Hearing examiner OK’s Chipshot Heights development

Published 5:00 am Saturday, July 22, 2006

A preliminary plan for a new subdivision in Holmes Harbor received approval by the Island County hearings examiner last week.

The 29-home subdivision in Holmes Harbor, which earlier received a stamp of approval from Island County planners, is now set to go.

The controversial proposal was approved by Michael Bobbink, the county’s independent hearings examiner.

Bobbink said the housing project, opposed by some Holmes Harbor residents, met the requirements for developments in the rural areas of the county.

In his final report, Bobbink said the concerns raised by residents did not address any of the requirements for preliminary plat approval.

The new subdivision — to be built at the highest density allowed for residential developments in the rural areas of the county — is planned for the west side of Honeymoon Bay Road, inside the Holmes Harbor “Rural Area of Intense Development,” or RAID.

The homes will be served by the Holmes Harbor Sewer District.

“Mark Schuster approached the district when he was planning the subdivision and reserved the hookups. We have the capacity,” said Stan Walker, president of the Holmes Harbor Sewer District board of commissioners.

The development calls for three homes per acre, with lot sizes ranging from 7,200 square feet to 9,528 square feet.

“Some in the community may wish we could all live on 2- or 3-acre estates, but the county has designated Holmes Harbor high density residential,” Walker said.

Walker said the sewer district currently has 380 hook-ups, and a total capacity for 600 connections.

In spite of the smaller lot sizes, county officials say the development will fit with existing homes in the neighborhood.

To meet density requirements, the developer will “borrow” against land that will be left as open space using an approach known as “lot-size averaging.”

Out of the 11.9 acres in Chipshot Heights, houses will be constructed on 5.1 acres, and 6.4 acres on the golf course will be left undeveloped.

Because of lot-size averaging, the developer does not have to meet the established minimum lot size of 14,500 square feet in the Holmes Harbor development.

Critics of the development have concerns about the impact of the high-density development on the rural setting, and have also raised drainage and environmental issues.

Gayle Saran can be reached at 221-5300 or gsaran@southwhidbeyrecord.com