KITSAP NEWS SOURCES

The Poulsbo City Council unanimously approved a new set of Low Impact Development guidelines last week, making Poulsbo the first city in Kitsap County to do so.

Once the guidelines are approved by the Department of Ecology (DOE), the city can put them to use. They are currently undergoing final revisions.

The LID document, published by the Kitsap County Homebuilders Foundation, is designed to be a practical guide to LID implementation throughout the county.

“This document provides guidance on the need for and benefits of Low Impact Development (LID), as well as a somewhat cookbook approach to selecting, designing and implementing Low Impact Development Best Management Practices approved by the Department of Ecology, with a focus on the Best Management Practices most appropriate for use in Kitsap County,” wrote Michael Bateman, city senior engineering technician, in a memo to council members.

“As such, adoption of the manual will not only encourage developers to investigate the possibility of applying Low Impact Development Best Management Practices to developments in Kitsap County,” he wrote further, “but will also help fulfill the Puget Sound Pollution Control Hearing Board’s mandate to Phase II communities under our current NPDES permit to identify and attempt to remove impediments to Low Impact Development.”