Center Street project, flood issues heard by planning commission

With the completion of an on-site soil analysis, applicants Kate and Brandon Atkinson stand on firm enough ground to seek county building permits for their proposed condo project on Center Street, Town of La Conner Planning Commissioners were told last week.

“The applicants have expressed a desire to apply for building permits before the end of June,” Planning Director Michael Davolio said as part of a regular status report on the 306 Center Street proposal during a one-hour June 7 hybrid session at Maple Hall.

Davolio said two soil boring tests on the southwest portion of the property, which had previously been part of a full-service fuel station and storage business, revealed contaminants requiring removal. The analysis indicated those contaminants had not spread to the northeast, he said.

Davolio cited two of the safeguards in place regarding the project, which sparked pushback when proposed last year from those concerned about potential fire protection issues and traffic, parking and noise impacts on the nearby residential neighborhood.

“They will have to have a pre-construction meeting before digging,” said Davolio, adding that an engineer at the worksite is required.

The state Department of Ecology is also in the loop, he said. “They know about the project and have been monitoring the site.”

In response to a question posed by Center Street resident Debbie Aldrich, Davolio said he wasn’t certain if DOE will have staff on site during construction.

Atkinson, who maintains a dental practice in La Conner, has said the local housing crunch makes residential units more suitable than commercial development on the property, which is located behind The Slider Café.

While not on the commission’s formal agenda, flood mitigation was discussed at length.

Center Street resident William Smith said that flood threats “are not something we can walk away from.” He suggested limiting construction in flood-prone areas.

Jerry George, also a Center Street resident and a member of the new Emergency Management Commission formed in response to December’s severe saltwater flooding, said he and his colleagues are exploring both short-term and long-range strategies.

“At this point,” said George, “the commission is pretty sure we’ll meet the Dec. 27 flood level (of 14 feet). It ain’t cheap. It’s complicated because of where the barriers have to be.

“William is absolutely correct,” George added. “We have to address the threat of floods in our code.”

George noted that commissioner Duane Carpenter, a retired National Weather Service meteorologist, has said the local flooding was a rare event, the result of numerous simultaneous conditions – seasonal king tides, extremely low barometric pressure, strong westerly winds and melt off from a prior winter storm.

“But the risk of this event being on the horizon is absolute,” George stressed.

Commissioners also continued a long-standing discussion on short-term rentals, a topic Davolio said has generated a broad range of opinions.

“Some people say ‘no’ to any short-term rentals,” he said. “Others say not to dictate how to use their property.”

Smith cautioned that widespread use of short-term rentals reduces available housing stock and threatens the fabric of communities.

“If you want a community that serves families and supports the education of its children,” said Smith, “you don’t want short-term rentals.”

Commissioner Marna Hanneman, who will become mayor in December, said the local housing situation is one that is foremost on the minds of many.

“People are trying to get creative,” she said, “to figure out ways that people who work here can live here.”

As to the fate of short-term rentals, Hanneman said “it’s a topic that won’t be decided overnight.”

Davolio agreed.

“We want to keep this discussion going,” he said.