Conditional Use Permit
Samish submitted a CUP application to the City of Anacortes on 2/2.
The Notice of Application and Public Hearing includes the following important dates:
- Notice published: Feb 23rd
- End of comment period:March 16th
- Open Record PC Meeting: April 13th
- Closed Record CC Decision Meeting: April 25th
Project documents are available to the public on the City of Anacortes electronic document portal here, including the notice of Application and Public Hearing which includes directions for commenting and attending the public meeting.
Link to Notice of Application & Hearing
Pre-Application Neighborhood Meeting
Samish held a public neighborhood meeting on January 20th, 2022. The meeting minutes can be found in the Conditional Use Application.
About the D Avenue Early Learning Center
The Samish Indian Nation is developing a new early learning center at the site of the former D Avenue Nursery in Anacortes that closed in 2020. Samish, which operates the successful Samish Longhouse preschool, purchased the site with the help of a State capital budget appropriation sponsored by Representatives Ramel and Lekanoff and Senator Lovelett.
Permit Process
The new facility requires a Type IV conditional use permit from the City of Anacortes. One of the first steps in that process is to host a pre-application neighborhood meeting, scheduled for Thursday, January 20 at 6 p.m. All are welcome to attend; neighbors within 300 feet will receive a meeting notice in the mail. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event will be held via Microsoft Teams with a phone dial-in option. Watch this page for information about how to join the event online or dial in.
The Need
Anacortes has a critical need for new childcare facilities. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were approximately 1,000 children in Anacortes under school age and only 12% of those had access to full-time, licensed childcare. That's less than half the Washington State average of 27%, which is itself is considered to be a crisis of inadequate capacity. Quality childcare is critical for the academic and socioemotional foundations of children and for families to be able to return to work as we emerge from the pandemic.
Project Design
The new early learning center will feature:
- 5 classrooms ranging from infants to toddlers
- approximately 40 total students and 17 staff
- approximately 4100 square feet
- off-street parking for 32 vehicles at D Ave and 15th Street
Street Improvements
Separately from the conditional use permit process, Samish is collaborating with the City of Anacortes to fund improvements to D Ave, 15th Street, and 16th Street per the City's design, which will include 13 on-street perpendicular parking spaces and benefit both the new early learning center and the neighborhood. The street design overlaid with the new ELC site plan is shown below.
