HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-10-09-minutes-cds-study-sessionKITTITAS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
CDS Study Session
Regular Meeting
Monday October 9, 2023 -1:30 PM
BoCC Auditorium
205 West Sth Room 109 - Ellensburg
1. Call to Order
2. Citizen Comments (1 min. time limit)
I Cultural Resources Reports
4. Other Business - No Action to be taken
5. Concluded
Created on 10/512023 12:26:44 PM
KITTITAS COUNTY
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES STUDY SESSION MINUTES
COMMISSIONERS' AUDITORIUM, 205 WEST 5TH ROOM 109
Regular Meeting
MONDAY 1:30 PM October 9, 2023
Board members present: Chairman Cory Wright, Vice Chairman Brett
Wachsmith, and Commissioner Laura Osiadacz.
Others: Mark Cook, Arden Thomas, Josh Fredrickson, Rebecca Cruse, Public
Works; Jessica Miller, Jamey Ayling, Community Development Services;
Stephanie Hartung, Prosecuting Attorney's Office; 2 members of the
public.
At 1:30 PM Chairman Cory Wright opened the Community Development
Services Study Session.
No Citizen Comments.
CULTURAL RESOURCES REPORTS
Jamey Ayling briefed the Board of County Commissioners on letters
received from Colville Tribe regarding cultural resource surveys on
nearly all projects submitted. Direction to Staff is to begin
conversation with the addressing Staff concerns and alternatives.
Meeting concluded at 1:34 PM
Alm," 6"y,
ecca Cruse, Administrative
Assistant
2023-10-09 MINUTES
KITTITAS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
KITTITAS COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Cory Wright, Chairman
KITTITAS COUNTY
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
2023 STUDY SESSION STAFF REPORT
STUDY SESSION DATE: October 9, 2023
TOPIC; Cultural Resource Reports
ACTION REQUESTED: Authorize CDS staff to engage with the Colville Tribe on
revising the Cultural Resources reporting criteria.
LEAD STAFF:
Jamey Ayling, Planning Manager
RECOMMENDATION:
Authorize CDS staff to engage in discussion with affected tribes and DAHP on a compromise
with Cultural Resources Survey requirements.
BRIEFING SUMMARY:
• Currently, the Colville Tribe is requesting cultural resource surveys on nearly all permit
applications;
• Staff desires negotiating inadvertent discovery plans for small projects.
• Alternatively, the tribe can conduct the surveys with the county obtaining access from
permit applicants.
BACKGROUND:
As part of project review, most planning applications require some level of notification and
request for comments. As projects increase in complexity, the number of comments tend to
increase and become more specific. Recently, within the last six to nine months CDS staff has
noticed a trend with the comments as they relate to cultural resource requirements. Whenever a
notice is sent to the Colville Tribe on a project, we tend to get the same scanned letter in return.
The letter is appreciated and in no way are we trying to downplay the importance of protecting
cultural resources, however, there is a large economic impact to requiring such a study on small
projects where the likelihood of discovering any artifacts is unlikely and could be addressed by
requiring an inadvertent discovery plan be put in place. Staff is unaware of any artifacts that
have been discovered through any of the recent cultural resource surveys that have been
conducted. These studies have proven to be an upfront delay on the project and money spent on
a survey to turn up no results that could have been put into the project to keep costs down and
make housing closer to affordable.
Page I of 2
Community Development Services "Work Session Staff Report", 2023
DISCUSSION:
CDS staff would like to propose working with the Tribe to request that projects of small scale
and short plats should be allowed to proceed with an inadvertent discovery plan rather than
requiring a complete cultural resources survey. The smaller projects sheds, garages, houses, and
short plats typically have very little ground disturbing activities associated with them. To require
the applicant to conduct a cultural resources survey that costs between $10,000 to $20,000
dollars is just not cost effective for projects, especially when these are unexpected costs that
come up during the project and not up front. A proposed compromise would be to either allow us
to move forward on these projects with an inadvertent discovery plan, or if the Tribe would like
to provide the archeologist to go conduct the resource survey the landowner would grant access
to the property to allow the tribes consultant to conduct the study.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
No fiscal impacts are anticipated.
ATTACHMENTS:
None.
Page 2 of 2
Community Development Services "work Session Staff Report!', 2023