Submitted by San Juan County.
This fall, County staff and officials, including the County’s new Director of Community Development, will attend land-use committee meetings on Lopez and Orcas Islands to engage with the public, receive feedback and answer questions.
New DCD director visits Lopez and Orcas
Sev Jones is serving as the County’s new director of community development and will be attending the Lopez Village Plan Review Committee meeting on Oct. 28 alongside Councilmember Jane Fuller and the Eastsound Planning Review Committee meeting on Nov. 6 alongside Councilmember Justin Paulsen. These meetings will be an opportunity to get to know Jones and share feedback with the planning department.
Jones comes to the islands with a wealth of experience in planning, having served as the director of planning and public works for the Kalispel Tribe in eastern Washington, the planning director for the Matanuska Susitna Borough in Alaska and as a city planner for both Kirkland, Washington, and Boise, Idaho. Jones also taught urban planning courses as an adjunct professor at Boise State University.
About the Lopez Village Plan Review Committee
The Lopez Village Planning Review Committee will hold its next meeting on Oct. 28, from 3:30-5 p.m. at the Lopez Island Library. The meeting is in-person and online. Access the agenda at https://www.sanjuancountywa.gov/370/Lopez-Village-Planning-Review-Committee.
The committee consists of five members — all residents of Lopez Island appointed by the County Council for terms of three years each. This group assists the community in developing a subarea plan for the Lopez Village Urban Growth Area. The committee’s purpose is to advise the staff, the Planning Commission and the County Council on the development of the Lopez Village Subarea Plan and the necessary regulations and standards for its implementation.
The committee’s work includes considering matters such as lighting, landscaping, parking, bicycle and pedestrian access, building standards, wireless communication facilities, stormwater management, density, views and aesthetics. This committee’s role is to ensure that the development of the Lopez Village is consistent with the San Juan County Comprehensive Plan and supports the County’s planning policies and development regulations.
