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

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.