Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Shoreline Street Level Residential topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning staff seek public input on allowing street-level residential or short-term rentals behind Front Street storefronts
Summary
Planning staff presented a proposal to allow suite-level residential or transient accommodations in the rear or upper portions of waterfront/frontage buildings and asked for public outreach before drafting code changes.
Planning staff told the Coupeville Planning Commission on June 3 that they will gather public input on proposed changes to the Shoreline Master Program and local development regulations that would allow suite-level residential or short-term transient accommodations behind Front Street storefronts.
The staff presentation noted that some waterfront buildings have rear spaces or suites that are poorly suited to retail and typically underused because they lack street frontage and visibility. “Those buildings that have backs that face that cove, those are not particularly well suited for retail commercial space,” a planning staff member said during the briefing.
Staff said the idea originated from council-level conversations late in 2024 and early 2025 and that two business owners had suggested permitting residential or short-term rental uses in rear suites to make those spaces economically viable. Supporters said allowing residential or short-stay units behind an active commercial frontage would preserve commercially facing storefronts while activating underused space.
Barbara Summers, who said she owns 12 Front Street and has advocated for short-term rentals and historic-compliant commercial storefronts, told the commission her back-of-store space had been difficult to lease as retail and that a short-term rental proved a better fit. Summers said the building’s rear includes an ADA-compliant unit and that allowing short-term rentals in similar locations could attract visitors who would use downtown businesses.
Members of the public who spoke favored additional outreach. Planning staff said Town Council directed more public engagement and that the commission should gather comments through June with a targeted hearing on July 1; staff suggested returning a summary and potential next steps to council by July 22.
Staff emphasized design and policy guardrails would be part of any proposal, including preserving commercial frontage along Front Street, requiring rear or side entrances for residential units, and restricting any residential conversion that would remove active street-facing retail. Commissioners expressed general support for further study but said they wanted careful policy language to maintain downtown commercial character while adding economic uses to back-of-building spaces.
No code amendments were adopted at the meeting. Staff asked the commission to collect written feedback, said they would advertise the targeted outreach in June and July, and indicated a formal draft amendment would be returned to the commission for action after public input.
