Sam Fletcher reports from the Oak Harbor City Council workshop on Wed., Nov. 20, 2024 for the Whidbey News-Times.
Recent survey results showed that Oak Harbor residents are concerned with public safety, infrastructure and job opportunities on the island. Next came housing.
Drafting the housing element of the comprehensive plan is weaving complicated threads of public concerns. Councilmember Jim Woessner said it makes sense that responders put job opportunities above housing, as houses are meaningless if people can’t afford them.
Kimley-Horn, Oak Harbor’s engineering consultants, will investigate public and private housing partnerships, housing market options and patterns, incentives for developers and rental management options to tackle one of Oak Harbor’s greatest problems and make suggestions for the housing element of the comprehensive plan.
They Said It
“Three-hundred and eight people [responding to the survey] doesn’t seem like a lot,” Woessner said, “but I got to tell you, after doing surveys where we mailed out the survey to every utility holder and we get 70 of them back, 308 is a great number.”
Woessner said Oak Harbor has a clear “marching order” for affordable housing.
“The current buildable lands analysis came up with 1,124 jobs that would be created for 5,500 households, so that math just doesn’t work, right?” he said.
Switching to a form-based code, where building use matters less than aesthetic, will help bring corner stores in residential areas, Woessner said, as housing developments have moved farther from the commercial center.
A good number of people responded to the surveys, said Councilmember Bryan Stucky, but not a great number.
“I know there were some people, my mom, who thought the survey was a little confusing,” he said.
Most of the survey results come from people who are very involved in the community, Woessner said. Those who are less involved may not participate but may have a strong opinion about the results of the survey.
Because some people tend to be more vocal after the fact, this is a good time to gather more specific information, he said.
