WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Coupeville is delaying changes to a 2004 housing agreement for a 33‑acre site until a 2026 plan update, weighing keeping current density, maximizing units, or a middle‑ground lot‑size change.
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CITY OF OAK HARBOR: Oak Harbor’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission tackled a mix of policy questions and user conflicts at its December 8 meeting, weighing how to manage everything from pickleball‑tennis tensions to metal detecting in city parks.
Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon (D-Langley) sent her weekly recap to constituents on Fri., Dec. 5, 2025.
STANWOOD CAMANO NEWS: Island County adopted a balanced but lean 2026 budget after major staff and spending adjustments, while one commissioner warned it still fails to prepare for steep costs expected in 2027.
SOUTH WHIDBEY RECORD: Langley enacted a six-month moratorium on most new development to implement a 15% inclusionary housing program, exempting 100% affordable projects while postponing broader “missing middle” housing changes.
SOUTH WHIDBEY RECORD: Langley’s council preliminarily approved downzoning Edgecliff Drive parcels to larger single-family lots to protect a vulnerable bluff, despite staff’s affordability concerns; the contentious decision awaits a final Dec. 15 vote.
WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Commissioner Melanie Bacon, citing ongoing animosity between Janet St. Clair and Jill Johnson, rejected supporting either as 2026 chair; both later agreed to back her continuing in the role.
WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Oak Harbor rejected annexing Valley High Mobile Home Park, keeping responsibility for its failing sewage system with the owners and county despite concerns for long‑time residents living with serious infrastructure problems.