Center Street apartment project public hearings coming

Two public hearings are scheduled this month to address proposed construction of a 20-unit apartment building in the commercial zone behind the Slider Café on Center Street.

But town officials have already heard plenty about the project from those who believe the structure would be incompatible with nearby single-family residential neighborhoods and strain existing infrastructure.

Town of La Conner Planning Director Michael Davolio said the town has been “inundated with comments” regarding the project. Last fall he called for public correspondence on the proposal.

The planning commission hearing is 6 p.m. March 15. The hearing examiner hearing is 2 p.m. March 31. The hearings are prescribed in the Town’s code as is the decision process.

The hearing examiner gets recommendations from both the planning commission and Davolio. “The staff’s recommendation to the hearing examiner will rest solely on our determination as to whether the proposal meets the requirements of the town’s development code” he wrote the Weekly News last year.

That allows “the examiner to make informed decisions regarding the application. It also ensures that the hearing examiner will receive a formal recommendation from citizens of the community,” Davolio wrote the town council in December.

Davolio informed council that they have “no role in this process. The hearing examiner makes the final determination at the local level.” Appeals can be made within 21 days to the Skagit County Superior Court.

Project applicant Ken Olsen applied for approval of a three story building containing 14 long-term and six short-term rental units on property owned by KSA Investments, which decades ago was the back half of a full-service Chevron station.

The site, located one block east of the Weekly News office, has been cleared of an aging wooden garage structure.

Short-term rentals in La Conner’s commercial zones are permitted uses. Long-term rentals in those areas are subject to the conditional use process.

The proposed apartment complex is one of numerous residential projects in the planning stages or underway that are intended to help alleviate La Conner’s housing crunch and manage projected population growth.

Some challenge new construction as adding more higher-end home options to a hot market and ultimately pricing out and displacing longtime La Conner residents.

The Center Street apartment proposal has cleared the hurdle of the Town’s determination that it will not pose a significant environmental impact.

However, the town has attached a detailed list of conditions necessary to mitigate any impact issues that could otherwise arise. Topping the list is a 30-feet maximum height limit on any portion of the apartment building. It also stipulates that roof access must be approved by the fire chief.

The complete file project is at town hall for review. For information, contact Davolio: 360-466-3125, [email protected].

Send written comments for the record to Davolio by 4 p.m. March 30: P.O. Box 400, La Conner, WA., 98257.