Island County tells Oak Harbor it must plan for 41% of low-income housing; council agrees to consider rezoning

Island County commissioners told the Oak Harbor City Council on Feb. 11 that the city must show how it will accommodate 41% of the county’s 0–50% area median income (AMI) housing requirement within city limits as part of the 2025 comprehensive-plan update, and Oak Harbor councilmembers said they are willing to consider rezoning and other infill strategies to try to meet that target.

The discussion, held as a joint meeting of the Board of Island County Commissioners and the Oak Harbor City Council, focused on differences between Oak Harbor’s land capacity analysis and the county’s interpretation of countywide planning policies and state growth-management rules. Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon said the county’s concern is that Oak Harbor’s submitted numbers would push most dense, low‑AMI housing into the city’s urban growth area (UGA) instead of the city core, “where services and infrastructure do not exist.” She said the county’s October letter proposed options to increase density in the city and that the county expects the city to “accommodate 41% of the necessary housing at the 0 to 50% AMI level.”

Oak Harbor Mayor…