I believe it is the rural lands that provide the beauty, nature, and quality of life that draw people to this area.

Growing up here, I have watched growth and urban sprawl happening at an alarming rate. Comprehensive plans come and go, in which zoning changes happen again and again.

One concerning trend is changing Rural residential to LAMRID (Limited Areas of more Intense Development). Once that door is open, there is no going back. The rural lands start getting nibbled away, and before you know it, Bond Road will look like Aurora Ave in Seattle.

I am concerned that we are allowing far too much rezoning of our county’s rural, farm and forested lands. The fact that there are no incentives to keep these spaces whole and intact is of great concern. I live in one of the last rural areas left in the county. I pay a lot of taxes to keep my property that way. With all of the development and clear-cutting around me, my property has become an animal highway.

There are so few spaces for wildlife left! We need corridors and wetlands for animals. If we want to keep this area’s flavor, we should consider some kind of incentives for people to keep these spaces open and natural.

I suggest putting a moratorium on all rezoning of rural, farm and forested lands until a more holistic vision is created in which these important areas that provide for the quality of life that people seek are taken care of in perpetuity.

We all want clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, fresh local food to eat, and not feel overcrowded.

Please, I implore you to consider keeping the rural areas of Kitsap rural and not letting developers bully everybody to their will.

Lisa, Kitsap County, 60 years