Coupeville residents are asking town officials to prioritize historic preservation, affordable housing and improved job opportunities when planning for the town’s future.

Town officials are in the process of updating Coupeville’s comprehensive plan and areseeking public input as they gradually make changes. In a recent public survey, in stakeholder interviews and at a workshop meeting, Coupeville residents have made their voices heard about what they want for Coupeville as the little town grows.

A survey sent to residents with their utility bills in November and made available online garnered 255 responses. Those who responded to the survey collectively identified the quality of life, the rural location and natural setting, and the small town feel and walkable size as the things they most love about living in Coupeville.

Survey respondents’ top concerns about the town included impacts from military jet noise, a lack of affordable housing and the worry that increased growth and tourism will take a toll on Coupeville’s quality of life and unique, historic identity. Several survey participants also identified Coupeville’s notoriously domesticated deer population as a problem in need of attention.

Local stakeholders praised Coupeville’s rural character in interviews with town staff and consultants. The town conducted in-depth interviews with 15 residents, including representatives from local businesses, natural and historic preservation nonprofits and the Coupeville School District.

Their input largely mirrored the opinions collected in the public survey, such as in the prioritization of diversifying housing and employment options, though concerns about climate change and how rising sea levels might impact the waterfront district were also common themes. Interviewees also encouraged town staff to maintain walkability by investing in pedestrian infrastructure.

In a public meeting Jan. 18, the first of two planned town workshops, around 33 participants from the town were divided on how to best manage expansion. Some felt it would be appropriate to relax town boundaries to accommodate growth, so long as potential future development sites are chosen strategically, while others favored maintaining current town boundaries and constructing smaller housing units to infill residential areas.

When discussing which parts of town might be considered for expansion, meeting participants identified the areas surrounding Parker Road and East Broadway on the east side of town as one of the most promising locations for infill residential development options, and the Sunset Terrace district on the south end of town as a possible location to integrate duplexes and other small-scale types of housing.