HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 07/06/1967
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Port Angeles, Washington
July 6th, 19t57
To Members of the City of Port Angeles
Planning Commission and city Council
Gentlemen:
This may s~em like a nSwan Song", 1n as much as .y tenure
in office as 8 member of the Planning Commission is rapidly draw-
ing to a close, however this is not the case. I simply would
like to set forth some thou~hts as they occur to ae, 1n relation
to our proposed Zoning Ordinanceo
First: I hasten to conqratulate the members of the
Planning Commission, the Council and altlo the staff member., for
their untiring .ffort in trying to put together a workable
Ordinance that will in its .ay, we hope. serve as a ~ulde to the
future developement of our City. I feel that by_ and large we
have accomplished a great de.lo
I do not think anyone of us is 10 "Naive" al to bellev.
we have put together luch a perfect document, that no chang..
will be required in the tuture and that no headaches will b.
encountered in its administration. Looking around at other Citie.
larqe and small and who incidentally are aided 1n their effort.
by a specially trained and paid staff, 1 note the difficulties
they face and the constant de.and for revision by the publicD A.
stated above 1 feel our effort. with the possible exception of ·
few minor issues (which will work themselves out), haa relulted
in what we started out to accomplllho
There is one itea however, to which 1 .i.h to call/your
attention and on which 1 can not agree with the final deci.lon
and that is the zoning of Front Street. 1 think a review of the
history of that street is in ordero
Goinq far back into the history of the east end at our
City, I can recell when there .as a bridge over Whites Creek on
FrontStreet, and all the traffic from the east flowed over Front
street, until the comin~ of the State Highway which selected
First Street as the principal entrance and constructed a cro..inq
over Whltes Creek Gulch. The City bridge over Whites Creek on
Front Street was then allowed to fell into disrepair and the
Front Street crossing ceased to exist and remained that way until
about four or five years past when the City installed a culvert
in Whites Creek on Front and the street was again opened to
traffic. In the .eantiae, there being no chance for traffic to
flow from the east, First strp.et waS the natural for develope.ent
and that 1s just what occurredo
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To Members ot the City of Port AnQele.
Planning Commission and City Countil ----July 6, 1967---Page 2
In adopting our present Zoning Ordinance in 1947 just
20 years past, both Front Street and First Street were qiven
the same Zoning designation namely "Second or outlying BUline..
District" from Lincoln Street east to the City Limit. and they
remain such to this day and until the adoption of the new
Ordinanceo It naturally follows th~t D~y construction in the
past 20 years on the south side of Georgiana Street, which i.
across the alley from Front street. was don~ In the face at a
Business Zoninq on Front Street; it further follows that people
purchasing property on the North side of Front Street. with the
idea of using it as a future business site are not necessarily
"Johnny Come Lately's" but have had 20 years in which to lay.
their plans.
We have come up, at Bud Pooles suqgestion, with a "Resi-
dential Buffer" designation tor the North Side ot Front Stre~t
and the property owners along the north side resent the switch,
and I can not help but feel they are iustified. We have several
letters of protest against our designation together with a
petition of 6Q; of the property owners along the north side of
the streeto
I think I would have taken the position that we were 1n
error long since, had I any idea the one way traffic couplet
would be installed at such an early dateo
Looking over the Routh side of Georgiana Street, it 11
my belief, the moving of the IIResidential Buffer" to the alley
north of Front Str~et and extending it to the south side of
Gerogiana. would not do any special harm to the property involved;
on the hand, if that is not accept8bl~lets forget the "Residential
Buffer" entirely and leave it up to the future Commissions and
Councils to work it out, which we have had to do with the south
side of First and the north side of Front for the past 20 yearso
In closing, I will say that I can not help but feel that
both sides of Front Street sould be zoned the same a5 both sides
of First Street namely "Commercial Arterial" and ask that you
please qivp. this your earnest attention.
Sincerely,
Fred C. Strange, Chairman
Planninq Commission