I am a past member of the Jefferson County Planning Commission. Our charge was to review to county’s comprehensive plan, take comments and issue a report.  

The comprehensive plan had to address the state’s Growth Management Act. GMA criteria that also had an economic component. 

The GMA has restricted growth in Jefferson County. In 1990, the census data showed a population of 20,146; in 2017, the census data population was 30,333, an annual increase of only 667.  

The GMA was supposed to address growth in densely populated counties. Jefferson County is not a densely populated county. We are suffering from the flight of young families because of the lack of opportunities. 

Our schools have declining enrollments and lack of funding. Homelessness and the lack of affordable housing are symptoms of the lack of family-wage jobs.

The recent Democrat party program in Port Ludlow did not offer any solutions.

The county continues to be a difficult place to get permits for land use and new buildings. Our building size limits and lack of available space turn off any company wanting to locate here. We need to revise our building codes and zone more land for industrial and commercial uses to allow larger companies to move here and have room to grow. And then put in the infrastructure for new industrial parks. We need to turn over the promotion and management to a professional company that specializes in this. This county is not known for being friendly to business. We need to change this image.

We have the space to grow and not turn our beautiful area into an ugly industrial area surrounded by tracts of “cookie cutter” houses.