and Conservation Subarea plans have been reviewed and have been found consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, Unified Development Code, and the Growth Management Act. See the consistency review page for details and analyses.

The consistency review of the Eastsound subarea plan is currently in progress.

Eastsound Subarea Plan (Chapter 16.55 SJCC, 10–2–2000, and any amendments thereto) & Map

Eastsound is the largest unincorporated community in the county. It is the geographic center of Orcas Island and is the commercial and cultural center of the island community. The Subarea Plan provides land use and development goals, policies and regulations (including maximum residential densities) specific to Eastsound. Throughout the Plan, "Eastsound" includes both the Village and surrounding areas within the boundaries of the Subarea Plan's planning area; "the Village" means the commercial center, represented in the Plan as the Village Commercial District.

The Plan was first adopted in 1981, was completely revised in 1992, and further amended in 1996. Amendments were made in October 2000 and May 2002 so that the subarea plan would conform with the associated amendments of the Comp Plan, UDC, and Official Maps. The subarea plan includes the identification and designation of an urban growth area in the Planning Area, and assignment of the areas outside of the UGA to rural densities and levels of service. The Subarea Plan includes an Official Map that illustrates the boundaries of the subarea, the UGA, the airport overlay district, and the different land-use districts and shoreline designations within the boundaries. The map does not portray survey accuracy.

Eastsound Land-Use Districts and Designations.

The Eastsound Subarea Plan establishes land-use districts for the subarea, each permitting a different level or density of activity. These land-use districts were developed based on the needs and expressed desires of the community, existing land use patterns, and location of natural features and systems. The Subarea Plan identifies the uses and activities which are allowed or prohibited within each land-use district.

I.	Commercial and Utility Districts.
	•	Village Commercial District provides a compact commercial and community-wide social and cultural activities area that is centrally located.
	•	Service Park District provides for a small utilities and commercial area in the southeast of the UGA with accessory residential uses.
	•	Service and Light Industrial District accommodates commercial services and light industrial or construction-related activities, office and retail uses, and accessory residential uses, as well as those airport-related facilities and services that are located outside of the adjacent Airport District.
	•	Airport Use District accommodates the existing airport and existing and new related facilities and services. No residential uses are allowed.
	•	Marina District provides for the existing marina and resort facilities and uses on the north shore, compatible water-dependent uses, and residential development that is compatible with the other uses. Site planning and review is required for parcels larger than 1/4 acre.
II.	Urban and Phased Suburban-Density Residential Districts.
	•	Village Residential District provides an area in two locations for higher-density single- and multi-family residential uses, as well as for schools and civic and cultural facilities and for low-intensity commercial uses that are compatible with residential use.
	•	Eastsound Residential–4-to-12 units per acre District provides for higher-density residential development when a planned unit development application is prepared. This district will provide needed affordable housing, while the PUD requirement will ensure a higher level of planning for the development.
	•	Eastsound Residential–4 units per acre–P, Eastsound Residential–2 units per acre–P, and Eastsound Residential–1 unit per acre–P districts are within the Eastsound UGA boundary, and allow for the phased development of some of the areas within the UGA. These districts allow medium-density single-family residential uses and other uses that are compatible with residential use, but require site planning and review for parcels which are larger than 1/4 acre.
	•	Eastsound Residential–4 units per acre, Eastsound Residential–2 units per acre, and Eastsound Residential–1 unit per acre districts are within the UGA boundary. These districts recognize that, in several locations, shoreline location or other environmental criteria are compatible with possible future development at urban (4 or more units per acre) densities. They allow for medium-density single-family residential uses without site planning and review for parcels larger than 1/4 acre.
III.	Rural and Special Lands.
	•	Eastsound Rural Residential–1 unit per 5 acres District includes those lands in the Planning Area that are outside of the urban growth area but which are not within the Eastsound Rural District. It provides for an area of residential development at rural- or non-urban density and rural levels of service.
	•	Eastsound Rural District is outside of the UGA, and provides for an area of rural-level density residential development to foster the preservation of open space and pastoral views within Eastsound, and provides a means to conserve those remaining lands in the planning area that are used for agricultural purposes.
	•	Eastsound Natural District preserves areas containing unusual natural resource systems, and prevents alteration of natural resource areas that are relatively intolerant of human use.
	•	Eastsound Conservancy Overlay recognizes resources and features that are not of a size or configuration to warrant a separate district, and provides a means to conserve specific natural resources and features.
IV.	Comprehensive Plan Overlay Designations.
	Overlay districts and subarea plans provide policies and regulations in addition to those of the underlying land-use districts for certain land areas and for uses that warrant specific recognition and management. For any land use or development that is proposed to be located entirely or partly within an overlay district or within the jurisdiction of a subarea plan, the applicable provisions of the overlay district or subarea plan prevail over any conflicting provisions of the UDC; all other provisions of the UDC retain full force and effect within the Overlay District.
	ESA	Environmentally Sensitive Areas		OSC	Open Space Conservation
V.	Shoreline Master Program and Jurisdiction.
	A land use or development that is proposed to be located entirely or partly within 200 feet of the ordinary high water mark of a regulated shoreline is within the jurisdiction of the Shoreline Master Program, and is subject to the applicable provisions of Section 3 of the Comprehensive Plan and of UDC Section 5, as well as the applicable provisions and permit requirements of the underlying land-use district. Shoreline environments and designations are described in Element 3 of the Comprehensive Plan. These are the same as those adopted in 1976, with changes only to the names of the original Suburban and Rural shoreline designations, and with the addition of certain subarea designations.
	EU	Eastsound Urban		C	Eastsound Conservancy
	ESR	Eastsound Residential		N	Eastsound Natural
	EM	Eastsound Marina			Aquatic
					Critical Marine Habitat Management Area (none designated at present)

Land Use District Boundaries. Land-use district boundary lines extend parallel from their landward location to a point of intersection at the center of all bodies of water. Bodies of water include all saltwater bodies, streams, and lakes.

Multiple Designations. Some properties or developments may be subject to the regulations for two or more applicable land-use districts, shoreline environments, or overlay districts.

Overlay Districts and the Eastsound Subarea Plan. The Eastsound Map does not portray survey accuracy and does not provide a definitive answer as to whether any Overlay District regulations apply to a specific property. The Administrator of the Permit Center may make a written interpretation as to the presence or absence of an Overlay District(s) on specific property.

Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) Maps. ESA maps will be prepared and maintained by the Permit Center. The ESA maps, like the Official Maps, do not provide survey accuracy, and will be provided only as a general guide to alert the viewer to the possible location and extent of ESAs. The maps should not be relied upon to establish the existence absence of an ESA, boundaries of an ESA, nor to establish whether all of the elements necessary to identify an area as an ESA actually exist. Conditions in the field are controlling. In the event of a conflict between information shown on the maps and information shown as a result of field investigation, the latter shall prevail.

Allowable Residential Density, and Minimum Lot Sizes. The maximum allowable residential density for all parcels is provided for each land-use district in the Eastsound Subarea Plan. There are no separate shoreline densities: shoreline densities are controlled by upland designations. The Subarea Plan also establishes minimum lot sizes in some land-use districts. If specific site considerations dictate a lower density than that shown on the Official Maps, the County has authority to impose a lower density.

Other Existing Subarea Plans

The following descriptions outline the general purpose and area of application of the five other adopted subarea plans.

	1.	Shaw Island Subarea Plan (Chapter 16.45 SJCC, 7–3–2001, and any amendments thereto)
		The Shaw Island Subarea Plan was adopted in 1994 to protect the existing character and qualities of Shaw Island through goals, policies and regulations which are more specific to the needs and interests of the Shaw community. Shaw residents and property owners wish to protect the quiet, rural environment that results from limited commercial activity and a limited transportation network, and to ensure that demand does not exceed the present or planned capacity of infrastructure and public services. The Shaw Island Plan also adopts island-specific shoreline designations.
	2.	Waldron Island Limited Development District Subarea Plan (Chapter 16.36 SJCC, 1–23–2001, and any amendments thereto)
		The Waldron Island Limited Development District Subarea Plan was adopted in 1995 and is a complete revision of the original plan adopted for Waldron in 1976. While Waldron is frequently characterized by the amenities it does not have (ferry service, electricity, paved roads), it is rich in attributes highly valued by the majority of its residents and property owners. Fields and forest, rock and beaches, clean air and water are part of everyday life, as are litter free, unpaved roads with minimal motor vehicle traffic. Waldron is not a wilderness, but the environment is relatively unspoiled. The plan recognizes the limited availability of government services and capital facilities existing and planned for on Waldron and is designed to maintain the existing rural, residential and agricultural character of the island.
	3.	San Juan Islands Trust Lands Management Plan and Management Guidelines (adopted by the County in Ordinance No. 86–1986, and by the Washington State Board of Natural Resources in 1986), and any amendments thereto
		The policy Plan and Management Guidelines were adopted by the County and the Board of Natural Resources in 1986. The documents identify the most appropriate uses of, and management plans for 26 parcels of approximately 2,500 total acres of Washington Department of Natural Resources-managed Trust land located on six islands in the county. Twenty-one of the properties are "common school trust lands" with limitations on their disposition and use. The policies and site analyses which are briefly presented in the Plan are more fully explained in the complete text of the Management Guidelines, which is adopted by reference into the Plan.
	4.	San Juan County Open Space and Conservation Plan (adopted in Ordinance 124–1991, consistency with Comp Plan confirmed 7–3–2001), and any amendments thereto
		This plan was adopted in 1991 and is intended to identify and recommend a variety of possible methods to protect those open spaces, vistas and view corridors that substantially contribute to the sense of rural character that now prevails in most of the county. The Open Space and Conservation Plan presents the methods used for identifying significant open space resources, factors working to degrade those resources, and the effectiveness of open space conservation tools presently available. The Open Space and Conservation Plan adopts no regulations, instead it presents specific recommendations for action to conserve open space resources.
	5.	San Juan County Personal Wireless Communication Service Facilities Subarea Plan (Chapter 16.80 SJCC, 7–3–2001, and any amendments thereto) and Maps
		The Personal Wireless Communication Service Facilities Subarea Plan was adopted September 3, 1997, as Ordinance No. 8–1997, to establish location, siting, design and performance standards for personal wireless facilities in recognition of the requirements and limitations established by §704 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996—P.L. 104–104, 110 Stat. 56 (1996), codified as 47 USC 332(c)(7). It includes a map (in three panels, one for each Commissioner district) describing preferred, potentially suitable, conditionally suitable, and unsuitable locations for such facilities. The Federal Communications Commission also maintains a Web page for siting issues regarding personal wireless facilities (www.fcc.gov/wtb/siting/Welcome.html Note: this hyperlink will take you from the County's site to another site on the Internet.). The FCC Web page has two fact sheets (#1 and #2) which include reproductions of FCC regulations pertaining to personal wireless facilities, and further information and links regarding this topic. Also at this site is the FCC, Office of Engineering and Technology, Docket No. 93–62, "Guidelines for Evaluating the Environmental Effects of Radiofrequency Radiation" (RF Safety), which is referenced in the subarea plan, SJCC 16.80.