Residents ask council to block commercial staging on residential lot near 306 Center Street

Dozens of residents told the La Conner Town Council on an August meeting night that a vacant residential lot at the corner of North Ford and State streets should not be used as a staging, storage or equipment laydown area for the commercial redevelopment planned at 306 Center Street.

The comments centered on the town planner’s reported decision to allow the residential parcel to be used in support of the nearby commercial project. "What I'd like to comment about is the town planner, Asia Ellis, decision to allow a vacant residential zone plot on the corner of North Ford and State Street to be used in the same site for the commercial zone town redevelopment at 306 Center Street," said Cathy Schreiner, who gave her address as 216 North Third Street.

The neighbors said they learned recently that contractor staging and storage could occur on the residential lot, and they asked the council to seek a formal code interpretation. "We would ask that the council take a look at both the well written letter that Kathy submitted ... and come up with an interpretation that we think is more responsive to what I think is the request of the neighbors," said a speaker who identified himself as Don and said he is Cathy Schreiner's husband.

Why it matters: residents say use of the lot for heavy equipment and materials would expand construction impacts for months or years into a residential area two blocks from the redevelopment site, creating pedestrian-safety, noise, dust and drainage concerns and potentially forcing long-term changes to who can live in nearby housing.

Residents cited the town’s municipal code while urging action. Schreiner read provisions she said were from the municipal code chapter governing residential zones and noted permitted uses are limited and intended to "promote economical and efficient use of the land, stable neighborhoods, and safety, efficiency, and convenience for the residents of the town." Linda Tallman, who lives on Center Street, said that accessory uses "must be incidental" to a primary residential use and argued that a fenced storage/laydown yard would not be incidental.

Neighbors described specific public-safety and quality-of-life concerns. "Allowing heavy equipment and building materials up and down these streets from potentially 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., 6 days a week, will create a public nuisance, a threat to pedestrian safety, and a noisy disruptive environment," said Michelle, who gave her address as 218 North Ford Street. Gary Nelson and others raised traffic-control and curb-damage concerns for narrow streets and tight corners; Virginia Tucker, who lives at 204 North Third Street at a senior residence, said seniors and people using canes regularly walk the area and asked what contractor obligations would be imposed for cleanup, flagging and dust control.

The property owner spoke at the meeting. "We have not been an agreement with anybody to do anything there," the owner, who identified himself as Harlan, said. He added that if a proposed use is illegal under the code, that should be enforced, but he objected to neighbors telling him he cannot use property that is allowed by law.

No formal council action was recorded at the meeting on the matter. Several residents asked the council to direct staff to provide a written code interpretation or otherwise clarify whether staging and storage for the 306 Center Street project is permitted in the residential zone; the transcript records requests for the council to "take a look" and to not allow the laydown use if the code does not permit it.

Context and next steps: residents referred to a letter submitted to council (on file with the town) and said the North End neighborhood first learned of the potential staging location in mid-August. Speakers asked the council either to prohibit the use or issue a clear interpretation of the town code; the transcript does not record a council directive or a staff response on the record at that meeting.

Residents who spoke identified potential mitigation alternatives informally, including using other fenced areas with better heavy-vehicle access and asking the contractor to stage at commercial lots with established vehicle access; council members or staff did not make commitments during the public comment period recorded in the transcript.

The council will consider these public comments as part of the town’s usual permitting and enforcement process; the meeting transcript does not show a formal referral, vote, or time frame for a written interpretation.