The Town Planning Commission has recommended most elements of La Conner’s updated draft comprehensive plan for Town Council approval.
At its June 17 meeting, the commission endorsed all but the housing and climate chapters, citing the need for additional staff revisions and additional review time.
Commissioners John Leaver, Sommer Holt, and Carol Hedlin voted to advance the draft plan minus the two elements. Commissioner Cynthia Elliott abstained, and commissioner Bruce Bradburn was absent.
The council scheduled a June 24 public hearing to consider adoption of the updated comp plan, a long-term policy document outlining community goals and visions regarding future land use, infrastructure, and development in town. It is a key component of the statewide Growth Management Act. State law requires comprehensive plans to be updated every 10 years.
Town Planner Michael Davolio and Assistant Planner Ajah Eills were confident the requested housing element rewrites could be completed and the detailed climate chapter fully reviewed prior to Tuesday’s public hearing.
The commission and planning staff have spent the past two years working on updates to the Town plan. Each of the dozen elements was previously submitted to the state Department of Commerce for comment.
Commissioners last week sought revisions to the housing element where reasons are cited why Hispanic residency ratios here lag compared to other Skagit County communities. Eills said Commerce requested that analysis be included in the local plan.
Mayor Marna Hanneman, a former planning commissioner who attended the advisory board’s June 17 meeting, agreed. She said there “is a ton of data that have to be looked at” when it comes to analyzing residency trends in town.
“My concern is why focus on one (population) sector because there are many sectors here: the tribal community, the black community, and the pride community,” Hanneman said. “What I’ve seen in my 20 years in La Conner is that this is a very inclusive community. Some of the things that the Department of Commerce says that you need in the comp plan drive me crazy.”
Eills said she would make a deep dive into local employment and transportation statistics and home costs when revisiting the housing element. She and Davolio pointed out that creating more housing options in La Conner has driven important zoning changes at La Conner Marina and on the south end.
“Those changes are ways to encourage opportunities for people to both live and work in La Conner,” he said.
As for the climate element, which is a new comp plan feature, commissioners agreed they didn’t have enough time for review upon the document’s return from Commerce. One commissioner said she’d received it only hours before the meeting.
Davolio, who is retiring at the end of this month after a 45-year career in planning, said the climate element will be vital going forward. He and Eills said the town, 70% of which is within the floodplain, is at risk from flooding and rising sea levels linked to anticipated warmer temperatures.
The climate element, as written, cautions that “La Conner residents are highly impacted by changes to weather and climate.” It predicts that by 2050, the average summer temperature in La Conner is expected to increase by four degrees. Complicating matters is the finding that many of the dikes around La Conner are privately owned and at risk of being over-topped.
The climate element advocates several goals going forward, including the planning and construction of facilities, utilities, and infrastructure projects that avoid or withstand flooding from rising sea levels and related climate impacts. It also endorses identification and preparation for climate threats to parks and recreation venues, perhaps necessitating their relocation or replacement.
Another proposal in the climate element would require residential and commercial buildings and their surrounding sites to reduce and treat stormwater runoff and pollution.
While the state has set a Dec. 31 deadline for completing comp plan updates, both the Town and Skagit County have set target dates of June 30.
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter who covers Town government, schools, and spot news.
