2024 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update

The City of Port Orchard began its required 2024 periodic update to the City's Comprehensive Plan in Fall of 2022. The City envisioned a light refresh to its existing plan addressing new Growth Management Act (GMA) requirements, Vision 2050, and updated Countywide Planning Policies. Much of the work to update the Comprehensive Plan focusses on new planning requirements including, but not limited to, climate, equity, and housing affordability.

Every eight years, as required by the GMA, cities are required to update their Comprehensive Plan. Port Orchard’s last major update was conducted in 2016. The current update process took about two years to complete. As part of implementation of the updated Comprehensive Plan, the City of Port Orchard proposes to update the critical areas code for best available science, and update development regulations. This continued process will lead to additional development regulation amendments in 2025 to implement the updated Comprehensive Plan.

All work on the Comprehensive Plan periodic update will be done ensuring thorough and continuous public participation and outreach. The Public Participation Plan identifies mechanisms to capture the community’s input and outlines the anticipated timeline for Comprehensive Plan development. A timeline has been included in the documents linked below for reference.

The City of Port Orchard’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update has reached a significant milestone. After two years of collaborative planning, public outreach, and workshops, the Planning Commission closed a public hearing on October 29, 2024. At the hearing’s conclusion, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council approve the updated Comprehensive Plan and its components.

The Planning Commission carefully reviewed and deliberated on 10 elements of the Comprehensive Plan, encompassing important areas such as Land Use, Housing, Transportation, and Capital Facilities, which are critical to the city’s growth and sustainability. Additionally, two subarea plans for Sedgwick-Bethel and Bethel-Lund were recommended for approval.

In November, the City Council will begin discussions on the Comprehensive Plan and consider its formal adoption. The links on this Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update webpage have been updated to reflect the Planning Commission's recommendation to the City Council. We extend our gratitude to the community members and stakeholders who contributed to this process and invite continued engagement as we work toward finalizing the Comprehensive Plan.

Final Comprehensive Plan

As part of the ongoing 2024 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update, we are pleased to provide the latest Elements, which reflect the Planning Commission’s October 29, 2024 recommendation to the City Council to approve the Comprehensive Plan. These Elements, including two Bethel Subarea Plans, were completed in draft form and submitted to the Washington Department of Commerce in September 2024, with additional review conducted by the Puget Sound Regional Council in October 2024.

Following substantial public outreach throughout 2023 and 2024, the draft Elements were reviewed by the Planning Commission and updated to integrate public input.

Introduction: November 2024

Land Use: November 2024

Housing: November 2024

Parks and Recreation: November 2024

Natural Systems: November 2024

Economic Development: November 2024

Utilities: November 2024

Transportation: November 2024

Capital Facilities: November 2024

Climate: November 2024

Appendix A Land Use Designation Map: November 2024

Appendix B Plans Adopted by Reference: November 2024

Appendix C Ruby Creek Neighborhood Sub Area Plan: October 2024

Appendix D Downtown Subarea Plan and Regs: October 2024

Appendix E McCormick Village Subarea Plan: October 2024

Appendix F Bethel Lund Subarea Plan: November 2024

Appendix G Sedgwick Bethel Subarea Plan: November 2024

Appendix H: Housing Action Plan: November 2024

Appendix I: Land Capacity Analysis: November 2024

Appendix J: Racially Disparate Impacts Analysis: November 2024

Proposed 2024 Zoning Map

Bethel Subarea Plan Page

City Council Action on Comprehensive Plan Adoption

Following the Planning Commission’s recommendation, the City Council is expected to take action on the adoption of the updated Comprehensive Plan in late November or early December 2024. This step is critical in finalizing the 2024 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update and ensuring that the City's future growth and development align with state mandates, community needs, and long-term planning goals.

The public is encouraged to attend the City Council meetings where the Comprehensive Plan will be discussed. Final meeting dates and agendas will be posted on the City's website and social media platforms as they become available. Public comment will be welcomed prior to adoption.

For more information on upcoming City Council meetings, please visit the City Council Meetings page.

Achievements and Milestones:

Public Participation Plan: Formulation of a robust plan to engage the community in the decision-making process.

Comment Matrix: Beginning in January 2024, the Planning Commission reviewed and provided comments on ten draft elements of the Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update, including Introduction, Land Use, Housing, Parks, Natural Systems, Economic Development, Utilities, Transportation, Capital Facilities, and Climate. Feedback from both the Planning Commission and the public was compiled into a comment matrix, which outlines the status of each comment—whether accepted, under further consideration, or dismissed. The City’s team included detailed commentary within the matrix to explain the rationale behind proposed changes or dismissals. This comment matrix was made publicly available in the June Planning Commission Packet. Additionally, two public workshops were held to gather community input, supplemented by an online platform, ensuring comprehensive feedback was considered. The Comment Matrix is available here.

Public Outreach: Utilization of Social Pinpoint and an Update Kickoff and Visioning Workshop to gather valuable input from the public. The findings of the outreach efforts are provided in the Public Engagement Summary .

Existing Conditions Report: Final comprehensive report of existing conditions which serves as the foundational baseline data for the development of Comprehensive Plan Elements.

Get Involved!

The City’s approach to public outreach has evolved to maximize community engagement. In addition to in-person events, our approach to community involvement makes the process convenient for residents through a more accessible online platform, Social Pinpoint. This tool has proven effective in gathering feedback. Check back here and the Bethel Subarea Plan page periodically for additional opportunities to comment through Social Pinpoint as we continue the 2024 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update.

The public may review past workshops at Upcoming and Past Events and have an opportunity to comment on workshops still accepting input through Social Pinpoint.

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WHAT IS THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN?

The Comprehensive Plan is the 20-year framework for local policy, planning, and capital facility investment through the year 2044. This plan is used as a guide for the City by establishing vision statements, goals, objectives, policies, and implementing actions. This framework is intended to guide the day-to-day decisions of elected officials and City staff.

Washington State’s Growth Management Act (GMA) requires that Cities update their Comprehensive Plan every 10 years. The Comprehensive Plan is also revised on an annual basis.

WHY DO WE NEED A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN?

Every community needs a vision. Historically, growth in Washington State has led to issues of urban sprawl, loss of farmland, natural resource degradation, and uncoordinated capital facilities. In 1990, the Growth Management Act was passed, which required us to plan for the future. The Plan will guide where housing and business growth should occur, how that growth is served by transportation and other infrastructure, and how we can enhance the natural environment and community character.

WHO DECIDES WHAT THE PLAN SAYS?

With guidance from the Growth Management Act (GMA), Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC), Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council (KRCC), and the Department of Commerce, the Plan is required to meet a variety of different requirements. City Staff will engage the community to develop a vision based on community goals and state and regional requirements. A draft plan will be developed, and public meetings will be held to collect public comments. The Planning Commission will review and recommend to staff, who will forward a recommendation to City Council, who approves the final plan.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN?

A Comprehensive Plan is broken up into different elements. Each element has its own goals and policies. The entire Comprehensive Plan will be reviewed and updated with review to include the following elements or chapters:

Land Use
Housing
Parks
Natural Systems
Climate
Economic Development
Utilities
Transportation
Capital Facilities

In addition, Port Orchard will have various Subarea Plans within the Comprehensive Plan, which focus in more detail on areas across the City.

HOW WILL THIS AFFECT LAND USE?

The Port Orchard Comprehensive Plan assigns land use and zoning designations for every parcel within the City. Land Use designations provide guidance on the use of land, whether for residential, commercial, industrial, recreational, or institutional purposes.

The City must maintain a certain amount of residential and commercial growth capacity in certain areas of the City. The County-Wide Planning Policies (CPP’s) provide growth targets for different areas of the County. The Comprehensive Plan must be consistent with these goals.

IS THIS THE SAME AS A ZONING CODE?

No. The Comprehensive Plan is a framework for what land uses are allowed where. A zoning code regulates development, such as rules about height and setbacks. Per State Law, a zoning code must be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. The zoning code and other development regulations will be updated as a part of the process in order to implement the Comprehensive Plan. Other development codes will be updated for consistency such as the Critical Areas Regulations (POMC 20.162), and the Shoreline Master Program (POMC 20.164).

2024 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update

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