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1640 E Main Street
Freeland, WA 98249

PHONE/FAX:
360-331-1980

What is the criteria for our city boundary?

The city boundary is drawn to -

  • include areas where significant development has occurred, giving us a tax base
  • include enough surrounding area that can serve as development reserves and open space
  • include specific critical areas (i.e. Holmes Harbor) so they can be further protected and enhanced
  • include areas that support a centralized business district which is an attraction

How will we ensure population density is in the right place?

The importance of avoiding of sprawl and preserving open space and natural areas is paramount to the Freeland incorporation effort and we think these goals can only be accomplished with proactive planning. Like the State growth Management Act, the New city of Freeland will try to locate density where the appropriate supporting infrastructure exists, around the urban core (downtown). This will allow the efficient use of transportation options and support a living community with affordable housing and nearby parks and gathering places. Incentives to encourage such development include a sewage system and appropriate land use zoning.

Will the zoning guidelines in the Freeland Sub Area Plan be adequate for managing future residential growth?

No, but they will provide a foundation for developing zoning more appropriate to a city of 2,500 people

Who should be managing our growth – the county or our community?

Over the last 15 years numerous groups of concerned citizens within the Freeland area have formed to address the issue of growth. They initiated a study by the University of Washington in 1989 and a follow on study by the Makers Group in 1991 to identify what Freeland is and what it could look like in the future. They have served on the Freeland sub area planning commission from 1999-2004, under the auspices of the County, only to produce a ‘report’ that now serves as a paperweight in Coupeville. They’ve attended the 76 public meetings on the subject of Freeland. Some have organized to make sure recreational and environmental aspects of the Harbor are preserved. Currently there are 12 committees taking steps to create and achieve a vision that channels Freeland’s growth into something we can be proud of. The vast majority of these people believe that by failing to plan we can only plan on failure. We believe that local control is the only and most efficient way to realize these visions.



WORKING GROUPS
A joint operating Committee of the Freeland Chamber of Commerce and Friends of Freeland.

Revised 03-12-07
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