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Anacortes residents press council for neighborhood meetings after Herring short plat notice concerns
Summary
Ward 2 residents and Smart Growth Anacortes told the city council they received limited notice about a Herring short plat application, urged three neighborhood meetings and raised stormwater and critical‑area concerns they say merit fuller public engagement.
Several Anacortes residents urged the city council on June 1 to require additional neighborhood meetings over a proposed Herring short plat, saying nearby homeowners received little notice and that the project could worsen stormwater and habitat impacts.
Mark Nihart, speaking for Smart Growth Anacortes, said the group seeks to “undo the injustice done to these neighbors” and asked the council to hold three meetings: one to hear neighbors’ issues, one for the city to respond, and a third to negotiate compromises among neighbors, the developer and the city.
Janet Perjen, a Ward 2 resident, said she lives about 250 feet from the applicant’s property and only learned of the proposal “halfway through the 14‑day comment period.” She told the council she filed four pages of comments raising gaps in the application and specific questions about off‑site stormwater impacts where homes rely on soil infiltration.
Janet Andrews said she and her husband received a short‑plat notice on April 1 and had only 14 days to respond. Andrews said the Herring proposal appeared to divide a roughly 2.9‑acre parcel into multiple house sites with potential accessory dwelling units, and she worried the plan would set a precedent that erodes the town’s R1 low‑density transition protections.
Other speakers, including Marty Evans and Karen Nimi, described proximity to planned houses, the removal of mature trees and possible effects on wetlands and septic systems near the Happy Valley stream. Speakers repeatedly framed the concern as both environmental and procedural: they asked for more transparent notice and a chance for dialogue beyond a short written comment window.
At least one commenter requested the council require a neighborhood meeting under Anacortes Municipal Code 19.20.030; council members did not adopt an immediate action on the item during the meeting. City staff did not provide a substantive response on the record to the specific neighborhood‑meeting request during public comment.
Next steps: speakers asked the council to schedule neighborhood meetings before the city proceeds further with administrative approvals for the short‑plat application. The council did not vote on the short plat during the June 1 meeting.
