Kira Erickson reports from the Langley City Council meeting of Mon., Dec. 1, 2025 for the South Whidbey Record. Read the whole story.
Summary by Perplexity AI
Langley is moving forward with a six-month moratorium on most new development to give staff time to implement a 15% inclusionary housing requirement and related administrative procedures. The rules will require developers to set aside units for lower income households or, for projects of six units or fewer, pay a fee in lieu. Projects that are 100% income-restricted affordable housing, such as Generations Place and Heron Park Townhomes, are exempt. Councilmember Chris Carlson pushed to also exempt “missing middle” workforce housing at 80–120% of area median income, but that change will need its own ordinance. The moratorium can be lifted early if work finishes sooner.
They Said It
Councilmember Chris Carlson asked if there’s any chance the city would be able to develop policies for impact fees within the six-month time period, but [Director of Community Planning Meredith] Penny said that although it’s on the 2026 work plan, she doesn’t expect it to be done before the moratorium is up.
Carlson said he’d like to advocate for adding a tier to the moratorium that exempts projects that are from 80% to 120% of area median income, or AMI, from the exclusionary zoning requirement. He said people earning that income are part of the “missing middle” for workforce housing, which are not eligible for a lot of the federal and state subsidies that are available for projects that are targeting 80% AMI or below. Having inclusionary zoning tacked on to projects for that bracket of incomes, he said, just makes it even less realistic that those projects will be able to move forward.
Councilmember Rhonda Salerno pointed out that AMI is a countywide number, and it may not be as relevant when considering the city of Langley.
