Commission Briefs

Belfair sewer hearing Monday

The Belfair Sewer Project public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday through Zoom.

The link to join the Zoom call for public comment can be found at masoncountywa.gov. Questions and comments can be emailed ahead of time to [email protected], mailed to the commissioner’s office at 411 North 5th Street, Shelton, or call 360-427-9670, ext. 230.

During the public comment portion of the Jan. 18 commissioners meeting, two people commented on the Belfair Sewer Project. Greg Sypnicki said he watched the March 23, 2020, commissioners briefing and how all three commissioners were discussing the urgency of accepting the $8 million loan to extend the Belfair sewer. After the discussion, he said the accepting of the loan was unanimous because commissioners Kevin Shutty and Sharon Trask said the repayment of the loan would be a burden on the county and not on the utility itself.

Sypnicki cited the contract that was signed for the loan, which stated a rate increase of $87 to the base monthly rate per Equivalent Residental Units or demonstrate there has been an increase in ERUs prior to project completion and asked the commissioners what the discrepancy is.

“I felt there was a real connection, even though commissioner (Randy) Neatherlin was not for this, it really seemed like there was a meeting of the minds and it was pretty much that his community would be spared the burden of having their rates increase if things didn’t go as planned and if some discussion could take place during this meeting, I would really appreciate it,” Sypnicki said.

Brenda Hirschi spoke during public comment about the Belfair Sewer Project, stating she was perplexed about the rates for the ERUs and the number $87 showing up a couple of times and saying it has not been applied.

“I was told by you (Shutty) that you were committed to keeping the rates at the current level so this is something, part of the meeting on Jan. 31, we are probably going to need to go into in further depth,” Hirschi said. “One question that comes to my mind is how many ERUs is it going to take to bring this special fund to make it solvent and to begin to comply with the state auditor’s findings the last five years? That and another thing that perplexes me is why we’re going into undeveloped land, which is not part of the urban growth area, while there are so many homes in that area that have not had an extension given that are left using septic systems? The other thing that I hope the county will address is what we’re doing to inspect and enforce the quality of the septic systems that are out there. So I think commissioner Shutty, that, we all agreed that we want to keep the water clean and safe because that’s just part of the economy and quality of life here in Mason County, we want that, but at the same time, we want to have a long term solution to the financial condition of the Belfair Sewer System.”

Amendment to zoning approved

Mason County commissioners approved amendments to Title 17 Zoning Code, which is about height limits, reduction of standard side yard setbacks and accessory dwelling unit requirements within specific zones of Mason County.

According to the information packet, the changes include eliminating the 55-foot height limit within certain parts of the urban growth area in Belfair, Allyn and Shelton. Buiilding height would have to be approved. Another change would add language to the residential districts of the urban growth areas that allows a reduction of the side yard setback with review and approval of a building administrative variance. The third change is about accessory dwelling unit requirements and eliminating the need for an ADU to be within 150 feet of the main residence on the lot and the requirement the owner reside either in the main residence or ADU.

Community Development Senior Planner Marissa Watson presented the changes to the commission and public. Watson said applicants still have to go through a special use permit process so the public has an opportunity to comment on the height of a building. There has been input from people who are interested in housing and commercial projects in the urban growth areas and setting the limit at 55 feet outright was making it difficult to make projects feasible, according to Watson.

The side yard setbacks would be through an application process on the residential areas of the UGAs and it would also be reviewed and approved through the building department to ensure they meet building and fire codes, according to Watson.

The third amendment is to update some code. Watson said the current need for an ADU to be within 150 feet of the main residence “doesn’t make sense” when allowing the conversion of a current structure. The change in regards to the owner residing in the main residence or ADU would still apply to shoreline lots, but not elsewhere.

Mason County PUD 3 wrote a letter to Watson about the proposed changes, stating “Mason PUD 3 strongly encourages opportunities to increase density of development in Mason County” regarding the height standards. PUD 3 said they encourage applicants to consult with the PUD early in the planning process to ensure any potential issues regarding setbacks are addressed and had no comment on the ADU amendment.

An email was sent to the commissioners and Watson from resident Diane Hartley about increased density and overwhelming current infrastructure and water resources. It was the only public comment during the hearing.

Commissioners approved the amendments unanimously. Commissioner Randy Neatherlin spoke about the amendments before approving it, saying he spoke with Hartley and her concerns are valid, but it still has to go through the special use process and the concerns will be addressed during that process.

“We’re going to have growth and the traffic impacts are going to affect all of these people, but it doesn’t just go by unnoticed,” Neatherlin said. “It goes through a process first that will I hope always guarantee the right decisions are made through that special use permit process. There is always still, as we’ve talked about before, the need for that housing and in order to build that housing so that we can have our own people that are already here still have a place they can live, not just to bring people in from the outside. In order to do that, it has to pencil, and if it can’t pencil, it can’t be built.”