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Pier 7 owners ask for maintenance-permit waiver; residents press for dark-sky code and neighborhood protections
Summary
Owners of the Pier 7 Building requested relief from historic-review fees and demolition-permit requirements for non-historic shoreline structures; multiple residents urged the planning commission to pursue dark-sky lighting rules and to protect neighborhood character.
La Conner residents and property representatives used the public-comment period at the March 18 Planning Commission meeting to raise two recurring concerns: a request from Pier 7 Building co-owners for a maintenance-permit waiver related to shoreline structures, and several complaints about night-time lighting that residents say disrupts sleep and neighborhood character.
Planning staff read a written comment from Laura Palmer and Nikki Fallas, co-owner representatives of the Pier 7 Building on South First. The letter explained that while the Pier 7 Building itself is on the local historic registry, several shoreline structures on the property were constructed after 1986 and are not historically significant. The co-owners asked the commission and town to allow a “common sense” approach that would permit removal of a non-historic berth structure and replacement with a composite railing matching an existing railing on the north side of the building, and they asked that the town waive historic-review and demolition fees (the letter cited a minimum historic-review fee of $875 and a demolition fee of $430). Staff noted the planning commission lacks authority to waive fees but read the owners’ request into the record.
Multiple residents also raised concerns about bright commercial-style lighting on residential streets, describing bedroom light intrusion and sleep impacts. Commissioners and staff discussed dark-sky codes as a future code amendment; planning staff encouraged the resident to file a public-nuisance complaint in the short term and offered their contact information to pursue abatement options. Staff said the town would like to adopt dark-sky protocols but cautioned code amendments can take time and that nuisance complaint procedures can be used while code work proceeds.
Residents voiced appreciation for the commission’s attention to neighborhood preservation and asked for continued outreach. Commissioners said they had researched lighting code options in the past and agreed that dark-sky standards warrant further consideration; staff said the topic will be considered in future code amendment work.
