[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-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],{"_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",5974533,"mediaKeyId","5837978-2aae933f6c24696283465b19a8780cb2","parentId",5837978,"title","Anacortes planners propose street-standards update to require multimodal facilities, give limited discretion for local constraints","audioSeconds",2056,"startMs",488000,"endMs",2544000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5837978-2aae933f6c24696283465b19a8780cb2&start=488&end=2544","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5837978-2aae933f6c24696283465b19a8780cb2/thumbnail_488000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5974533/Anacortes/Skagit-County/Washington/Anacortes-planners-propose-street-standards-update-to-require-multimodal-facilities-give-limited-discretion-for-local-constraints","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5974533-2f21cdc34a4537b346745e12cc3f8eb9/orig.mp4?Expires=1773575613&Signature=KyTQJHdjmEy6fh9QQQfihaDFfsJCTj-0z-1cDIjf35Z~9MHAW0WPUggco3DG9iv849~tkUlJkn5UZsNayAtZf-Py9JkgUcftavJSTHjlOK8CbalGQIOn3pg6S73O38-9I95wYLTS3bp4bRKwQy8wgabmahQ3rgTOUZPRCEKVsuUAAL6ABHV9-xg6iKTmAIpKElkQBzLTtmzIG2O~noAkbOSd8a94vaFlmjJSlrS2ETtRvj3O0930ePpW69Q0kWnniNWno1dKOUlYFnLCim97XC8gFMfHLeYW9oUxn6wWMeiefHQTL1AOe1IqFfcVUAo0fxaI9s78wro-IXQIP~2XXA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Anacortes, WA","date","2025-09-25T00:00:00Z","article","The Anacortes Planning Commission on Sept. 24 took a detailed walk-through of proposed development regulation amendments to Division 5 of Title 19, which set public street design and frontage standards for new development. The commission did not adopt the code changes tonight but scheduled further review and a public hearing on the draft regulations for Oct. 22.

Why it matters: Division 5 governs required public street improvements when private development occurs; changes will shape how sidewalks, bicycle facilities, parking and street landscaping are constructed over the next 20 years and affect developer obligations, capital planning and grant eligibility.

Consultant Chris Como of Transpo Group summarized the amendments, telling commissioners the update links the code to the comprehensive plan's new active transportation network and refines street functional classifications. “The comprehensive plan sets the framework, the goals, and the policies. The development regulations implement all of that,” Como said as he described the updated cross sections for principal arterials, minor arterials, collectors and local streets and the new primary/secondary active-transportation distinctions.

Key proposals: The draft code adds an explicit active transportation network map and ties primary and secondary network segments to different cross sections and facility expectations (e.g., separated bike facilities on primary segments; shared-lane markings on some secondary segments). The update clarifies federal functional classification roles for grants, updates references (for example to the latest trip generation manual) and recommends replacing the term “roadway” with “street” to better reflect urban contexts.

Flexibility and exceptions: Because right-of-way and existing conditions vary across the city, the draft includes a process for exceptions and limited discretion for the public works director where strict adherence to the illustrated cross sections would be infeasible. The draft also gives the director authority—subject to review and, when appropriate, council decision—to approve driveway curb openings wider than 30 feet and to weigh alternative frontage treatments where neighbors or context make standard frontage impractical.

Commissioners raised site-specific safety concerns. One commissioner asked staff to double-check J Avenue, which the draft treats as a narrow collector in places; the commissioner noted an elementary school and dismissal traffic along part of that corridor and asked that standards not reduce pedestrian safety. Staff committed to review the J Avenue context and report back. Commissioners also discussed downtown parking configurations (including angled and back-in parking) and how subarea planning (for example, an eventual downtown framework) might be the appropriate venue to address existing, nonstandard curb/parking configurations.

Process and next steps: Staff said the code update is designed to align development regulations with the comprehensive plan and that the transportation element portion of the comp plan had already been reviewed by the Skagit Council of Governments as part of GMA-required certification. The Planning Commission scheduled a special meeting Oct. 1 to continue detailed review, and a public hearing on the development regulation amendments is planned for Oct. 22; the commission may deliberate and forward a recommendation to council after that hearing.

Ending: The proposed Division 5 amendments aim to codify a network-level, multimodal street standard while providing targeted flexibility where site conditions or community preferences require it. Commissioners asked staff for follow-up on J Avenue safety considerations and for revised draft language clarifying when and how in-lieu or alternative frontage options may be used.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Anacortes - Planning Commission Meeting (9/24/25)","oneSentenceSummary","Planning commissioners reviewed proposed Division 5 code changes to add an active transportation network and updated street cross sections; staff said the draft gives limited discretion where right-of-way or context prevents meeting ideal standards.","taxTitle","Anacortes, Skagit County, Washington","taxId",51056,"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},5974537,"Anacortes planning commission recommends council adopt updated comprehensive plan, future land use changes",5026,184000,5210000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5837978-2aae933f6c24696283465b19a8780cb2&start=184&end=5210","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5837978-2aae933f6c24696283465b19a8780cb2/thumbnail_184000.jpg","/articles/5974537/Anacortes/Skagit-County/Washington/Anacortes-planning-commission-recommends-council-adopt-updated-comprehensive-plan-future-land-use-changes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5974537-196fcdefbf03d11fc158cfa6ee2f3305/orig.mp4?Expires=1773575613&Signature=bpfZc9IPjti3MKE4HHhswmAaNqlVzxL6fSxbbCYLo0R2Hy8VBbuk5~ssx1-q4h37gIEj0NKE~koKzOT30MUmtxuzyQ9oUDaV~Wj2XTV8Ew~7EfDpkctx2K9bwQeGeOVJr4JfQKnXuzWxH6qJE0iyQ-~L-ylseNNbRnsiVz4EXWhj-w0TJ5rxRXAwbFQ4cgae2NdBa17ygr2kWa1afH1NNRc5j1hPp~vdI9Q8ptG3bGlIQZ2N3Pt9HgpQwd4GqhlioGvUSHLBaqN-AoKil1lZPrIRC6~MUgWsnVKzpGR3EvyftG8gC8vTNE~otvUWS9XFMsPFjxgKJKdH5TIXS8hp3A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Anacortes Planning Commission voted Sept. 24 to recommend that the City Council adopt the periodic update to the comprehensive plan, including revisions to Volume 2 (background data and analysis) and eight proposed future land use map amendments, with staff-recommended edits and an added glossary. The motion passed on a 5–0 vote and will be forwarded to the council for consideration.

Why it matters: The periodic comprehensive plan update (2025–2045) contains the policy and background framework the city will use to guide land use, housing, transportation and public facilities for the next 20 years. Volume 2 provides the data, inventories and analysis that support the plan’s goals and policies; changes to the future land use map (FLUM) set expectations for how specific parcels may be rezoned or developed in the future, and therefore shape possible projects, public investments and permitting outcomes.

Planning staff led the presentation. Libby Grage, planning manager with the Planning, Community and Economic Development department, told commissioners that Volume 2 had been updated primarily to refresh data and figures, to add required Growth Management Act (GMA) context and to ensure statutory compliance. “The draft plan has two volumes, volume 1 and volume 2,” Grage said as she summarized the background-element updates and the staff recommendation to open a continued public hearing and take testimony.

Transportation analysis and multimodal requirements were highlighted by consultant Chris Como of Transpo Group, who walked commissioners through the updated transportation inventory, the newly required active transportation network and the multimodal level-of-service approach now required under GMA. “This is all required by the GMA,” Como said, describing roadway inventories, freight routes, ADA requirements and the need for multimodal planning and a transit level-of-service standard.

Public comments at the continued public hearing focused on several specific parcels and neighborhood concerns. Pat Barrett, acting chair of the Anacortes Housing Authority, urged support for rezoning the Olsen Building parcel so the housing authority can proceed with an affordable housing project. Barrett said the Olsen project would provide 27 units and noted, as he described it, that the property deed includes a requirement that it be used for affordable housing. “We need affordable housing in this community. It provides 27 units,” Barrett said.

Neighbors from a small pocket east of downtown asked the commission to preserve that area’s low-rise, transitional character rather than folding it into higher-intensity central business district development. Paul Whitrock and Julia Henry described a neighborhood between Fourth Street and the Housing Authority building that they said now functions as a mixed residential-civic pocket and asked that the plan include a policy or future land use designation that protects that character.

Brett Linsford, Anacortes Museum director, asked that the museum parcel at 1305 Eighth Street be designated public use, noting the building’s long history in public service dating to 1910.

Staff summarized the FLUM recommendations and changes. The staff memos consolidated by date (staff memo dated 08/22/2025 with a consolidated future land use recommendation, and an updated staff memo dated 09/19/2025 with six additional minor amendments) were the basis for the motion. Staff told commissioners there were eight requested FLUM amendments under review and that staff recommended approval of most requested changes but recommended partial approval for a Port of Anacortes request in the Capstanley Marina area (staff recommended some parcels change to commercial marine while retaining commercial designation on other parcels where staff found no direct water relationship). The urban growth area adjustment requested by the city and approved by the Skagit County Board of Commissioners was noted; staff recommended designating the now-included parcels in the UGA as public on the FLUM.

Formal action: Commissioner McCombs moved and Commissioner Currier seconded a motion to recommend that the City Council adopt the proposed comprehensive plan amendments and FLUM amendments with the six additional amendments shown in the staff memo dated Sept. 19, 2025, the consolidated staff FLUM recommendations dated Aug. 22, 2025, and to include the glossary provided to commissioners; the motion also asked the commission to review an outstanding wildlife/animals section in Volume 2 when that section is completed. Miss Gleichman recorded the roll call: McCombs—Aye; Ryan—Aye; Martin—Yes; Juretsky/Duretsky—Aye; Currier—Aye. The motion passed, and staff will forward the commission’s recommendation to the City Council for its review and final action.

Discussion vs. decision: Commissioners and staff clarified that a FLUM change is distinct from the city’s zoning map; if the council adopts FLUM amendments the city typically follows with zoning map and ordinance amendments to implement the FLUM. Commissioners discussed concerns about the Olsen Building block’s adjacency to port industrial uses and suggested that the Port and the housing authority continue coordination; staff noted the port letter and described options such as cooperative easements or other mitigation approaches. Commissioners specifically requested that the incomplete wildlife/animals background section in Volume 2 be finalized and returned as part of the record.

Next steps: The commission forwarded its recommendation to the City Council. The planning staff told commissioners the update and the record will be provided to council members so they can review the consolidated memos and the public-comment response matrix prior to council hearings and final adoption.

Ending: The planning commission’s recommendation completes the commission-level review of the comprehensive plan periodic update; final adoption will be a city council decision after council review of the record and staff recommendations.","The Anacortes Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council adopt the 2025–2045 comprehensive plan updates and eight future land use map amendments, including staff-directed changes and the addition of a glossary; the recommendation will move to council review for final action.","actionData","errors"]

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Anacortes planners propose street-standards update to require multimodal facilities, give limited discretion for local constraints

Anacortes planning commission recommends council adopt updated comprehensive plan, future land use changes