"Anacortes is one of those magical exceptions, for now. We are lucky to be remote enough from the freeway and perhaps stubborn enough to have evaded large scale corporate colonization so far. This means that Anacortes is a place that feels like a place. We have something that is rare and precious.
But now the proximity from I-5 is not enough of a deterrent. The developers are insisting and presenting sketchy studies showing how grateful we should be to be “offered” this box. If we say no, they’ll certainly be back with another offer momentarily, and another after that, and so on. Look at basically any other town and see this trend proven true. There is no end to the insistence of money."
I agree with him at every point. Anyone who has travelled across the country in recent years has seen how the Cult of Corporate Sameness has infiltrated everywhere. Local cafes and restaurants, quirky Mom and Pop joints, little corner stores, community run co-ops, independent bookstores, homespun shows selling local goods made by local people, vibrant bars and restaurants filled with people of character and rich personality, all of this, in every place along every highway is gone. Instead of local identity, character and history, we now have McDonald's, Pizza Hut. Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC, Starbuck's, Wall-Mart, Costco. Every place is the same. It is a sad spectacle.
I also agree with Elverum that there are rare exceptions. That Anacortes is one. I hope the city council listens to him and others voicing similar concerns and takes steps to preserve the beautiful, unique character of Anacortes.
From Phil Elverum: Address to the Anacortes City Council, Feb. 3rd, 2014
Hello city council and Mayor Gere and thank you for the chance to speak. My name is Phil Elverum and I live at… My family, the Lowman family, has been in Anacortes since the 1800s. For future generations and for this present moment, I care deeply about this place and what we mean when we say “Anacortes”.
It seems to me that you, the city council, basically have 2 jobs:
One is managing a large complicated business, “the City of Anacortes”. Seemingly the entirety of these city council meetings is often taken up by these economic questions of budget and expense, surplus and deficit. It’s a big math problem and is certainly necessary and deserving of focus, but it is only half of the project.
Your other job is less tangible and less related to quantifiable results. You are responsible for representing the spirit of the population and steering the constantly changing identity of our town, in a cultural and poetic way, towards an ideal community. I imagine it’s difficult to hear yourself think when it’s time to consider these questions, considering how loud and unscrupulous the voice of money is. In a situation like this, you ask the community for guidance.
Judging from the response at the last meeting, not to mention the reactions from the community when similar proposals arise every few years, the answer seems extremely clear. We do not want this. A large box store is not who we are. We are someone else.
Having traveled around North America almost constantly as a touring musician for the past 15 years, I have become attuned to the varying sensations of first entering different towns. Most places don’t feel like anywhere. Just the usual cubes and logos, cars and anonymity. There are some rare exceptions still though; places that have managed to hold on to a sense of character through the challenging economic eras that every place endures.
Anacortes is one of those magical exceptions, for now. We are lucky to be remote enough from the freeway and perhaps stubborn enough to have evaded large scale corporate colonization so far. This means that Anacortes is a place that feels like a place. We have something that is rare and precious.
But now the proximity from I-5 is not enough of a deterrent. The developers are insisting and presenting sketchy studies showing how grateful we should be to be “offered” this box. If we say no, they’ll certainly be back with another offer momentarily, and another after that, and so on. Look at basically any other town and see this trend proven true. There is no end to the insistence of money.
There has been a lot of talk of putting the decision off until 2016, in effect saying “no, but ask again tomorrow”. Why don’t we say “No forever.”?
It’s not a crazy idea. It’s called “Formula Business Restriction" and there is a long list of American towns putting rules prohibiting chains and box stores on their books, declaring their identity, making a bold statement in the face of the powerful forces behind empty economic decisions. We should seriously do this.
The people that live here have spoken pretty clearly and repeatedly. Please represent us. Deny this rezone and start discussing making a permanent legal barrier against inevitable future threats to our precious sense of what Anacortes means. In 50 years you will be legendary for taking this stand and preserving our precarious cultural independence.
Thank you.
From goskagit.com: Anacortes postpones rezone decision for big-box store by Kimberly Cauvel
Monday, December 2, 2013
ANACORTES — Will Anacortes, known for its small-business charm, become home to a department store?
The Anacortes City Council decided unanimously Monday to postpone a vote on zoning changes proposed by Merlino Jones Brothers (MJB) Properties LLC through at least the first quarter of 2014. During that time, the property owners are invited to present their proposal to the council.
The proposal could pave the way for major retailers such as Fred Meyer or Target to open shop in Anacortes.
At the start of Monday’s meeting, Mayor Dean Maxwell addressed the asterisk typed next to the comprehensive plan update on the council’s agenda, which he said was a misprint indicating there would be an opportunity for public comment.
City Attorney Brad Furlong explained that the council has the option to hold a public hearing, but that hearings require advance notice, which had not been completed.
Immediately after the announcement, the council entered a 10-minute executive session.
Residents expressed confusion and frustration with the misinformation, some leaving before the council returned.
Upon returning, Maxwell announced the council would not take public comment at the meeting, but could still take action on the matter.
The council later decided to postpone the vote until next year.
MJB proposes changing zoning on up to 10 acres of property it owns between 22nd and 28th streets, R Avenue and the Tommy Thompson Trail in order to accommodate a big box store as large as 105,000 square feet.
Community members have expressed a mix of support and concern over allowing large retailers in town.
Anacortes resident Sandra Spargo told the Skagit Valley Herald she supports the proposal as a way to invite an “anchor store” to the city. “We don’t have one, and we need one.” But not everyone agrees. It’s a debate that has continued unresolved for nearly a half-dozen years.
Anacortes put off a decision on raising the 50,000-square-foot building cap in 2008. At the Anacortes Planning Commission’s Nov. 13 meeting, some residents cited the benefit of an additional grocery in town, which could mean lower prices and fewer trips to shop in Burlington, along with an increase in sales tax revenue, according to the Anacortes American.
Others raised concerns over allowing department stores, which some fear would crush the city’s vibrant small business community and harm the city’s overall character, along with cautioning that most groceries are exempt from sales tax.
The commission recommended the council hold off on the decision until a more thorough comprehensive plan update for 2016, buying the city more time to gather resident input and weigh options and potential impacts.
The City Council will evaluate three options today, considering the commission’s recommendation to delay a decision and looking at two rezone options drawn up by the property owner.
MJB’s original proposal would create an entirely new zoning designation for the city, called commercial 2. Ten acres would be converted to this new designation.
The modified proposal was crafted to ensure Marine Trades, which is housed in the only existing building on the property, would be able to continue business, MJB representative Jimmy Blias said. That plan would convert 8.9 acres of the property to the city’s existing commercial zone designation, while maintaining a section of industrial zone to spare the business.
The modified version would also be easier for the city to process, Director of Planning and Community Development Ryan Larsen said. Instead of writing new zoning code, the city can “tweak” the language of existing commercial zoning to allow a large retailer to build on the property without a conditional-use permit.
If the current code is rewritten, the new designation would only apply to commercial zoning east of R Avenue, which is essentially limited to the property owned by MJB, Larsen said. MJB is a partnership between Gary Merlino Construction Co. and the Jones brother’s Delta Marine Industries, both based in Seattle. Both families have ties to Anacortes, where the company owns 81 acres it purchased in 1990, Blias said.
Aside from Marine Trades, the rest of the site remains vacant. It is surrounded by other marine-related businesses, a park and some residential zones, according to city documents. Blias said MJB has been working with city planning and various citizen groups such as the Anacortes Futures Project over the years to brainstorm an acceptable use of the property.
“Citizens asked for a dry goods retailer in the city so they didn’t have to drive to Burlington, so we have been in discussions with a number of dry goods retailers to get them to locate in Anacortes,” Blias said.
MJB does not yet have a contract with a specific retailer, but has worked with Fred Meyer, Target, Costco and Walmart, which are potential candidates.
The company has made a conscious effort to keep the store smaller than usual, to fit the character of the city, Blias said. Whereas Burlington’s Fred Meyer is 175,000 square feet, the maximum square footage allowed on this plot will be 105,000 square feet.
“We believe there is a retail gap that this could secure and certainly wouldn’t be a detriment to all the downtown businesses,” Blias said. “We are respective of the existing downtown and don’t want to be disruptive of that. We want to bring this additional retail to the city.”
If the council approves a zoning change, Blias estimates a retailer could break ground in a year or less and open a building in as little as two. The new business could bring up to $275,000 to the city in annual tax revenue, along with roughly 150 jobs, he said.
If the council decides to postpone the matter for consideration in the 2016 update, the process will start following Monday’s meeting and pick up after Jan 1, 2014, Larsen said.
The city is required to have an update complete by June 20, 2016, but could adopt a plan as soon as it’s prepared.
Related:
City of Anacortes Planning Packet for MJB: Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment, New Commercial 2 District, Comp Plan text amendment
