Council hears development services update: temporary pallet shelters, comp plan advisory committee and downtown height concerns

The City Council on April 23 received an update from the Development Services Committee on several planning and housing matters, including a proposed temporary pallet‑shelter site, citizen advisory committee appointments for the comprehensive plan update and early discussion about taller building heights in the C‑2 commercial zone.

The items matter because they touch housing for people experiencing homelessness, the city's approach to its comprehensive plan update and possible changes to zoning and public‑safety infrastructure if taller buildings are allowed downtown.

Development Services Director Stacy Praxner reported the department is recruiting staff (planning examiner/building inspector, engineering tech, permit counter tech and a part‑time planner) and described a developing partnership with nonprofit Welcome Home Skagit. The partnership would place five pallet shelters on property at First United Methodist Church under a proposal funded in part by a Skagit County grant. Praxner said the project site must meet city criteria — appropriate sizing and spacing, access to heat and electricity and landscaping — and that under city code temporary homeless encampments are allowed for up to 120 days at a location per year, while state law gives religious institutions broader permissions. A public information meeting was scheduled for April 30; Praxner said the city intends to enter a memorandum of understanding and a renewable one‑year lease if the project proceeds.

On planning work, Praxner presented a proposed citizen advisory committee to support updates to comp plan goals and policies related to housing, land use and transportation. The council had originally proposed selecting 10–12 members from applicants but moved to expand the committee to 14 volunteers; the council approved that expansion by motion and voice vote and then approved the resolution recommending appointees.

Separately, committee discussion looked at anticipated growth: staff said the city is preparing for an estimated 10,000 new residents over 20 years and that the planning commission is evaluating C‑2 commercial zone changes, including potential building heights of up to seven to eight stories. Fire Chief Harris (referenced in committee discussion) noted current ladder apparatus reach five stories and that taller development would likely require new firefighting apparatus, which Praxner said can cost about $2,000,000. The committee discussed lot coverage and setback rules for small downtown parcels and the equity and resilience implications if current codes prevent rebuilding to existing footprints after a fire.

Committee members also briefed council on the Blackburn Road extension feasibility study: staff recounted a 1992 environmental impact statement that set a 716 PM peak‑hour trip threshold to trigger roadway review and cited a 2014 Transportation Solutions Inc. analysis showing only about 22.59 peak‑hour trips remained before reaching that threshold; the city classified the project still in feasibility exploration pending technical, environmental and funding review.

Praxner and staff noted challenges recruiting longer‑term volunteer commitments for a climate planning committee and said they may pursue targeted outreach to agencies and stakeholders to fill that role. Council did not take separate votes on the pallet‑shelter proposal at Wednesday's meeting; staff will present the site details at a public meeting on April 30.