Volume 2: Draft Gorst Planned Action Environmental Impact Statement

GORST PLANNED ACTION EIS | AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT, SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS, AND MITIGATION MEASURESAlternative 1: No ActionVISUAL CHARACTERWatershedExcluding the CUL, SKIA, and McCormick Woods, the remaining portions of the watershed are expected see limitedrural scale development during the plan horizon. Future development is assumed to continue to be regulated bycurrent Kitsap County and City of Bremerton zoning and building regulations. The character of future developmentis expected to remain as largely rural residential. Under current regulations, a greater amount of vegetationclearing and impervious area is expected compared to action alternatives, which to a greater extent implement LIDand cluster development measures that intend to reduce impervious area and increase native vegetationretention. This would result in the visual character of these areas being somewhat more developed and lessnatural than under the two action alternatives. However, given the limited amount of development expected (e.g.less than 500 new dwellings), and the low density and rural character of future development, no significantadverse impacts to visual character under Alternative 1 are expected.Gorst UGAUnder Alternative 1, the Gorst UGA would be subject to the current Kitsap County Comprehensive Plan land usedesignations, and is projected to see substantial employment growth of 742 jobs and limited population growth of82 persons during the plan horizon.In some respects, the visual character of Alternative 1 would be similar to current conditions. Much of the existingdevelopment would continue in its present form, and a substantial portion of new development along the highwaycorridors would be similarly highway oriented, low rise development with large areas of impervious surfaces.Alternative 1 also assumes that the gravel quarry would continue operations.Alternative 1 would result in significant changes to the current visual character. This change would be the result ofthe substantial projected growth in employment-generating uses (e.g., commercial and industrial). The currentland use designations identify large areas that are currently occupied by low density residential uses or areundeveloped that would be available for high intensity commercial and mixed uses in the future. Therefore it islikely that some existing, low density residential uses would be displaced by more intensely developed commercialuses of a substantially different character. Current Kitsap County development regulations establish buildingsetbacks and landscaping and screening requirements that are intended to ensure compatibility of residential andnon-residential uses. These regulations would mitigate transition impacts.BUILDING HEIGHT, BULK, AND SCALEWatershedThe impacts associated with building height, bulk, and scale under Alternative 1would be the same as thosedescribed for Impacts Common to All Alternatives.Gorst UGAAlong the highway corridors, impacts related to building height, bulk, and scale and likely to be negligible. Thecurrent conditions include a wide variety of building bulk and scale, while buildings tend to one or two stories.Future development of commercial and industrial uses would likely fall within the current range of building height,bulk, and scale.In those areas of existing low density residential or undeveloped land that are identified for commercial and mixeduses, the potential exists for negative impacts related to building height, bulk, and scale as these areas transitionfrom residential to commercial during the course of the plan horizon. Current land use designations would allowfor buildings of substantially greater height, bulk, and scale adjacent to small single-family residences. CurrentKitsap County setback and landscaping standards would mitigate these impacts.Draft | June 2013 3-123