Coupeville development project would hide beloved chunk of granite

When Coupeville residents call a hunk of granite a big rock, their reasoning is easy to explain.

“It’s a large rock,” said Larry Cort, town planner. “That’s why they call it the Big Rock.”

Town planners don’t often deal with rocks. After all, zoning seldom calls for the protection of rocks, and there is no such thing as the National Registry of Historic Rocks. But if there were, the Big Rock would probably be on it.

It might also make zoning history of sorts by being the rare rock that townspeople are trying to protect.

Actually, the enormous rock needs no protection. It has sat comfortably in its present location off modern day Main Street for thousands of years, too big for early farmers to either move, break apart, or blow to smithereens. It’s the nearest thing to permanent any town could hope to have within its city limits.

But some people want to protect their view of the Big Rock, which could be impacted by development. Frank and Miriam Meyer recently purchased the empty lot in front of the Big Rock. They plan to construct a building up to 6,820 square feet in size for a mix of retail, professional office and residential uses.

Frank Meyer said Friday the building will initially house Miriam’s Espresso, which is now located across the street. However, additions could be made in the future.

Coupeville native Lillian Dean Huffstetler, for one, is worried about the project. She grew up in Coupeville in the 1930s when her dad, Carl Dean, owned a Chevrolet dealership in town. She remembers playing on the rock as a kid when there were wooden steps leading to the top.

Huffstetler doesn’t want to see any type of building in front of the Big Rock. “I don’t care if it’s the Taj Mahal,” she said Thursday. “It’d be a shame to cover it up.”

Meyer acknowledged their building will affect the view of Big Rock, but it won’t eliminate it. “It’s still going to be visible from the road,” he said, citing several corridors that will still afford views of the rock. But he agreed that someone walking or standing directly in front of the new building won’t be able to see the rock.

The rock is located off Main Street next to Coupeville Elementary School and in front of the aptly-named Big Rock Apartments. The stairs to the top are long gone, but climbing the rock remains a rite of childhood in Coupeville.

Three 16-year-old boys were walking past the rock one day last week. James Mathis, Beau Frye and Jeremy Eggland all remembered climbing the rock as kids.

“It was a long time ago, but it’s a cool rock,” said Eggland. He described plans to build in front of the rock as “lame.”

Cort, the town planner, said he has received two written complaints about the building proposal and a couple of phone calls. “It’s construction on vacant land,” he said. “That always brings people’s opinions out.”

Cort said the Big Rock is not identified in any of the town’s plans as something that should be protected, although he described it as “an unusual feature.”

Coupeville offers plenty of opportunity for the public to comment on development proposals. Cort said the proposal to build in front of the Big Rock “is still at the staff level.” Because the zoning is presently medium density residential rather than commercial, the proposal must go to the planning commission for a recommendation, then the city council and then the design review board. He estimated it will take at least until February for the process to run its course.

As for the concern about losing the view of the rock, Cort say that could be addressed in the design process which will give the city some say in how the site is developed.

The property on which the Big Rock sits is presently owned by Sharon and Michael Johnson.

“We own the rock, it’s never been public property,” said Sharon Johnson. She has no particular objection to the proposed building, whose primary tenant will be Miriam’s Espresso.

“I don’t care,” Johnson said. “It could be 100 things a lot worse.”

The Johnsons purchased the property in 1999, including a house that has stood next to the rock for decades. She said it was built by the Babcock family that owned a farm there in 1900, but the house has been remodeled so much that it doesn’t qualify as historic. Their 28-unit Big Rock Apartments sit right behind the rock. The rock blocks much of the view of the two-story apartments from Main Street.

The Big Rock today is no longer easily accessible to the public. “No trespassing” signs warn people away from every approach, because of insurance concerns. “Once there was viewing from the top. You could see water and the mountains,” Johnson said.

Janet Enzmann, volunteer archivist at the Island County Historical Society Museum in Coupeville, said the museum has several old photographs showing people standing on top of the Big Rock. “I’ve talked to people who have stood there,” she said, estimating the photographs were taken around World War I and the 1920’s.

Lyla Snover was born in 1934 and today sits on Coupeville and Island County park boards as well as the Coupeville design review board. She too has fond memories of the Big Rock.

“It’s been there all my life, and I’ve lived here forever,” said Snover, who was born into the Libbey family on her father’s side, and the Hancock family on her mother’s side. “I’ve got photos of my mother and people on top.” She remembers climbing the rock only one time, and that required “climbing the ivy and the stairs.” Ivy eventually covered the rock entirely, but the Lions Club cut it back a few years ago, once again exposing the granite face of the rock to passersby on Main Street.

“I still look at it every time I drive by,” Snover said. “I’d love to climb it today,” she laughed, “but there’s too many people around.”

Snover said both the city and county park boards talked about purchasing the property in front of the rock, but neither had any money.

If a building does go up on the lot, Snover has only one wish. “I hope they don’t hide the Big Rock,” she said.