Coupeville’s 2025 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update

Welcome to the 2025 Coupeville Comprehensive Plan Update (we’re doing it again!)

Draft Documents:

Frequently Asked Questions (Click here)

The Project

The Comprehensive Plan provides a roadmap for future growth, character, and development in Coupeville over a 20-year period. The plan fulfills the requirement under the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA) by including a vision statement, goals and policies for plan elements listed below that establish the foundation for the Town’s zoning and development regulations. While the Comprehensive Plan is a twenty-year document, it goes through updates on a periodic basis to ensure guidance remains relevant and responds to changing conditions in the community and region. The 2025 Periodic Update will target specific areas for amendments to comply with updated regulations while maintaining the spirit of Coupeville’s vision statement:  

Coupeville is a vibrant, friendly, and historic waterfront town with a rich Indigenous, agricultural, maritime, and architectural heritage in the heart of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. Our community cherishes and enhances natural habitats, walkable neighborhoods connected to great parks, trails and beaches, a diversity of housing choices, and homegrown economic opportunities while implementing responsible climate change actions.

Due in December of 2025, several themes have been identified that will guide updates throughout the plan, including:

  • Climate Change and Resiliency;
  • Housing Options and affordability;
  • Parks, Recreation and Open Space;
  • Historic Preservation and Community Design
  • Level of Service Standards; and
  • Accessibility, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion;

Community Feedback

We want to hear from you! The key to a successful plan update is community feedback.  You are invited to join the conversation and provide input in a way that works for you, whether it be online, sending us a letter, attending a public event or meeting individually with Town staff. If you have any questions, concerns, comments, or would like to sign up to receive email notifications, please contact:

Josh Pitts, Community Planning Director
(360)-678-4461 ext. 103
planner@townofcoupeville.org

Comprehensive Plan Update General Timeline 

The Town initiated the project in April of 2024 and expects to complete our Periodic Update in early 2026.

DateActivity
2024 
April 23, 2024
5:30pm		Joint Planning Commission and Town Council Workshop
– Packet
– Minutes
July 2, 2024
6:00pm		Coupeville Planning Commission Meeting
– Packet
July 17, 2024Community Open House – Coupeville Rec Hall
– Drop in anytime after 1:00pm
– Presentation at 6:00pm (for slides, Click: Here)
– Questionnaire – Fill out and return to Town Hall or email to: planner@townofcoupeville.org
Thank You for Coming!
AugustFormation of Coupeville Climate Committee (CCC)
October 2 – December 15Community Survey Opened on October 2, 2024
Community Survey Closed on December 15, 2024
Thank you for Participating!
October – DecemberPlanning Commission and CCC Meetings
2025 
January – JunePlanning Commission and Town Council Meetings
– Planning Commission meeting information (Click: Here)
– Town Council meeting information (Click: Here)
June 27, 2025Draft Volume 1: Comprehensive Plan (Click: Here)
July – SeptemberPlanning Commission and Town Council Meetings to Review Draft
October 1, 2025Community Open House – Coupeville Rec Hall (901 NE Alexander)
Thank you for Coming!
– Draft Volume 1 (Click: Here)
– Draft Volume 2 (Click: Here)
– Presentation Slides (Click: Here)
October 11, 2025Release of draft plan SEPA Determination – 30 day comment period
– SEPA No. 202504150
– SEPA Checklist (Click: Here)
– Determination of Non-significance (Click: Here)
Comment Period Ends November 11, 2025
Contact: planner@townofcoupeville.org / 360-678-4461 ext. 103
October, 2025 –
January 2026		Planning Commission and Town Council Meetings to Refine Draft
2026
January 6, 2026Planning Commission Public Hearing
BOCC Hearing Room @ 6:00pm
January 27, 2026Town Council Adoption Meeting
BOCC Hearing Room @ 6:00pm
*Dates and events are subject to changes. Additional events or public meetings may be scheduled as the project progresses.

Project Documents (listed from new to old)

Budget

Town staff have hired a consultant team to assist with the 2025 Periodic Update. The team is led by the firm Facet NW. The Town received a $100,000 Grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce to complete the periodic update and an additional $100,000 to complete the Climate Element of this project.

More Information on Our Comprehensive Plan Themes:

New Climate Element and Resiliency Sub Element – What will it do for Coupeville?In 2023, the State legislature approved House Bill (HB) 1181, which requires local municipalities to include a new Climate Element in their Comprehensive Plans with an emphasis on climate resiliency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction.

HB 1181 describes that municipalities must ensure that comprehensive plans, development regulations, and regional policies, plans, and strategies under RCW 36.70A.210 and chapter 47.80 RCW adapt to and mitigate the effects of a changing climate; support reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and per capita vehicle miles traveled; prepare for climate impact scenarios; foster resiliency to climate impacts and natural hazards; protect and enhance environmental, economic, and human health and safety; and advance environmental justice.

The Town is not required to develop a GHG emissions reduction sub-element under the requirements of HB 1181, but must encourage efficient multimodal transportation systems that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and per capita vehicle miles traveled in alignment with the goals of the GMA. The Town of Coupeville is undertaking this task in conjunction with the 2025 periodic update of its Comprehensive Plan.

For more information on expected changes in the climate and climate-related natural hazards for the Town of Coupeville, please visit the Climate Mapping for a Resilient Washington tool created by the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group here: Climate Mapping for a Resilient Washington | Climate Impacts Group.”
Housing – What are the new requirements under GMA?The following represents some of the state law changes which occurred during the 2021-2022, 2022-2023 Legislative Sessions that are pertinent to the 2025 Periodic Update.

HB 1220 substantially amends housing-related provisions of the GMA, RCW 36.70A.070(2). Requires the Town to:
1) plan for housing by income band,
2) provide housing capacity for emergency housing, emergency shelters, permanent supportive housing, and
3) implement policies and regulations to address and begin to undo racially disparate impacts, displacement, and exclusion in housing caused by local policies, plans and actions. Please refer to the following Commerce housing webpages for further information about the new requirements: Updating GMA Housing Elements and Planning for Housing.

HB 1337 includes a requirement requiring jurisdictions the size of Coupeville to allow at least two accessory dwelling units on all lots within residential zones.

HB 2296 changes the periodic update cycle described in RCW 36.70A.130. Jurisdictions required to complete their update in 2025 now have until December 31, 2025 to finalize their review and submit to Commerce. Additionally, jurisdictions that meet the new criteria will be required to submit an implementation progress report five years after the review and revision of their comprehensive plan.

HB 1717 adds new requirements to RCW 36.70A.040 regarding tribal participation in planning efforts with local and regional jurisdictions (codification pending).

HB 1110 adds new requirements for making provisions for middle housing densities and development types for communities meeting certain population thresholds.  Coupeville is not required to comply but has accepted a grant and is developing a Middle Housing Ordinance code update based on the goals and policies of the currently adopted comprehensive plan.
Housing Affordability – What does it mean?When we talk about planning for housing affordability, many think of affordable housing as subsidized low-income housing. However, the comprehensive plan must also plan for and accommodate housing that is affordable to all income levels.

How much does housing cost?
The middle tier of homes in 2024 in Coupeville is worth $594,364. The annual household income likely needed to afford a home at this value is over $196,000 per year. A “starter home,” roughly the lower third of homes, in Coupeville in 2024 is worth $447,865, and a household would need to earn roughly $148,000 per year to afford this.
For rentals, the observed rent index for multifamily units in Island County is $1,557 per month. For single-family rentals, the value is $2,306 per month.

What homes can people afford?
A 2nd-year elementary school teacher and a firefighter in Island County make roughly $133,000 per year combined. As we saw above, this would not be enough to afford a starter home. A worker in retail sales in Island County makes roughly $56,680 per year, meaning they could struggle to afford rent of more than $1,417 per month.