Group gets Group gets sales agreement for Kruegher Farm in Coupeville
Published 6:00 am Wednesday, July 30, 2003
For months a local, grassroots organization that wants to see a rural entryway into Coupeville preserved waited to begin fund- raising efforts. What they needed was a goal to reach.
That requirement was met last week when a sale agreement between the Friends of Krueger Farm and the property owner, Cecil Stuurmans, was reached.
The Friends now need to come up with $1.46 million to buy 33 acres of land on the western edge of town. Its goal is simple — keep the land as an open space.
They have been waiting for the land to be appraised before fund-raising efforts can begin.
The appraisal was done by the Whidbey Camano Land Trust whose executive director, Pat Powell, said the terms spelled out in the contract are very reasonable because it gives time for the money to be raised.
The group has nine months to raise $860,000 to buy all the residential zoned land and another six months to raise $600,000 to buy the commercial property.
A meeting was held earlier in the week to organize the effort and figure out ways to raise money.
The clock starts ticking when the sale agreement is signed. Powell said there are several language details that have to be ironed out before the agreement goes forward.
A meeting is scheduled to take place July 31 at the Coupeville Recreation Hall to organize fund-raising efforts. The meeting begins at 6 p.m.
While the Friends of Krueger Farm started to raise money, the Coupeville Town Council moved forward with approving the comprehensive plan amendments — one of which changes the zoning of the 33-acre Krueger Farm in the event the property is developed.
The Town Council held its public hearing on the controversial amendments. Approximately 60 people attended the Tuesday night meeting, and most of the people speaking were concerned about the proposed changes to the farm.
The land was zoned to house 120 single-family residences. The the new zoning shrinks that number by 10 percent to 108 units utilizing a variety of housing types, and stresses the use of “low impact development.”
The housing will be condensed to help preserve a minimum of 12 acres as open space.
Town Planner Larry Cort said the plan identifies areas within the parcel that need to be preserved and also prevents development from following traditional housing patterns that are not respectful of the environment.
He added that the plan provides more open space in public ownership, it preserves a rural entry into town, provides trails and improved stormwater runoff.
“I think this is an excellent plan,” said Councilman Bob Clay. “We asked Larry to be a planner, not a reactor.” The council unanimously approved the amendments. Donna Keeler was absent from the Tuesday evening meeting.
Clay’s sentiments were echoed by Councilman Marshall Bronson.
“The town has really worked on the issue and I think it’s a good plan,” Bronson said.
Cort provided elaboration on the definition of a cottage, the lack of which prompted criticism in recent weeks. He defined cottage housing as eight dwelling units per acre.
Ken Pickard, a Coupeville attorney who has represented a local watchdog group, Oh Oh, Inc., asked three of the four council members to recuse themselves for what he saw as conflicts of interest.
He also argued that the town’s use of high density housing is not consistent with the rural character of town and that the terminology for mixed-use construction is vague.
He also said that Oh Oh is going to appeal the zoning change to the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board despite the efforts of the Friends of Krueger Farm to purchase and preserve the land.
“If it doesn’t happen than we’ll be left with 108 units on 20 acres,” Pickard said, claiming that the town doesn’t have the facilities and infrastructure to accommodate such growth.
Coupeville resident David Medley added that the town should take the proposal back to the drawing board to make it better.
“The town deserves more than ‘this is better than the last proposal,’” Medley said.
Buell Neidlinger, a planning commissioner who voted against the amendments when the planning commission held its public hearing July 1, wanted to know how a hearings board appeal would affect fund-raising efforts to purchase the farm. Powell replied that she would have to consult with an attorney.
To help spark the fund-raising effort, Councilman Joe Keeva said he and his wife, Sally, would pony up the non-refundable $15,000 deposit for the sale agreement.
For more information on the Friends of Krueger Farm, contact Sally Hayton-Keeva at 678-4690 or 678-2274.
You can reach News-Times reporter Nathan Whalen at nwhalen@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/whidbeynewstimes or 675-6611.
