CALL TO ACTION! ENETAI, YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR PLAN : Let the County Commissioners know you support putting amending the Illahee Community Plan on the 2025 Agenda. We are requesting additional portions of Enetai be added to the plan

Meeting date: November 25, 2024 5:30PM Commissioners Chambers, Attendance Options: In person or via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82712522176.

Address your email to ALL the Commissioners at: Kitsapcommissioners@kitsap.govCommissioners: Katie Walters, Christine Rolfes, & Charlotte Garrido

SAVE THE DATES: SAVE ENETAI goes to trial Dec 2nd 9:00AM in Port Orchard at the Kitsap County Superior Court. Support our efforts by showing up or donating to our legal defense fund!

SAVE ENETAI will be holding an educational meeting about the "Water Resources on the Manette Peninsula"  on NOV 20th, 6:00PM at the Kitsap Unitarian Fellowship with speaker, Environmental Scientist, Benjamin Harrison from the Natural Resources Department of Port S'Kallam Tribe. Learn about Aquifers, watersheds, groundwater and streams. Planning meetings will be ongoing to AMEND the Illahee Community Plan  to include additional portions of Enetai . Please join us in shaping YOUR community for the future. Get involved by signing up to participate in a Community Advisory Group (CAG). Join us at our meeting to share your vision.

What and where is Enetai?  ENETAI - is a census designated place with a population of 2,497 residents located south of Illahee State Park stretching to Manette Park and lies within the Urban Growth Boundary of Bremerton.  Enetai Beach is a small private community along the shoreline accessed by a private road off the end of Jacobsen where the mouth of Enetai Creek is located. Enetai, was a town first called Port Orchard located at the mouth of Enetai Creek where the area saw its first Lumber Mill site (1852). It burnt to the ground in 1870. A spring via Enetai water system has provided water to the beach area and the Cheney Estate.

Who is SAVE ENETAI and what is their mission? Save Enetai first came together to develop a coalition of affected residents to defend our neighborhoods from a developer attempting to annex ENETAI into the City of Bremerton for the purpose of obtaining sewer to develop what is known as the old Cheney Estate (65 acres includes shoreline). The Enetai community overwhelming (10 voted yes 2.2% interested 10/460) REJECTED annexation into the City of Bremerton in 2022. SAVE ENETAI is opposing high-density development that it not compatible with our neighborhoods and that have the potential to deplete our already over-allocated water resources.

ENETAI is a WDFW designated PHS "wildlife patch" and part of the contiguous wildlife system that connects to the Illahee Forest Preserve and Illahee State Park. The value of Cheney Estate-Enetai Community is recognized in the Illahee Community Plan (ICP) and was incorporated into the 2008 Comprehensive Plan. A portion of ENETAI is already in the ICP. The county failed " in error" to recognize this during the area-wide rezoning in 2016 and to date refuses to acknowledge or correct the error in 2024. This is in direct conflict with their own Community Plan and OPEN SPACE designation.

This "wildlife patch"  is now IMMINENTLY threatened by a foreign-based investor proposing to clear-cut the forest to build 189 homes on 37 acres (Proposed Fisher Plat). How is this allowed to happen given its numerous designations?

As with the Illahee community, ENETAI recognizes the protection of fish and wildlife resources and habitat, including water resources within its borders is ultimately the responsibility of the ENETAI community. Through an alliance with the Illahee community and a coalition of surrounding neighborhoods, we are seeking to do this by amending the Illahee Community Plan to include additional portions of ENETAI.

CURRENT USE - OPEN SPACE TAX DESIGNATION

Due to the sensitive shoreline, forest and wildlife designations, the Cheney Estate applied and received a Current Use-OPEN SPACE Tax designation in 1994 which was continued by the new owner in 2018 upon sale. A significant tax reduction is enjoyed to keep the property in open space. The intent and purpose of this designation is to preserve, conserve and protect any land area,  in its present use.

This foreign-based developers, John & Shawna Fisher who have no ties to the area, have been enjoying huge tax reductions since 2019 while actively seeking to develop the property ignoring the sensitive ecosystem and wildlife designation.

WE ARE UNDER ASSAULT - COUNTY FAILING TO ENFORCE LAND USE CODES AND CURRENT USE-OPEN SPACE TAX AGREEMENT.

On May 21, 2024, heavy equipment entered the old growth forest and proceeded to rip apart the pristine forest floor WITHOUT A PERMIT under the guise of "geotechnical exploration". County DCD and the contractors claim they didn't disturb more than 1 acre and didn't need a permit. WE DISAGREE and have called for an investigation and accountability for allowing such a shameful act on known environmentally sensitive land and wildlife habitat. WHY IS THE COUNTY NOT PROTECTING THIS VALUABLE ASSET TO OUR COMMUNITY?

UPDATE 11/2024: County DCD has been promising a map that calculates how much land was disturbed however after multiple requests and promises to provide, it has NOT been provided. DCD Director David Lyman verbally told us on 8/5/24 that since the Fisher Plat is two (2) parcels, DCD has now interpreted that to mean two (2) acres total can be disturbed. Thats what we call "fuzzy math"!

UPDATE: As of Nov 1st, 2024, after many promises, no maps have been provided that document disturbance of vegetation on the Fisher Plat area. Kitsap County Assessor office has refused to enforce the Open Space Tax Agreement that has been in place since 1993 that restricts ANY vegetation from being disturbed. The foreign investor continues to enjoy low taxes based on OPEN SPACE tax agreement , while collecting income by advertising the shoreline property as an AirBNB. Open Space tax agreement requires 7 years back taxes collected when parcel is taken out of OPEN SPACE. Disturbing the land, documented by Save Enetai, requires these parcels to be removed from OPEN SPACE and 7 years back taxes collected.  Why does Kitsap County Assessor office refuse to do this?  Why does the State of Washington Department of Revenue insist on ignoring our request to collection of taxes AND why does the State of Washington Auditor's Department not enforce state law?

NEW: County DCD has re-issued a NOA (Notice of Application) for a proposed development adjacent to Illahee State Park due to failure to notify the State Park AND for incorrectly determining it was SEPA exempt. The Illahee-Enetai Community submitted its joint SEPA comments on September 12th.  This area along the shoreline, south to the old Cheney property (now Fisher) has documented LARGE catastrophic landslides, stormwater runoff and septic failures due to the topography. It is not suitable for development.