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Council reviews draft land‑use element; members raise concerns about single‑family language, density and economic development
Summary
Planning consultant Donna Fasset presented draft revisions to the comprehensive plan’s land‑use element. Council members expressed concern about removing single‑family references, rezoning scope and how housing targets will be met without local job growth.
Planning consultant Donna Fasset and city staff presented draft amendments to Chapter 2 (land use) of the Sedro‑Woolley comprehensive plan. The draft shortens background material, updates land‑capacity and housing‑allocation sections, introduces a requirement to allocate housing by income level, and proposes new policies addressing vehicle‑miles‑traveled reduction, environmental justice and battery‑storage siting.
Fasset said proposed changes also suggest converting a “TMCO” overlay into a producible zone, allowing small‑scale manufacturing in designated commercial corridors, and removing duplicate master‑plan language found in the Shoreline Master Program. Staff said the draft is an early version and further revisions will follow; the city will provide a schedule for review of all plan chapters.
Council members pressed staff on several policy points. Councilman Henderson objected to draft policy LU‑1.3’s removal of explicit reference to single‑family housing, expressing concern that removing single‑family language could hasten rezoning to denser categories without clear infrastructure plans. Councilmembers asked for detail on how the city will meet state housing allocations, whether rezones could be reduced by using cottage, accessory dwelling and PRD options, and how the plan accounts for local job growth so new housing does not become a bedroom community. Staff said that further analysis of housing allocations and potential rezones will be presented at subsequent meetings and that some planned ordinances (for cottage housing and ADUs) should reduce the need for broad rezoning.
Staff reminded the council of a June 30 funding/deadline context from the Department of Commerce and asked council members to review the draft and send red‑line feedback to staff so planning and commission review can proceed. No council action was taken; the item was presented for discussion.
