Coupeville staff preview 2025 comprehensive plan draft; climate element singled out for new policies

Coupeville's community planning director presented the town's first draft of the 2025 comprehensive plan to the council, highlighting a newly required climate element that staff and the Planning Commission have developed since 2024.

Joshua Mankinbard told the council the first-volume draft is about 120 pages and includes 10 elements, 59 goals and 362 policies. "The climate element itself is a new requirement that was required under new state legislation," he said, and the town's climate section focuses on resilience, mitigation and "co-benefits" such as reduced vehicle miles traveled and healthier, more walkable neighborhoods.

Mankinbard said staff identified hazards of particular concern for Coupeville: drought, extreme heat, extreme precipitation and sea-level rise. The draft frames risk as a function of exposure and adaptive capacity; for example, older homes without air conditioning are more vulnerable to extreme heat.

Council members asked for supporting documents and suggested the draft be tightened so items reflect actions the small, roughly one-square-mile town can reasonably affect. One council member said parts of the climate wording seemed more appropriate for larger cities and recommended consolidating overlapping policies across the climate, parks and natural-systems elements for clarity and usability.

Mankinbard said staff will continue revisions over the next six months with the goal of having the plan ready for council action by December 2025. He invited council requests for additional data and said staff will bring the draft back for more robust discussion where needed.