Jessie Stensland reports from the Island County Commissioners’ board meeting of Tue., July 8, 2025 for the Whidbey News-Times. Read the whole story.
An emergency development moratorium on semi-urban areas of unincorporated Island County lives on — but with changes that allow for greater flexibility for commercial structures.
Tuesday, Island County commissioners held a public hearing on an amended development moratorium on 11 areas zoned as mixed-use Rural Areas of Intense Development, known as RAIDs. It impacts commercial areas of Clinton, Ken’s Korner, Bayview, Greenbank, Cornet Bay and Deception Pass. Areas on Camano Island are also on the list.
The commissioners adopted the measure in a 2-1 vote, with Commissioner Janet St. Clair voting against it.
The moratorium had became especially controversial in Clinton, where it became an obstacle in the construction of a new motel as well as plans for a new grocery store to move into Ken’s Korner Shopping Plaza.
They Said It
[Assistant Planning Director Emily Neff] explained that the purpose of the moratorium was to temporarily pause land-use and building applications in mixed-use RAIDs in order to give planners time to develop new density and zoning regulations as part of the comprehensive plan. As part of the process, planners realized that the zones are significantly underutilized for housing.
“Our comprehensive plan is relying on these areas to meet some of our minimum density standards so that we can achieve our housing allocations to preserve the capacity that exists” in the mixed-use RAIDs, she said.
During the board’s discussion, St. Clair said she was “still uneasy” about the moratorium and concerned about unintended consequences and its impact on economic development.
Commissioner Jill Johnson said that the county is under pressure from the state to find ways to accommodate growth as part of the comprehensive plan update.
“I see this as hitting the pause button for nine months and there’s nothing that keeps businesses … or home owners or developers from exploring potential uses,” she said.
Likewise, Commissioner Melanie Bacon said it’s vital to preserve the development potential of mixed-use RAIDs until new development rules are in place. She said everyone who has commented on the comp plan update has agreed that they don’t want to see urban sprawl that will threaten the wilder, greener places in the county. That means, she said, that the county can’t afford to lose out in any development potential in appropriate areas.
