"Jon Rose has said that Raydient doesn’t need the rezone to profitably develop the land, and that the zoning allows recreation. At the last public meeting, when I asked why, then, do they need the rezone, no one gave us a clear answer. This leads to me to assume that,
1. Raydient is not content with the profits they can make under the current rules that everyone else must play by.
2. The backers want commercial development. (By the way, I find the proposition that they need this for the convenience of families using the sports complex preposterous – a concession stand benefitting the sports teams could do that.)
In effect, they aren’t just asking to quadruple the number of houses, they are requesting carte blanche for as-yet-undefined commercial development and an equally undefined sports complex, both of which would drastically alter the character of a large portion of rural, natural North Kitsap County, and which are in direct opposition to the letter and intent of the comprehensive plan.
What worries us most, though, is that it won’t stop there. Once there’s a concentrated residential development, commercial development, and a major sports complex, the rezoned plot will become a magnet, attracting more development. And once the county has allowed one rezone – and changed the character of the area – it will be very difficult to say no to the next request, and the one after, and one after, until Bond Road and its tributaries are developed to the edge of the county.
In short, the question is not about rezoning this one parcel. The question is: Do we want a county comprised of diverse land uses as provided for in the comprehensive plan, or do we want to turn all North Kitsap into housing tracts and shopping centers? And that is something that affects the whole county."
By Joseph Forsthoffer