Residents raise safety and notification concerns about ferry upland improvements, downtown parking and pickleball noise

Neighborhood residents told the Anacortes City Council on July 14 they are worried about safety, notification and parking impacts tied to ferry upland improvements and nearby recreation projects.

Boschie Morris, a Seventh Street resident, showed council members a photograph of an aid vehicle and said narrow pavement at the Sixth and I intersection and on nearby streets leaves only about 23 feet of paved surface. "The pavement on that street goes from the forward edge of your desk to the forward edge of your desk. In that space of about 23 feet that's paved is expected to be 2 ongoing traffic lanes and 2 parking areas," Morris said, warning that recent diagonal parking and vehicle counts create safety and access problems.

Another resident, Malcolm McCutcheon of 1613 Seventh Street, described repeated instances of diagonal parking that overhang sidewalks and block visibility. "So they hang out over the street and hang out over the sidewalk," McCutcheon said, and asked the council to consider permit parking to protect residents and pedestrian safety after the ferry lot loses spots due to upland improvements.

Both residents said that the city’s 300-foot (or 300-yard as cited by a speaker) radius notification did not reach several homeowners directly affected by the proposed upland improvements, and that posted signs and newspaper blurbs are not sufficient notice for many neighbors who use interior streets rather than the intersection where notices were posted.

Morris also raised concerns about pickleball courts sited near homes on J Avenue and said some adjacent homes were not included in sound or notification outreach. He urged the parks department and proponents to include immediate neighbors in outreach and to revisit how sound travel was modeled for the courts.

Council response and context: The council did not take immediate action during public comment but heard the residents’ request to ensure adequate notice and consider permit parking or other mitigations before the upland improvements proceed. The city previously announced the Commercial Avenue complete streets project and other construction items; staff and the council will consider neighborhood safety and outreach as specific improvement plans return for review.