Panel sides with Tarboo Lake Coalition on gun range ordinances

Growth Management Hearings Board decides Jefferson County violated law

PORT TOWNSEND — The state Growth Management Hearings Board has sided with the Tarboo Ridge Coalition, deciding that Jefferson County did not follow state laws when it enacted Title 8 and Title 18 of the county code on commercial shooting facilities.

The board heard testimony from the coalition and from the county — represented by Philip Hunsucker, Jefferson County chief civil prosecuting attorney — on June 11 regarding the county’s adoption of Title 8 and Title 18 in regard to gun ranges and announced the decision Monday.

A 22-page document was released Monday describing the board’s decision and process.

The board determined it has jurisdiction over Title 8 and Title 18 — classifying them as land ordinances and deeming them invalid — and that the county failed to conduct a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review for Title 8, in violation of state law RCW 43.21C.030.

The SEPA review analyzes the environmental impact governmental decisions have.

Not conducting a SEPA review is not automatic grounds for the board to declare invalidity, but because Title 8 directly conflicts with the board’s goals of protecting the environment, the board decided the county must redress that part of Title 8 and bring its code into compliance with state and board regulations.

The board gave the county a deadline schedule to bring Title 8 and Title 18 into compliance with its regulations:

• March 2, 2020: Compliance due

• March 16, 2020: Compliance report/statement of actions taken to comply and index to compliance record

• March 30, 2020: Objections to a finding of compliance

• April 7, 2020: Response to objections

• April 14, 2020: Telephonic compliance hearing

The board also declared that the county must address specific portions of the ordinances, which currently allow for multiple commercial shooting facilities on the same property when only one was allowed previously, and allow police and military training to be conducted when previously only recreational and tourist use was permitted. The board also said the county abandoned the previous requirement that the facilities be for small-scale uses only.

The initial petitions for change were submitted in December 2018 and January 2019. After which, the board held the requisite pre-hearings, briefs, filings and eventual hearing in June.

The decision is in regard to all potential commercial gun ranges in the county, not just the proposed 40-acre facility that Joe D’Amico is trying to build near Tarboo Lake.

The Jefferson County Sportsmen’s Association is not affected by this hearing or ordinance changes.

In a press release, the Tarboo Ridge Coalition said it is glad to be working with the county on the changes.

“TRC is grateful for the opportunity to start over and is dedicated to keep working with all of you for a sensible and fair ordinance that includes specific siting criteria with bright line rules about the location, size and intensity of new gun facilities,” the coalition said in the release.

Hunsucker was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

Board decision on Tarboo Ridge by Laura Foster on Scribd

________

Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5 or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Peninsula College nursing students, from left, Emily Haddock of Lewiston, Idaho, Jordan Hegtvedt of Sequim and Chaela Cashman of Port Angeles adjust each other’s mortar boards in preparation for commencement ceremonies on Saturday on the college’s Port Angeles campus. A total of 328 students were expected to take part in two ceremonies with 530 students eligible for diplomas and certificates for the 2024-25 academic year. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Graduation prep

Peninsula College nursing students, from left, Emily Haddock of Lewiston, Idaho, Jordan… Continue reading

Next steps outlined in Olympic Medical Center process

CEO: Update on status will be ‘coming soon’

Cooling centers would extend hours, if needed

Summer forecast calls for warmer, smokier conditions, public health specialist says

Elwha River bridge set to be demolished

Clallam commissioners receive road construction updates

Sequim city staff are considering next options for a house and various outbuildings in Gerhardt Park after a recent surplus auction resulted in no bids. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
Sequim considers options for house in park

Public provided no bids during process that ended June 6

Three injured following crash near Forks

Three people were injured following a two-car collision on state… Continue reading

Power outage scheduled for West End customers

Clallam County Public Utility District No. 1 has announced a… Continue reading

Chimacum High School senior Jesse Daniels takes crazy cell phone photos of his classmates while waiting to march to the gym for his graduation ceremony at Chimacum High on Saturday. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Lasting memories

Chimacum High School senior Jesse Daniels takes crazy cell phone photos of… Continue reading

Cadence Harlan and Sophia Petta lead their class of 99 Port Townsend High School graduating seniors through the Rhododendron Garden at Fort Worden State Park on Friday for their graduation ceremony at McCurdy Pavilion. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Graduation walk

Cadence Harlan and Sophia Petta lead their class of 99 Port Townsend… Continue reading

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula
Carrie Blake Community Park, pictured last summer, returns as a Summer Meal Program destination through the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula and the Department of Agriculture. Meals are offered to children ages 1-18 from noon to 12:30 p.m. in the park on weekdays, except July 4, through Aug. 27.
Free student meals programs start in Port Angeles, Sequim

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula has launched its… Continue reading

Security exercise set for Wednesday at Indian Island

Naval Magazine Indian Island will conduct a security training… Continue reading

Carissa Guiley of Silverdale, left, along with daughters Mia Guiley, 5, and Evelyn Guiley, 8, peer over a rocky bluff at a sea stack in Crescent Bay on Saturday near Port Crescent. The family was on an outing at Salt Creek County Recreation Area. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
What’s over the edge?

Carissa Guiley of Silverdale, left, along with daughters Mia Guiley, 5, and… Continue reading