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Neighbors urge Anacortes council for neighborhood meetings after limited notice of Herring short plat
Summary
Residents and Smart Growth Anacortes told the council they received limited notice of the Herring short plat, raised storm-water and habitat concerns, and asked the council to require neighborhood meetings under AMC 19.20.030; no formal council action was taken on the request at the meeting.
Residents of Ward 2 and members of Smart Growth Anacortes urged the City Council on June 1 to reopen public engagement and require neighborhood meetings for the Herring short plat application, saying the city's 14-day notice period and lack of a neighborhood meeting denied neighbors meaningful dialogue.
Mark Nyart, speaking for Smart Growth Anacortes, told the council the short plat "had limited public notification to the neighbors and no neighborhood meeting" and asked the council to "undo the injustice" by holding three neighborhood meetings to discuss issues, staff responses and negotiate outcomes with the applicant. "Promises made, promises kept, or not," Nyart said, referencing prior council commitments to improved public involvement.
Multiple nearby homeowners described late notice and environmental concerns. Janet Perjen said she learned of the application only partway through the 14-day comment window and submitted four pages of questions about inconsistent information, the omission of off-site storm-water impacts and unclear project scope. She cited Anacortes Municipal Code 19.20.030 and said the short plat affects critical areas (Happy Valley stream) and properties that rely on septic systems.
Janet Andrews, who lives roughly 20 feet from the Herring parcel, said she was surprised the notice window was short and that plans appear to subdivide 2.9 acres into three lots with 4,000-square-foot homes and potential accessory dwelling units; she contrasted that with a previous neighborhood meeting that resulted in a single-house outcome for a similar parcel. Neighbors including Marty Evans and Karen Nimi raised concerns about packing multiple homes into about 1.13 acres, loss of significant trees that define neighborhood character, erosion risk and potential precedent for denser development in R-1 zones.
Council did not take formal action on the short plat at the meeting. No staff response or applicant rebuttal was recorded on the transcript other than general council acknowledgement of the comments; the concerns remain unresolved pending permit review and any follow-up by planning staff.
