COUPEVILLE: Town council reevaluates property agreement

Allyson Ballard reports from the Coupeville Town Council meeting of Tue., July 22, 2025 for the Whidbey News-Times. Read the whole story.

A more than 20-year-old memorandum of agreement outlining the development of 33 acres of land between Main Street and Broadway Street north of Highway 20 could be limiting its capacity for affordable housing. Coupeville Town Council decided last week further discussion and public input is needed before determining how to proceed with it.

The agreement, made in January 2004 between the town and property owners Cecil and Cheryl K. Stuurmans, divided the land into nine areas with a certain number of dwellings allowed in each through the allotment of dwelling credits.

Of the 108 dwelling credits the entire property is worth, 49 credits have been used, 31 are considered unavailable and 28 remain across three undeveloped parcels today.

Changes to state legislation and town code, however, mean a wider variety of housing types and a higher number of dwellings within residential areas are possible throughout town, according to materials provided to the Council. Without the agreement, under those changes, the number of potential dwellings in the remaining undeveloped parcels could increase from 28 to 51.

They Said It

Mayor Molly Hughes asked how the town could ensure the dwellings would stay as affordable as they would be intended to be. [Community Planning Director Joshua] Engelbrecht said although he would need to do more digging, his “initial thoughts” were that the agreement should be able to “take into account what we need it to” if it were amended in such a way.

Hughes suggested holding a public meeting about the matter, to understand how the community’s development priorities may have changed since the agreement’s conception.

On the Ballot in November 2025