Acting Chair called the Oct. 1 special meeting of the Anacortes Planning Commission to continue review of proposed 2025 development regulation amendments for Title 19, focusing on the marine mixed-use (MMU) zone and related form and intensity standards.

The commission, staff and a developer representative debated how the MMU public-park bonus should work. Libby Grange, Planning Manager for the City of Anacortes Planning, Community and Economic Development Department, told the commission that the current code allows developers to earn additional height by providing certain public amenities including “space for a public park equal to at least 5% of the gross floor area of the building, but not less than 10,000 square feet in area on a site agreed by and dedicated to the city.” Grange said staff’s recommendation is to keep the 5% requirement and the 10,000-square-foot minimum and consider making it a double bonus (worth 20 feet) rather than a single 10-foot height bonus.

Jimmy Blaze, representing MJB Properties, said the 10,000-square-foot minimum is disproportionate to the 5% metric because it effectively requires very large buildings to qualify. “The goal of this was just to make it equitable and align in the code here too where, 5% we supported, 10,000 being the minimum didn't really line up for that 5% that would require a 200,000 square foot building which is, a massive building by any right,” Blaze said. He asked the commission to consider lowering the minimum to 5,000 square feet and to allow park space to be maintained by the developer rather than requiring dedication of title to the city.

Commissioners and staff discussed the tradeoffs. Several commissioners said they preferred keeping 10,000 square feet as a minimum to ensure usable park space, while also allowing flexibility so a developer could retain ownership but guarantee public access and maintenance through recorded conditions or easements. Staff said specifying maintenance, hours of public access and perpetual availability would be required if dedication were not imposed.

The MMU discussion also covered the zone’s 60% cap on single-purpose residential coverage of a site and whether required landscaping/open space associated with residential buildings should count against that 60% cap. MJB asked that required landscaping and open space not reduce the residential allowance; staff suggested a compromise that minimum-required landscaping remain outside the 60% calculation but additional, above-minimum parkland could be counted differently. Grange said that if a developer selects the park bonus option, the park area is intended to be an addition “above and beyond any minimum requirement that applies to a single building.”

Separately, the commission reviewed an existing width limit designed to reduce perceived building scale on the waterfront. Under current code, taller buildings (>50 feet) are limited to 150 feet in north–south width; MJB requested removing that 150-foot cap and using a single 200-foot width limit. Staff noted there is already a departure option that allows projects to exceed the 150-foot limit if they demonstrate alternative measures to reduce perceived massing and protect marine views; the departure does not add a separate public hearing or conditional-use process.

No formal legislative action or vote on code language was taken at the special meeting. Staff said they will incorporate the commission’s direction into the next draft for the Oct. 22 public hearing and return specific proposed text clarifications, procedures for preserving public access and options for park dedication or recorded maintenance obligations.

Ending: The commission asked staff to keep the 10,000-square-foot baseline on the table while drafting options that allow developers flexibility on dedication, require recorded maintenance and public-access conditions if title is retained, and clarify whether minimum-required landscape areas count against the 60% residential maximum. The item will return to the commission and go to public hearing on Oct. 22; staff will include recommended ordinance text and draft conditions for public-park bonuses, departures to width limits, and 60% calculation options.