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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20251022 PC MinutesPLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Port Angeles, Washington October 22,2025 This meeting was conducted as a hybrid meeting. CALL TO ORDER - REGULAR MEETING Chair Young called the regular meeting of the Port Angeles Planning Commission to order at 6:02 p.m. ROLL CALL Planning Commission Chair Young, Vice Chair Steiger, Commissioners: Schorr, Kiedrowski. Members Absent: Commissioners Stanley and McMillian (excused), Mellema. Staff Present: Community and Economic Development Director Shannen Cartmel, Planning Supervisor Ben Braudrick, Associate Planner Angel Torres, Housing Administrator Jalyn Boado, Natural Resources and Grant Administrator Courtney Bornsworth, Senior Development Services Specialist Pat Bartholick. PUBLIC COMMENT - None given. APPROVAL OF'MINUTES It was moved by Vice Chair Steiger and seconded by Commissioner Schorr to approve the September 24, 2025, minutes. APPROVAL OF MINUTES It was moved by Commissioner Kiedrowski and seconded by Vice Chair Steiger to approve the October 1,2025, minutes. AGENDA ITEMS l. Action: Public Hearing for Vision 2045 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update (CPA 25-0004). Public hearing and Planning Commission recommendation to City Council for the Comprehensive Plan Periodic update. Staff recommends that the Planning Commission forward a recommendation of approval of the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Updates to the City Council. Staff provided a summary of the Comprehensive Plan Periodic Updates. ChairYoung opened the Public Hearingat6:15 PM. Public comments were made on the Comprehensive Plan Periodic Updates. Jim Haguewood, city resident, the plan shows limited acknowledgment of SFR homeownership, which should be central to the housing strategy based on market demand. It favors renter-occupied housing over owner-occupied. There is no housing shortage; instead, the issue lies with income levels. The economic development component needs strengthening. He supports the Western UGA land swap, which requires smart planning to lead to more industrial and residential land in western PA. According to LCA,67yo of city land is already developed or occupied. The plan should aim to attract young families, balance single-family and multi-family homes, diversify the economy, and foster a vibrant community. Shawn Washburn, county resident, building multi-family units is not always affordable. Policy LU-1.5 contradicts LU-L.7 Policy in the Comprehensive Plan. Brian Heberling, county resident, expressed concerns over the potential UGA swap and the need to maintain the use as industrial due to owning one of the largest swaths of land inthatarea, and not want industrial zoning there. CITY OF PORT ANGELES PLANNING COMMISSION - October 22,2025 Chyan Twitchell, city resident, expressed concern for being able to afford to live in Port Angeles if single individuals are owning large swatches of land because there isn't enough multi-family housing available for people who need it. Chair Young closed the CPA 25-0004 public hearing at 6:37 PM. Commissioner Steiger questioned the UGA swap and asked whether it must be a like-for-like swap. Staff provided clarity on the requirements and that the UGA swap is not moving forward with this Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update. It is setting the stage for future discussions on the proposal. Commissioner Kiedrowski supports the UGA swap if there is potential to change the land use to allow for mixed use in the future. It was moved by Vice Chair Steiger and seconded by Commissioner Kiedrowski to: Forward the Vision 2045 Comprehensive Plan Update to the City Council as recommended by staff. Motion carried 4-0. 2. Action: Public Hearing for Citywide Rezone associated with the Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update (REZ 25- 0153). Public hearing and Planning Commission recommendation to City Council for the Citywide rezone related to the Comprehensive Plan Periodic update. Staff provided a summary of the Citywide Rezone associated with the Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update. Chair Young opened the public hearing at 6;45 PM. Chyan Twitchell, city resident, the community is currently facing complex challenges related to zoning and housing. There is a recognized need for rezoning, yet important zoning factors are being overlooked. Concems have been raised about the potential influx of an additional 3,000 residents, especially given the ongoing homelessness crisis. Currently, existing rezoning options do not allow residents to rebuild their homes differently unless they reconstruct exactly as before, which limits growth and adaptation. The importance of industrial development is acknowledged, but so is the need to consider landless populations, such as those living in trailers, tents, or vehicles. Twitchell suggest creating small, temporary housing solutions to assist those in need. Matthew Moore, city resident, expressed worries about the value of data collection, feeling that some information gathered is too superficial to address specific situations effectively. He advocates for more comprehensive outreach and random polling, particularly concerning housing needs. Additionally, he highlighted issues with property management in town, noting that landlords often require three months' rent upfront, a barrier to renting for many residents. Chair Young closed the P.EZ 25-0153 Public Hearing at 6:52 P .M. Commissioner Kiedrowski expressed concems over increasing the mixed-use zoning in areas where we don't necessarily need it. Concems with prohibiting single-family housing from being built in certain zones. Recommended amending to allow for single-family residences in all zones except for commercial arterial. It was moved by Vice Chair Steiger and seconded by Commissioner Kiedrowski to: Recommend the approval of the Citywide Rezone application P.EZ 25-0153 to the City Council with the amendment to allow for single-family residences in all zones except for commercial arterial. Motion carried 3-1. 3. Action: Public Hearingfor 2025 Housing Action Plan Periodic Update (CPA 25-0112). Public hearing and Planning Commission recommendation to City Council for the draft Housing Action Plan amendment. Staff provided a summary of the Housing Action Plan updates. Chair Young opened the Public Hearing for CPA 25-0112 at 7: 18 PM. Page2 of 6 CITY OF PORT ANGELES PLANNING COMMISSION - October 22,2025 Charles Creed, Sequim resident, is in favor of the multifamily builder training, City-wide homelessness navigator, blighted property reduction strategy, and down payment assistance programs. Voiced concerns over the lack of affordable housing and a desire to have elders in place in the community. The lack of affordable housing makes it difficult for those on fixed incomes, and they should not be excluded from living here to lower the median age. Overall, supports many of the action items in the Plan but still has concerns over pushing elders and those who need support out. Clinton Pharris, City resident, very supportive of the plan overall. Actively works in the community connecting individuals with resources. Would like to see more programs that make it affordable for the common working person to live and thrive in this community. Feels like there is still room for improvement. In favor of increasing the building height limit. The graphic on Page l5 shows unrealistic numbers in his mind. Wants the housing to be realistically affordable for all. Susan Hillgren, City resident, shared lived experience from the perspective of those who work with the homeless every day- noted that there are at least 1,000 unhoused. No matter how much new housing we build, there will always be people who are homeless. Need for a restitution program to clean up blighted properties. The City needs multifamily homes to put people in smaller spaces and meet the needs of our community members. The Housing Action Plan should also identify the elderly and LGBTQ+ community. Chyan Twitchell, City resident, understands there are more severe needs than her own in town. Expressed concerns over the weatherization program and the balance between the need and the requirements to use the program. There are many services that many people don't qualify for - differences between the various programs in the Community (Serenity House vs. TAFY). The Plan still has some holes that need to be addressed in the future. John Monson, Sequim Resident, expressed concerns about the diffrculty of finding affordable rental housing in the community. Supports the need for more programs. Joel Burdeau, City Resident, spoke about living in an Oxford House and working for the PA food bank. A foundation in employment will be the only way to make the plan work. The only way he can afford to live out here is because of the multifamily home that he lives in. Oxford homes provide support for recovering addicts and offer a supportive place to live and recover. He doesn't see the feasibility of ever being able to afford owning a home, even as an employed individual. The Planning Commission and City Council need to keep the needs of the community at heart when considering these decisions. Jim Haguewood, City resident, the Port Angeles Association of Realtors supports the blighted property reduction strategy. Suggest adding a renovation cost-reduction program to reinvest in the existing properties. They support co- living housing and the Housing Pipeline Demonstration Project. The City should focus on providing infrastructure, streamlining the permitting process, and not create an added risk to the City of Port Angeles. The PAAR opposes the multi-family builders' program and the downpayment assistance program. The Citywide navigator shouldn't be the city's responsibility. The City should add the renovation program, use a balanced housing approach, increase wastewater capacity, and work towards raising the average median income. Shawn Washbum, county resident, PA business owner, Renovations need to be more affordable. This can be accomplished by adding dump fees to the fee waiver program and creating an exemption for utility base rates when the home is being renovated or sold and not being lived in. Told a story about a blighted properfy that his client purchased, where he only netted around $50k. The City should better promote the energy rebate programs. He cautions the city against homelessness navigator since there are limited resources and other NGO's that could take on the task. Megan Ruble, City resident, the City needs to expand wastewater capacity and other utilities. There is a lack of infrastructure to support the construction of new affordable homes. The City should promote workforce development and raise the average median income to support growth. Steven Pelayo, County resident, Population of PA growing at}.4o/o - underperforming compared to the rest of the county/state. Both Plans need more of everything to have balance (single-family and multifamily are both needed) The Plans need to support families. Clallam County wages are growing at about lz the rute of the rest of the state. Encourages the renovation of existing homes as well as the need for new homes. Page 3 of6 CITY OF PORT ANGELES PLANNING COMMISSION- October22,2025 Steven Workman, City resident, lives near a large commercial lot that is mostly vacant. Even if more SFRs are built, they will not be affordable to most of the people who currently live here or want to purchase a home here. If you plan it, will they build it? Commercial and multifamily building is difficult. The Port Angeles community seems to be transitioning from a resource-based to tourism. Can we get higher-paying jobs here? Eric Ostenberg, County resident, blighted homes renovations require asbestos permits, even for a home built after 1993, which seems unnecessary. The 935 W l0 Street site does not have capacity for multifamily development, as there wasn't sufficient utility capacity to support 21 duplexes. He is not in support of the pilot project - he was outbid and is frustrated by the lack of progress on the project. Chair Young closed the CPA 25-01l2 Public Hearing at 7:56 PM It was moved by Vice Chair Steiger and seconded by Commissioner Schorr to extend the meeting to 8:30 PM. Motion canied 4-0. It was motioned by Vice Chair Steiger and seconded by Commissioner Kiedrowski to take a 5-minute break. Motion carried 4-0. Chair Young recessed the meeting at7:58 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 8:03 p.m. Commissioner S.chorr asked for more information on wastewater capacity analysis. Vice Chair Steiger echoed the public comment from Steven Pelayo, who identified the need for balance in the housing options the City plans to provide. We should be planning and building on both ends of the spectrum. It was moved by Vice Chair Steiger and seconded by Commissioner Kiedrowski to re-evaluate Figure 6 to include 100% AMI housing to fill demand. The motion carried 4-0. Discussion followed. Chair Young echoed the need for balanced housing options. Commissioner Kiedrowski and Commissioner Schorr echoed the need to support building housing for individuals above the 100% AMI to drive the local economy and assist with subsidies for those who need them. Vice Chair Steiger noted the lack of large developers in town and how the city can assist them in pursuing large developments, including adding the utility capacity needed. The Housing Needs Assessment doesn't fully reflect the needs of all community members. It was moved by Commissioner Kiedrowski and seconded by Vice Chair Stieger to extend the meeting until 9:00 PM. The motion carried 4-0. Discussion continued. Clarification of re-developable was given. Opportunities around blighted properties should be explored further. It was moved by Commissioner Kiedrowski and seconded by Vice Chair Stieger to have staff look into the AMI aggregated data per the TAFY and Futurewise October 22 wrrttenpublic comments. Motion carried 4-0. It was moved by Vice Chair Steiger and seconded by Commissioner Schorr to include a renovation investrnent plan in the blighted property reduction strategy, which could include reduced fees or grants. Motion carried 4-0. Discussion followed. The Downpayment assistance program is not necessarily due to the other programs that already exist, accomplishing this. Staff clarified that the Community Land Trust program has replaced the downpayment assistance program. Page 4 of 6 CITY OF PORT ANGELES PLANMNG COMMISSION - October 22,2025 It was moved by Vice Chair Steiger and seconded by Commissioner Kiedrowski to include in the plan an investigation ofrental assistance, including a landlord risk fund to encourage landlords to rent to underserved tenants, similar to Chelan-Douglas. Motion carried 4-0. Discussion followed. It was moved by Commissioner Kiedrowski and seconded by Commissioner Schorr to: Recommend the approval of CPA 25-0112 for the 2025 Housing Action Plan Periodic Update to the City Council with the recommended amendments as proposed. Motion carried 4-0. STAFF'UPDATES Monthlv Buildine Report Senior Development Services Specialist Pat Bartholick gave a brief comparison of the monthly building report to last year's monthly report. The 19-lot townhouse Trailside subdivision will utilize the townhouse permit-ready plan sets for its development. Monthlv Affordable Housins Report Planner Boado. gave a brief update about affordable housing programs. In September, two fee waivers were processed. Monthlv Natural Resources Report Planner Bornsworth gave a brief update on the Arbor Day Celebration and City Shade Street Tree Distribution event on October 25. Monthlv Land Use Permiffino Rennrf Planning Supervisor Braudrick gave a brief update on the current Land Use Permitting. The Planning team is fnalizing a short plat on Crabapple Street, completing a permit for a 120' cell tower, and will be issuing a home occupation permit for a yoga studio soon. COMMISSION REPORTS Chair Young, hearing why people aren't building is incredibly valuable information to keep in mind and should be taken into consideration. Will be out of town for the next three months, so will attend virtually. SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT Jim Haguewood, City Resident, commented on the lack of recognition of the economic development element in the plan. Expressed concems over the lack of utilities to the curb, which prevents development from occurring. PAAR is open to meeting with the Planning Commission to discuss the data behind why builders are not building in this town. Commented on the importance of single family residences being an income driver and recognizing their importance. Sean Washburn, a county resident, commented on the need to balance all types of housing and to provide utilities and infrastructure to build additional developments. Expressed the concern for having City Staff explore some of the programs in the Housing Action Plan that other organizations are already doing. Matthew Moore, a City Resident, commented on the idea of converting vacant homes into rental units. Who are the people you want to bring into these homes? Will they be benefiting the City of Port Angeles? Steven Pelayo, a Counfy resident, commented on bringing recognition of the building updates to the City Council meetings. Also commented on the recent Platypus vs. City case that was in the news recently. Commented on Sequim's contribution to property tax investments compared to Port Angeles, and how far behind Port Angeles is in comparison. Page 5 of6 CITY OF PORT ANGELES PLANNING COMMISSION * October 22,2025 ADJOURNMENT Vice Chair Steiger motioned to adjourn the meoting at 9:00 p.m. Commissioner Schorr seconded the motion. Chair Young adjourned the meeting at 9:00 PM. Danny Steiger, Chair J Boado, Secretary Page 6 of6