Residents and providers press Anacortes to plan for thousands of affordable units; staff maps needs by AMI bands

Local service providers, nonprofit housing advocates and residents told the Anacortes Planning Commission on Aug. 27 that the city must take steps in the comprehensive plan and follow-up regulations to make affordable housing feasible.

Dustin Johnson, executive director of the Anacortes Family Center, said the consequences of not providing affordable housing are already visible in schools and health care. “People are going to die, and those consequences are going to be huge,” Johnson said, describing how staff shortages in assisted-living and care settings could worsen if workers cannot afford to live on-island.

The nut graf: staff told the commission the plan includes explicit housing projections and an AMI-based breakdown of needs, and public commenters asked the city to remove regulatory barriers — not just rezone — so housing developments can actually be built and occupied by local workers.

Staff presented projections and an AMI income framework used in the draft: Coleman and Grage said the state Department of Commerce and local analyses show big demand in lower AMI bands. Libby Grage summarized the land-capacity analysis that allocates projected housing need to income bands and housing types; the presentation shows roughly 900 units projected in the 0–30% AMI band and about 604 units in the 31–50% AMI band over the planning horizon.

Local commenters reinforced that need. Vicky Stosch said she supports “the need for all types of housing,” noting examples in town such as townhouses and accessory dwelling units. Mark Leoni and Pat Barrett, who said they have owned and operated local businesses and serve on housing-related efforts, told commissioners that workforce housing shortages make hiring for restaurants and shops difficult. Barrett noted a planned project at the Lisonbee building that the housing authority is pursuing and described a goal of roughly 27 units at that site as plans advance.

Developers and builders also urged the city to reduce fees, streamline permitting and remove hurdles that increase construction cost. One local builder, Christian, said construction costs and new code requirements have increased per-unit costs and asked the city to consider measures such as reduced permit fees for multi-unit affordable projects.

Several commenters representing housing and disability-focused groups asked the city to explicitly plan for housing types that support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including cottage housing and ADUs that allow in-home support services. Doreen Follett (of a local advocacy group) said current Habitat for Humanity income thresholds still exclude many paraeducators and other essential local workers.

Ending: commissioners heard a clear call from speakers to move beyond policy language to regulatory changes and incentives that make lower-AMI housing actually buildable and occupied by local workers; staff plans to release development regulations for public review in September.