The Chamber sent a survey to around 800 members last week asking for opinions on a proposal by MJB to re-zone property on R Ave, between 24th & 28th streets to allow for a 100,000 square foot store for a national retailer such as Fred Meyer.
The results became available Tuesday and will be sent to the City Council.
The survey showed that 60% favor the City Council approving the zoning change from Industrial to Commercial for the MJB property on R Ave.
In response to the question about desiring a medium-sized dry-goods retailer in Anacortes, 96 votes yes, with 46 voting no. But, only 53% voted for the proposed property on R Ave., with 47 percent voting no.
While only 143 votes were cast in this poll, Chamber Executive Director Stephanie Hamilton said she thought the results reflects her sense of the total membership of the Chamber.
The poll also included an open-end question on where would be a better place to put a medium-size dry-good store. As expected, the answers reflected a wide range of viewpoints from, “In another town” and “Don’t want it!” to “Highway 20” and, “…closer to the existing commercial district.”
The City Council has set a public hearing for next Tuesday (Monday is a holiday) on MJB’s re-zoning request.