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Coupeville schedules middle housing code discussion for May; council hears resident request for sidewalk-construction meeting
Summary
Council directed staff to bring the draft middle housing code to a May meeting for discussion and noted two grant-funded planning projects (climate element and coastal adaptation) must be advanced before June 30; a local property owner requested a meeting by April 22 with Valdez Construction about planned sidewalk work and business impacts.
Council members at the April 8 Coupeville meeting discussed scheduling for several major planning items and heard a public comment requesting an early meeting on sidewalk-construction impacts.
Planning staff told the council the town’s draft middle housing code is not ready for final action at the April 22 meeting and that the middle housing item is expected to be scheduled for May, with the council asked to review the code ahead of a public hearing if substantive changes are proposed. Mayor Mary Hughes said planning staff had made last-minute technical edits and that the council would be asked to consider the code at its May 13 meeting and, if changes are made, to hold a second public hearing before approval.
Council members noted the timing pressure on three grant-funded items: the middle housing code, a climate element update and a coastal adaptation plan. Staff said the grants that fund those projects are tied to the state budget year ending June 30; delivering grant work before that deadline explains the compressed schedule. The council asked staff to stagger presentations where possible and agreed to prioritize the middle housing code for the near term.
During public comment, resident Christian Chambers said he submitted a letter signed by more than 25 stakeholders asking the town and Valdez Construction to hold a meeting by April 22 to discuss how sidewalk construction will affect the economic vitality of the commercial district. Chambers said he emailed the council the letter the day before the meeting and asked the town to arrange the requested discussion; council members asked him to resend the email and staff to follow up.
Earlier in the mayor’s report, Mayor Hughes and council members said they had met with Valdez Construction and learned the company assigned Brandon Roos as project manager for the boardwalk/boardwalk-adjacent mobilization and that Valdez would provide a traffic plan and construction timeline to the town and community as soon as it is available. Staff told the council the town will share the timeline and traffic plan when received.
No formal action was taken on scheduling beyond the direction to bring the middle housing draft forward for review in May and to coordinate public notice. The sidewalk meeting requested by Chambers was not set at the meeting, and staff agreed to look for the letter in email and to arrange a follow-up meeting.
