KCAA Presents Comprehensive Plan Suggestions to Kitsap County Commissioners

KCAA board members Scott Hall and Jeremy Anunson spoke at the Kitsap County public hearing on April 8th to outline the KCAA’s thoughts on the upcoming Kitsap County Comprehensive Plan adoption. The Plan is crucial to preserving the county’s existing farmlands and providing support for agriculture in the upcoming decade.

Below are Scott and Jeremy's Comments:

We — Scott Hall and Jeremy Anunson — are speaking on behalf of ourselves and as board members of the Kitsap Community and Agricultural Alliance (KCAA). The KCAA’s mission over the last two and a half decades is to support agriculture in Kitsap County.

We would like to endorse Section 18d of the 2024 Comprehensive Plan draft: "Form an agricultural advisory committee to inform development of future regulations and act as a resource to farmers regarding incentive and other assistance programs."

In addition, we think it is important to include all agricultural protections included in the 2016 Comprehensive Plan for the proposed 2024 Comprehensive Plan, specifically:

1. Retain all agricultural extant policies currently found in Land Use Goals 14 located in the 2016 Comprehensive Plan, except wherever referencing the Kitsap County Agricultural Strategic Plan and Inventory.

2. Retain all agricultural extant policies currently found in Economic Development Goal 5 and Strategy 2 – Food Policy Council located in the 2016 Comprehensive Plan.
   

Also, we suggest the following modification:

3. Page 52 – Remove “Small-Scale Agriculture.” It is not necessary to use size-limiting language.
   

Lastly, we ask for a commitment to a thorough and close lens on rural and farmland in a 2025 Comprehensive Plan addendum.

Thank you

KCAA Board of Directors

Bob Geballe

Karissa Holcombe

Broox Daniel

Roni Smith

Scott Hall

Jeremy Anunson

Melody Shipman

Denise Courter