Anacortes Planning Commission reviews capital facilities, utilities policies and schedules public hearing

The Anacortes Planning Commission on Jan. 22 reviewed proposed updates to the capital facilities and utilities elements of the city’s 2025 comprehensive plan, hearing a staff presentation on clarifying policy language, linking separate system master plans by reference and adding measurable level-of-service targets.

The review, led by Libby Grama, planning manager for the Planning, Community and Economic Development Department, and Andy Rayum, the city’s public works director, outlined minor wording changes, a few new policies and a reorganization of some items between the facilities and the plan’s financial sections. Grama said the edits are part of a phased comprehensive-plan update and staff anticipates releasing an integrated draft, including climate policies, for public review in June.

Why it matters: the capital facilities element guides how the city plans water, sewer, stormwater, public buildings and other infrastructure to support growth. Updating goals and policies — and linking them to more detailed system plans — frames what projects the city prioritizes and how it pays for them.

Grama told commissioners the staff edits aim to make policy language clearer and, where appropriate, add measurable targets the city can use to evaluate system performance. Rayum described the public-works responsibilities covered by the element, explained the city’s separate system plans (water system plan, general sewer plan, stormwater master plan and transportation master plan) and said those documents will carry the technical detail the comprehensive plan does not. He said staff added a new policy to acknowledge that system plans adopted by reference will provide that detail.

Commissioners questioned specific policy wording. Linda Martin, chair, asked whether certain time frames still tie to capital-budget processes; staff answered the comprehensive plan looks farther out (to 2045) than a typical six-year capital plan. Commissioners also suggested adding a glossary entry for “system plans.”

Public-safety target language drew particular attention. Commissioners asked why the draft includes explicit fire response targets but does not include police response-time goals. Rayum and John Coleman, planning director, said the fire and police departments drafted different language; the commission requested the fire chief and police chief provide written clarification or attend the next meeting to explain intended response-time provisions and which incident types the targets cover (for example, structure fires versus vessel or grass fires).

On utilities the staff presentation separated city-owned capital facilities from noncity utilities such as power and telecom. Rayum said external companies have lately shown more interest in the city’s utilities language because of proposed climate policies, but the companies had not yet submitted formal comments. The draft recognises the Anacortes fiber-optic network and includes language the city council asked to add for solid-waste utility policies.

Process and next steps: Grama said staff will integrate commission feedback and publish a notice of availability and a public hearing; the hearing was described as on Feb. 26 with interim work to return to the commission on Feb. 12 to clarify wording and incorporate responses from the police and fire chiefs. Rayum and Grama also noted several system plans under preparation that will inform the capital facilities element.

Commissioners generally supported the approach of adopting system-level master plans by reference and adding prioritization language for budgeting. Several commissioners emphasized the comprehensive plan is an appropriate place to be aspirational on long-range goals while the separate master plans provide technical and financial detail.

The commission closed the discussion with a request that staff add clarifying language where “adjacent to the project” appears in developer-improvement requirements so readers understand this refers to the right-of-way adjacent to a project’s frontage.

Ending: Staff will return with proposed wording changes, a glossary suggestion, and follow-up responses from police and fire leadership at the Feb. 12 meeting, and the commission will consider the advertised public hearing on Feb. 26.