Langley’s planning chief and the Planning Advisory Board are at odds over proposed changes to the city’s urban growth area.
During a special workshop with the city council Thursday night, Director of Community Planning Michael Davolio targeted a slight reduction, while the planning board proposed to essentially eliminate it. An urban growth area is a tool used to limit urban sprawl through the encouragement of growth within a specific boundary, often by allowing greater densities. It’s also a mechanism for municipalities to begin providing urban services to developing areas, such as sidewalks or sewers.
Davolio’s recommendation stemmed from an estimated population increase of .78 percent over the next 20 years. Langley, per state and county figures, is expected to grow by 89 people over that period. One of his reasons for wanting to retain the urban growth area was that the downtown commercial district is already developed and can’t support further growth.
“Downtown, for all intents and purposes, is full,” Davolio said.
Three parcels, he said, had to be included because a sewer line was extended to them in 1991.
But the Planning Advisory Board, in a prepared statement read by member Dominique Emerson, rejected the planner’s proposal and recommended shrinking the boundary to city limits. One of the main reasons, she said, was that they could ask for an increase in the future to accommodate any new growth.
“We don’t have to grow outside of our city limits if we don’t want to,” she said.
Planning board members said they have noticed a rising trend for smaller houses on smaller lots. That means the city would not necessarily need more space for a modest growth in population.
The planning board’s recommendation was roundly supported by the crowd of a couple dozen people at City Hall. Among the supporters for a greatly reduced area were Marianne Edain of Whidbey Environmental Action Network, mayoral candidate Tim Callison, residents Kathleen Landel (a former assistant Langley city manager), and Carl Magnusson.
Backing the planner’s proposal were representatives from the Port of South Whidbey with regard to the Island County Fairgrounds, Glo Sherman of Clinton, and Faith Wilder of the South Whidbey Homeless Coalition.
Marty Matthews, a consultant for the port district, said the fairgrounds will need a place for additional parking if it is to become revenue neutral and stop losing money maintaining aging facilities. Paid parking and expanded events is a way, he briefly summarized, for the port district to create revenue streams for the property.
“We’ve got to figure out how to make the fairgrounds at least revenue neutral,” Matthews said.
The port’s interest was in an area Davolio highlighted as worth keeping. The tract included some parcels along Langley Road to create what he called a “gateway zone” to the city for low-impact, light industrial use.
Callison, in his support for reducing the urban growth area, said he wanted to shrink now and adjust later in five- or seven-year increments. That, he said, would allow the city to adjust periodically as needed, rather than retain an unnecessary area the city would have to provide services to.
The Langley City Council is scheduled to consider a vote on the urban growth area at its upcoming meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21.
