News
The History and Importance of our Guiding Principles
The genesis of Bainbridge Island’s Guiding Principles goes back to before Bainbridge Island became a city, and the desire for local control and sustainability among Islanders. To understand the origins of Bainbridge Island’s Guiding Principles you need to understand the movement for local control leading up to the vote that created all-island government in 1990….Continue reading→
The Peer Review of COBI’s Draft Groundwater Management Plan
Despite being identified as a priority in its 2016 Comprehensive Plan, the City of Bainbridge Island (COBI) has not yet completed and adopted a Groundwater Management Plan (GWMP). GWMPs are essential for responsible land use planning, necessary to ensure that human activity, including future development plans, protect and preserve a sustainable source of clean…Continue reading→
Blair King’s 2022 Letter In Defense of Bainbridge Island
With the State Legislature poised to impose massive growth on Bainbridge Island in 2022, city manager Blair King wrote an eloquent letter to the legislature in defense of local control. His letter now stands in stark contrast to the City of Bainbridge Island’s current campaign for massive upzoning. Read Mr. King’s letter at: https://bainbridgeconservationcoalition.org/2026/02/04/blair-kings-letter-to-the-legislature/Continue reading→
BCC Supports Historic Preservation
COBI’s historic preservation program is a package of federally guided procedures and guidelines developed speci/ically for the CLG program and managed by the HPC. Its work is to establish, maintain, and update a local inventory of historic structures compatible with the state’s inventory; it seeks to preserve historic properties through a review process that ensures…Continue reading→
Bainbridge Island: Washington’s Unique Island-city
Out of 490 towns and cities in Washington State there is only one EPA designated Sole Source Aquifer island-city—100% dependent upon aquifers for domestic water—and surrounded by saltwater. That island-city is Bainbridge Island, incorporated in 1991.
Blair King’s Letter to the Legislature
Blair King’s Letter to the Legislature
False Assurances About Massive Upzoning
False Assurances About Massive Upzoning A City Council Member Recently Tried to Deflect Concerns Over the City’s Push for Massive Upzoning in Winslow During a Comp Plan Steering Committee Meeting. Growing numbers of Bainbridge Islanders are concerned about the City of Bainbridge Island’s push for massive upzoning in Winslow. They’ve heard the City’s pro-growth messaging…Continue reading→
Town Hall Presentation by Mike Nelson 2025
On October 13, 2025 city council candidate Mike Nelson presented a plan for meeting requirements of the State’s Growth Management Act—which include comprehensive planning for affordable housing—in a way that will minimize zoning increases by focusing only on affordable housing, respect Bainbridge Island’s finite carrying capacity, and not result in higher taxes for Bainbridge Islanders….Continue reading→
Mike Nelson’s Proposed Policies on Water and Housing
Mike Nelson during his campaign presented a lengthy slide presentation on his approach to water and affordable housing for Bainbridge Island. Following is a summary of Mike’s recommendations and presentation. Background The water and housing issues were put into sharp focus by a 1990 Washington State law, the Growth Management Act (GMA), amended in 2021…Continue reading→
Bainbridge Comp Plan Update as 2026 Begins New Deadline for Completion is 6/30/26
Bainbridge Comp Plan Update as 2026 Begins New Deadline for Completion is 6/30/26 City Council recently set a new completion date for updating Bainbridge Island’s comprehensive plan (Comp Plan) — June 30, 2026. The Comp Plan revision was supposed to be completed by the end of December 2024. So why is it taking so long?:…Continue reading→