[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-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",[32,75,86],{"_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",6172104,"mediaKeyId","5392440-b4bb1e01c59a3576cca433f680fbf002","parentId",5392440,"title","Seventh Street residents press council on ferry-area parking and proposed pickleball noise","audioSeconds",365,"startMs",1254000,"endMs",1619000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5392440-b4bb1e01c59a3576cca433f680fbf002&start=1254&end=1619","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5392440-b4bb1e01c59a3576cca433f680fbf002/thumbnail_1254000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6172104/Anacortes/Skagit-County/Washington/Seventh-Street-residents-press-council-on-ferry-area-parking-and-proposed-pickleball-noise","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6172104-80f1ec521b143f019f27aef5568e5b8a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771186733&Signature=giYQ20DraD-v20UWdAvJhgVKlPZyEtsYKvr7Uvi2j3M2EPtnfLCeHP-pWURE5LTQXh0xr86D6vYRxLJxZAgRaGC5iCd5ySQwB2Ctd5stcNTbKj693QeeH~xfgY15QhPutvQVmok4H0kSPBjXFq-6eSq0w7pcgY7AMNDWvMgp8OmnT0s9z1r-W9n5~0qyRDwx2MG-nyQWVSWbRTsgmw5Os~N-Gkq2Gjn1mhmn8jn7yeT3vZnl~5j3CP0KjJRYRBUM83xCtvhXRqPGzUHaoRbW89JxpFBAw37yYKKatLAz8lmncVN216TLsAJNbUTpoPH81sieCSFfuvVuph~dw13FVw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Anacortes, WA","date","2025-07-15T14:31:17Z","article","Anacortes — Several Seventh Street neighborhood residents told the City Council on July 14 that parking, safety and notification practices around the Guemes (Guimas) Ferry upland improvements and proposed recreation projects need closer review.
Boschie Morris, 1618 Seventh Street, showed council a photograph of an aid vehicle at the intersection of Sixth and I and said that Sixth is not a designated arterial for ferry traffic and called the pavement and diagonal parking configuration “substandard” for the traffic it is expected to carry. Morris said the neighborhood has seen heavy parking in recent months and that several nearby homes fall outside the 300-foot notification radius for the ferry upland improvements. “I just distributed a photograph of an aid vehicle on its way to the Guimas Ferry just about at the intersection of Sixth And I,” Morris said during public comment, adding that some homes that will be affected did not receive direct notice under the current radius.
Resident Malcolm McCutcheon described new diagonal parking in front of his house and said cars are backing into pedestrian areas; he asked the council to stop diagonal parking and to consider a residential permit for two spaces per house on his block. McCutcheon also raised concerns that recent proposed ADU rule changes could enable more intensive housing configurations in Old Town.
Morris also raised a separate concern about proposed pickleball courts, saying the project’s outreach reportedly excluded several homes on the west side of the site and that proponents’ assumptions about sound propagation were incomplete. “It was a — I was here last week, and that was a wonderful presentation,” Morris said, and challenged the idea that noise from courts “doesn’t travel up,” noting neighbors on higher streets report otherwise.
Councilmembers acknowledged the public comments during the meeting; no formal agenda action was taken on these items during the July 14 meeting. The matters were raised during public comment and will be routed to staff and the appropriate departments for follow-up on notification boundaries, parking enforcement and the scope of outreach and environmental/noise review for proposed recreation projects.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Anacortes - City Council Meeting, 7/14/25 (Zoom Livestream)","oneSentenceSummary","Residents from the Seventh Street neighborhood raised safety and notification concerns about ferry upland improvements and diagonal parking, and a resident questioned placement and sound impacts for proposed pickleball courts; council took no action during public comment but staff noted the issues.","taxTitle","Anacortes, Skagit County, Washington","taxId",51056,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6172108,"Anacortes council delays placing pool district measure on ballot amid tax and wording concerns",0,3088000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5392440-b4bb1e01c59a3576cca433f680fbf002&start=3088&end=3088","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5392440-b4bb1e01c59a3576cca433f680fbf002/thumbnail_3088000.jpg","/articles/6172108/Anacortes/Skagit-County/Washington/Anacortes-council-delays-placing-pool-district-measure-on-ballot-amid-tax-and-wording-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6172108-006857b5aa3346fbbff5efcdb764fd29/orig.mp4?Expires=1771186733&Signature=AUOr1Id1AQO3TGCw-n-FZ97I5ESshWiXaWmBJJU2tzsGulUKlBHYPWDhM9t42A5VlcbaCAf5ZVvFidqklUmC3UO-gX56iFy3sP~xgiY5R~opxdi4jIBbX3UcAroJjGEQ1WLGQyYC03l7Bn2fiZopImmRfAGagTHC9qJcOSvyFR74BiIbWALK7VFOb9OOr4c1Tsl54QXeveoA2I9lG81JiW6-~2QSYy2XRpZVYejE20ligCkN7GzLeGjTG6V7n67viEHxYyHKvafccDMEibMsMp83y51Zjs6TlVeouYrm9cMNb4Vtif67Gt8PZeCS9LFzWwV9C-6rvER7-EbVIvBMwQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Anacortes — The City of Anacortes on July 14 heard a proposal from city staff and the Fidalgo Parks and Recreation District to place a joint proposition on the November 4 general election ballot to create a Fidalgo Metropolitan Recreation District, but councilors postponed action pending further legal and factual clarifications.
City staff introduced two related items: an interlocal agreement to have the city place the district proposition on the ballot while the district would prepare and pay election costs, and a companion resolution requesting Skagit County to add “Joint Proposition 1” to the ballot creating a five-member Fidalgo Metropolitan Recreation District with boundaries coterminous with the Anacortes School District.
Multiple members of the public told council they opposed re‑presenting the measure after voters narrowly rejected a similar proposition last year. Linda Martin, who lives in Anacortes, told council she was “very disappointed to see that once again is going to be on the ballot” and urged council to postpone or vote no. She also said the ballot text should make clear it is not an endorsement by the city and that the initial levy amount should be stated on the ballot; she told council the RCW language suggests the initial levy rate is an appropriate inclusion.
Resident Suzanne Roner framed her remarks around taxation and affordability: “We are being subjected to excessive taxation,” she said, contending that a permanent levy without a stated expiration could worsen housing-affordability pressures. Resident Steve Anderson said he would vote no to anything that raised his property taxes and questioned paying both a property levy and user fees.
Eric Dolan, executive director for the Fidalgo Parks and Recreation District, told council the commissioners asked to revisit the measure because many voters, in the district’s view, had been confused about what they were voting on. Dolan said the proposal is “not a new tax. It’s just replacing an old tax,” adding that the district’s intent is not to immediately move to the statutory maximum levy and that expanding the boundary to match the school district could spread costs across more taxpayers.
Councilmembers and staff identified several outstanding questions. City staff and the council’s legal adviser agreed to check whether state law requires the ballot proposition to state a maximum levy rate and whether the city may include a specific initial levy amount or other explanatory language in the ballot resolution. Councilmember Walters noted a line in state law (referenced in the meeting as RCW 35 61 0 2 0) that appears to permit a local government to limit a district’s maximum levy in the ballot language.
Council discussion also touched on the mechanics and consequences if the larger metropolitan district were created and the existing pool district dissolved and its assets transferred. Walters and other councilmembers asked whether a future voter-initiated dissolution would be feasible; staff said dissolving a taxing district is legally possible but politically and practically difficult.
At the close of discussion the council did not adopt the interlocal agreement or resolution. Instead staff were asked to obtain analyses from the county and city attorney’s offices and to ask the pool district to clarify the intended initial levy rate and explanatory statement; the target deadline given by staff is the county’s August 5 submittal cutoff for ballot measures. The council therefore took no formal action on the proposition at the July 14 meeting.
The item will return to council after staff and district follow-up; the county’s legal and ballot-timing requirements were cited as the reason the council needs final language quickly if it chooses to act.
","Councilors declined to act July 14 on an interlocal agreement and resolution to place a joint proposition creating a Fidalgo Metropolitan Recreation District on the Nov. 4 ballot, requesting legal analysis and clearer levy and ballot-language details after multiple residents raised tax and transparency concerns.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6172113,"Anacortes council reviews economic development plan that flags housing, transit and business gaps",1037,1622000,2659000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5392440-b4bb1e01c59a3576cca433f680fbf002&start=1622&end=2659","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5392440-b4bb1e01c59a3576cca433f680fbf002/thumbnail_1622000.jpg","/articles/6172113/Anacortes/Skagit-County/Washington/Anacortes-council-reviews-economic-development-plan-that-flags-housing-transit-and-business-gaps","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6172113-0c90d89370b8613d2f9c46932574a0b0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771186733&Signature=SEQv9-FDY-3oqNGoyxyZaHuIu7fMI8besLMA6Z0jQ~hFffC3GHzzCWy5773ORAqc6Bt8o~foT5TkZktEx4YcjxHy1meNrpcilUK7Me74GSG80Lbr5TKc5wF2eX9hxF0I9MZJ2Eto~N5e1aLiOcR5rrbR6KN6XcR9mJ5JsFbWMwwfi4K5dO6z~5MfLqvBZ6EM5meX8tAMUJqh5hYeqwrI7CuZH6jAJiLEtmDjVaLUOM6j-88Gkw1~dQICLIA6CoKkqiUy8VVrLA9fmElILdUVPurfNl7RhHwgE~5-Hp~S5pq85xylN4pWWHflZcDBxQx5c-AgqKeGFanJR2UXmCr-Jg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Anacortes — City staff presented an economic development strategic plan on July 14 that documents long-standing local strengths and shortfalls and outlines potential actions to support local businesses and housing.
The plan, prepared with the Center for Economic and Business Research at Western Washington University and presented by John Kolm, director of planning, community and economic development, summarizes a community survey, forums and a “void” analysis comparing Anacortes to similar maritime communities.
The report matters because it gives the city a documented basis for prioritizing limited resources: it lists housing affordability, limited public transportation and missing business sectors as primary constraints to growth and recommends concrete steps to address them.
Key findings in the presentation included confirmation that housing affordability remains a major constraint and that the community lacks several business sectors (physicians, dentists, attorneys were singled out) and certain retail offerings such as affordable groceries and child care. Kolm said the consultant team received 291 survey responses and held an in-person forum to supplement the quantitative analysis. “We received 291 responses,” Kolm told the council, noting that the responses and forum feedback reinforced what staff had observed anecdotally.
The consultant’s recommendations span multiple topics: expanding housing options by increasing density and revising zoning and codes, targeted business recruitment for identified professional services, improving public engagement and marketing, and examining infrastructure gaps tied to Anacortes’s island location. Kolm also noted the city’s advantages, including a deep-water port, marinas and a strong volunteer and arts community.
Councilmembers who spoke praised the outside review as confirmation of local priorities and urged that the next phase focus on implementation. Councilmember Fantini pointed to the report’s section on community engagement and suggested low-cost outreach via mailed utility bill inserts; he said nearly 70% of residents still receive paper utility bills and that inserting information costs roughly $900. Councilmember McDougall said the document provides “outside eyes” that help prioritize “how” to act on the findings.
The council also noted a budget line: Kolm said the council has earmarked $30,000 in the 2025 budget for follow-up work such as additional studies, recruitment or marketing. The economic development committee will lead a process to recommend concrete actions and a workplan.
No formal action was taken at the meeting beyond the presentation and discussion, and the committee will return with next steps and priorities for council consideration.
The presentation will be folded into the city’s comprehensive plan update and the economic development element as staff and council refine implementation steps.","City staff and a Western Washington University consultant presented an economic development strategic plan that confirms housing affordability, limited transit and business-sector gaps; council earmarked $30,000 for follow-up work and directed the economic development committee to outline next steps.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Seventh Street residents press council on ferry-area parking and proposed pickleball noise

Anacortes council delays placing pool district measure on ballot amid tax and wording concerns

Anacortes council reviews economic development plan that flags housing, transit and business gaps