Skagit County Planning Commission forwards comprehensive-plan recommendations, approves recorded motion

The Skagit County Planning Commission on April 15 approved a recorded motion forwarding its recommendations on the 2025 periodic comprehensive plan update to the Board of County Commissioners, including a factual correction to a Swinomish urban growth area paragraph, support for policies to encourage denser development within unincorporated urban growth areas, and a recommendation to include nine parcels in the Anacortes urban growth area for recreational and operational purposes.

The commission’s action bundles multiple edits and findings that staff and commissioners had debated during deliberations of the periodic comprehensive plan. Commissioner Day asked the commission to correct the Suwinomish UGA paragraph on page 49, saying, “I happen to live on the reservation,” and noting the current paragraph references a facility that burned and omits a memorandum of understanding between the county and the tribe. Planning staff said the paragraph is accurate except for the reference to the Hope Island Inn and agreed to remove that sentence; staff member Robbie read the proposed recommendation into the record as, “remove the reference to the zoning of Hope Island in the Suwinomish UGA paragraph of page 49 as it is inaccurate.”

The recorded motion, as approved, also contains land-use recommendations addressing countywide population allocations and urban growth-area policy. The commission voiced support for policies 2A 8.6 and 8.7 (page 65), which call for collaborating with the Skagit Council of Governments to investigate revising countywide planning policy targets and for working with cities and towns to explore allowing urban levels of development within unincorporated urban growth areas. Commissioners discussed the 80/20 target split (80% of population growth directed to cities/UGAs; 20% to rural areas) and urged that the recommendations encourage cities to maximize density in UGAs so county goals for housing and rural-character protection can be met.

The commission recommended an expansion of the Anacortes urban growth area to include nine parcels owned by the city for recreational and operational purposes, noting explicitly in its recommendation that the expansion “will not be used for the purposes of accommodating population, housing, or employment growth.” Planning staff said several of the parcels are in conservation easements and one is used for city public-works material storage.

Commissioners also added a finding under utilities urging energy resiliency language in the plan. Commissioners proposed and agreed on a finding stating the county should “maintain options for a variety of energy sources at least until such time as technology or advancements in technology negate the need for multiple options,” with one commissioner suggesting the phrase be expanded to “healthy and resilient” energy systems.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve the April 8 minutes — moved and seconded; outcome: approved (vote tally not specified in the record). - Recorded motion forwarding the planning commission’s recommendations on the comprehensive plan for transmittal to the Board of County Commissioners — moved and seconded; outcome: approved (commissioners responded “Aye”; individual tallies not specified).

What happens next

Staff told commissioners that draft development regulations to implement the plan (including the updated critical areas ordinance) will be presented to the commission at the next meeting, with a public hearing on the development regulations scheduled for May 6 and deliberations on May 20. Staff also reminded the commission that the Board of County Commissioners asked to finish the update by June, and that some grant funding and timelines make that target important.

For transparency, the commission recorded its recommendations and attached supporting findings and letters (including a letter from the Agricultural Advisory Board supporting the recommended agricultural-policy changes) to the recorded motion it approved.

Ending

The Planning Commission closed deliberations and moved on to department updates and commissioner comments; staff said it will deliver the draft development regulations and the draft critical areas ordinance to the commission in advance of the next meeting so commissioners can review the documents before May 6’s public hearing.