Coupeville residents wanting input on the town’s future evolution have a forthcoming opportunity to do so.

At 6 p.m. on Oct. 1 at the Coupeville Recreation Hall, the Coupeville Comprehensive Team is holding an open house regarding the final update on the town’s Comprehensive Plan, which is due to be adopted in December. There, attendees can learn about the latest changes to the plan and contribute their thoughts; written comments are also being accepted beforehand.

“Public input is critical to this effort because the Comprehensive Plan is intended and designed to be a reflection of the community,” Community Planning Director Joshua Engelbrecht said via email. “While I’m in charge for the leg work of putting policies and goals to paper, the community and their feedback helps guide Coupeville’s elected officials and helps them keep a pulse on what is most interesting to the community.”

Required under the Washington State Growth Management Act, the Comprehensive Plan dictates a vision for the future of Coupeville through the establishment of policies foundational to zoning and development regulations. Work on the update to Coupeville’s Comprehensive Plan began in 2024. Engelbrecht explained that the present update “has some more targeted updates compared to the overhaul that happened in 2023,” when the town caught up on its 2016 update.

Engelbrecht added that the plan has a new Climate Element and many updates “associated with housing” which may be of particular interest to attendees. The former concentrates on building resiliency of the town’s people, buildings and infrastructure in the face of natural disasters like droughts, heatwaves, storms and rising sea levels, all exacerbated by climate change. The latter, Engelbrecht said, will “better facilitate” affordable housing ownership.

Parks and recreation, historic preservation and community design, level of service standards and accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion are other themes which have guided the project, according to the town’s website.

Engelbrecht said the open house is a “showcase of what we are hoping is a 95-99% complete draft” of the Comprehensive Plan and clarified that it will not truly be the final opportunity in which the public can provide feedback, although chances are dwindling. Aside from a comment period during the State Environmental Policy Act review process, the Planning Commission’s Public Hearing expected on Nov. 18 will be the “last dedicated, formal opportunity” to comment “before the commission votes on their recommendation to the Town Council.”

“Otherwise, folks are welcome to give me a call or send me an email,” he added.

Contact Engelbrecht at planner@townofcoupeville.org or 360-678-4461 ext. 103.