SOUTH WHIDBEY: School board okays inclusion in port’s feasibility study

Kira Erickson reports from the South Whidbey School District workshop of Wed., Nov. 13, 2024 for the South Whidbey Record.

South Whidbey School Board officials gave Port of South Whidbey commissioners the green light last week to proceed with a study that will assess whether housing is possible on both of the public entities’ lands.

For the past few years, the port has been pursuing workforce housing with the possibility of building it above failing concession stands on the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds, which will need to be rebuilt soon.

…the food booths are partially located on South Whidbey School District property. As a result, port officials are not only seeking a boundary line adjustment but are also pondering the possibility of workforce housing on other nearby public lands belonging to the school district.

They Said It

During a school board meeting Nov. 13, Port Commissioner Curt Gordon reopened the discussion, pointing to a recent letter the port sent that outlines the parameters of the feasibility study for residential housing. He highlighted the need to ask the school district’s permission to proceed.

Board Member Marnie Jackson said she was glad the port is continuing to address this issue. She wondered, however, if the study commits the school district to acting on what’s learned during the process, or if it just provides information.

Gordon confirmed there are no strings attached and said it was simply a matter of determining the feasibility of housing not only for the port but also for the nearby school district.

Board Member Andrea Downs brought up the boundary line issue as something that needs to be solved first. Board Member Brooke [sic] Willeford said he recalled the two things “working in parallel” because they aren’t necessarily connected. Superintendent Jo Moccia weighed in to say that they are two separate issues.

“The port’s very clear on the district not wanting to pay anything to figure this out, but it’s a separate issue, and does not impact whether or not we do the feasibility study,” Moccia said. “Totally different piece of property, totally different issue.”

Downs said that while she didn’t have any objections to the feasibility study, she wanted to be clear that the school board is not interested in selling land.

[Ed. Note: SWSD Director Willeford’s first name is spelled “Brook”.