Island County denies historic Whidbey subdivision request

Island County denied a request tied to a historic Whidbey subdivision, focusing attention on whether old recorded lots near Arnold Road and Highway 20 can be treated as buildable under modern rules. The parcel at issue sits on about 20 acres and had been linked to a certificate of zoning compliance meant to verify the legality of the lots.

The dispute lands in a familiar stretch of Whidbey Island where historic property divisions still carry weight. A real estate agent had sought to prepare the land for development, and the area was described in April as involving “forgotten county lots,” a phrase that captures how old plats can resurface long after they were first recorded.

That matters beyond one parcel because a denial like this can affect access, property value, and the odds that other landowners with older plats will face the same roadblock. If Island County will not recognize a lot pattern or subdivision claim on this site, owners elsewhere in older developments may have to prove more than a paper trail before they can build, divide, or regularize a parcel.

The county has faced similar land-use fights before. In January 2024, officials rejected an after-the-fact permit for the historic Samuel Libbey farmhouse, showing how historic properties can run into present-day compliance rules when work was done before approval. In April 2021, Wright’s Crossing LLC lost its fifth attempt to overturn a 2017 county decision that blocked a proposed urban growth area expansion on North Whidbey for a large housing project.

Old rights-of-way have also produced conflict. In August 2025, Camano Island Properties Inc. filed a petition for writ of review after Island County commissioners refused an application to open an unopened right-of-way on Whidbey Island. Together, those cases show how recorded rights, old plats and development plans can return to the county table years later, often with much higher stakes for landowners and neighbors.

The county’s planning framework in and around Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve adds another layer. Island County Ordinance No. C-84-11 amended county code chapter 17.04 to address design review in the reserve, and county materials direct property owners to use the GeoMap and Site Review layer to determine whether a parcel falls within the design review area. Historic Whidbey, which says its motto is “Save the House to Save the Stories,” reflects the preservation values that often shape these debates on Whidbey, where history, access and current land-use rules continue to collide.