La Conner consultant Tom Beckwith presented updated redevelopment plans for the town’s former south end industrial zone to the Town Council on Feb. 11, outlining a vision shaped by public input and a state-funded planning grant. The council took no action, as the project aligns with ongoing comprehensive plan updates scheduled through June.

Beckwith’s team of architects and engineers has worked on the project since August, proposing a mixed-use development that could include a festival hall, performing arts center, walking trails, a farmers market, affordable housing, and a tour boat wharf. However, zoning changes may be required for implementation.

Some residents questioned whether changes are necessary. During the public comments segment, former Town Planning Commission member and La Conner resident Linda Talman said the area is already zoned transitional commercial.

“We already have the zoning code there that we need,” Talman said. “We can do things there that people need.”

Another La Conner resident, Debbie Aldrich, warned that the proposed housing might not be affordable.

“You can make a choice on the way you want to go,” Aldrich told the council. “Don’t let the salivating developers take over.”

Beckwith explained that much of the four-acre area includes the former Moore-Clark fish feed manufacturing plant, now owned by Triton America, a company focused on aviation rather than development. He said Triton has shown little interest in redeveloping the property.

“It’s just not where their interests are,” Beckwith said.

The site has remained largely unused since the Moore-Clark plant closed in 1992 and relocated to Vancouver, B.C. The former warehouse, dating to the 1890s, is now dilapidated and deemed a public safety hazard. The town has fenced off the structure to prevent foot traffic along south First Street.

Beckwith noted that La Conner received a $45,000 state planning grant due to the site’s prolonged underutilization. He suggested that if the town could acquire some or all of the Triton parcels, the land could be repurposed for broader community benefits.

Beckwith had previously reviewed his team’s design concepts with the Town Planning Commission and during two public forums at Maple Hall. During the Feb. 10 meeting, he provided a detailed, 45-minute review of how his team’s plan emerged, stressing that it is based in great measure on public input, including views expressed by more than 100 respondents to an online community survey.

“It’s a good process so far. It’s not a conclusion, it’s not perfect, it’s a process. It’s foundational,” said La Conner resident Dorothy Downes during the public comments segment.

Mayor Marna Hanneman assured residents that planning efforts remain ongoing.

“This,” she said, “is just the beginning.”

In other Town Council business

Former Town Planning Commissioner Mike Carlisle was appointed to the Emergency Management Commission. “He’s very knowledgeable about the town,” Hanneman said of Carlisle.

Hanneman said the Town is committed to a “no parking plan” on First Street during the annual Tulip Festival Parade in April.

Members adopted a resolution acknowledging the efforts of La Conner resident Steve Phillips and his corps of volunteers who have been removing invasive English ivy from Pioneer Park. “I just think Steve and his wife Catey have put together a wonderful program,” said Town Parks Commissioner Ollie Iversen.

The Town Public Works Director Brian Lease and his department were thanked for having installed a safety fence at the Maple Avenue Park.

Lease said he expects work to repair the flood damaged section of flooring near the stage at Maple Hall to begin around March 10.

Sgt. Brad Holmes, who administers the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office La Conner detachment, said the one-way southbound traffic flow on First Street downtown has reaped positive results. “For us, law enforcement-wise, it’s been a success. We’ve had fewer complaints and fewer collisions.”

Hanneman somberly noted the recent passing of La Conner author Tom Robbins, expressing sorrow for the loss and saying she was grateful for the “Tom Robbins Day” celebration held here in 2023.

Note: John Leaver serves on the La Conner Planning Commission and also serves on the interim fundraising board for La Conner Community News. The board is not empowered to influence or oversee any reporting on the newspaper, but we understand that this presents the appearance of a conflict of interest. The board will address this at their next regular meeting and report back to the community.