Forum on parking set for Feb. 20

Hours before snow hit outside, the La Conner Planning Commissioners plowed through a busy agenda during their 80-minute Jan. 16 hybrid meeting at Maple Hall.

The pile of issues addressed were housing and parking issues, the status of the Talmon Project at 306 Center Street, population projections for the town and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community’s plans to convert its Maple Avenue apartment complex to a staffed home recovery facility.

The tribe has designed a program for persons and families who have completed treatment at the Didgwalic Wellness Center as a federally funded pilot program. All in attendance expressed support, including Mayor Marna Hanneman.

Commissioners recommended the town council approve language that allows facility counselors to work on a conditional use basis in a house adjacent to the present apartment building.

Hanneman predicted that transitioning the site to a secure home recovery setting staffed by counselors – once all permitting is approved – will be a gradual, step-by-step process.

“It’s not something that will happen next week,” she said. “It will take a year or two.”

Public parking will be in the spotlight at the next community “mingle” Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. at the La Conner Civic Garden Club.

“We’re hoping to hear a variety of ideas at the mingle,” said Assistant Town Planner Ajah Eills. “We’re excited to hear more from people about their thoughts on parking in La Conner.”

Town planner Michael Davolio said the mingle will cover a wide range of parking subjects, including the width of First Street and potential use of golf carts as a downtown shuttle service.

“Everything will be on the table,” said Davolio. “We take these discussions very seriously.”

Longtime La Conner resident Linda Talman got a head-start on the mingle, suggesting that senior and affordable housing merit higher priority than parking.

Davolio said, “We’ll spend time on both parking and housing this year,” now that local population projections are in place.

Eills added that the Town is directed by Washington state to plan and provide housing for all income bands.

“One of our goals in discussions with the Port (of Skagit),” Davolio said, “is to provide workforce housing.”

Growth management guidelines direct La Conner to plan for 124 additional units, said Eills.

Eills intends to inventory all available residential parcels in town and compare the number of housing units that could be developed on them by code with the amount of future growth La Conner is expected to accommodate.

The commission will recommend two changes to rules governing Planned Urban Residential Developments. It endorsed reducing from one acre to 16,000 square feet the minimum size for PURDs. Despite caution expressed by Eills, commissioners also stood against allowing PURDs in the Historic Preservation District.

“I’m just nervous about it,” explained Commissioner Sommer Holt, “because it’s hard to remove it once it’s allowed.”

Eills, though, said she would be “hesitant to restrict housing from such a large swath of land in a residential area when it’s limited already.

“I understand your concerns,” Eills said to Holt, “(but) I’m always going to push for housing.”

Davolio said four of five key points of contention between the Center Street project developer – -KSA Investments – and the Town have been resolved. The one outstanding issue involves an elevator shaft that would exceed La Conner’s 30-foot construction height standard for the planned mix of long-term and short-term rentals.

“We have not moved off of that,” Davolio said. “They’re going to have to revise their plans.”