City of Mount Vernon Urban Growth Area Public Hearing

The Mount Vernon City Council will talk about expanding it’s Urban Growth Area to allow for more Commercial and Industrial growth May 28th at 7:00 PM at the Police Campus. This is your chance to express your views on the expansion. Here is the agenda. Another important meeting coming up on June 11th is the Downtown Waterfront Draft Masterplan, this will guide the growth in the Downtown Core and surrounding areas for the next 20 years. I think it’s important to push the inclusion of mixed use zoning and encourage residential development in the core area which will in turn boost business and the overall viability of downtown Mount Vernon. Of course better public access to the river should be a part of this too, and a permanent Farmers Market with some covered areas. From a quick read of the draft these seem to be included and should be reinforced via feedback to the City.

 

–Nate

Skagit County bucks the trend!

If you saw the Seattle Times article this weekend on sliding housing prices, I hope you read the whole article and not just the headline. If you read past the typical alarmist-sell-more-papers headline you will see that Washington State isn’t doing that bad, and in fact is doing good in some areas; Skagit County being one of them. Of 363 U.S. metro areas that the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) follows, Wenatchee had the thrid-highest appreciation rate, Yakima was 17th,  and every other Washington city they study also posted paositive appreciation rates fir the first quarter of ‘08 over the last quarter of ‘07. The Mount Vernon/Anacortes area was one of the areas called out for increaseing prices rather than slipping prices. So Skagit County, while this isn’t 2005, we aren’t doing so bad at all.

 

–Nate

Trawler Fest

Trawler Fest is coming to Anacortes today through this weekend! This even should bring in around 1,300 boaters from around the state and beyond. There will be exhibits, classes, all kinds of industry information and of course boats. Come to town to the Cap Sante Marina and check out all that’s happening.

–Nate

 

 

Our Town Our Park

Next week is Build Week at Storvik Park for the Our Town Our Park project, come on out and participate in a true community building project, which is an entirely volunteer powered project. From Wednesday the 28^th through Sunday the 1^st there will be hundreds of volunteers helping to construct a playground area at Storvik Park, volunteers are needed as well as tools, so if you have the tools they need and you are willing to loan them out, please check out this tool list. If you are interested and able to volunteer contact Russ Horr at 360-202-4903 or russ.horr@msn.com or fill out this online form.

Come on out and participate in a great project that will enhance Anacortes!!

 

–Nate

Anacortes banning Formula Businesses?

The Anacortes City Council is possibly heading down a very anti-property rights road by considering a ban on Formula Businesses in the Central Business District, or Old Town as the locals call it. Check out page 24 of the 2008 Development Regulations Review. The City Council defines Formula Businesses as a “…type of retail sales activity, retail sales store, eating and drinking establishment, entertainment venue, or similar business which is part of a group or “chain” of standardized businesses which , along with seven or more other such establishments, maintains two of more of the following features: a standardized array of merchandise or food, a standardized facade, a standardized interior and/or exterior decor, ownership or centralized management outside the state of Washington, a uniform apparel, standardized signage, a trademark, logo or servicemark.”  To begin with, it’s unclear if my company could locate in downtown Anacortes, and we’ve been part of the community since 1988. Becuase we have a standardized logo and standardized signage and there are more than seven Windermere offices; can I set up shop downtown? What if McMenamins wanted to buy the Majestic, something that would no doubt be great for tourism and our town. What if one of our local small businesses got all creative and inspired and branched out and opened seven more locations? Six, and they are fine, but that seventh….how dare they. Why would it be ok to have banks, grocery stores, and gas stations; all of which are Formula Businesses locate in the CBD?

I guess I just don’t think it’s the role of government to get in the way of market forces, let supply and demand dictate what goes where, and what a property owner can do with their very valuable investment. Why should government tell them who can and can’t buy their property, or who can and can’t sign a lease and locate in their investment. Reality is, the formula businesses I believe the city is worried about won’t consider locating in Old Town Anacortes. Most Formula Businesses need a far higher car count than Commercial Avenue provides, at least in the Old Town area. This ban will only have a negative effect on some property owners and current business owners with high aspirations.

I believe what Cynthia Richardson, the author of the Formula Business restriction, really wants to avoid is driving down through old town and seeing the same old thing you see on Burlington Blvd in Burlington; a bunch of franchise fast food places, craft outlets and Fred Meyers with golden arches and half naked mermaids. If so, and in her defense I haven’t asked her, but if so; those things can be addressed by zoning regulations that dictate building styles, not building inhabitants.  The inhabitants will be dictated by the market, and that’s the only thing that should dictate them.

The Anacortes City Council has a public hearing on Tuesday May 27th, at 7:30 PM. Please show up and comment or send them your thoughts.

 

–Nate