Council approves reduced fees for historic-design and demolition review for waterfront structure; staff to set final amount

The La Conner Town Council agreed to reduce (not fully waive) historic-design-review and demolition permit fees for a request affecting a waterfront building adjacent to the town boardwalk, after applicants described rotted decking and security issues.

Applicants identifying themselves as Laura (spelled in the record variously) and Nikki Follis described structural rot under a small bridge/"bridal" structure and said they planned to replace the decking and fencing to match the adjacent boardwalk. "We didn't realize the extent of how bad it was until we did our investigating and it's bad," one applicant said.

Staff said the town is not approving the demolition or design itself at the council meeting; the council was acting only on a fee-waiver/reduction request. Planning staff explained that the project will require a historic-design review and likely shoreline permits; Department of Ecology and shoreline-permitting requirements could affect deck materials and design (for example, some over-water decking must allow light-through and meet shoreline conditions).

Council members expressed concern about setting a precedent for fee waivers but acknowledged the site's unusual configuration along the boardwalk. After discussion, councilmembers voted in favor of a motion to reduce the fees; the motion passed by voice/show-of-hands. The meeting record does not contain a final numeric reduction; staff was directed to produce a recommended fee reduction amount and to document the council's rationale so the decision record clearly describes why this case was treated as an outlier.