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The people have spoken. But unlike at the polls, where such voices are heard in the form of marked ballot choices, Maple Hall was filled with residents and property owners expressing views on a host of pressing issues last week. Public comments filled about 30 minutes of the two-hour Sept. 26 La Conner Town Council hybrid meeting. Nearly a dozen people addressed the council at the meeting’s start, covering topics ranging from zoning changes proposed by the Port of Skagit at La Conner Marina and the lingering controversy over a three-story c...
The La Conner Town Planning Commission public hearing on municipal code and zoning map changes was the talk of the town last week. That talk will continue Oct. 4. Following lengthy discussions over changes sought by the Port of Skagit at La Conner Marina and several potential development regulation updates, commissioners, upon the recommendation of planner Michael Davolio, opted to continue the Sept. 20 hearing another two weeks. Those unable to attend next Tuesday can submit written comments to Town Hall by Sept. 29 for inclusion in the...
Christmas has come early for the Town of La Conner. Town council members at their Sept. 13 meeting gratefully accepted what amounts to a gift – an offer by siblings Tom and Sybil Jenson to sell one-half acre on the southwest side of Channel Cove to the Town at a significantly reduced price on condition the property be used for the benefit of the community. The Jensons set the price at $60,000, less than one-third its assessed value. “It’s something that we can afford,” Mayor Ramon Hayes said prior to a unanimous council vote. “They mostly wa...
Adding a chapter creating a Port Industrial Zone in the Town of La Conner’s Uniform Development Code will “preserve” for the long term the Port of Skagit’s La Conner Marina property for maritime industries, Port Communications Director Linda Tyler wrote in response to Weekly News questions about the Sept. 20 town planning commission hearing. The Port made a 2022 recommendation for a change to the Town’s code in January. The proposed chapter, 15.42, Port Industrial Zone, allows 60 foot tall buildings. Mavrik Marine’s expansion in 2020-2021 w...
A group of residents intend to do their civic duty and be heard at the public hearing called by the Town of La Conner Planning Commission Tuesday. The Port of Skagit submitted its recommendation last January for a new chapter creating a port industrial zone in the Town’s code. In August town planner Michael Davolio prepared a 27 page document, “Suggested 2022 Code Changes,” for the planning commission. Town residents have been preparing, also. Over 20 attended a meeting at Maggie Wilder’s Sept. 6, their second after a session at Renee and Jim...
It is mid-September. The decision train – trains, actually – are boarding. It is time to get on if you do not want to be left behind as Town of La Conner governmental entities prepare trips into 2023 – and beyond. First on the schedule is a Sept. 19 town conversation for residents to come together and talk. It is organized by La Conner Town Council’s communication committee. They want to hear from citizens and listen for celebrations, concerns, trends, hopes and ideas. It starts at 6:30 p.m. in Maple Hall. Come early the next night for the pub...
Padilla Bay Foundation recently held Brunch at the Bay 2022 at the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve on a beautiful PNW summer day in August. The over 100 attendees enjoyed fresh grilled oysters and other locally sourced foods, while overlooking the Bay, connecting with friends old and new, listening to great jazz and touring the aquarium and gift shop in the Breazeale Interpretive Center. The event raised funds toward a backup/emergency power supply system to protect the aquarium creatures. We celebrated the completion of the...
By Sara Young It’s an exciting time at the La Conner Marina. The Port of Skagit, which built and owns the Marina, has been considering the needs of this important property and future opportunities for more than 15 years. We’ve had a lot of great conversations with members of the community since our visioning presentation in May 2022 during the joint meeting with La Conner’s town council and planning commission. As the Port develops a vision and plan for the site, there will be more opportunities for public input. We also want to take some...
The Port of Skagit’s plans for redeveloping its La Conner Marina will be discussed at the Town of La Conner Planning Commission public hearing Sept. 20. A new zoning district, Port Industrial, will be unveiled as part of 27 pages of “suggested 2022 code changes” planner Michael Davolio and town staff have been developing based on proposals from Port staff. If the planning commission agrees and the town council adopts the recommendation, a new chapter will be added to Title 15 of the town’s uniform development code: Chapter 15.42, Port Industr...
By Frank Liddell La Conner is rich with generational wealth. I have neighbors that have spent their entire lives in this community and are descendants of families that practically built this town. I have been a La Conner resident for almost 20 years. I’m lucky to have lived here this long. I pull it off because the people I have rented from actually believe in fair, affordable rent. All of my kids have attended La Conner schools. My youngest is starting middle school this year and by the time he graduates I will have been involved with the s...
When the Town of La Conner considers amendments to its Comprehensive Plan this year, it will be lookinng at only one request, from the Port of Skagit, Planning Director Michael Davolio wrote in a summary Aug. 25. No others were received in the two month Dec. 1, 2021-Jan. 31, 2022 period for submitting amendments for 2022. In his memo, Davolio wrote “There has been some misunderstanding regarding public submittals for requested amendments. While members of the Planning Commission have encouraged members of the public to submit amendment p...
The Port of Skagit and Town of La Conner propose happily to move ahead on the Port's elaborate proposal based on a few, token, public meetings and little-to-no community understanding of the near and long term implications of the project. There is no time nor process in place for serious discussion of what we want our town and our Town to be. It is completely reactive to the Port’s vision, supported by the town administration, which is hard pressed to describe a comprehensive vision for the community. The Port knows exactly what it wants to d...
La Conner residents aren’t just being encouraged to make their voices heard. They are also being asked to put their thoughts on paper, according to the Aug. 16 Planning Commission meeting at Maple Hall. The commission is urging those wanting to have input into potential municipal code changes to share their views in writing well in advance of the panel’s next meeting on Sept. 20. Those comments should be directed to Planning Director Michael Davolio. “If people can submit their ideas to Michael as soon as they can,” said Chair Marna Hannema...
Businesses leasing space – the “upland tenants of the Port” – will join commercial fishing boats at the La Conner Marina in having priority use of the P and R docks in the north basin over other charter or rental boats and recreational users in the east half of the commercial dock, Port of Skagit Commissioners decided at their Aug. 9 meeting. They adopted a resolution setting policies for the Marina’s commercial float that will take place in January. Staff recommended the policy change to better emphasize the Port’s mission of economic opportun...
Young and old alike are invited to Pioneer Park on Aug. 4 to attend the 118th annual Pioneer Picnic and honor the Nelson family for their leadership in Skagit County agriculture, industry and public service. The event begins at 11:15 a.m. with a barbecue salmon dinner prepared by the “Good Girls” and served by members of the Civic Garden Club. Coffee and beverage concessions will be provided by the Sunrise Food Bank, with proceeds supporting its service projects. Lunch is $20 and includes a comm...
I had a conversation this week that lingers in my thoughts. It was with one of our popular local young farmers. She and her husband rent their farmland and live in a rented house that is only affordable due to family connections and the generosity of the landowners. She admitted they are vulnerable. If the owner of the land they lease for farming chose to develop or sell, they’re not sure they could afford to continue farming. They’re not in a position to purchase a home of their own because the prices in Skagit Valley have skyrocketed. Eve...
Tuesday, July 5 5:02 a.m.: Toilet fireworks – Report of juveniles lighting off fireworks in a port-a-potty. Swinomish Tribal Police checked the area and they were gone. Similk Beach, Greater La Conner. Wednesday, July 6 8:04 a.m.: Sunk at marina – An unoccupied boat docked at the marina took on water and became partially submerged. Port of Skagit workers responded and handled the incident. 2nd St., La Conner. 8:53 a.m.: Graffiti – Graffiti was marked on numerous buildings and businesses in the downtown area. Commercial St.,...
There’s a strong current of support for the Town to order a new fireboat to better protect La Conner’s historic waterfront and local marinas. During the June 28 town council meeting, La Conner Hook & Ladder chief Aaron Reinstra and assistant chief Adam Avery addressed the fire department’s goal to replace its aging fireboat that has been out of service for more than a year. “Having a fireboat on the water,” stressed Avery, “would be a huge advantage for us. You need multiple points of contact.” Mayor Ramon Hayes and Town Administrator...
Affordable housing has long been discussed in La Conner and while it has proved agonizingly elusive, officials have not given up on developing a framework that would allow those who work here to also live here. From embracing the concept of tiny homes to reducing minimum lot sizes to increasing opportunities for accessory dwelling units to allowing greater residential access in commercial buildings, officials have sought to solve the town’s housing crunch. Because of its desirability, La Conner is now unaffordable for many. Ironically, it w...
Housing topped the list for local growing pains needing creative ideas and solutions in La Conner at the June 30 public forum at the Town’s Civic Garden Club. Skagit County Community Action Executive Director Bill Henkel confirmed that demand for housing here far exceeds supply. He was one of the event’s three panelists, joining Town Administrator Scott Thomas and Director of Planning Michael Davolio. “There are lots of reasons,” Henkel told the 20-plus people in attendance. “First, this is an incredible place to live.” That demand, res...
The start of the June 21 La Conner Town Planning Commission meeting, with several residents hound-dogging the coming 306 Center Street condominium proposal conditional use permit decision, was more interesting than the bulk of the 90 minute hybrid session at Maple Hall. Residents Linda Talman, Dan O’Donnell and Jim Matthews and Center Street property owner Georgia Johnson were fervent in their opposition. O’Donnell asked that a 1986 contract rezone between the Town and then property owners Jerry and Donna Blades be formally recorded. Mat...
Two weeks ago 60 seniors graduated from La Conner High School in an old fashioned indoor ceremony. The 54 students graduating last year did so in an outside ceremony at the football stadium. In 2020, each of the 33 graduating seniors was delivered to the parking lot ceremony by their parents in the family car. The last two graduating classes have been huge. Future classes will not be that big. For the fall, the La Conner School District is projecting a 11% decline in enrollment, maybe 530 students, down 56 from this year’s 586 students. This w...
It seems the pandemic has fizzled as far as local plans for the Fourth of July go. The sizzle is back. The Town of La Conner and Port of Skagit have joined forces to schedule an Independence Day celebration as locals were accustomed to in pre-pandemic years. Hometown-style July 4 festivities, start with a downtown parade at noon and concluding with a 10 p.m. fireworks show, Town Administrator Scott Thomas told the Weekly News. “We’re trying to bring back what we had in the past and see what works,” Thomas said, “and hopefully be able to expa...
Be aware of the changes going on in our town. The town codes need to be studied and revised for enhancement of our small town’s character. Do we really need housing in every vacant spot? Is it the developers telling us that? There is a concerned group of townspeople now trying to negotiate changes to the size of the proposed giant condos with Airbnb rooms on Fourth and Center streets. Also be aware of the Port of Skagit’s idea of condominiums and such around the waterfront at the La Conner Marina and former Dunlap Towing site. Do your hom...
Sunday, June 5 11:06 a.m.: Stray kitten – A stray kitten was picked up and taken to the pet emergency center. McLean Rd., Greater La Conner. 10:06 p.m.: Oh deer – A vehicle collided with a deer. No injuries were reported by the driver. The deer did not survive and was removed from the road. Best Rd., Greater La Conner. Monday, June 6 11:32 a.m.: Gun threat – A student reported being threatened by another student at the high school on a previous day. The threat mentioned using a gun to shoot the student. A student was arrested...
