Luisa Loi reports from the Coupeville Town Council meeting of Tue., Jan. 14, 2025 for the Whidbey News-Times.
The town of Coupeville is looking into ways to accommodate growth and provide affordable housing options while maintaining the town’s small-community feel and historic character.
For these purposes, the Middle Housing Code Update Project received in 2024 a $35,000 grant from the Department of Commerce to implement House Bill 1110, a bill that would facilitate the so-called “middle housing,” which can look like accessory dwelling units, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, cottage houses and more.
These types of housing differ from the traditional low-density detached single-family homes or high-density multifamily buildings, but tend to be affordable to residents who make between 50 and 100% of the area median income, according to the project’s webpage.
They Said It
Mayor Molly Hughes expressed concern over [an idea to allow homeowners to modify the right of way on the side of the road to make room for parking spots], which would bring unintended consequences. If the homeowner takes it upon themselves to create a parking spot, then they would likely reserve it for themselves when the town code does not allow for saved parking on the right of way.
“That will be a lot of police phone calls,” she said.
Councilmember Rick Walti inquired if there would be a limit on how many cars can be parked on a shared driveway, as some may choose to park on the street to avoid getting in and out to make way for other cars. Residents might complain about cars parked in front of their homes and taking up their space, he said.
Widening the streets would also be an issue, Hughes said, as the town has to consult with Ebey’s Reserve before making any changes. Because the town has other priorities to take care of, this project might take some time to complete, on top of copious amounts of money.
Councilmember Michael Moore had reservations about [a proposed] utility connection fee waiver, citing “outstanding bond issues for utilities” and suggesting making sure the town wouldn’t violate any rules by approving such an incentive.
