The Growth Management Act of Washington (GMA) requires cities to periodically review and evaluate comprehensive plans and development regulations (RCW 36.70A.130). Following adoption of the Comprehensive Plan, the City’s development regulations need to be updated to support the goals and policies articulated in the plan. The City’s review of development regulations includes the Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) update pursuant to state law that requires cities to designate and adopt regulations for the protection of critical areas. The City’s CAO is codified in Bainbridge Island Municipal Code (BIMC) Chapter 16.20.

There has been a substantial public comment period for the CAO update, including nine regularly scheduled City Council meetings throughout August and December, 2017, and two public hearings on October 3 and November 14, 2017. On December 12, 2017, the Council approved a motion to schedule a public hearing for January 9, 2018, to allow for additional public comment regarding the proposed ordinance. The January 9, 2018, public hearing draft was updated to reflect additional public comment received, and is dated January 30, 2018.

The Council workshop is intended to give Council members the opportunity to discuss the January 30, 2018, public hearing draft with input provided by other agencies. The following documents are included in the background materials:

• Ordinance 2018-01 (formerly Ordinance 2017-17).
• A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document dated January 30, 2018.

• A summary of public comments received through January 14, 2018.
• A summary of general public comments/concerns organized by topic and three categories of potential City Council action.
• The Revised Public Hearing Draft CAO, dated January 30, 2018: This draft includes proposed changes for Council consideration based on public comment received through January 14, 2018, and staff input. (For an explanation of the proposed changes, see the summary of the proposed changes included in the January 30, 2018, Public Hearing Draft, which is the next bulleted item).
• A summary of the proposed changes included in the January 30, 2018, Public Hearing Draft.  
• The Best Available Science Summary with attachments.
• CAO and NVPA summary sheets.