Anacortes residents rely on stable, affordable utility rates, and the city has historically emphasized two principles: keeping costs manageable for households and ensuring that new development pays for the infrastructure it requires. Recent planning decisions, however, indicate a shift away from these long‑standing practices. Major infrastructure expansions—particularly those tied to accommodating substantial new growth—could lead…
Smart Growth Anacortes urges the Planning Commission to strengthen the proposed Title 19 Permit Streamlining Amendments to ensure early, meaningful public involvement and avoid unintended consequences in sensitive neighborhoods such as the R1 Zone. While we support efforts to improve efficiency, the current draft shifts too many permits to administrative review, reduces early engagement, and…
Anacortes’ new Comprehensive Plan appears to encourage the construction of thousands of new housing units. To do so, the City is considering reversing the long‑standing requirement that new developments pay for the utility upgrades they necessitate. If true, who decided this? Where is it documented? The rationale seems to be that adding 3,000 new units…
Anacortes’ new Comprehensive Plan outlines a future that could bring thousands of new housing units and significant changes to long‑standing development practices. Some provisions appear to shift major infrastructure costs—such as utility upgrades required by new construction—from developer to taxpayer. Adding roughly 3,000 market‑rate units in an already expensive housing market does not guarantee affordability…
In Growth Management Hearings Board (GMHB) Case No. 0002c, Ian Munce and Evergreen Islands v. City of Anacortes, the Board addressed my issue as to ongoing, pre-existing critical area destruction in my immediate neighborhood by pointing out that AMC 19.70.040 as newly adopted simply prohibits such ongoing destruction. Pages 7 and 8 are attached for…
I guess we should have expected it, but it’s disappointing none the less. Since “affordable housing” is a critical issue for all our communities, it is now being used as a cudgel or enticement for what would otherwise be an unacceptable development options. For Skagit County, the implementation of GMA was particularly painful. We were…
Dear Mayor and City Council Your proposal for fee updates really needs more work, i.e. a cost recovery analysis for each permit type. The permit system needs to be financially self-supporting and not have development applications funded by existing ratepayers and taxpayers (as they obviously currently are). The public also needs to know well in…
Dear editor, I am 74, forming most of my views during the Vietnamese war, 3 political assassinations, resignation of President Nixon, horrible environmental degradation, and the Arab Oil crisis. For me, the future needed to use less energy and form rules to decrease ecological destruction, as did most other voters in this State. This was…
Anacortes was built on public participation — the Growth Management Act guaranteed our voice in big decisions. Now the city seems to be phasing that voice out. We’re required to absorb 7,000 new residents by 2040. Fine — but that means real planning, real cost transparency, and real public input on who pays for growth.…
As house builder, past president of Skagit Habitat, and strong advocate for affordable housing (Bill) and John a past president of SHH, a City administrator for LaConner for 14 years, we comment below on the many failures of the Housing element of the CP. We sent the City Clerk for your review links to 2…
