La Conner planning commissioners review Moore Park subarea plan and warn state parking bills could reshape options

La Conner planning commissioners spent the meeting reviewing a draft Moore Park subarea plan and pressing staff for clarification about what adopting a subarea plan would mean for zoning and future development.

Planning staff told the commission the subarea plan is a guiding document, not a regulatory change: "they are not laws, they are not regulation, they're not zoning code," the staff member said, explaining the plan would guide intent and later regulatory updates. Staff also said the plan remains a draft and will be edited further before any planning‑code changes are proposed. The staff member added there is currently no development funding tied to the plan.

The commission’s discussion focused heavily on whether to include residential uses in the subarea plan given two state bills under consideration that would significantly restrict local parking requirements. One commissioner warned that if residential development in the subarea proceeds and the bills pass, the town could face housing units without adequate parking, pushing cars into neighboring streets or creating vacancies if buyers or renters reject units without parking. The transcript cited the bills by number as House Bill 12 99 and House Bill 5,184 (as discussed at the meeting).

Commissioners and public commenters raised additional concerns about infrastructure and services if the subarea sees population growth. Planning staff noted population projections in the draft — a figure described in the document as a potential total population of 1,191 people by 2045 — and agreed clearer language would be added so readers understand whether the figure is total population or net growth. Public commenters also urged the commission to consider where affordable housing would be placed and the service needs that any growth would create, such as groceries and transit.

Staff said the draft plan was presented to the town council and may require several rounds of edits before the council considers adoption. Commissioners asked staff to "proceed with caution" on residential recommendations and suggested scaling back specific, prescriptive sections so the plan is less likely to create conflicts if state law changes. Staff confirmed they will continue working on the draft without grant funding and return revised versions for further review.

No formal vote was taken to adopt the subarea plan at the meeting. Commissioners recorded their concerns and asked staff to (1) clarify projected population language; (2) consider removing the public parking‑lot parcel from the plan as a means of protecting current parking capacity; and (3) rework the draft to be less prescriptive and to reflect possible legislative changes to parking requirements.

The discussion closed with staff saying the plan will be restructured and brought back to the commission for additional review and edits.