Island County commissioners on Sept. 23 said they will pause action on revised countywide planning policies to continue talks with the city of Oak Harbor about a proposed urban growth area (UGA) expansion and housing allocations. The board said city and county staff will meet in the coming weeks and that elected-official conversations may be needed to find a Growth Management Act (GMA)–compliant solution. "While we are still moving forward with urgency on our comprehensive plan update, this will represent, unfortunately, a delay in our process," the Board Chair said.

The pause matters because the county's comprehensive plan update is due to the state by December 2025, and commissioners and planners said missing that deadline could make the county ineligible for some state public funds if it cannot show steady progress. "Our comp plan, as you know, is due by December. ... It's unlikely we'll be able to complete the comp plan by the end of the year," Emily Neff, assistant director of Long Range Planning, told commissioners.

Commissioners explained the county began reassessing countywide planning policies after Oak Harbor submitted a UGA expansion proposal on April 22, 2025. From the county's reading of the GMA and applicable RCWs, planning for higher-density development inside a UGA or an expanded UGA requires an annexation plan and a capital facilities plan because denser development requires urban infrastructure the county says does not exist on much of the lands Oak Harbor proposed for expansion. Without the city committing to annexation and infrastructure planning, county staff judged the expansion proposal not viable.

The county noted Oak Harbor is being allocated a large share of the county's housing total under the current reassessment: 53% of the total housing allocation is assigned to the city, the Board Chair said. The housing that would have been removed from Oak Harbor's allocation was the amount the city had requested to accommodate through a UGA expansion.

Commissioners said the board previously directed staff, in July, to complete a reassessment of the countywide planning policies to adjust housing and population targets. The board voted last week to delay formal action on those revised policies to allow further collaboration with Oak Harbor. The chair said reassessment remains an option and that the board may need to take action on the countywide planning policies if discussions with the city do not produce a GMA‑compliant alternative.

Neff said one additional factor is a county moratorium on 11 mixed‑use rezone requests intended to produce denser housing, and staff are drafting code changes to support zoning incentives. As Neff explained, the moratorium runs through April 14, 2026; code changes were brought to the planning commission last week and will be brought to the board for review. If the comprehensive plan is late, staff said the county could consider addressing those code changes separately, but that approach would require extra work and carries risks.

Commissioner Johnson said the county needs a firm negotiation timeline. "I feel like we need a drop dead timeline on negotiations," Johnson said, adding that county staff should manage the schedule to protect the broader comprehensive plan update and other stakeholders.

Next steps the board described include county planning staff meeting with Oak Harbor staff in the next several weeks, elected-official discussions if needed, and the board reviewing staff recommendations before deciding whether to act on the countywide planning policies. Commissioners said they intend to keep the public informed of any revised schedule.

Background: The Growth Management Act and implementing RCWs govern county and city planning for UGAs in Washington and require that urban densities be supported by capital facilities and, where relevant, annexation or service agreements. Oak Harbor submitted its UGA expansion proposal April 22, 2025; the county initiated reassessment work in July 2025. The county also said it has a moratorium in place on certain mixed‑use rezones through April 14, 2026.