What's happening to South Fidalgo?

» See our glossary and list of the players in this story.

Every seven years, the county is required by the state Growth Management Act to revise our comprehensive plan, a legally binding document that establishes limits on land use. The GMA requires comprehensive plans so that counties can constrain growth to urban areas, reduce sprawl, and prevent building in critical and hazardous areas.

The last time Skagit County updated its comprehensive plan, 53% of South Fidalgo was zoned "Rural Reserve," which preserves the rural character of our island by imposing a 10-acre minimum on the size of each lot. Most of the rest of the island (30%) was zoned "Rural Intermediate," which allows 2½ acre lots. This time, special interests within the county are trying to rezone all of South Fidalgo to city lot-sized sections.

The county commissioners established a Citizens' Advisory Committee (CAC) to write the piece of the county's comprehensive plan that covers South Fidalgo. The January draft of the CAC's plan, obtained by Save South Fidalgo in February, makes the intent of the county and the CAC clear.

The county is planning to change all lands designated Rural Reserve (one home for every ten acres) to Rural Intermediate, which would allow one home for every 2½ acres. This redesignation would have even more severe consquences, however, because the law would then consider all property on South Fidalgo Island a LAMIRD, or Limited Area of More Intense Rural Development. The LAMIRD label would allow city lot sizes to be imposed on the entire island. The City of Anacortes could be required, at great expense, to extend water and sewer to the LAMIRDs.

This is not about accomodating essential growth. Based on the population growth between 1990 and 2000, the county projects 922 people should move onto South Fidalgo by 2025. The average household is 2.5 people, so the county figures 922 people would require between 350-375 lots. Under our current zoning, there are 357 buildable parcels, about enough to accomodate projections. Under the county's planned rezone, there would be 1428 buildable parcels.

Both the City of Anacortes and a majority of property owners surveyed by the county oppose the county's plan. In its report, the CAC lists the results of its own survey:

66% said that the current zoning scheme is appropriate
58% said the minimum lot size in the RR (10 acre) zone should stay the same
57% said the minimum lot size in the RI (2½ acre) zone should stay the same
70% said they were concerned about growth adding too many people
62% said they would like to see the population stay about the same
73% said they would like the population to grow slower than the past 10 years