It all began with a proposal to annex a portion of Coles Road to Langley.

When this came before the Langley City Council last year, public meetings concerning the annexation issue drew some of the largest crowds ever at City Hall.

Up to 200 people — both city residents and non residents — packed the council chamber and the sidewalk outside City Hall to make certain the annexation and a possible new housing development did not happen.

That issue was settled when the council refused to allow a petition for annexation. But the crowd that gathered to make that happen was not finished. Its members wanted to do more to make certain Langley would continue to be a place they want to live.

Thus was formed the Langley Community Forum.

A citizens planning group that works outside of Langley’s planning advisory board and design review board, the forum is geared toward informal long-term planning. On Monday, the group held its third meeting since the summer controversy over the annexation proposal, a meeting designed to educate Langley area residents on the subject of growth management.

The group is currently working with the broad strokes of city planning. It has no official standing with the city, but its meetings are attended by city planners and council members. Over the coming months, the group will develop a future vision of what its members hope Langley will become, a vision those same members hope will become part of Langley’s annual land-use planning work.

In an interview last week, Robert Gilman and Rick Ingrasci — two of the Langley Community Forum’s key organizers — said the forum evolved after a proven need was shown for informative, inclusive and respectful conversations about growth and Langley.

“Our hope is that people get excited,” Ingrasci said. “That this is going to be an ongoing forum.”

Speakers at Monday’s meeting at the Langley United Methodist Church included Island County Planning Director Phil Bakke, Langley Councilman Doug Allderdice, Smart Growth Coalition member John Graham, and Langley City Planner Jack Lynch.

The speakers explained Washington’s and Island County’s growth management plans and how they relate to Langley’s comprehensive land use plan. The four then responded to questions from approximately 50 people in attendance.

Graham told the audience how the state’s Growth Management Act evolved in the early 1990s, and explained how the Island County Growth Management Coalition formed in 1997. Using his past experience as a reference, he presented six steps in public problem solving — research, public participation, public education, negotiation, legal action and electoral politics.

Allderdice spoke specifically about Langley’s compliance with the state law in allowing growth within the city and its urban growth area.

“We are remarkably not crowded,” Allderdice said. “Where there are neighborhoods they typically comply with growth management.”

Allderdice further explained the urban growth area as a positive for the city.

“Without it it’s county zoning right outside our door,” he said. “It is an asset. It is a very important thing.”

Allderdice noted that city government hopes to improve communication with the public by updating and renovating its Web site and by starting an e-newsletter.

The forum, according to its members, is not intended to represent just one specific point of view, even though it has thus stayed to the side of slow growth. For the moment, the goal is to have informal gatherings for conversations on both sides of issues concerning the city.

“There’s a lot of intelligent people on this island,” Ingrasci said last week. “I think it’s going to be a great discussion and pretty lively.

The last time the group met before this week on Jan. 5, when group members decided to call their group the Langley Community Forum.

Ingrasci said he believes the forum will make a difference.

“That’s going to have a major impact on the character of the town,” he said. “What do we want in terms of evolution and development of this community?”

Past forum meetings have gathered from 30 to 40 people. Anyone of any age is urged to attend.

INFO

A Web site has been set up for online Langley Community Forum discussions, where subscribers can join in on several different topics about the evolution and development of Langley. To view the Web site, participants should e-mail Gilman at rgilman@context.org. He will provide a password for users who wish to join the discussions on the site.

Forum discusses Langley visions, growth management