Skagit County is currently considering whether its comprehensive plan should be altered to allow Fully Contained Communities (FCC’s). Fully Contained Communities are large developments situated in rural areas where theoretically residents live, work, shop and play without significantly impacting the surrounding area. However, the data show that this is not true.

Instead, Fully Contained Communities more often place unfunded demands on a county’s rural resources, natural environments, and infrastructure while diverting resources for needed housing and infrastructure from cities. After trying FCC's as a model to accommodate their growth pressures, FCCs are now outlawed in counties south of here. Puget Sound Regional Council’s Vision 2050 also discourages new FCC’s due to their potential to create sprawl. Skagit Land Trust has serious concerns with the impacts to our rural areas, environment, and cities if Skagit County’s comprehensive plan is amended to allow FCC’s.

There has been a lot of concern expressed regarding FCC's in Skagit County since this proposal was presented. Recently, the County's Planning Department recommended that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) be undertaken to study the possible impact of FCC's in Skagit County. Their presentation plus the timeline and process can be found here: skagitcounty.net/fullycontainedcommunities

We appreciate that an EIS study process will be undertaken. We encourage citizens to participate in all aspects of this process they can. We will keep our website area called "Take Action" updated.

By dispersing growth into the rural landscape, Fully Contained Communities are fundamentally inconsistent with the principles of land conservation and natural resource-based land uses that we strive for. We are troubled by the lack of available and affordable housing locally, yet Fully Contained Communities have rarely been found to be a good answer to this and often compound affordable housing problems. Skagit Land Trust supports policies that encourage Skagit’s vibrant resource-based economy and its unique thriving urban centers, not policies that drain cities of their tax base and place unfunded demands on the County’s rural infrastructure.

What Are We Doing?

• Skagit Land Trust's Board of Directors voted to become a supporting member of the local grassroots campaign, "Right Growth, Right Place: FCCs are Not the Answer." This campaign is organized by a coalition of local citizens and organizations including Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland, Skagit County Farm Bureau, Evergreen Islands, Indivisible Skagit, and Home Rule Skagit.
  
  
• The Right Growth, Right Place campaign is currently gathering petition signatures from Skagit County voters to urge the Skagit County Board of Commissioners to vote NO on the LR 20-04 “Fully Contained Communities” proposal. Right Growth, Right Place hopes to gather 20,000 signatures by January 22nd.

*You can print and sign the petition from the document that opens

• Skagit Land Trust will also have this petition available to sign in the front entryway of our office at 1020 South Third Street.
  The public is welcome to come and sign Monday through Friday from 9:30am-4:30pm. We will also have printed petitions members can take with them to gather signatures of their own, as well as more information about FCCs and Skagit Land Trust’s reasons we oppose this type of development in Skagit County.

• The Trust submitted a comment letter to the County this spring. 700 comment letters were submitted in all, overwhelmingly opposed to FCC’s.

• The Trust’s Take Action webpage has more information about Skagit Land Trust's opposition to FCCs. This page will be updated as things evolve and we will let people know how they can further help.

Please contact Executive Director Molly Doran with any questions you have about this campaign, mollyd@skagitlandtrust.org or 360-428-7878 x 202

Helpful Resources

Skagit Land Trust’s Take Action Page with information on the Trust’s opposition to FCCs

Skagit Land Trust’s Vision

Skagit Scoop - Will “Fully Contained Communities” Solve Skagit’s Affordable Housing Crisis?

Skagit Valley Food Coop article - FCCs: Could They Forever Change Our Rural Valley?

Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland article – Fight FCCs

Skagit Valley Herald - Opponents speak out on fully contained communities

Seattle Times - Final blow to housing-community plan for Lake Roesiger?

Skagit County site link to FCC amendment proposal

Skagit County site link to public comments on the FCC amendment proposal

Puget Sound Regional Council - Vision 2050 recommendation to avoid FCCs (MPP-DP-43)
*The Puget Sound Regional Council is an organization that works on transportation, growth management and economic development plans for the Central Puget Sound Area (King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties)