Anacortes council approves Port’s West Basin shoreline permit and framework plan

The Anacortes City Council voted unanimously Jan. 5 to approve two land-use applications from the Port of Anacortes for the West Basin waterfront redevelopment, including a shoreline substantial development permit and a framework development plan.

Grace Pollard, senior planner for the City of Anacortes, told the council the applications cover development within the 200-foot shoreline jurisdiction, including three development pads, a new street-end park, realignment of Market Street and the 9th Avenue intersection, parking improvements and related utilities. Pollard said staff and the planning commission recommended 16 conditions of approval, and that the framework development plan will be recorded as a covenant with the Skagit County Auditor.

The project applicant, Adam Morrow of Pacific Surveying and Engineering, said the Port and its team have worked on the proposal for nearly three years, resolved outstanding easements over the holidays, and are ready to move forward with development.

"We've really cleaned this up, and I think we've set ourselves up for a nice development project here on the waterfront," Morrow said.

Council member Carolyn Moulton asked which recommended conditions were not boilerplate. Pollard pointed to a staff condition requiring a 25-foot buffer from an adjacent fish and wildlife habitat conservation area or, alternately, the use of the buffer-averaging provision coupled with an addendum to the critical areas report. Pollard said the addendum and any buffer averaging would be handled at the site-development permit stage with appropriate scientific verification.

Council member Fantini moved to approve the shoreline substantial development permit, file STP20230003, and to authorize the mayor to sign the final decision document on behalf of the council. The clerk called a roll-call vote; the ayes were 6, the noes 0 and the motion carried. The council then approved the framework development plan, file FMW20230001, by the same 6–0 margin.

Mayor Ryan Walters congratulated the Port commissioners in attendance and said the project will be important "for our waterfront, for our economy, and for the revenues and budget for the City of Anacortes." The council record shows the approvals are consistent with the planning commission’s recommendations dated Dec. 10, 2025, and subject to the conditions included in the staff report.

Next steps noted in the staff presentation include site-development permit review where the project’s final shoreline site plan, buffers and construction details will be verified according to the Anacortes Shoreline Master Program and the conditions recorded with the framework covenant. The council authorized execution of the decisions and indicated staff will follow up on implementation details at permit review.