[{"_1":2,"_97":-5,"_98":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6539683,"mediaKeyId","3626684-a05c75db3bd3ec5435a3ba89ff2bea67","parentId",3626684,"title","Developers describe Beatty Square and Creekside Commons plans, request $990,000 grant","audioSeconds",180,"startMs",0,"endMs",180000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3626684-a05c75db3bd3ec5435a3ba89ff2bea67&start=0&end=180","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3626684-a05c75db3bd3ec5435a3ba89ff2bea67/thumbnail_0.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6539683/Skagit-County/Washington/Developers-describe-Beatty-Square-and-Creekside-Commons-plans-request-990000-grant","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6539683-983a0c4c6175ad8b9ea457ace39a18c2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770969604&Signature=G7-q9IyUtspTCk3eDl~HqRFrX9JkgmcHsZJnzyw9KBWcHsqKdNOnBbtSmrhCstrbPcPuhtJ4gHXXbu0v~Wvz6cruS1U2nEifrMLRZc~m5h7B6Vd9dk9C2mxl4Lq8dOEZZYtjRUq0vVs52V7Lx3oglo1HqGGNhQSrXpaleih5ERb2wZM0hGDuY49-IIEBV6GV77s~WyWzbYAM9nyPFXLPOr7bmVGpjWGn8-zruM4NZBb5IRbrv2F1LkhIo3LRq4PPqVLjBrCUUvhWZhUhdvpLghj5qgVqDWQ9YiqwHwGO0~fnYw-PfXZrLL7N3MrjdpS6Dh1YGDYCwNC0mV~v7RL41A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Skagit County","date","2025-06-02T00:00:00Z","article","A project representative presented plans for the Beatty Square mixed‑use development and an adjacent for‑sale townhome site called Creekside Commons at the beginning of the June 2 Skagit County commissioners meeting.

The presentation described Beatty Square as including an indoor youth services and early learning facility occupying an unspecified number of square feet of the development, along with about 2,000 square feet devoted to exterior programming. Building amenities listed in the presentation included bike storage, shared dog park and walking paths, a community lounge and leasing office, study rooms and a fitness facility. The presenter said the project aims to break ground in September 2025.

Adjacent Creekside Commons is described as a for‑sale townhome development featuring 68 two‑ and three‑bedroom units, garages, internal courtyards and shared walking paths. The project team said it would set aside up to eight homes for households earning at or below 80% of area median income, \"depending on the amount of workforce housing funds awarded.\" The presenter described the development as a public‑private partnership involving Volunteers of America (\"president and CEO Bridal Smith\" in the presentation) and Home Trust of Skagit (executive director Felicia Minto in the presentation).

The presenter said combined project costs for Beatty Square and Creekside Commons are approximately $71,000,000 and that the team was requesting $990,000 in grant funding. The proposal was framed as aligned with the county's priority for near‑term construction readiness.

The presentation noted infrastructure improvements shared between the two sites and characterized both developments as part of a broader effort to expand housing options, including homeownership opportunities, through partnerships among local government, nonprofit providers and private developers.

No formal board action on the grant request is recorded in the meeting transcript; the presentation was part of the meeting record and included renderings and site‑plan status updates, including a binding site plan for the townhome parcel, according to the presenter.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Skagit County - Record of the Proceedings - Monday Session - Jun 02, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Project team presented plans for Beatty Square mixed‑use development and the adjacent Creekside Commons for‑sale townhomes, describing amenities, community partners and a $990,000 grant request toward an approximately $71 million combined project cost.","taxTitle","Skagit County, Washington","taxId",5125,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6539688,"Skagit County commissioners approve consent agenda; approve HOME plan and $4.748 million consolidated homeless grant",149,548000,697000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3626684-a05c75db3bd3ec5435a3ba89ff2bea67&start=548&end=697","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3626684-a05c75db3bd3ec5435a3ba89ff2bea67/thumbnail_548000.jpg","/articles/6539688/Skagit-County/Washington/Skagit-County-commissioners-approve-consent-agenda-approve-HOME-plan-and-4748-million-consolidated-homeless-grant","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6539688-6c3f0745726b4e79589bcdcdd35093ea/orig.mp4?Expires=1770969604&Signature=Pu3rm709n8jh1hXnhHvZoMd5WbirTTK7xiqxzi2lI3WhynTRCIxC4HpDTGoSkMow5vvmbKH6VOerl3mhOW~trN4npW~72MDI8UDWMIUdXQQ8kipyjbh0HoMHcsCazl5oz~71tXsZbdzURn3aKjRx4kBwboa5Q1KthmwvvdtNrmh1dEHFh2YEq-d2-9vpI4t2Kcn9O7oK1LdNSFiYEqyrKu0uMWbkQP~jxxwT3D~OqQlLG-OosZxm5CJ76wmYDkE8yEQSnnEtadhvBy2w74JmaSRCsJSrPc7cF0wnJQoGuG1a22P7aa6JKPStSl9t3XNBaInNTT3BeJDlaoPBsK2cnw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Skagit County Board of Commissioners approved the consent agenda and several public‑health and infrastructure items during its June 2 meeting.

The board approved the consent agenda, accepting items 1–13 and 15–19, including ratification of vouchers and warrants. Commissioners approved the package by voice vote; the clerk recorded the motion as carrying 3‑0.

On public health business, the board approved two related resolutions. The first authorized submission of the fiscal year 2025 HOME Investment Partnerships annual action plan and application for federal assistance and designated Chair Lisa Janicki as the county's authorized representative to sign the agreement. The second authorized allocation of consolidated homeless grant funds for the July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026 program year, totaling $4,748,000, to the following organizations as listed in the motion: Community Action of Skagit County; Family Promise of Skagit County; Friendship House; Helping Hands Food Bank; Diversion; Northwest Youth Services; Samish Indian Nation; Skagit Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services; Skagit Legal Aid; Skagit YMCA; OASIS Teen Shelter; and Welcome Home Skagit.

Commission minutes show the motion to approve the two public‑health items was moved and seconded; one commissioner recused because of service on the Community Action Board. The clerk recorded the votes as \"motion carries 2 to 0 with 1 recusal.\"

Commissioners also highlighted specific consent items during the meeting. Commissioner Browning (remarks recorded in the minutes) noted a resolution calling for a public hearing on Parks and Recreation fee revisions and praised community participation on the homeless housing allocation process. Commissioners also noted a Rural Arterial Project agreement with the Washington State County Road Administration Board for the Stevens Creek culvert replacement project and a resolution awarding the Barrel Springs and Dry Creek restoration project (approximately $996,000).

The board recessed midmorning for the regular public comment period and reconvened at 11:30 for additional comments and later for the closed‑record appeal session.","The Board of County Commissioners approved the consent agenda and, in a separate vote, approved a resolution adopting the FY2025 HOME Investment Partnerships annual action plan and a resolution authorizing allocation of a $4,748,000 consolidated homeless grant to local providers; vote on the grants carried 2‑0 with one recusal.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":44,"_43":90,"_45":90,"_47":91,"_49":92,"_51":93,"_53":94,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":95,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":96,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6539693,"Skagit commissioners hear closed‑record appeal of NextEra battery storage permit; decision set for June 17",5640000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3626684-a05c75db3bd3ec5435a3ba89ff2bea67&start=5640&end=5640","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3626684-a05c75db3bd3ec5435a3ba89ff2bea67/thumbnail_5640000.jpg","/articles/6539693/Skagit-County/Washington/Skagit-commissioners-hear-closedrecord-appeal-of-NextEra-battery-storage-permit-decision-set-for-June-17","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6539693-f6a83375a712c54973a830bb3449d218/orig.mp4?Expires=1770969604&Signature=PKOdgFW0EkbUCbHaaIK4VGeIP3M8qCCDyubPezQ66qjbRROZX49KUg7w5TPWZ05OsJR8q~5kxPU2PofK15QFSifSMbT0xUfnl9BgoXmYPNNKwdq4ShxwwuyFn~9Fv2QKMCtyTmilJiJAClfQ6VQFoF9FbTxhyectzhzQpCyJObohCPKa3Y2e-~6g7VP1P-49LwdWxJ4MxA4BkI89ZdwAIZjqvw-vKd2vXxk9tqRQzHt9gtRdkYRxixcCgIXJeL0Xziv3npfK7uPtXrsJYf8ihVnUmsnI5xTcDEOcfOUnZoZh0m43uuENwH7nLRrOCWisW5BlwuFPCx~AM5iaI1ve0A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Skagit County Board of Commissioners held a closed‑record appeal hearing June 2 on a challenge by Stewards of Skagit to the hearing examiner's December decision approving special use permit PL230408 for a NextEra Energy Resources battery energy storage (BESS) facility on Bayview Ridge.

The appeal, filed by the Stewards of Skagit, argued the examiner's decision rested on an incomplete or inaccurate record and on misrepresentations in the applicant's materials, and raised concerns about public notice, fire risk, emergency response and inconsistencies in parcel and design documentation. Planning staff and the applicant defended the review process and the prior SEPA mitigated determination of non‑significance (MDNS). The board said it will issue a public decision on Tuesday, June 17 at 11 a.m.

The appeal focused on two kinds of claims. First, procedural: the appellant said the record provided to the hearing examiner was incomplete, that four technical documents were submitted in abbreviated form, and that one of those documents never appeared in the public record before the examiner rendered a decision. \"When the process fails, it undermines the integrity of the decision,\" Stewards of Skagit president Connie Scribe told the commissioners, saying the hearing examiner was asked to decide on more than 1,700 pages of record with limited time to review. Scribe also alleged that legal notices and posting dates were incorrect and that parcel numbers in the application did not match project maps.

Second, substantive public‑safety concerns: appellants and local residents urged the board to consider potential fire risk, emergency evacuation, insurance and contamination consequences. Resident Sandy Bourgeois, who said she lives about 1.5 miles from the site, told commissioners: \"They may have made vague statements about noise being relatively quiet without proof of that.... A fire that still has potential to cause irreparable damage to my safety, home, property, and this valley, and it will only take one fire to do that.\" Other residents raised the prospect of evacuations and questioned whether local insurance would cover contamination or damages after a BESS fire.

Planning staff defended the county's procedures and the record to the hearing examiner. \"A complete record was provided to the hearing examiner and presented before the open record public hearing,\" Senior Planner Brandon Black told the board, and he said staff solicited technical review from the fire marshal, emergency management, building officials and other specialists. Black said staff provided abbreviated exhibits in the packet but supplied full versions to the hearing examiner during the open record hearing when requested; those full versions were entered into the record as exhibits 57, 58 and 59 (with the cultural resources report remaining confidential as Exhibit 8).

NextEra representatives told the commissioners the county's earlier SEPA MDNS addressed environmental impacts, including noise and fire potential, and urged deference to the hearing examiner's findings. Tim McMahon, attorney for NextEra, said the MDNS and the examiner's findings were the proper foundations for the special use permit and criticized the appeal for attempting to relitigate the SEPA determination. \"The appellant fundamentally seeks to undermine the SUP decision by attacking the MDNS,\" McMahon said during his allotted time.

NextEra's fire safety engineer, Josh Adams, responded to safety claims with standards and industry data, telling the board that fatal incidents from battery energy storage systems in the United States have not been documented and that failure rates have fallen as deployments and standards have expanded. Adams cited national incident tracking by the Electric Power Research Institute and referenced specific design and testing standards that he said would apply to the project, including UL and NFPA standards and adoption of the 2021 Washington State Fire Code. \"There are numerous layers of safety and safety testing and design systems that have to be implemented,\" Adams said.

Appellants contested parts of the record that describe the facility as a \"remote location\" with a 100‑foot setback, saying subsequent application versions changed setbacks to 35 feet and reduced other buffers, which they argued should have triggered a new review cycle. The appellant also pointed to items she said were not in the record at the time of the open record hearing, including a hazard mitigation analysis and a fire technical assistance report that referenced auxiliary generators.

Commission staff reiterated that the project site is zoned Bayview Ridge Heavy Industrial and said that zone is intended for heavy industrial uses. Staff and the applicant said that siting a BESS in an industrial zone is consistent with the county code and that additional technical review and permitting would occur at the development and building permit stages if the SUP is upheld.

No final board action was taken at the hearing. Chair Lisa Janicki told attendees the board will consider the written and oral arguments and render a decision in a public session on June 17 at 11:00 a.m. Janicki also reminded participants that because the matter is quasi‑judicial, board members should not be contacted about the case before the decision.

The hearing record the board will review includes the hearing examiner's decision, the SEPA MDNS, the exhibits and the briefs filed by the appellant and the applicant. The board's public decision is scheduled for June 17.

The hearing drew multiple local residents and organizational representatives who had been parties of record at the open record hearing; those residents emphasized the potential human‑health, environmental and emergency management consequences if a fire or other serious incident occurred at a large BESS facility.

The board concluded the hearing and reminded parties that procedural limits for closed‑record appeals restrict new evidence; the commissioners will base their decision on the record that was before the hearing examiner and the materials submitted for the appeal.","The Skagit County Board of Commissioners heard a closed‑record appeal from Stewards of Skagit challenging the hearing examiner's approval of a special use permit for NextEra Energy's proposed 200 megawatt battery energy storage facility on Bayview Ridge. Commissioners will issue a public decision on June 17, 2025.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Developers describe Beatty Square and Creekside Commons plans, request $990,000 grant

Skagit County commissioners approve consent agenda; approve HOME plan and $4.748 million consolidated homeless grant

Skagit commissioners hear closed‑record appeal of NextEra battery storage permit; decision set for June 17