Oak Harbor council weighs deviating from county land-capacity rules to meet housing allocation

Oak Harbor city officials debated whether to alter the technical assumptions behind the 2025 comprehensive plan during a Feb. 25 council workshop, focusing on how the city should respond after Island County asked the city to absorb a larger share of low-income housing in the urban growth area.

The discussion centered on differences in land-capacity analysis and how to reach a county request that 41% of certain low-income housing growth be accommodated within the city. Principal Planner Rajesh Kakamak and consultant Clay White summarized the methodology, and City Attorney Bob Zee told the council the county cannot unilaterally block the city's adoption of its comprehensive plan.

The issue matters because the land-capacity analysis determines whether the city must change zoning, expand the urban growth area (UGA) or otherwise reallocate where housing will be allowed. The county's letter asked Oak Harbor to shift a larger share of income-restricted housing into the city; staff said meeting that request will likely require both changes to local methodology and a map showing potential UGA expansion so the county can complete its parallel analysis.

"Comp plans are…