INVENTORY OF EXISTING PORT FACILITIES

The Coupeville Marine Facility came under Port ownership in 1969. The facility is composed of the wharf causeway, the wharf building, and an upland tract of property with a small building on the eastern perimeter. (See diagram, Appendix B-1)

View of wharf from south

Extensive capital projects in the 1970s and 1980s rehabilitated the causeway, improved the wharf building, and shoreline bulkhead. These projects were funded through general obligation bonds supplemented by funds from the Port operating budget. The Port continued to improve the wharf, moorage, buildings and property from their operating budget for the next two decades. Today, the marine amenities include a fuel dock, mooring floats and buoys. The 4,275 square foot wharf building houses the Harbormasters office, public restrooms, a shower facility, three tenant spaces, and an expansive public lobby.

Currently, the wharf building is fully tenanted with a gift shop, marine supply store and cafe. (See Appendix B-2: Coupeville Marine Facility Tenants/Terms) The building lobby houses educational displays owned and maintained by community organizations. (Washington State University Beach Watchers marine mammal and science displays, and Coupeville Water Festivals gallery of framed posters from 1992 to present.) Outdoors, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of Penn Cove from picnic tables or from the water, courtesy of a kayak rental business.

View from the south west

View from the north east

Front Street tenant space

Port office from the wharf

The foot of the wharf begins on the .08 acre upland tract owned by the Port, on Front Street in the Town of Coupeville. The entrance to the causeway is a landscaped area of gravel and gardens with a Port information kiosk and a carved Native American wind wheel. Approximately one quarter of the upland tract entrance is leased to the National Park Service for an interpretive display about Ebeys Landing National Historical Reserve. The eastern portion of the upland tract is the site of the Port office overlooking the wharf, an unimproved basement storage space, and a tenant space leased for a small retail store.

View of wharf entrance from Front Street

Marine facility mooring floats from the east

The marine facilitys 426 causeway extends seaward over 70 chains of tidelands (4,620) owned by the Port onto tidelands leased from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The Port leases other aquatic lands from DNR to provide transient moorage and fueling services. There are two fuel floats, 8 wide and 40 long. Access is only on one side, thus providing 80 of mooring space.

Fuel shack on north side

A three thousand gallon underground fuel tank, partitioned for gasoline and diesel, is located next to the Port office. The fuel tank vents are disguised in the entryway information kiosk.

There are seven mooring floats: one, 20 wide by 56 long, and six others that are 10 wide and 24 long. There is mooring access on both sides, creating a total of 400 mooring capacity. The facility sells 35,000-40,000 gallons of fuel annually to recreational boaters, Penn Cove Shellfish vessels, seasonal tour operators and other commercial vessels. The historic wharf attracts 10,000-12,000 visitors each year

The wharf restrooms, showers and businesses, as well as the Port office building are served by a sanitary sewer system connected to the Town of Coupeville sewer system. Sewer pipes run from a 1,000 gallon stainless steel tank under the wharf building, alongside other utility services on the eastside of the causeway to the street.

The Port became involved because of the economic development potential for the barns and the residences. The Port began a public-private partnership in 1997 with a non-profit organization, Greenbank Farm Management Group, to preserve the rural and agricultural character of the open space, as well as to pursue the development of a center for community events, a marketplace for local entrepreneurs, and a unique destination for visitors and locals. This partnership continues today.

View from the northwest corner of the Port Tract at the Greenbank Farm

The Port purchased 151 acres of open farmlands, new growth forest and marshlands from Island County in 1997. The Ports mortgage will be paid off in 2017. The community goal for saving the farm was to ensure the preservation of the pastoral farmland, historic buildings and scenic heights. The Port Tract is included in a Growth Management Act zoning designation called a Special Review District (SRD). A zoning package specifically for the Port Tract of the Greenbank Farm was approved by the Board of Commissioners of the Port of Coupeville and adopted by Island County, becoming effective on December 16, 2002. (ICC 17.03.062) (See map, Appendix C-2)

The SRD zoning identifies approximately 15 acres for commercial business activity and buildings, 90 acres for agriculture, 30 acres for passive recreational activity, and 16 acres of protected environmentally sensitive marshlands. The Commercial Area is the site of 3 barns, 2 houses, a fire and irrigation pumphouse and a well house. Three barns house eleven private businesses and an indoor event venue. The houses serve as a residence for an on-site caretaker, and for use as a community meeting space, administrative office and art studio. A fourth barn in the Agriculture Area is used for a maintenance shop and storage for farm equipment and event supplies.

Barn A: indoor event venue & Whidbey Pies Café.
Pond: scenic and useful as fire suppression & irrigation systems water storage

The Ports Greenbank Farm facility underwent a nearly two million dollar capital improvement project in 2004-2005. This was funded though a Washington State Capital Budget grant, Port levy revenue and a contribution from Island County. The project included construction of two new barns and renovation of two others. The Washington State Group A gravity-fed potable water system was upgraded with a new 23,500 gallon storage tank and well pumphouse. (See diagram, Exhibit C-7) The former farm managers home, the Jim Davis House, was added to the facilitys septic system. (See diagram, Exhibit C-6) A fire suppression system was installed to meet Island County code requirements. A pump for agricultural irrigation was integrated into the fire system in the same pumphouse. Electrical utilities were upgraded. Roads and parking lots were upgraded and expanded to accommodate the increased visitor traffic. Landscaping and gardens completed the project, enhancing the grounds and the existing gardens of the WSU Island County Master Gardeners Association and the Greenbank Garden Club.

Renovated Gary Ando Barn B. Baking kitchen in rear	New Barn C: 3 retail storefronts and 3 upstairs offices
New & old potable water storage tanks	Old well house New well house	New fire and irrigation pumphouse

The capital project more than tripled the number of businesses operating at the facility. Currently, retail storefronts include a wine shop specializing in regional wines, a cheese specialty shop, a tack shop and an antique/collectibles shop. There is a cooperative art gallery, an art studio and a photography studio. Upstairs offices house a therapist, a land trust organization and an administrative office. Two commercial kitchens, serving the caf and a wholesale bakery, were also added in the 2004-2005 capital project. The facility hosts a busy year round event schedule of community and private events, festivals and local producer markets in the indoor Barn A venue and in the outdoor festival area.

Indoor Barn A event venue

Sunday Farmers Market

Barn B baking kitchen

Café kitchen

The land in the Agriculture Area has Organic Certification under Washington State Department of Agriculture regulations. All agricultural activity at the Farm is required to comply with the National Organic Standards. Currently, approximately 20 acres in the agricultural zone are leased to a seed company growing organic beets and swiss chard for seed, and a family-owned business raising alpacas for fiber and for sale as pets.

New John Matthias Tractor Barn D

Caretaker Cottage

Jim Davis House & seed company fields

The new utility barn is home for the farm tractors and equipment that work to maintain the non-leased fields, an historic loganberry patch and community pea patch gardens.

Barn A from Loganberry Patch

Alpaca in west fields

Community pea patches

The facilitys Recreation Area abuts approximately 200 acres of forest owned by Island County. A trail system through the farmland connects to trails in the Countys property and a Washington State viewspot of Lake Hancock. The trails give magnificent views to the east of the Cascade Mountains and Saratoga Passage, to the west the Olympic Mountains and Admiralty Inlet, and to the south the farm and marshlands. The Port dedicated the upper fields as an off-leash area in 2005. The trails are extremely popular with locals and visitors, with and without their dogs. (See map, Exhibit C-4)

Walkers on the trails

Freshwater marsh to the east

East of the Commercial Area is a 23 acre freshwater wetland that abounds with bird and animal life. Approximately two-thirds of the marshland is owned by the Port of Coupeville. There is a small boomerang-shaped piece owned by the State Department of Transportation, purchased for a wetland mitigation project. The remainder is owned by the Holmes Harbor Estates Greenbank Beach and Boat Club.

The Greenbank Farm has inspired community participation since it came into public ownership. Volunteers maintain the walking trails and help with summer mowing. The Greenbank Garden Club designed the Barn A entryway gardens and maintains them year-round. The WSU Island County Master Gardener Association is creating their official Educational Gardens around the pond. The Central Whidbey Lions Club funded and installed the initial equipment for the childrens playground. They also collaborated with the Whidbey Island Audubon Society to build a bird viewing platform to provide visitors with an accessible vantage point to observe the marshland wildlife habitat.

Greenbank Garden Club gardens

Central Whidbey Lions Club swings

Master Gardener Association Educational Gardens

Audubon Society bird viewing platform west of marshlands

The purchase of the Port Tract at the Greenbank Farm included the transfer from the Island County of certain easements, water rights and the ownership of a potable water system serving the site. It also included easements retained by Island County. (See Section I Contractual and Other Relationships: Interlocal Agreements) The full text of the interlocal cooperation contract is available upon request from Island County or the Port of Coupeville. A parcel map is included in this comprehensive plan document. (See map, Appendix C-5) The following summarizes the key contract rights and uses.

Island County: Island County transferred ownership of the potable water and non-potable irrigation water rights to the Port of Coupeville upon purchase of the Port Tract at the Greenbank Farm. At the same time both systems were conveyed to the Port.

The Port has two utility easements on the Island County-owned property at the Greenbank Farm. The first is to the north of the Greenbank Farm Port Tract (Parcel 14) for the potable water systems well, storage tank and water lines. The second is on Island County property west of State Highway 525 (Parcel 21) for the spring, its cistern and distribution lines. Island County transferred the water rights associated with both properties to the Port at the time of sale.

Island County retained three easements over the Port Tract of the Greenbank Farm: a 20 wide easement from Wonn Road to the Island County forest trailhead (over Parcels 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 16, 17, 18, & 19), a 20 X 100 parking area for trail users (on Parcel 5 & 6), and a 20 easement along the north fence line (Parcels 2, 3 &16) between the Port Tract and the Island County property.

Washington State: The Port has two water rights recorded with the Department of Ecology related to the Greenbank Farm. (See diagram, Appendix C-7) The first is for a spring located west of State Route 525 on property owned by Island County. The Port has a surface water right (#S1-24872C) for the spring for non-potable purposes only. The Port is allowed a maximum of 129.5 acre feet per year and 21 gallons per minute to irrigate a maximum of 125 acres. There is an existing, non-operating pump across the entrance drive from the pond that was used to pump the incoming spring water to the fields. The spring water reaches the Farm pond via a combination of historic and modern underground pipes. The second water right is for the potable water system (#G1-28216). The Port is allowed a maximum of 4 acre feet per year and 28 gallons per minute. It is to be used for residential and commercial supply. The Port projected the right would be maximized by 2010, at which time an accounting of use must be submitted to the State.

The Port has adopted various covenants consistent with the Ports commitment to the public to preserve the rural, agricultural and historic character of the Greenbank Farm, the communitys access and use of the property, and the Ports economic development mission.

Greenbank Farm Special Review District: Following Island Countys purchase of the 522-acre Greenbank Farm, the entire property was designated as a Special Review District (SRD) to meet planning requirements of the Growth Management Act. A SRD allows properties owned by a single owner of at least 500 acres to draft their own zoning code. The Port approved a draft of a protective zoning ordinance for the Port Tract in 2004. It became the regulatory authority which guides the development in the Ports Greenbank Farm property at the end of 2004 when Island County adopted the ordinance. (ICC 17.03.062 Greenbank Farm Port Tract Special Review District.) The Port Tract was divided into four areas: Agriculture, Recreation, Commercial and Environmentally Sensitive. Each area has specific standards for development, and permitted, conditional and prohibited uses, consistent with the vision for each area, which are generally described by each areas name. The ordinance defines the number, size and uses for structures within each area, as well as the general property uses. A summary of the zoning regulations is included in this comprehensive plan document. (See Appendix C-2: Summary of Special Review District Zoning) The full legal document, including the Master Plan, is available upon request from the Island County Planning Department.

The regulations codify the development and specific uses that were identified in the Greenbank Farm Master Plan. All permitted and conditional uses must comply with Land Use Standards (ICC 17.03.180) unless otherwise directed in this section or the Master Plan. If there is conflict between standards of this section or with standards in other sections, the Master Plan shall prevail. For those uses that are not specifically listed as permitted or conditional and are not specifically identified in the Master Plan, the Island County Planning Director shall have the authority to make Code Interpretations (ICC 17.03.190). All development must adhere to the Critical Areas Regulations (ICC 17.02), the Land Development Standards of Title 11 and other applicable regulations.

Greenbank Farm Sign Policy: Consistent with the Ports commitment to the community to preserve the rural, agricultural and historic character of the Port Tract of the Greenbank Farm, it approved a protective sign policy in 2005. This sign policy was adopted by Island County as the regulatory authority for signage within the Port Tract. The development of the sign policy was guided by six principles: 1) to protect the unique natural beauty and rural character; 2) to effectively use signs for public communication; 3) to prevent sign over-concentration, improper placement and excessive size; 4) to maintain or enhance the aesthetic environment, to promote creativity and to invite economic development activity; 5) to minimize adverse effects on nearby public/private property; 6) to acknowledge the property borders a Washington State Scenic Byway. (See Exhibit C-3: Greenbank Farm Special Review District Sign Policy)

Greenbank Farm Off Leash Area: The Port supported the development of the trail system through the upper fields of the Recreation and Agriculture Areas at the Greenbank Farm, as a natural connector to the Island County trails in the northern forest. Since 1997, these trails have become an extremely popular site for locals, as well as Island visitors, to walk their unleashed dogs. In response to public requests, the upper fields were officially designated by the Port as an off leash area in 2005. (See map, Exhibit C-4) Dog owners are expected to monitor their animals to avoid infringing on the safety and enjoyment of others, and to remove their dogs excrement from the trails.

Port of Coupeville Comprehensive Plan 2007-2026