King County to form Community Advisory Group

King County recently resumed its long-range community planning services after a long hiatus, and we’re happy to announce that the Vashon-Maury Island Community Service Area (CSA) has been slated as the first CSA plan to be prepared under this program. Throughout 2016, we will be creating a CSA Plan Profile (which is defined below) and updating the Vashon Community Plan and Vashon Town Plan. To be successful and meaningful, the process requires the voices, ideas, and engagement of as many island residents and business owners as possible. This means there will be several forms and levels of opportunity to participate, including in-person forums, social media, face-to-face conversations, and in writing. One of the opportunities to engage in the planning process is to volunteer to be part of a Community Advisory Group.

What is a Community Advisory Group?
The Community Advisory Group is a working committee of 12 to 15 people representing a diversity of interests, disciplines, and community needs that will work closely with a King County staff team to develop the CSA Plan. The Community Advisory Group will provide local advice, expertise, and recommendations on land use, environmental, housing, public facility, open space, and related topics. The advisory group will meet every month from March 2016 through September 2016. Additional meetings may be scheduled as needed. We expect meetings will be in the evening and will be two hours long. All meetings will be open to the public.

We are looking for volunteers who:
- Reflect the diversity of the island and our region;
- Have an interest in the long-term quality of the community through the implementation of community development policies and decisions and how those affect the lives of all people in King County;
- Can participate openly, collaboratively, and creatively with group members whose views may be different from their own;
- Have a commitment to ensuring that underrepresented populations have opportunities to participate in the planning effort; and
- Can support the planning process by attending regularly and supporting other community outreach efforts.

What is a Community Service Area Plan?
Vashon-Maury Island is one of King County’s seven unincorporated Community Service Areas. Long-range planning services are conducted within each CSA on a rotating, eight-year cycle. CSA Plans are comprised of a “CSA Plan Profile” and a “CSA Subarea Plan.” Profiles address issues that are generally CSA-wide such as aspirational goals, demographics, zoning, and major land use changes which impact most CSA residents. Subarea Plans address issues that are generally smaller in geographic scope and require a more detailed, in-depth analysis. These plans have a strong action bias, typically incorporate goals and policies of prior community plans, and impact only residents within a defined area. CSA Plans reflect the values of the local communities and will help to guide the development and capital improvement decisions of King County over the next 20 years.

When will meetings be held?
The first meeting will be held on Thursday, March 10 at 6:30 p.m. on the island. At this first meeting, we’ll identify the best meeting time and place for advisory group members. We anticipate meetings will be held in the evening and at locations easily accessible by transit. We will accommodate special needs as requested.

How to apply to be part of the Community Advisory Group?
If you would like to participate in this group, please complete the online application on the Department of Permitting and Environmental Review’s web site at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/G57N8W6 no later than 5:00pm on Wednesday, February 17th. Paper copies of the application form are also available at the Vashon-Maury Island Community Service Center located at 10011 SW Bank Road. We will follow-up by February 22nd to let applicants know if they have been selected.

What are other ways to be involved?
Beyond the Community Advisory Group, there will be many ways to engage in the Vashon-Maury Island CSA Plan process:
- Attend and participate in one of the upcoming community forums to be held at McMurray Middle School. More information to come on these events.
-Join the project email list to receive notification about project milestones or events.
- Attend a Community Advisory Group meeting even if you do not become a member. While there may not be time available for public comment, forms will be provided for comments and questions that will be shared with the advisory group.
- Visit the Vashon-Maury Island CSA Plan web site (under construction) to submit ideas and feedback and/or take an online survey related to the proposed plan.
We appreciate your time and commitment to developing a vibrant, sustainable, and relevant community plan for the island. We hope to hear from you as we move forward with the planning process. If you have any questions, please contact Bradley Clark, Subarea Planner, at
bradley.clark@kingcounty.gov or 206-477-2449.

Sincerely,
John Starbard
Director