ABOUT CHANGE
We all have a stake in supporting the things that make Anacortes a wonderful place to live, learn, work and play! This brings us to the challenge of managing change – improving what we can and keeping what we want.

In 2016, the City of Anacortes adopted a new Comprehensive Plan that defined the vision, goals, and policies to guide the growth of our city in the next 20 years. In 2019, a new set of development ordinances put many of these ideas into code.

The vision for Anacortes’ historic downtown in the Comprehensive Plan includes: 

  • Reinforcing the Central Business District as the center of commercial, civic, and cultural activities
  • Accommodating new developments while reinforcing and enhancing the downtown area’s character and scale
  • A broad mix of uses along Commercial Avenue and key side streets
  • Increased density via multi‐story buildings

The Downtown Anacortes Alliance (DAA) founders asked the question – How do we turn these broad goals into action? And how do we do it in a respectful and sustainable way? If we don’t manage the process well, we could get results that we don’t like. We found strong support in the community for using the Main Street model to facilitate the revitalization and economic development of the historic downtown core.

THE DOWNTOWN ANACORTES ALLIANCE

In 2021, we established a non-profit organization called the Downtown Anacortes Alliance with the goal of helping make our community’s vision of a sustainable and prosperous downtown a reality.

The Downtown Anacortes Alliance focuses on the economic vitality and historic preservation of the downtown area using the approach of the Washington Main Street Program and Main Street America. We strive to preserve and sustain the small town, historic character and are committed to historic preservation, community building, lessening the burden on city government, and collaboration with like‐minded people and groups.

Downtown Anacortes Alliance (DAA) is a community-based non-profit (501c3) organization established to make our vision of a sustainable and prosperous downtown corridor a reality. A designated affiliate, we are registered by the Washington State Main Street Program under the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and adhere to the guiding principles of the National Main Street Program. The DAA works to meet its goals by following Main Street’s four point approach to design, organization, economic vitality, and promotion.

We invite you to visit our Contact page to connect and request more information.