HomeMy WebLinkAbout3555 ORDINANCE N0. 3
AN ORDINANCE of the City of Port Angeles, Washington adopting
updates to the Comprehensive Plan.
WHEREAS, the City of Port Angeles adopted a Comprehensive Plan on June 28,
1994; and
WHEREAS, the City is required periodically to conduct a public process and update
its Comprehensive Plan so that new information and changing circumstances may be
considered; and
WHEREAS, the Washington State Department of Commerce requires Port Angeles
to complete a major update of its Comprehensive Plan under the Growth Management Act by
June 30, 2016; and
WHEREAS, the City has conducted numerous public meetings to obtain comment
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and also the Planning Commission held a public hearing concerning the same on May 25,
2016; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission has recommended updates and revisions to
the Comprehensive Plan so that they more accurately reflect current conditions and expected
development; and
WHEREAS, the City provided ample public comment opportunities in consideration
of the proposed amendments, and
WHEREAS, the City has received and responded to detailed comments; and
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( WHEREAS, all elements of the Comprehensive Plan have been reviewed with the
I goal of enhancing and assuring the City's compliance with its legal obligations; and
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WHEREAS, the Planning Commission has transmitted a copy of its
recommendations to the City Council; and the City Council has considered the Commission's
recommendations; and
WHEREAS, as a result of the hearing, the comments, the responses, and its own
review of the Plan, the Council finds that it is in the best interest of the City that the
following exhibits be adopted as attached:
Exhibit "A" Findings and Conclusions
Exhibit "B" Final Comprehensive Plan
Exhibit"C" Summary of Amendments
Exhibit "D" Calendar of Public Events I
NOW THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PORT ANGELES
DO HEREBY ORDAIN as follows:
Section 1. The Findings and Conclusions for the City of Port Angeles attached
hereto as Exhibit "A" and incorporated herein by this reference, are hereby adopted.
Section 2. The Final Comprehensive Plan amendment for the City of Port
Angeles attached hereto as Exhibit "B" and incorporated herein by this reference, are hereby
adopted.
Section 3. The Summary of Amendments for the City of Port Angeles attached
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hereto as Exhibit "C" and incorporated herein by this reference, are hereby adopted. f
Section 4. The Calendar of Public Events for the City of Port Angeles attached to
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hereto as Exhibit "D" and incorporated herein by this reference, are hereby adopted
Section 4. A copy of the amended Comprehensive Plan shall be kept on file with
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the City Clerk and shall be available for public inspection.
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Section 5. This ordinance, being an exercise of a power specifically delegated to
the City legislative body, is not subject to referendum. This ordinance shall take effect five
days after its publication by summary.
PASSED by the City Council of the City of Port Angeles at a regular meeting of said
Council held on the day of June, 2016.
Patrick Downie, Mayor
ATTEST: APP OVED AS TO FO
ennife Veneklasen, City Clerk William E. Bloor, City Attorney
PUBLISHED: June 36, 2016
By Summary
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Summary of Ordinance adopted by
the Port Angeles City Council on June 21, 2016
Ordinance No. 3555
AN ORDINANCE of the City of Port Angeles, Washington adopting updates to the
Comprehensive Plan.
The full texts of the Ordinances are available at City Hall in the City Clerk's office, on the City's
website at www.cityofpa.us, or will be mailed upon request. Office hours are Monday through
Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Jennifer Veneklasen
City Clerk
Published: June 29, 2016
EXHIBIT A
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS IN SUPPORT OF CPA 16-01, 2016 COMPREHENSIVE
PLAN UPDATE:
Findinzs:
1. The City of Port Angeles adopted its present Comprehensive Plan on June 28, 1994, by
Ordinance 2818 and has periodically amended it since, with the last major update
occurring in 2004.
2. The State of Washington per RCW 36.70A has established the requirement for periodic
updates of Comprehensive Plans. The City of Port Angeles is required to complete a
required update by June 30, 2016.
3. The City of Port Angeles last undertook a major update to its Comprehensive Plan in
2004, with minor amendments occurring between 2005 and 2010.
4. The entire Comprehensive Plan was reviewed and analyzed to determine the need for
revisions.
5. The City of Port Angeles has circulated the proposed amendments to Clallam County,
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and the State's Departments of Commerce and
Ecology. Comments from those agencies have been received and reviewed with regard
to the proposed amendments.
6. The SEPA review of the proposed amendments for the Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan
was completed May 25, 2016, with the publishing of a Determination of
NonSignificance, DNS #1374.
7. A public hearing on the proposed amendments for 2016 was held by the Planning
Commission on May 25, 2016.
8. Following the public hearing, the Planning Commission approved a motion to forward a
recommendation for approval of the updated Comprehensive Plan to the City Council.
Conclusions:
1. The proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Plan are in compliance with the State's
requirements for updating the Comprehensive Plan under the Growth Management Act.
2. The Comprehensive Plan update is consistent with the County-Wide Planning Policy.
3. 'The 2016 Comprehensive Plan up-date amends the Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan
that was updated in 2004, with minor amendment occurring between 2004 and 2010.
4. Opportunities for amending the Comprehensive Plan are available on an annual basis.
5. The 2016 amendments completed the State mandated update of the Comprehensive Plan.
Adopted by the Port Angeles City Council at its meeting of June 21, 2016
THE
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
FOR
THE CITY
OF
PORT ANGELES
AMENDED
2016 Update
Final Version
Adopted by City Council on 6/21/2016
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
2016 updates
The following citizens, past and present elected officials and staff are acknowledged for their various
contributions to the 2016 updating of this comprehensive plan, many of which devoted volunteer hours to
provide assistance to staff and develop a citizen participation process that would reflect the wishes of the
community in the Comprehensive Plan. Everyone's efforts have made this planning effort a success and
are greatly appreciated.
Minor amendments are made to the Comprehensive Plan on an annual basis.
2015 City Council Members
Patrick Downie, Mayor Dan Gase
Cherie Kidd, Deputy Mayor Michael Merideth
Brad Collins Lee Whetham
Sissi Bruch
2016 Planning Commission Members
Duane Morris Andrew Schwab
Brian Hunter Matt Bailey
Chad Aubin Elwyn Gee
John Mathews
Consultants: Studio Cascade Inc. Spokane WA
2016 Staff
Nathan West, Community and Economic
Development Director
Dan McKeen, City Manager Scott Johns, Associate Planner
Craig Fulton, Public Works Director Ben Braudrick, Assistant Planner
Byron Olson, Finance Director
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Acknowledgements
Page i
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ADOPTING ORDINANCE
Insert ordinance once adopted
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Adopting Ordinance
Page iii
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Adopting Ordinance
Page iv
AMENDMENTS
DATE OF AMENDMENT
June 20, 1995 #2873
June 4, 1996 #2917
June 17, 1997 #2960
June 2, 1998 #2992 (Map change only)
June 1, 1999 #3021 (Map change only)
June 19, 2000 #3056 (Map change only)
June 18, 2001 #3082
June 17, 2002 #3118
June 25, 2003 #3142
June 14, 2004 #3163
June 7, 2005 #3204
June 6, 2006 #3246
June 6, 2006 #3247 (Map change only)
June 5, 2007 #3284
May 25, 2008 #3334
June 16, 2009 #3368
June 24, 2010 #3401
June 21, 2016 #XXXX
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Amendments
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City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Amendments
Page vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................................................................................................... i
ADOPTING ORDINANCE.................................................................................................................. iii
AMENDMENTS .................................................................................................................................... v
TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................................... vii
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................ x
LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................................. viii
LIST OF APPENDICES ..................................................................................................................... viii
I. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................9
Compliance with the State Growth Management Act ............................................ 9
Purpose of the Comprehensive Plan ....................................................................... 9
Compliance With The Comprehensive Plan ........................................................... 9
Development of the Comprehensive Plan and Public Participation ..................... 10
Environment .......................................................................................................... 10
Economic Development ........................................................................................ 11
Neighborhoods ...................................................................................................... 11
Airport ................................................................................................................... 11
Downtown ............................................................................................................. 11
Small Commercial Centers ................................................................................... 11
Waterfront ............................................................................................................. 11
Transportation ....................................................................................................... 11
Community Services ............................................................................................. 11
Trails ..................................................................................................................... 12
Parks and Recreation............................................................................................. 12
Organization and Requirements of the Comprehensive Plan ............................... 12
1. Requirements for the Land Use Element ..................................................... 13
2. Requirements for the Housing Element ....................................................... 14
3. Requirements for the Capital Facilities Element ......................................... 15
4. Requirements for the Utilities and Public Services Element ............................ 16
5. Requirements for the Transportation Element ............................................. 17
6. Requirements for Siting Public Facilities .................................................... 18
Use of the Comprehensive Plan ............................................................................ 19
Actions taken by the City since the 2004 update of the Comprehensive Plan ..... 19
II. COMMUNITY PROFILE .................................................................................23
City History ......................................................................................................... 23
Current Characteristics of the City................................................................... 25
Location ............................................................................................................... 25
Figure 1. Vicinity Map ....................................................................................... 26
Air 26
Water .................................................................................................................... 27
Wildlife ................................................................................................................. 27
Natural Resources ............................................................................................... 28
Noise ..................................................................................................................... 29
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Table of Contents
Page vii
Population ............................................................................................................ 30
Land Use .............................................................................................................. 31
Community Facilities ............................................................................................ 32
Housing ................................................................................................................ 42
Transportation .................................................................................................... 42
Urban Services .................................................................................................... 45
Economic Development ...................................................................................... 52
III. DEFINITIONS ...................................................................................................53
IV. GROWTH MANAGEMENT ELEMENT ........................................................62
V. LAND-USE ELEMENT ....................................................................................68
69
Land Use Map, Goals, Policies, and Objectives ................................................... 69
Residential Goals, Policies, and Objectives .......................................................... 70
Commercial Goals, Policies, and Objectives ........................................................ 71
Industrial Goals, Policies, and Objectives ............................................................ 73
Open Space Goals, Policies, and Objectives ........................................................ 75
VI. TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT ....................................................................78
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Table of Contents
Page viii
VII. UTILITIES AND PUBLIC SERVICES ELEMENT ........................................83
VIII. HOUSING ELEMENT ......................................................................................89
IX. CONSERVATION ELEMENT .........................................................................93
X. CAPITAL FACILITIES ELEMENT .................................................................99
XI. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ELEMENT ..................................................107
XII. PARKS AND RECREATION ELEMENT .....................................................113
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Table of Contents
Page ix
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
1. Vicinity Map .....................................................................................26
2. City Natural Features Map ................................................................29
3. Number of Parcels by Zone ..............................................................22
4. Industrial land availability ................................................................22
5. Undeveloped Residential Areas by Zone ..........................................23
6. City Planning Areas Map ..................................................................26
7. Urban Growth Area Map ..................................................................27
8. Neighborhoods ..................................................................................28
9. Arterial Street Map ...........................................................................35
10. Fire Department Four Minute Response Area ..................................28
11. Parks and Recreation Map ...............................................................29
12. Schools and School Walking Routes ................................................42
13. Proposed southwestern Urban Growth Area expansion ...................55
14. Port Angeles Urban Growth Area Map ............................................57
15. Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map.................................................59
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan List of Figures
Page x
LIST OF TABLES
1. GMA Requirements for the Land Use Element .........................................14
2. GMA Requirements for the Housing Element...........................................15
3. GMA Requirements for the Capital Facilities Element .............................16
4. GMA Requirements for the Utilities Element ...........................................16
5. GMA Requirements for the Transportation Element.................................18
6. GMA Requirements for Siting of Public Facilities....................................19
7. Population Projections ...............................................................................21
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan List of Tables
Page x
LIST OF APPENDICES
A. Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement November 14, 1995 &
Second Addendum to the 1993 EIS for the City of Port Angeles 2004
Comprehensive Plan update.
B. SEPA review / Determination of Non Significance #1374 dated May 23, 2016
C. Clallam County County-Wide Planning Policy, June 30, 1992
D. Background Report Clallam County Housing Needs Assessment; April 1991
E. Measuring Housing Need: A Data Toolkit for Clallam County; May 2006
F. Peninsula RTPO Comprehensive Plan Consistency and Certification Checklist
G. Public Surveys and Response Summaries
H. Stormwater Management Plan
I. Comprehensive Water System Plan 2010 (update to be completed in 2016)
J. Transportation Services and Facilities Plan & Transportation Improvement Plan
K. Facility Plan for Port Angeles Secondary Level Wastewater Treatment Facilities
L. Capital Facilities Plan
M. Port Angeles Preliminary Park and Recreation Inventory & Year 2010 Level of
Service Analysis,
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan List of Appendices
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City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan List of Appendices
Page xi
I. INTRODUCTION
Compliance with the State Growth Management Act
In 1990 the Washington State Legislature enacted the State Growth Management Act (GMA), which
requires all cities and counties subject to the Act to develop and adopt comprehensive plans and
implementing ordinances that will regulate and guide future growth and development. In accordance
with the Act, each county must also establish independent urban growth areas capable of containing
future growth projected for cities, and other urban areas, for the next 20 years. To ensure
compatibility between various comprehensive plans, the cities, county, and other affected agencies
cooperatively developed a set of county-wide planning policies to guide this process.
To ensure orderly development, the City of Port Angeles agreed to work with the County in the
development of comprehensive plan goals and policies for the Port Angeles Urban Growth Area
(UGA).
The Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan has been developed and periodically updated to meet the
requirements of the Growth Management Act and is consistent with the Clallam County-Wide
Planning Policy.
This 2016 update was undertaken to meet the State's Growth Management Act requirements and
included a process intended to capture comments and suggestions from the broadest range of the
public. The public participation process was led by Studio Cascade, Community Planning and
Design.
The following sections of this chapter will hopefully help users of this document better understand
what a Comprehensive Plan is and how it relates to other rules and regulations of the City.
Purpose of the Comprehensive Plan
A City's Comprehensive Plan serves as the core of the land use controls which all other city plans,
ordinances, and regulations must be in compliance with and support.
Prior to the passage of the State Growth Management Act, such compliance was considered desirable
but actual consistency was not required. The GMA now makes such compliance a requirement.
If subordinate planning or regulations, such as the City's Zoning Ordinance or Capital Facility Plan,
are not consistent with the goals and policies of the Comprehensive Plan, then those documents may
be determined to be illegal and rendered invalid.
The Comprehensive Plan is the basis upon which local governmental decisions are to be made. It sets
forth the City's goals and policies and visualizes directions the City will take over the next two
decades. The Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map illustrates the desired development pattern for the
city.
It is, therefore, important that the Comprehensive Plan truly reflect the goals and desires of the
community. In order for that to take place, it is vital that citizens take an active role in determining
the quality, context, and vision incorporated within this Comprehensive Plan.
Compliance With The Comprehensive Plan
The Comprehensive Plan is the foundation upon which the City’s development regulations (Zoning,
Environmentally Sensitive Areas Protection, Parking and Sign codes, and Subdivision Ordinances)
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Introduction
Page 9
and Urban Services Standards and Guidelines Manual, Capital Facilities Plan and Urban Services and
Utilities Plan are based, and from which the City’s future land use pattern will come.
A community is a diverse and heterogeneous grouping of people. Individually, each of us has a set of
treasured values. Together, we give the community a set of shared values.
In a community, individual values often clash and indeed must confront each other if the shared
values of the community are to develop. Good planning uncovers the values we share as a
community and uses the shared values to guide development of the Comprehensive Plan.
No plan can be expected to last for all time. Times change, conditions change, and what we value in
our community changes. Even though this Comprehensive Plan is intended to cover a 20-year
period, it must be reviewed at least every seven years and can be amended every year. This allows
the City to adjust the Comprehensive Plan as conditions, needs, and desires of the community change.
Through the on-going development of this Comprehensive Plan, the City of the Port Angeles
reaffirms that it is the rightful goal of the people of our community to take an active role, sharing the
work and responsibility involved in determining the character, quality, and destiny of this
community.
Development of the Comprehensive Plan and Public Participation
The Comprehensive Plan was initially updated from its 1976 version under the Growth Management
Act in June of 1994. The City's last major update to the Comprehensive Plan was in 2004. Several
minor amendments have been approved since that time. The 2016 updates reflected a citywide
approach with an ambitious public participation program.
The current version (2016) of the Comprehensive Plan was updated to meet the requirements of the
Growth Management Act. Areas of the plan that have been expanded include handling of
Archaeologic discoveries and sites, the inclusion of low impact stormwater management methods that
more closely mimic natural processes, increased emphasis on urban forestry and landscaping and
consideration of issues surrounding climatic change.
The City of Port Angeles allows amendments to the Comprehensive Plan to occur on an annual basis,
within limited time periods. Individual citizens or groups may propose Comprehensive Plan
amendments during the three month period between January 1 and March 31 of each year. Proposed
amendments require environmental review and a public hearing prior adoption by the City Council.
Visioning:
The public process resulted in the following vision statements for a variety of specific areas of
interest to citizens, Vision statements are based on the anticipated conditions of Port Angeles in 2036.
The City of Port Angeles is vibrant and prospering, nurturing a balance of
innovation and tradition to create an environmentally, economically, and fiscally
sustainable community, accepting and cherishing its social diversity, small-town
character and natural setting.
In achieving this vision, Port Angeles recognizes the important roles each of the following plays:
Environment
Port Angeles’ natural setting – with the Strait to the north and the Olympics to the
south – is unique and special, with creeks, wetlands, steep slopes and a weather
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Introduction
Page 10
pattern that can be demanding. The town balances the community’s need for
economic stability, its potential for growth and the preservation of the areas’
natural systems.
Economic Development
Keeping the community employed, prosperous, educated, and well served are key
economic development objectives. The City of Port Angeles facilitates sustained
economic growth, directing investment to revitalize activity downtown, support
local employment, and keep public services affordable and of high quality.
Neighborhoods
Slightly more than 25,000 people call Port Angeles home in 2036, residing in
neighborhoods that are safe, attractive and rich in character.
Airport
Fairchild International Airport is an important aviation resource for local
residents and businesses, operating as an important economic development and
community safety priority and with regular commercial service to SeaTac
International Airport.
Downtown
Port Angeles’ central business district is vital and prominent. The central
commercial district is one of Port Angeles’ major assets, intimately connected to
the waterfront and featuring a variety of retail, civic, residential and professional
office uses.
Small Commercial Centers
Small-scale commercial centers are located in areas convenient for nearby
residents and workers, offering a modest array of goods and services within an
easy, enjoyable walk from nearby homes and employment centers.
Waterfront
The central waterfront is an active and successful civic and social space, equally
welcoming to residents and visitors.
Transportation
Port Angeles’ transportation network that moves people and goods to, through and
within the community, harmoniously accommodating cars, bikes, trucks, public
transportation, planes, boats, ferries, and travel by foot.
Community Services
The community’s systems of housing, transportation, economic development and
parks and recreation coordinate to serve all of Port Angeles’ residents, ensuring
public safety, economic opportunity, public health and overall community
wellness.
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Introduction
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Trails
Port Angeles’ trail system builds on the Olympic Discovery Trail and miles of local
trails, contributing to the local quality of life by inviting community residents and
visitors of all ages to wander and explore.
Parks and Recreation
Leisure is an important contributor to quality of life, and Port Angeles is
committed to provide a robust parks and recreation system in response. Open
spaces, both constructed and natural, function to enliven the human spirit.
Whether it’s a small pocket park near downtown, a waterfront esplanade, a
sculpture garden on the hill, or a vast sports complex, the system serves multiple
community needs.
Organization and Requirements of the Comprehensive Plan
The Comprehensive Plan is organized with an introduction, a community profile, a definition section,
a series of elements, and various appendixes including the Capital Facilities Plan, Housing Needs
Assessment, and Environmental Impact Statement. Each element addresses a particular topic and
contains a general comment section and one or more goals with various related policies and
objectives. Some of the elements have an associated map or plan.
The Comprehensive Plan goals are expressed as broad statements of intent that will fulfill the vision
of what the city intends to become or how the city should look or feel in the future. The goals in the
Comprehensive Plan are supported by policy statements that usually include the word should. The
policy statements are directive and provide a basis for decision making and establish a principal of
wise management leading to achievement of a goal. Objectives are statements of specific actions that
when taken will result in the realization of a goal.
The Growth Management Act requires that a comprehensive plan consist of a map or maps and
descriptive text covering objectives, principles, and standards used to develop the comprehensive
plan. The plan shall be an internally consistent document, and all elements shall be consistent with
the land use map.
The Land Use Map is provided to show general uses to be located in generalized areas of the City.
The plan shows six general land use categories; Low, medium and high density residential,
Commercial, Industrial, and Open Space. These general land use areas are not specifically bounded
by streets, parcel lines, or other political boundaries. They are separated by an area referred to as an
imprecise margin. The imprecise margin and lack of specific boundaries for general use areas
provides a framework and direction to the desired development patterns of the city and at the same
time allows for flexibility in applying zone designations.
The Growth Management Act requires that the comprehensive plan shall include a plan, scheme, or
design for each of the following:
1. Land Use Element
2. Housing Element
3. Capital Facilities Plan Element
4. Utilities Element
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Introduction
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5. Transportation Element.
Additionally each plan shall contain a process for identifying and siting essential public facilities.
This plan contains each of the required elements as well as four additional optional elements; a
Conservation Element, an Economic Development Element, a Growth Management Element and a
Parks and Recreation Element. Each of the elements have been developed to be consistent with the
Growth Management Act and to reflect the needs and desires of the City of Port Angeles and its
citizens. Following are the minimum requirements for the various elements as listed in the State of
Washington Revised Code of Washington (RCW) and Washington Administrative Code (WAC).
Included with the requirements for each mandated element is a table, which shows how this
comprehensive plan meets these requirements.
1. Requirements for the Land Use Element
This element shall contain at least the following features:
a. A future land use map showing city limits and urban growth area (UGA) boundaries.
[RCW 36.70A.070(1), RCW 36.70A.110(6) and WAC 365-196-400(2), WAC 365-
196-405(2)(i)(ii)]
b. Consideration of urban planning approaches that increase physical activity. [RCW
36.70A.070(1), WAC 365-196-405(2)(f)]
c. A consistent population projection throughout the plan which should be consistent
with the Office of Financial Management forecast for the county or the county's
subcounty allocation of that forecast. [RCW 43.62.035; WAC 365-196-405(2)(i)].
d. Estimates of population densities and building intensities based on future land uses,
[RCW 36.70A.070(1); WAC 365-196-405(2)(i)].
e. Provisions for protection of the quality and quantity of groundwater used for public
water supplies[RCW 36.70A.070(1)].
f. Identification of lands useful for public purposes such as utility corridors,
transportation corridors, landfills, sewage treatment facilities, stormwater management
facilities, recreation, schools, and other public uses. [RCW 36.70A.150; WAC 365-
196-340].
g. Identification of open space corridors within and between urban growth areas,
including land useful for recreation, wildlife habitat, trails, and connections of critical
areas. [RCW 36.70A.160, WAC 365-196-335]
h. Policies, land use designation (and zoning) to discourage the siting of incompatible
uses adjacent to general aviation airports. [RCW 36.70A.510, RCW 36.70A.547;
WAC 365-196-475].
i. Policies, land use designation, and consistent zoning to discourage the siting of
incompatible uses adjacent to military bases. [RCW 36.70A.530(3); WAC 365-196-
475].
j. A review of drainage, flooding, and stormwater run-off in the area and nearby
jurisdictions, and provide guidance for corrective actions to mitigate or cleanse those
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Introduction
Page 13
discharges that pollute water of the state. [RCW 36.70A.70(1), WAC 365-196-
405(2)(c)].
k. Policies to designate and protect critical areas including wetlands, fish and wildlife
habitat protection areas, frequently flooded areas, critical aquifer recharge areas and
geologically hazardous areas. RCW 36.70A.030(5), RCW 36.70A.172; WAC 365-
195-900 through 925, WAC 365-190-080].
Table 1
GMA Requirements for the Land Use Element
Legislative
Requirement
How the above listed land use requirements are addressed in the
Comprehensive Plan
1a Land Use Element Text
1a Land Use Map, GIS data base
1b Community Profile Text
1b Appendix A EIS and Addendums
1b Land Use Element Text
1b Land Use Map, GIS data base
1c & d Community Profile Text
1e Conservation Element Goals, Policies and Objectives
1d Appendix A, EIS and Addendums
1j Conservation Element Goals, Policies and Objectives
1i Shoreline Master Program
1j Appendix E. Stormwater Management Plan
1k PAMC 15.20 Environmentally Sensitive Areas Protection Ordinance
1k Conservation Element Goals
2. Requirements for the Housing Element
This element shall contain at least the following features:
a. Goals, policies, and objectives for the preservation, improvement, and development of
housing. [RCW 36.70A.070(2)(b); WAC 365-196-410(2)(a).]
b. An inventory and analysis of existing and projected housing needs (RCW
36.70A.070(2)(a); WAC 365-196-410 (2)(b) &(c)].
c. Identification of sufficient land for housing, including, but not limited to, government-
assisted housing, housing for low-income families, manufactured housing, multifamily
housing, and group homes and foster care facilities [RCW 36.70A.070(2)(c).].
d. Adequate provisions for existing and projected housing needs of all economic
segments of the community [RCW 36.70A.070(2)(d); WAC 365-196-410].
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Introduction
Page 14
e. Identification of land use designation within a geographic area where increased
residential development will assist in achieving local growth management and housing
policies. [RCW 36.70A.540; WAC 365-196-870].
f. Policies so that manufactured housing is not regulated differently than site built
housing. [RCW 35.21.684, 35.63.160, 35A.21.312 &36.01.225
Table 2
GMA Requirements for the Housing Element
Legislative
Requirement
How the above listed housing requirements are addressed in the
Comprehensive Plan
2a Community Profile Text
2a Appendix A; EIS and Addendums
2a
Appendix C, Measuring Housing Need: A Data Toolkit for Clallam
County.
2a Housing Element Goals, Policies, and Objectives.
2b Community Profile Text.
2c Community Profile Text
2c Land Use Map, GIS data base
2c Appendix A; EIS and Addendums
2d Housing Element Goals, Policies and Objectives
2d Land Use Map, GIS data base
2e Land Use Map, GIS data base
2f Land Use Element, Policy C6
3. Requirements for the Capital Facilities Element
This element shall contain at least the following features:
a. Policies or procedures to ensure capital budget decisions are in conformity with the
Comprehensive Plan. [RCW 36.70A.120]
b. An inventory of existing capital facilities owned by public entities showing the
locations and capacities of the capital facilities. [RCW 36.70A.070(3)(a); WAC 365-
196-415(2)(a)].
c. A forecast of the future needs for such capital facilities. [RCW 36.70A.070(3)(b);
WAC 365-196-415(b)].
d. The proposed locations and capacities of expanded or new capital facilities. [RCW
36.70A.070(3)(c); WAC 365-196-415(3)(C)].
e. At least a six-year plan identifying sources of public money to finance planned capital
facilities. [RCW 36.70A.070(3)(d) &36.70A.120; WAC 365-196-415].
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Introduction
Page 15
f. A policy or procedure to reassess the Land Use Element if probable funding falls short
of meeting existing needs and to ensure that the Land Use Element, Capital Facilities
Element, and financing plan within the Capital Facilities Element are coordinated and
consistent. [RCW 36.70A.070(3)(e); WAC 365-196-415].
Table 3
GMA Requirements for the Capital Facilities Element
4. Requirements for the Utilities and Public Services Element
This element shall contain at least the following features:
a. The general location, proposed location, and capacity of all existing and proposed
utilities, including, but not limited to, electrical lines, telecommunication lines, and
natural gas lines [RCW 36.70A.070(4); WAC 365-196-420].
Table 4
GMA Requirements for the Utilities and Public Services Element
Legislative
Requirement
How the above listed capital facilities requirements are
addressed in the Comprehensive Plan
3a Capital Facilities Element Goals and Policies
3b Community Profile
3b
Appendices E, Stormwater Management Plan
F. Comprehensive Water System Plan 2010
G. Transportation Services and Facilities Plan
H. Facility Plan for Port Angeles Secondary Level Wastewater
treatment Facilities
3b GIS data base
3c Appendix A; EIS and Addendums
3d Appendix A; EIS and addendums
3e Capita Facilities Plan
3f Capital Facilities Element Goals and Policies
Legislative
Requirement
How the above listed utilities requirements are
addressed in the Comprehensive Plan
4a Capital Facilities Element Goals, Policies and Objectives
4a
Appendices E, Stormwater Management Plan;
F. Comprehensive Water System Plan;
G. Transportation Services and Facilities Plan;
H. Facility Plan for Port Angeles Secondary Level
Wastewater Treatment Facilities;
I. Capital Facilities Plan.
4a GIS data base
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Introduction
Page 16
5. Requirements for the Transportation Element
This element shall contain at least the following features:
a. An inventory of air, water, and land transportation facilities and services, including
transit alignments, state owned transportation facilities, and general aviation airports,
to define existing capital facilities and travel levels as a basis for future planning.
b. Adopted levels of service (LOS) standards for all arterial streets, transit routes and
highways to serve as a gauge to judge performance of the system. These standards
should be regionally coordinated. [RCW 36.70A.070(6)(a)(iii)(B); WAC 365-196-
430.]
c. Identification of specific actions to bring locally-owned transportation and services to
established LOS. [RCW 36.70A.070(6)(iii)(D); WAC 365-196-430.]
d. A forecast of traffic for at least ten years including land use assumptions used in
estimating travel. [RCW 36.70A.070(6)(a)(i), 36.70A.070(6)(a)(iii)(E); WAC365-
196-430(2)(f).]
e. A projection of state and local system needs to meet current and future demands
[RCW 36.70A070(6)(a)(iii)(F); WAC 365-196-430(2)(F)].
f. A pedestrian and bicycle component. [RCW 36.70A.070(6)(a)(vii); WAC 365-196-
430(2)(k)(iv)].
g. A description of any existing and planned transportation demand management (TMD)
strategies, such as HOV lanes or subsidy programs, parking policies, etc. [RCW
36.70A.070(6)(a)(vi); WAC 365-196-430(2)(k)(iv).]
h. An analysis of future funding capability to judge needs against probable funding
resources. [RCW 36.70A.070(6)(a)(iv)(A); WAC 365-196-430(2)(k)(iv)].
i. A multi-year financing plan based on the needs identified in the comprehensive plan,
the appropriate parts of which shall serve as the basis for the six-year street, road, or
transit program. [RCW 35.77.010 & RCW 36.70A.070(6)(a)(iv)(B); WAC 365-196-
430(2)(k)(ii)].
j. If probable funding falls short of meeting identified needs, a discussion of how
additional funding will be raised or how land use assumptions will be reassessed to
ensure that level of service standards will be met [RCW 36.70A.070(6)(iv)(C); WAC
365-196-430(2)(L)(ii)].
k. A description of intergovernmental coordination efforts, including an assessment of
the impacts of the transportation plan and land use assumptions on the transportation
systems of adjacent jurisdictions and how it is consistent with the regional
transportation plan. [RCW 36.70A.070(6)(a)(v); WAC 365-196-430(2)(a)(iv)].
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Introduction
Page 17
Table 5
GMA Requirements for the Transportation Element
Legislative
Requirement
How the above listed transportation requirements are addressed in
the Comprehensive Plan
5a Appendix A, EIS and Addendums
5a Appendix G, Transportation Services and Facilities Plan
5a GIS data base
5b Capital Facilities Element Goals, Policies and Objectives
5b Transportation Element Goals, Policies and Objectives
5b Appendix A, EIS and addendums
5b
Appendices E. Stormwater Management Plan,
F. Comprehensive Water System Plan,
G. Transportation Services and Facilities Plan,
H. Facilities Plan for Port Angeles Secondary Level Wastewater
Treatment Facilities,
I. Capital Facilities Plan
5c Capital Facilities Element Goals, Policies and Objectives
5c
Appendices E. Stormwater Management Plan,
F. Comprehensive Water System Plan,
G. Transportation Services and Facilities Plan,
H. Facilities Plan for Port Angeles Secondary Level Wastewater
Treatment Facilities,
I. Capital Facilities Plan
5d Transportation Element Goals, Policies and Objectives
5e Transportation Element Goals, Policies and Objectives
6. Requirements for Siting Public Facilities
The Comprehensive Plan shall be consistent with the following:
a. A process or criteria for identifying essential public facilities (EPF). [RCW
36.70A.200; WAC 365-196-550(d)].
b. Policies or procedures that ensure the Comprehensive Plan does not preclude the siting
of essential public facilities. [RCW 36.70A.200(5); WAC 365-196-550(3)].
Table 6
GMA Requirements for Siting Public Facilities
Legislative
Requirement
How the above listed siting of public facilities requirements are
addressed in the Comprehensive Plan
6a Definitions
6b Capital Facilities Element Goals, Policies and Objectives
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Introduction
Page 18
Use of the Comprehensive Plan
The Comprehensive Plan is designed to be used by the public as a way for citizens to learn the long-
range goals and policies of the City as a base upon which City officials make land use and other
decisions, and as a tool which City staff uses to insure desirable development of the City. This
document provides a sense of predictability to citizens of the city or potential residents considering
relocating to Port Angeles.
The Plan's Environmental Impact Statement (EIS, Appendix A) is designed as a programmatic EIS
and may be used as a phased reviewed environmental document for any plans, ordinances, programs,
or development projects that are consistent with the goals and policies of the Comprehensive Plan.
The EIS has been updated through addendums and regular SEPA review as amendments to the
Comprehensive Plan have been periodically approved. Any project proposed in the City will have to
show that it is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. If it is not, it cannot be approved unless the
Comprehensive Plan is amended and additional environmental review is completed.
Actions taken by the City since the 2004 update of the Comprehensive Plan
Since the last major update of the Comprehensive Plan, several objectives have been accomplished.
Those accomplishments include the replacement of both century old trestle bridges spanning Valley
Creek and Tumwater Creek on 8th Street. The bridge spanning Peabody Creek at Lauridsen
Boulevard was replaced with a structure that will allow truck traffic to make the turn and follow
Lauridsen as intended for the cross-town alternative to Highway 101.
The City's landfill has been closed and converted into a regional transfer station and work to remove
waste materials that remain in the marine bluff and stabilize the bluff to prevent further adverse
impacts to the shoreline is underway and will be completed in 2016. A major project to resolve long
standing issues with combined sewer/stormwater systems overflowing into the Strait of Juan de Fuca
has been completed and the second project phase is underway and nearing completion.
The City has followed through with the creation of new zone designations in anticipation of future
annexations, especially the eastern Urban Growth Area. The Commercial Regional zone was created
to be applied to areas along Highway 101 where existing large commercial uses such as car
dealerships and large volume stores currently exist or where land is available for such uses. A major
infrastructure goal was achieved with the extension of a sewer main line to the eastern Urban Growth
Area.
A second new zone was created for large suburban scale residential lots. The Residential Single
Family zone RS-11, restricting residential lots to a minimum of 11,000 square feet or larger has been
applied to areas within the existing city limits.
An Industrial Marine (IM) zone was also created to be applied to shoreline areas focusing primarily
on marine trades that may need the support of commercial uses to provide a framework for mixed
uses in a campus-like environment.
Industrial zoning was modified to include the potential for work/live situations where working artists
requiring large work studios with industrial types of activities are permitted to live at their studios by
conditional use permit.
A major planning effort was completed in 2014. The Shoreline Master Program (SMP) was approved
and accepted by the Department of Ecology, completing a five-year effort that included the writing of
a new Harbor Resource Management Plan, Shoreline Inventory/Characterization/Analysis Document,
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Introduction
Page 19
a Cumulative Impacts Analysis and a Shoreline Restoration Plan. The shoreline planning effort took
place concurrently with several restoration projects occurring on the south shoreline of Ediz Hook.
The last phase of shoreline restoration was completed during the summer months of 2016 and will
result in a continuous restored shoreline from Harbor View Park on the east to Sail and Paddle Park
on the west. As a Result of the new Environmental Designations applied to Ediz Hook by the SMP
and the restoration work that has been accomplished, the objective to develop an Ediz Hook Master
Plan has been made unnecessary.
A 358 acre area was annexed into the City in 2005. The area is located along the south side of
Highway 101, west of the city limits at that time. The area is primarily an industrial site,
accommodating several large operations and much of the area is zoned Industrial Heavy. Portions of
the annexed area along Highway 101 include residential uses.
Another major accomplishment is the construction of a Waterfront Promenade located between Oak
Street and Laurel Street in the city's downtown. The promenade was the first phase of a multi-phase
project planned for the downtown waterfront. The second phase, west of Oak Street to the Valley
Creek Estuary Park included creation of two small beach area where hard armored shoreline once
existed has also been completed. Enhancements to the Waterfront Trail are an integral portion of the
project. Subsequent phases of the project will improve the portion of Railroad Avenue east of Laurel
Street to City Pier Park.
An associated downtown project that had been anticipated for several years was also completed. The
Gateway project resulted in a downtown transit center and covered pavilion area for public activities.
The pavilion is used weekly for the local Farmers' Market but is also used as a venue for various
festivals.
A portion of downtown sidewalks and water lines were replaced beginning in 2006. As part of that
project, the west side of Laurel Street between First and Front was developed to preserve the last
remaining portion of the "Port Angeles Underground".
Regionally, the major effort has been the removal of the two dams placed on the Elwha River a
century ago. This project included reconstruction of the City's water collection system and the intake
for the industrial water supply. In addition, a new bridge was built spanning the river. The new
bridge includes a suspended pedestrian/bicycle segment of the Olympic Discovery Trail.
The Olympic Discovery Trail between the western city limits and 18th Street was improved as the
trail right-of-way and was also used for a sewer line extension to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe's
reservation lands. The sewer extension outside of the city was made necessary by the removal of the
dams upstream from the reservation. The removal of the dams resulted in a higher ground water
table, making on-site sewer drainfields unusable. The reservation is now served by city sewer
facilities.
In 2007 the City added a Parks and Recreation Element to the Comprehensive Plan. In 2009, the City
implemented a Façade and Sign Improvement Grant program to help small business enhance the
appearance of buildings in the city.
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Introduction
Page 20
In another attempt at citywide beautification was accomplished in 2014 by the passage of a Street
Tree Ordinance. The passage of the ordinance resulted in the City being awarded the Tree City USA
designation from the National Arbor Day Foundation.
All of the above mentioned projects were included in the earlier version of the Comprehensive Plan
as Goals, Policies, or Objectives.
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Introduction
Page 21
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City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Introduction
Page 22
II. COMMUNITY PROFILE
City History
The City of Port Angeles has long been the primary urban center of the North Olympic Peninsula.
The earliest residents of the area were Native Americans such as the Klallam ("Strong People")
and Makah tribes, who were sustained by the region's abundant natural resources. These same
natural resources - the naturally protected deep-water harbor, abundant coniferous forests, prolific
wildlife and marine resources, and an overall natural beauty also attracted the first non-natives to
the area and continue today to encourage visitors and new residents alike from all walks of life.
Known variously as "Old Dungeness," "False Dungeness," "Cherbourg," and "Port Angeles,"
settlement was intermittent and sporadic throughout the early history of the City.
In 1862 (due largely to the efforts of one man: Victor Smith, the "Father of Port Angeles"),
President Abraham Lincoln signed an executive order setting aside 3,520 acres of land on the site
as a U.S. Government Lighthouse and Military Reservation. Soon after, the original townsite
layout was platted by the US Army Corp of Engineers, and the Townsite of Port Angeles has
endured to this day.
Patterned after the plan of Cincinnati, Ohio (substituting the Harbor for the Ohio River), the streets
are arranged and named the same: Front, First, Second, etc. and at right angles to these are
Tumwater, Cedar, Pine, Valley, Cherry, Oak, Laurel, Vine, and Race Street.
While the City has benefited greatly from that original planning with its grid-pattern street layout,
various challenges were also created such as utility service provision and circulatory problems, due
to the topography of the land. Seven different streams, with associated ravines, travel through the
community flowing north from the foothills of the Olympic Mountains as they wend their way to
the Strait of Juan de Fuca. They are: Dry Creek, Tumwater Creek, Valley Creek, Peabody Creek,
Ennis/White's Creek, with Lee's Creek, and Morse Creek located within the eastern Urban Growth
Area.
Despite such early planning, major settlement did not take place within the City until 1887 with
the founding of the Puget Sound Cooperative Colony. A social experiment in communal living the
Colony contributed greatly to the early expansion of Port Angeles.
Although short-lived, this settlement near the mouth of Ennis Creek built a sawmill, lath-mill, and
shipyard; constructed a 58-foot propeller-driven schooner, "The Angeles"; started the first
newspaper in town (The Model Commonwealth); and built the first schoolhouse, office building,
and a City Opera House, in addition to founding four different churches in Port Angeles. The
Colony was largely disbanded by 1889 due to internal disputes, but many of the colonists stayed
and blended with the rest of the thriving community.
By 1890, the City population had soared to over 3,000 people, and the Government Reserve
established 28 years earlier had become a bottleneck to progress, completely restricting further
development of the City since it could not legally be homesteaded. The result was a "land rush"
onto the federal property as citizens took matters into their own hands as "Reserve Jumpers" that
4th of July, moving en masse onto the reserve, platting lots, and establishing homesteads.
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Community Profile
Page 23
Eventually, forced to recognize this matter officially, Congress conceded ownership to the
squatters and opened the Reserve for sale to the public.
The year 1890 was also notable as the year Port Angeles was officially incorporated as a City in
the newly established State of Washington, and that same year it also became the County Seat of
Clallam County.
Thereafter, the City grew more slowly and developed much as other small towns in the Pacific
Northwest. Gone were the early pretensions of becoming a great seaport or Second National City
patterned after Washington, D.C.
Logging and timber have long been important industries, and in 1914 Port Angeles was home to
the world’s largest sawmill. In 1920, a large pulp and paper mill was built by Washington Pulp
and Paper Company. Purchased a few years later and operated by Crown Zellerbach for over 60
years, the paper mill, located at the base of Ediz Hook, is now owned and operated by Nippon
USA Co.
The City experienced sporadic growth until the linking of Port Angeles with the transcontinental
railroad in 1914 brought increased prosperity. As rail transport increased and sea travel waned,
Port Angeles surpassed Port Townsend as the major center for trade and commerce on the
Olympic Peninsula. Sustained largely by marine trades and the forest products and fishing
industries, Port Angeles became a classic American small town and the center of urban life on the
North Olympic Peninsula.
In 1922, the Port of Port Angeles was formed. The natural deep-water harbor has always attracted
shipping as well as commercial and sports fishing. The Port now operates the Boat Haven Marina
and The William Fairchild International Airport, in addition to managing much of the shoreline
properties west of downtown Port Angeles.
The first Coast Guard air station on the Pacific Coast was established at Ediz Hook on June 1,
1935. It is the oldest United States Coast Guard Station in the country. The piece of land
currently occupied by the Coast Guard Station is the one remaining part of the military reservation
that once included all of what is now Port Angeles. The station officially became Coast Guard
Group Port Angeles in September of 1944 and received its first helicopter in 1946.
By far, the largest civic project was the regrading of the downtown streets, which occurred in
1914. That project created the current street elevation in the downtown which resulted in
basement levels for the existing businesses (now the Port Angeles Underground). The Olympic
Power Company was formed in 1911 to construct the Lower Elwha Dam. The county Courthouse
was built on Lincoln St. in 1915. A new fire station was built in 1931. A new Police station and
jail was built in 1954 and a new city hall in 1987. In 1953 Port Angeles received the All American
City Award.
Over the past forty years, except for a few periods of more rapid growth in the 1920's and 30's, the
City has grown at a fairly stable rate of approximately 1 per cent per year, to its present population
of 19,090.
The City has used zoning to coordinate development and growth since the 1930's, and in the early
1960's made a determined effort to improve planning efforts through development of a "701"
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Community Profile
Page 24
master plan along with a new zoning ordinance and subdivision ordinance. In 1976 the City again
reviewed its planning goals and process and adopted the 1976 Comprehensive Plan, which is the
immediate predecessor of this Comprehensive Plan.
Even before the State passed the Growth Management Act of 1990 requiring cities and counties to
revise or adopt comprehensive plans, the City of Port Angeles had decided it was time to revise the
existing Comprehensive Plan and had already begun that process when the Act established new
requirements for comprehensive plans. In response, the City has continued to move forward
consistent with the Growth Management Act meeting all of its requirements, including the
mandated completion dates.
Current Characteristics of the City
An essential part of developing goals and setting directions for the future lies in reviewing the past
and evaluating the present. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), prepared by the consulting
firm of Nancy A. Ryan and Company for the 1994 Comprehensive Plan, takes an in-depth look at
the physical, social, and economic aspects of Port Angeles. A second addendum to the original
EIS was prepared and adopted for the updates that have occurred over a three-year period ending
in 2004. The following descriptions are intended to provide the users of this document a general
view of the community. For a more detailed analysis, one should refer to the EIS and the 2004
update addendum.
Location
The City of Port Angeles is located in Clallam County on the northern coast of Washington's
Olympic Peninsula (See Figure 2). It is less than three hours driving time (including the ferry ride)
from Seattle or Olympia and is located at the base of the Olympic Mountains north slope.
Immediately to the north is the coastal marine environment of the Port Angeles Harbor, one of the
deepest naturally protected harbors on the West Coast, and Strait of Juan de Fuca. To the south are
the pristine alpine wilderness areas of the Olympic National Park, to the east is the semi-arid
climate of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley, and within two hours time to the west is the Hoh Rain
Forest and the beaches and rugged beauty of the Pacific Coast. See Figure 1, Vicinity Map, page
26.
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Community Profile
Page 25
Figure 1. Vicinity Map
Air
The circulation of air around the Olympic Mountains and through the Strait of Juan de Fuca results
in mostly easterly or westerly winds in the vicinity of Port Angeles. Highest winds are generally
associated with intense winter storms and may be from either an easterly or westerly direction. On
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Community Profile
Page 26
most summer afternoons, a moderate to fresh westerly breeze can be expected. Wind velocity and
direction vary with the season. Winds from the west predominate and are strongest during the
summer, averaging about 14 miles per hour. Winds from the south and east occur more frequently
during the winter with an average velocity of about 9 miles per hour.
Water
Port Angeles is located in the Port Angeles watershed, which drains 65,000 acres (101.5 square
miles). A gradually descending slope from the Olympic Mountains north to the Strait of Juan de
Fuca characterizes the topography of the immediate Port Angeles area. Steep hillsides and bluffs
of 50 to 150 feet in elevation mark the northern edge of the slope. This region is segmented by
streams, which flow from the mountains toward the strait and have formed V-shaped ravines that
are much lower in elevation than the surrounding areas. The ravines contain the following major
creeks passing through the community to Port Angeles Harbor and the Strait of Juan de Fuca; Dry
Creek, Tumwater Creek, Valley Creek, Peabody Creek, Ennis/White's Creek, with Lee's Creek,
and Morse Creek being located east of the City limits in the Urban Growth Area. The Elwha River
is located approximately 1.25 miles west of the City, and is the primary water source for the city.
Very few sites in the City obtain potable water from wells.
Wildlife
Port Angeles is located in an area replete with wildlife. The City is located adjacent to Olympic
National Park and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The drainages that pass through Port Angeles
provide wooded corridors and habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. Various freshwater wetlands
are scattered throughout the city. Port Angeles Harbor is approximately 2,435 acres in size and is
one of the deepest natural harbors on the west coast. It provides habitat for many aquatic species.
Identification and classification of all fish and wildlife habitats within the City has not been
developed. A Shoreline Habitat Assessment authored by Pentec Environmental was completed in
2001 and provides a basis for understanding the Port Angeles Harbor nearshore environment. In
addition, several studies have evaluated eelgrass beds and kelp forests, habitat conditions, water
quality, and substrate contamination in the harbor. (Eelgrass Mapping Along the Elwha Nearshore
June and September 2006, Norris & Frasier)
A Wetlands Inventory developed in 1995 by Sheldon and Associates of Seattle, Washington,
provides a foundation for protection of local surface and ground waters from degradation,
identifies habitat areas to protect and restore, and for developing a City wide stormwater
management plan. Additional wetland delineations have been completed and added to the
inventory since the original inventory.
The wooded riparian areas provide food, cover, spawning, breeding, and rearing areas for a wide
variety of wildlife species. Trees and other plants shade streams and help keep water cool while
stabilizing banks and providing food and habitat for insects, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds
and fish. Trees also provide cover for wildlife. When trees die and fall into the streams, the logs
create small dams and pools that offer fish rearing habitat and cover from predators. Logs that
remain on land provide cover for wildlife. Wildlife from the ravines also make use of surrounding
developed properties and undeveloped lands for foraging.
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Community Profile
Page 27
Within Clallam County, the Washington State Department of Wildlife (Priority Habitats and
Species program) has indicated that there are 15 priority habitats and 104 priority species listed in
Clallam County, (State of Washington Priority Habitats and Species List August 2008). Due to an
agreement with the Department of Wildlife, the location of these habitats is not made available.
The locations have been reviewed and considered as part of this analysis.
The location of other less sensitive species has been identified in the DEIS. In particular, there are
three areas that harbor seals use for haul out. Those sites are the beach at the former Rayonier Mill
site, Hollywood Beach near downtown and the south shore of Ediz Hook in Port Angeles Harbor.
Department of Wildlife maps identify an area along the Harbor side of Ediz Hook that has "regular
large concentrations" of shorebirds. The bluff along the shoreline also provides a special and
valuable habitat for shorebirds and other wildlife.
Within the Olympic National Park, Roosevelt Elk roam the slopes of the mountains. Other
wildlife include black bears, cougars, coyotes, beavers, minks, raccoons, otters, wolves, eagles,
hawks, ravens, and grouse. Fisher have recently been reintroduced into the Olympic National Park
as well. Mountain goats were introduced to the Olympic National Park during the last century and
have become well established.
All of the creeks that make up the Port Angeles watershed are used for fish habitat, but most have
barriers to fish migration. Coho, Cutthroat and possibly Steelhead use Dry Creek. Tumwater
Creek provides anadromous use by Coho, Cutthroat, and Steelhead well upstream of the City
limits. Valley Creek and Peabody Creek may be used by sea run Cutthroat, however, these runs
are not felt to be self-sustaining. The stream ravines provide sections of relatively high quality
habitat and are recognized by the State as sustaining significant populations of resident fish and
potentially having salmon runs restored, once downstream impediments are removed. The resident
fish currently present in Ennis Creek are Coho, sea run Cutthroat, and Steelhead. The fish migrate
up to 4.9 miles from the Port Angeles Harbor. White's Creek, which joins Ennis Creek, contains
Coho, Steelhead, and sea run Cutthroat only up to Front Street. The estuary at Valley Creek was
restored to its original condition as a mitigation action in 1996. Extensive restoration of Valley
Creek has been accomplished upstream from the southern end of Valley Street to the Hwy 101
crossing. Restoration efforts have been supported by City land acquisitions along the lower
portions of Valley Creek with the intent of future restoration projects.
Natural Resources
There are very limited forest areas, and no mineral lands located within the City. Much of the
forested areas are located within stream ravines or along the marine bluffs. Approximately 35
acres of developable lands remain forested. Lincoln Park and Shane park also contain forested
areas that are protected from development, however the trees in Lincoln Park are beginning to
penetrate the air space needed for approach to Fairchild Airport and will likely be removed in the
future. The City of Port Angeles contains 26 miles of marine shoreline including Ediz Hook, a 4-
mile-long sand spit, and 17 miles of streams.
Diverse scenic resources are abundant in Port Angeles. Notable visual elements include the Strait
of Juan de Fuca, Ediz Hook, Vancouver Island, San Juan Islands, Mt. Baker, Hurricane Ridge, and
the Olympic National Park. Of special note are the views along the bluffs above Port Angeles
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Community Profile
Page 28
Harbor. The Ocean View Cemetery at the west edge of town provides views northward and along
the coastline. The beaches and beachfront trail along the shoreline also offer views of Ediz Hook,
the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Vancouver Island. Ediz Hook has superlative views of the Strait,
mountains, waterfront, and the City.
The vegetated creek ravines offer wooded open space providing wildlife habitat and corridors
connecting the waterfront with the foothills. Other open space amenities include wetlands, steep
slopes, marshes, hilltops, and even open fields.
Figure 2 Natural Features
Noise
The primary sources of noise in Port Angeles is air traffic from the airport and the Coast Guard
base, industrial activities along the Port Angeles Harbor shoreline, vehicular traffic, and
construction activities. The ambient noise levels within the City of Port Angeles would be
expected to vary depending on location within the City.
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Community Profile
Page 29
In 1986, a Noise Compatibility Planning Study was conducted for the Fairchild International
Airport under the guidelines of the Federal Aviation Regulations. The Planning Study included
analyses of both existing and projected noise levels associated with the aviation traffic.
The one remaining mill along the waterfront is a source of noise and is in a difficult place to
provide noise attenuation. Since the mill is visible from many residential areas on the bluff top to
the south, these residences can be expected to receive the greatest noise impacts.
The Rayonier Mill closed in late 1990s leaving no noise producing industries east of the downtown
area. The K-Ply mill near downtown closed in 2011 with site remediation completed in 2016. The
Port of Port Angeles intends redevelopment of the site for marine trades industries.
Higher noise levels are allowed for motor vehicles operations on public roads. Warning sirens and
temporary construction equipment are generally exempt from the noise regulations. Traffic levels
would be expected to be highest along major transportation routes of US 101, First Street, Front
Street, Lincoln, Lauridsen Boulevard, Race Street, Tumwater Truck Route, and Marine Drive.
Population
The population for the City of Port Angeles in 1993 was 18,270; this is an increase of 3 per cent
over the 1990 population of 17,710. The population for Clallam County in 1993 was 61,400. The
percentage of the County population residing in the City dropped to 28.5% in 2004. The 2000
population of 18,397 is a 3.7% increase over the 1990 population. The population had risen to
18,740 by 2007 and is 19,090 in 2015.
The State Office of Financial Management has projected a 5 per cent growth rate over the next 20
years for Clallam County, this along with a linear projection for Port Angeles is illustrated in Table
7. The city population has not grown at the projected rate.
Table 7 Population Projections based on Office of Financial Management
Population 2010 2015 2025 2035 2045
Port Angeles 19,038 20,509 23,802 27,623 32,058
Clallam County 71,404 75,717 85,142 95,739 107,655
The population figures in table 7 are projections based on an estimated 1.5% growth rate. These
numbers are considered high due to the historic growth rate for the City of 0.36% per year.
Using information from the 2010 census, the percentage of Clallam County population attributed
to the City of Port Angeles was 28.5%. The portion of the County population occurring in the City
has been declining in recent years from a high of 47% in 1970 to a 2014 low of 26.3%. City
population has grown by 52 people since the 2010 census data was collected, while the population
of Clallam County increased by 1,096 people.
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Community Profile
Page 30
Land Use
The City of Port Angeles contains 10.7 square miles or 6,856 acres of land area. There are
residential areas, industrial areas and commercial areas with a fairly well defined Central Business
District (CBD). The following chart shows the number of parcels within each zone.
Figure 3. Zoning by acres
Port Angeles currently has land available in each zone designation to meet the anticipated future
needs for developable lands. The following charts indicate the amount of available land for each
zone.
Figure 4. Industrial zones area available for development
1331
897 834
457 445
197 171 161 140 117 117 115 109 61 24
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
RS-9 PBP RS-7 RHD CA CO CSD CN IL RMD PRD IH CBD RS-11 RTP
NUMBER OF PARCELS
by ZONE
1358.27
322.97
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
Industrial Developed Industrial Undeveloped
Industrial Zone
Land Use
City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Community Profile
Page 31
Figure 5. Residential zones
Currently, there are 567 parcels developed with infrastructure available for residentail
development.
Community Facilities
Community facilities include a 126-bed hospital, 1 public library, 1 fire station, 1 police station, 22
developed parks, a Senior Services Community Center, a public swimming pool, the Vern Burton
Community Center, a publicly owned cemetery, 1 private golf course, 4 cultural centers (Port
Angeles Fine Arts Center, Arthur D. Fierro Marine Lab, The Lower Elwha Klallam Cultural
Center, and the Clallam County Historical Society Museum).
The Port Angeles School District Number 121 serves the City of Port Angeles and its surrounding
community. The District operates four elementary schools, one middle school (grades 6-8), one
comprehensive high school, one alternative high school, and is host to the North Olympic
Peninsula Skills Center. Within the City of Port Angeles there are three elementary schools; these
are Franklin Elementary, Hamilton Elementary, and Jefferson Elementary. Stevens Middle
School, Port Angeles High School and Choice Alternative School provide for secondary education.
The Skills Center, working closely with Peninsula College, provides the latest vocational/technical
education in a competency based learning environment. The Port Angeles School District has
closed one middle school and two elementary schools located outside of the city limits in recent
years. These closures result in a concentration of students in the schools remaining open within
the city limits. The closures reflect an aging demographic in Port Angeles and Clallam County in
general.
Peninsula College is a comprehensive community college located in Port Angeles. The campus is
located at the east edge of the city.
4%
14%11%
23%
46%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
RS-7 RS-9 RHD RMD RS-11
% of Residentially Zoned Parcels Remaining
Undeveloped
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By partnering with community organizations and other institutions of higher education, Peninsula
College is helping to enhance and strengthen educational and training opportunities for everyone
on the peninsula. Recent initiatives include developing the Applied Environmental Technologies
Center of Excellence by working in collaboration with several local entities, including the Clallam
County Economic Development Council and private businesses, collaborating with the North
Olympic Peninsula Skills Center and Business Incubator Network to provide training programs for
young people, the work force, and growing local businesses, and partnering with the Workforce
Development Council to provide services to expand the use of technology in the Medical Assistant
Program and to provide training as part of the Work Source Affiliate Site.
Peninsula College also collaborates with several-four-year colleges and universities to provide
opportunities for local residents to earn bachelor degrees on the peninsula. These collaborations
include a new partnership with Western Washington University’s award-winning Huxley College
of the Environment that allows peninsula residents to earn their B.A. and B.S. degrees on the
Peninsula College campus without having to leave the area or face long commutes to Bellingham.
It is also possible to earn a bachelor’s degree in education. Collaboration with City University
allows Olympic Peninsula residents to earn a bachelor’s degree in education, University of
Washington—Bothell allows individuals to earn a bachelor’s degree in Nursing, Washington State
University allows residents to earn eleven different degrees via distance learning, and the East
Jefferson Education Consortium allows individuals to pursue a variety of degree opportunities
through the 12 universities and educational organizations that have partnered with Peninsula
College in this consortium. The partnering entities, in addition to Peninsula College, include
Centrum Center for the Arts, Chapman University Bangor Campus, City University, Port
Townsend Marine Science Center, Southern Illinois University Program in Workforce Education
and Development offered at Bangor, University of Washington, Washington State University, and
Western Washington University.
The college currently employs 66 full-time faculty, 146 part-time faculty and 96 persons as staff
and administration on the Port Angeles campus.
The Port of Port Angeles operates a 16.1 acre marina, with approximately 375 boat slips and 3,000
feet of dock for tie-ups, and a public boat yard for repair and maintenance. The Boat Haven
Marina was upgraded during 2007 – 2008. The port also operates the William R. Fairchild
International Airport and the downtown ferry terminal serving the privately owned Coho ferry.
Planning Areas
The Comprehensive Plan divides the City into 8 planning areas. For the purpose of description,
the individual planning areas are identified as the Harbor, Northwest, Southwest, North Central,
South Central, East, Eastern Urban Growth Area and Southwestern Urban Growth Area planning
areas. These areas are located on Figure 3 and are described as follows.
The Harbor planning area includes all shoreline areas adjacent to Port Angeles Harbor and
contains the Coast Guard Station, the City operated boat ramps, Harborview Park, and the Nippon
Industries paper Mill, all on Ediz Hook. The historic downtown and waterfront are also essential
parts of this sub area. The boat haven marina, log export terminal, the Coho Ferry terminal, and
City Pier Park line the waterfront. Entertainment activities (movie theater, bookstores, antique
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shops, galleries, historic underground tour and restaurants) abound within the pedestrian oriented
central business district.
Also in the Harbor Planning Area is the former Rayonier Mill site. The mill has been closed since
1997 and has been demolished. The site is undergoing remediation for clean-up of materials left
from the previous mill operation. The site is intended to become available for redevelopment in
the future. In 2013, the City purchased a 5 million gallon storage tank that remained on the site and
has incorporated the tank into its stormwater management facilities for the remediation of
combined sewer overflows into Port Angeles Harbor.
The Northwest planning area covers the western edge of town lying west Tumwater Creek and
north of Fairchild International Airport. This area is comprised largely of older homes, however,
recent growth pressure has led to new subdivisions and home construction in the area. There is a
commercial area located at 8th and "C" Street, serving the residents of the west end of the city. A
pocket of industrial/commercial activities is located along the Tumwater Truck Route near the US
101 junction. This area of town has limited access because of the Tumwater Creek ravine and the
bluffs. The Northwest Planning Area has the largest segment of undeveloped residential land
within the current City limits.
The Southwest planning area includes Fairchild International Airport, the Clallam County
Fairgrounds, Ocean View Cemetery, the Port Angeles Regional Transfer Station, The Extreme
Sports Park, Fairchild International Airport and Lincoln Park. In 2005 the city annexed 358 acres
of land into the southwest planning area. Much of the area is included in the Eclipse Industrial
park. Industrial development is located at the airport industrial park and the area annexed in 2005.
A few homes lie within the City limits along Lower Elwha Road, but otherwise this planning area
contains predominantly industrial and Public land uses.
The North Central planning area is an older, denser portion of town. It is an area bounded on the
west by the Tumwater Creek ravine and divided by Valley Creek and Peabody Creek ravines. It
contains City Hall, Clallam County courthouse, the William Shore pool and the Carnegie Library
museum. The commercial uses along Lincoln Street provide community shopping opportunities.
Recreation is provided by a number of neighborhood parks. Much of the city's multifamily
housing is within this planning area.
The South Central planning area is the area of town with newer homes, on larger lots. This
planning area was annexed into the city after much development had occurred. The street pattern
changes from traditional townsite blocks to smaller lots in older areas and large blocks and cul-de-
sacs in newer areas. The Port Angeles High School lies within this planning area. The Olympic
National Park Headquarters and Visitors Center is along the Heart of the Hills Road.
The East planning area is the area east of Race Street to the eastern city limits. This area has a
mix of older homes and newer residential subdivisions and development, as well as a portion of
the First and Front Street commercial corridor. This planning area includes Peninsula College
facilities and Peninsula Golf Club.
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Figure 6 Planning Area Map
Urban Growth Areas
The Eastern Urban Growth Area is generally the area east of the city limits. Remnant properties
in the UGA that are located south of the city limits and east of Valley Creek are considered to be in
this urban growth area until annexation occurs whereby they will be considered to be part of the
adjacent planning area. Policies for this planning area are adopted by Clallam County as a part of
the Port Angeles Regional Comprehensive Plan.
The Western Urban Growth Area is generally the area west and south of the city limits.
Remnant properties in the UGA that are located south of the pre 2005 city limits, north of
Highway 101 and west of Tumwater Creek as far as Reddick Road are considered to be in this
urban growth area until annexation occurs whereby they will be considered to be part of the
adjacent planning area. Policies for this planning area are adopted by Clallam County as a part of
the Port Angeles Regional Comprehensive Plan.
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Figure 7 Urban Growth Areas
NEIGHBORHOODS
The City's planning areas are made up of 18 separate neighborhoods. The distinct neighborhoods
are described in the following sections.
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Figure 8 Neighborhoods
Downtown
The downtown neighborhood is the smallest neighborhood, extending north from the marine bluff
to the waterfront and east from Valley Street to Chase Street on the east, and extending east along
the Waterfront trail to Vine Street (extended). The Downtown neighborhood is the traditional
community center of the City. Many of the structures are two stories tall, with a few having
residential uses on the second floor, but many others remain in disrepair, are vacant or are used for
office use. Buildings in the downtown area span several decades and architectural styles, some
dating to the early 20th century. Few structures are more than 2 stories tall. The Lee Plaza is the
major residential structure in the downtown area, however it is managed by the Clallam County
Housing Authority for low income individuals. The City's Comprehensive Plan and zoning
ordinance support increased residential uses in the downtown.
The downtown is a walkable neighborhood with ample sidewalk areas, midblock crosswalks and a
large variety of eateries and gathering places. A locally owned natural foods market, specializing
in organic product and locally grown produce anchors the west end of the downtown area.
Washington State Department of Health and Human Services operates out of a downtown location.
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Ample parking is scattered throughout the downtown area. There are no longer any large anchor
chain stores in the Downtown, however there are many individual shops providing unique items,
such as beads, books, candy, brewing supplies, boutique clothing, athletic goods, auto parts,
novelties, gifts, art and furniture.
Several City projects have been undertaken in the downtown in recent years. Water mains, sewer
lines, sidewalks and street trees have been replaced. The sidewalks are constructed of pavers to
enhance the aesthetics of the area.
A second project has replaced shoreline armoring along a portion of Railroad Avenue, west of the
ferry landing, with an improved waterfront treatment and hard armoring has been replaced with
two pocket beach areas, returning the area to a much more natural appearance. This project has
resulted in a formal extension of the Olympic Discovery/Waterfront Trail through the downtown
area and created a block long park on the west end of the Downtown, which complements City
Pier Park located at the east end of the Downtown.
The Downtown is an international port, hosting the Coho Ferry, which provides direct access to
Victoria Canada.
Pine Hill
The Pine hill neighborhood extends from the center of Valley Creek ravine on the east to the
center of Tumwater Creek ravine on the west. The northern boundary of the neighborhood is the
marine bluff and the southern boundary is Highway 101.
Pine Hill neighborhood is one of the older central city neighborhoods. The urban character of this
neighborhood is similar to several other older neighborhoods typically 7,000 square foot lots and a
standard grid pattern streets. The homes in this area typically are older structures built in the early
20th century, with a variety of more recent infill homes scattered throughout the area. The
predominant style of house is typically American craftsmen.
The area is generally level with a slight rise from north to south. This aspect limits views towards
the water (north) but many homes have views of the Olympic Mountains to the south.
Very few commercial uses exist in this neighborhood. Those commercial uses that do exist are
located along the 8th Street corridor. The Pine Hill neighborhood is only served by transit along 8th
Street. Sidewalks do exist throughout the neighborhood.
West End
The West End neighborhood extends west from 'M' Street to the marine bluff, and south from 10th
Street to 18th Street, and is one of the least developed areas of the city. Larger lot zoning (up to
11,000 square foot lots) and the allowance for curvilinear streets and cul-de-sacs result in a more
suburban character in this neighborhood. The neighborhood contains 5 different zone
designations, allowing a range of densities from less than 4 dwelling units per acre to 12.44
dwelling units per acre. Two residential manufactured home parks exist in the neighborhood.
Serenity House of Clallam County, Clallam County Housing Authority, and Habitat for Humanity
all have developed housing for low-income families in the area.
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Much of this area remains undeveloped with large tracts of forested land. Two areas in the
neighborhood have been set aside and used by industrial interests to store low hazardous waste
materials, making those sites unusable for the near future.
Several newer (1970's to current) subdivisions have been developed in this neighborhood, however
not all of the developed lots are occupied yet. Many excellent building sites are developed with
urban services but remain vacant. Homes in the area are newer, many of them single story, ranch
style structures.
Although the development in this area is newer than other neighborhoods, the streets are
developed with few sidewalks for pedestrian use. No commercial services are available in the
area. Due to this limitation, the neighborhood is not considered highly walkable. The Olympic
Discovery Trail spans the neighborhood following Milwaukee Drive from 10th Street to 18th Street.
The City owned Ocean View Cemetery is located at the northwest limit of the neighborhood.
Views from this neighborhood are primarily to the Olympic Mountains, however, the few
developments west of Milwaukee Drive have outstanding views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Airport
The airport neighborhood extends west from 'M' Street to the western City limit and south from
18th Street to the City's southern limits, and is the City's largest neighborhood with 1,217 acres.
The primary land use is the William Fairchild Airport. The airport also contains an industrial park
situated on the north side of the runways, south of 18th Street. The neighborhood also contains the
City's refuse transfer station, recycling center, and compost facility. The Extreme Sports Park is
located in the neighborhood's southwest corner. Several large tracts of forested land and farm sites
exist in this neighborhood. This is the least populated neighborhood in the City.
Cherry Hill
The Cherry Hill neighborhood extends from Lincoln Street on the east to Valley Creek on the
west, and from Lauridsen Boulevard on the south to marine bluff on the north. This is an older
neighborhood, and contains a large portion of the City's High Density residential zoning located at
the north end of the neighborhood. The southern portion of the neighborhood is primarily single
family residential zoning. The 8th Street commercial corridor separates the two zoning districts,
and a second commercial corridor extends north and south along the west side of Lincoln Street.
The neighborhood contains 3 small parks and the east slope of the Valley Creel ravine. The homes
in the area are mostly older structures.
Peabody Creek
The Peabody neighborhood extends east of Lincoln Street to Race Street and from 8th Street on the
south to the Georgiana/Front alley on the north. The boundaries of the Peabody neighborhood are
all comprised of commercial corridors, with high density residential uses west of Peabody Creek
and single family residential uses east of Peabody Creek. Peabody Creek Ravine divides the
neighborhood diagonally from the southeast to the northwest. The neighborhood contains Jesse
Webster Park, Erikson Park, and the Dream Playground and also contains City Hall, Clallam
County Courthouse, and the Senior Center.
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Crown
The Crown neighborhood extends from 'I' Street on the east to the marine bluff on the west and
from 10th Street on the south to the top of the marine bluff on the north. The Crown neighborhood
contains Crown Park which provides panoramic views from the bluff top. Hamilton Elementary
School is located within this neighborhood. The neighborhood is primarily a single family
residential neighborhood and contains no commercial zones. Much of the housing in the area is
newer and there are still areas that are undeveloped.
Ediz Hook
The Ediz Hook neighborhood is made up of Ediz Hook itself along with the waterfront area
extending west of Valley Street. The neighborhood is unique in that there are no residential uses
in the neighborhood, with the exception of full time residential use of boats in the marina. The
primary uses are industrial with a few commercial activities that support the industries. Several
large industries make up the major uses, including the Nippon USA paper mill, Westport Marine
and Platypus Marine. Tesoro Petroleum provides fueling operations for large ocean going vessels.
Icicle Seafoods and the Puget Sound Pilots office and facility are located at the east end of Ediz
Hook. The Port of Port Angeles owns and operates several industrial/commercial operations along
the waterfront, including log storage and bark removal, topside repair of large ocean going vessels
and berthing of navy support boats. They also own and operate the Boat Haven Marina. The
Native American village Tse-wit-wen is also located within the Ediz Hook neighborhood. Ediz
Hook itself provides outdoor recreation opportunities through the Sail and Paddle Park at the west
end of the spit and Harbor View Park at the east end. The parks are connected by an extension of
the Olympic Discovery Trail. A boat launch is provided at the east end of the spit and at the Boat
Haven Marina. Ediz Hook has recently undergone extensive habitat restoration efforts led by the
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
Georgiana
The Georgiana neighborhood extends north from the Georgiana/Front Street alley to the
waterfront, and extends from Vine Street on the west to the Whites Creek Ravine on the west.
Although this is primarily a single family residential neighborhood, the Olympic Medical Center's
hospital and associated medical support offices make up the bulk of uses in the central portion of
the neighborhood. Two parks are located in the neighborhood, Georgiana Park and Francis Street
Park, which provides access to the Waterfront Trail. The abandoned Rayonier Mill site is located
on the waterfront at the east end of the neighborhood.
Harbor View
The Harbor View neighborhood extends from the Tumwater Creek Ravine west to 'I' Street and
north from 8th Street to the marine bluff. This is also primarily a single family residential zone
with commercial uses located only at the intersection of 8th and 'C' Street. Shane Park is the only
park in the neighborhood.
Jefferson
The Jefferson neighborhood is located between Lincoln Street on the west and Race Street on the
east. It is bounded on the south by Lauridsen Boulevard and on the north be the 8th Street corridor.
This neighborhood is also primarily a single family residential neighborhood, with the exception of
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the south side of the 8th Street corridor. Jefferson Elementary School is located in the southwest
corner of the neighborhood.
Civic
The Civic neighborhood extends east from Race Street to the Whites Creek ravine, and north from
Lauridsen Boulevard to the Georgiana/Front Street Ally. The neighborhood contains the major
commercial strip of First and Front Streets, but is otherwise a single family neighborhood. Low
intensity commercial uses are also located alone Race Street. This neighborhood contains Civic
Field, the City's major sports facility and the Fine Art Center and Webster Woods, a premier art
venue providing unique outdoor art.
Lauridsen
The Lauridsen neighborhood extends south of Lauridsen Boulevard to Park Avenue and from the
Valley Creek ravine on the west to Race Street on the east. Commercial uses in this neighborhood
are confined to the western portion of Lauridsen Boulevard. The Housing Authority of Clallam
County manages Mount Angeles View, a housing project of affordable housing. Lyons Park is the
only formal City park in the neighborhood.
Lincoln Park
The Lincoln Park neighborhood extends south from 8th Street to Highway 101 and west from
Tumwater Truck Route west to 'M' Street (with some variation). Commercial areas are located
along the 'C' Street corridor and at the west end of the neighborhood along Highway 101. An
industrially zoned area exists at the south end of the Tumwater Truck Route where several small
manufacturing and construction related industry occur. Park View Lane, a senior/retirement center
is located in the neighborhood as well as a cluster of high density apartments located in the vicinity
of the 'C' Street and Lauridsen Boulevard intersection. The remainder of the neighborhood is
single family residential.
Schools in the area include Stevens Middle School, the only middle school in the City and the
North Olympic Skill Center and Choice Alternative school. The one-time Lincoln School has
become the Clallam County Historical Society headquarters and is planned to become the Clallam
County museum.
Lincoln Park is the City's largest park and contains the Clallam County Fair Grounds, baseball
fields, two ponds, and a large wooded area. Big Boy Pond, one of the City's largest wetland areas
is located west of Stevens Middle School.
Mill Creek
The Mill Creek neighborhood extends south from Park Street to the southern City Boundary and
from the western City boundary to Race Street and Hurricane Ridge Road on the east. This
neighborhood contains the northern most portion of the Olympic National Park and the Park
headquarters building and maintenance areas. Also located in this neighborhood is Port Angeles
High School.
The area directly around the High School is primarily single family residential uses situated on
standard size lots. The southern portion of the neighborhood is also single family residential,
however the lots are larger, less developed and with newer homes for the most part. No
commercial uses are located within the neighborhood.
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Mt. Angeles
The Mt. Angeles neighborhood extends south from Lauridsen Boulevard to the southern City
limits and from Hurricane Ridge Road on the west to the Whites Creek ravine and the eastern City
limits. A large portion of this neighborhood is occupied by Peninsula College, the only institute of
higher education in the City. The neighborhood also contains Franklin Elementary School.
Land use is primarily single family residential on larger suburban size lots, however, some
medium and high density residential uses are located near the college campus.
Southwest
The southwest neighborhood is located south of Highway 101 and includes the entire area annexed
into the City in 2005.
Whites Creek
The Whites Creek neighborhood extends east from the whites Creek ravine east to the City limits
on the north, south and east. This neighborhood contains a large private golf course, the only golf
course in the City. Also contained within this neighborhood is the City's wastewater treatment
plant, which now includes a 5 million gallon storage tank recently acquired from Rayonier
corporation. The area includes the eastern portion of the Rayonier mill site, which is currently
unused and awaiting further clean-up efforts. Recently, the City constructed a new bridge
spanning Ennis Creek to provide an appropriate crossing for sewer and stormwater pipes and
capable of carrying the Olympic Discovery/Waterfront Trail as well as vehicle traffic.
Housing
In 1990, 7,553 dwelling units were located in Port Angeles. By 1992 the dwelling units had
increased by 422 units (or 5.6%) to a total of 7,975 dwelling units. By 2004 the dwelling units
have increased by another 797 units (or 10%) to a total of 9,479.
In the decade of the 1990s, the City of Port Angeles grew at a slow rate of 3.9%. The growth in
the UGA during the same time was 6.3%. During the period of 1996 to 2003, building permit
activity shows that only 10.7% of the county-wide residential building units were constructed in
the City of Port Angeles, while 14.2% of the county’s residential construction was in rural areas of
the Port Angeles planning region. Recent amendments to the Comprehensive Plan are intended to
reverse the City’s no growth trend.
Currently the City has 6,845 parcels that are zoned for residential use. Of those residentially zoned
parcels, 567 are developed with complete infrastructure but remain available for building. The
City currently has a number of large undeveloped areas and based on the anticipated density, the
currently undeveloped parcels would provide area for 2,280 additional dwelling units.
Transportation
The Regional Transportation Planning Organization has designated Port Angeles as a primary
center of mixed use development and the Urban Growth Areas as a secondary center of mixed use
development in the Regional Transportation Plan. Goals and Policies in the Growth Management
Element of this Comprehensive Plan support focusing new growth and mixed use opportunities in
the City and UGA
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The road network in the City of Port Angeles is characterized by a grid street pattern that is
oriented east to west (parallel to the waterfront) and north to south. This pattern shifts slightly
south of Lauridsen Blvd. where the street orientation shifts to match the platting pattern
established by the County before the City boundaries were expanded. The regular geometry of this
pattern is generally retained, except where the topography of the foot hills, the deep ravines or the
bluffs along the Strait of Juan de Fuca cause the road realignment. Some areas located in the
western portion of the City diverge from the grid pattern forming more curvilinear suburban
pattern
The street grades are moderate in most areas, as they adapt to the topography, which rises from the
waterfront and gently undulates as the foothills flatten to meet the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The
most unique characteristic of the street network is the way it is interrupted by several deep ravines,
which bisect the east-west street connectivity, resulting in a limited number of streets that run
continuously from one end of the City to the other.
The Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO) identifies US 101 as the only
Highway of Statewide Significance in Port Angeles. The level of service for Highways of
Statewide Significance is established by Washington State Department of Transportation. There
are five Highways of Regional Significance through the City (US 101, State Route 117 Tumwater
Truck Route, Race Street leading to the Olympic Park Visitor Center and Hurricane Ridge, the
First/Front couplet/Marine Drive from US 101 to SR 117, and Lincoln/Laurel/Oak Streets
connecting US 101 with the Coho Ferry landing on Railroad Avenue).
There is one designated truck route in the City that runs from east to west along the Front/First
Street couplet to Tumwater Truck Route (State Route 117) and along Tumwater Truck Route south
to US 101. All roads in Port Angeles including highways of statewide and regional significance
operate and level of service D or better.
The City of Port Angeles is served by Clallam Transit, the Public Transit Benefit Area (PTBA)
Agency that serves the Clallam County with a combination of scheduled and para-transit services.
Clallam Transit currently identifies four routes that circulate within the City limits. These routes
all originate from the downtown area. The four routes provide service to east City limits at the
Plaza shopping center, the west side to the Elwha Tribal Center and Fairchild International Airport,
the near west side to the fairgrounds, and south through the central portion of the City to Ahlvers
Road. In addition to local in-city transit Clallam Transit provides commuter service between Port
Angeles and Sequim and Forks.
Clallam Transit System ridership has shown an overall increase in numbers on all routes in the past
decade. This may in part be contributed to the status of the economy during that period.
A private carrier, Dungeness Lines, provides daily service between Port Angeles and the Seattle
area, including regular stops at the major hospitals, the Seattle Greyhound Bus Station, and SeaTac
International Airport.
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Figure 9 City Street Map
The Port of Port Angeles is responsible for most operations along the waterfront, including
ownership of the Black Ball Ferry Terminal, the Boat Haven Marina, and other waterfront
properties supporting water related industry. The Port is also responsible for operations at
Fairchild International Airport and the Airport Industrial Park.
The William R. Fairchild International Airport is located approximately three miles southwest of
the central city and serves a combination of commercial and private aviation demands in the
region. The airport is owned and operated by the Port of Port Angeles and is classified as a
commercial service airport by both Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Washington
State Department of Transportation, Aviation Division (WSDOT Aviation). The airport serves the
commercial service needs of the entire Peninsula including Clallam, Jefferson and portions of
Mason Counties and the general aviation needs of Clallam and portions of Jefferson Counties. The
airport has more than 800 acres of property, with 690 in aeronautical use, and 110 in industrial
park use.
Two runways are available at the Airport for the needs of larger and smaller aircraft. The Primary
runway is 6,350-feet long by 150-feet wide with the secondary smaller runway being 3,250-feet
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long by 50-feet wide and available during daylight hours only. The primary runway has the
capacity for aircraft up to 115,000 pounds. The runway is equipped with an instrument landing
system, visual approach slope indicator, eight runway-end identifier lights, medium intensity
approach lighting system with runway alignment indicator, runway and taxiway lighting, and
signage.
The 2011 Airport Master Plan describes the short, intermediate and long-term plans for facility
development and maintenance. A copy of this plan is available on the Port of Port Angeles
website at http://www.portofpa.com/index.aspx?NID=276
Land uses surrounding the William R. Fairchild International Airport include residential, industrial
and park/open space. The main landing approach area for the airport is over the most densely
populated portion of the City, with the final approach over Lincoln Park located immediately east
of the airport. Due to the height of the trees growing in Lincoln Park, debate over the future of
Lincoln Park has been an on-going discussion.
The area to the west of the airport (the primary take-off area contains the City’s solid waste
Transfer Station, recycling center and composting facility. Farther to the west, the area is located
in the County and is zoned Rural Low and Moderate density and Rural Character Conservation
(RCC3) to maintain low-density residential areas in the flight path area. The lands adjacent to the
airport on both the north and south are designated and zoned as industrial to buffer the impacts that
may be expected from airport use to less intense land uses adjacent to the airport.
Urban Services
Police
The Port Angeles Police Department currently provides police protection within the city limits of
Port Angeles and operates PENCOM, the 9-1-1 emergency dispatch center for almost all police
and fire agencies in Clallam County. The police headquarters are located at City Hall. The
Department has 62 personnel; 31 commissioned police officer positions (authorized 33), one (1)
half-time commissioned officer, two (2) reserve officers, 20 communications officers, seven (7)
clerical positions, and, one (1) part-time parking enforcement position. There are also 15 civilian
volunteers associated with the department.
Fire
The Port Angeles Fire Department provides fire response and advanced life support emergency
medical services within the city limits of Port Angeles. The Fire Department headquarters station
is located at 5th and Laurel Streets. The Department has 23 career personnel, including 21
firefighters who are cross-trained as emergency medical technicians, with 11 certified as
paramedics. In addition to career personnel, the Department has an active volunteer component
that is consolidated with the adjoining fire district.
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Figure 10. Fire Department 4-minute response time
City Parks and Recreation Facilities
The City Parks and Recreation Department maintains over 114 acres of developed park land,
another 81.5 acres of undeveloped land reserved for future park development, and 91.8 acres of
undeveloped lands set aside for protection as open space. The Parks Department maintains 14
playground equipment sites, 13 baseball and/or softball fields, 9 football and/or soccer fields, and
12 tennis courts. Approximately 10 acres are taken up by community facilities. The William
Shore Memorial Swimming Pool, Senior and Community Services Center and the Vern Burton
Community Center provide a wide range of year-around recreational services.
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Figure 11. City Parks
Civic Field provides a full athletic complex for soccer, football and baseball, with lighting for
nighttime activities, concessions, covered stadium seating, and locker rooms. The Carnegie
Library has been converted to a museum leased by the Clallam County Historical Society and
neighbors the City's former fire hall. The City owns and operates the 41 acre Ocean View
Cemetery.
Other city facilities include the Feiro Marine Life Center, located in City Pier Park, and a
traditional native long house, the Loomis Building and several other log structures at Lincoln Park.
The Port Angeles Fine Arts Center is located in Webster Woods Park. Two public walkways
connecting the downtown area with the residential area at the top of the bluff are owned and
maintained by the City. One of those walkways terminates at the Conard Dyar Memorial Fountain
in downtown. The City operates a boat launch ramp and floats for boat moorage on the eastern
end of Ediz Hook. The City pier also provides moorage for transient boaters.
The City maintains the Olympic Discovery/Waterfront Trail from Morse Creek to the Coast Guard
Base entry on Ediz Hook and through the city to the western city limits at Lower Elwha Road.
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Water Utility
The City of Port Angeles water service area includes the land within the city boundaries, along
with services within Clallam County P.U.D. No. 1, 52 Dry Creek customers, 5 Black Diamond
customers, and one government account outside the city limits. The City also provides wholesale
water to Clallam County P.U.D. No. 1, subject to certain conditions consistent with GMA. In the
City's 2002 Comprehensive Water Plan, the future service area limit was from Morse Creek to the
Elwha River and bordered on the south by the Olympic National Park.
The current water supply for the City is from the Elwha River. The Elwha River Ranney Well
System with a minimum yield of 11 million gallons was originally constructed in 1977 with major
renovations made during the Elwha Dam removal project started in 2010. This source provides for
domestic and commercial and some industrial needs of the City. There is also a separate industrial
water supply line serving the Nippon Mill.
Stormwater Management
The City maintains all public storm sewers, culverts, and stormwater facilities, including the
WSDOT conduits, culverts, and stormwater facilities along the US 101 corridor within the city
limits. The City is currently making a major shift in its approach to stormwater management,
moving away from the more traditional system of hard surfaces draining to catch basins and being
piped to the nearest waterbody to a more natural acting system of allowing stormwater to be
absorbed into the earth through the installation of raingardens and enhancing vegetative cover,
including vegetated roof systems.
Wastewater Utility
The City’s wastewater system includes a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) built in 1968-69 as
a primary treatment facility, and upgraded to a secondary wastewater treatment plant built in 1994.
The plant is the trickling filter/solids contact treatment system. Biosolids are hauled to the City’s
composting facility where it is composted and sold for beneficial reuse. The sewer conveyance
system includes 119 miles of sanitary and combined sewer pipe ranging from 4 to 36 inches in
diameter, 17 pump stations, and two marine outfalls. The treatment plant was modified most
recently in 2014, when the first phase of the CSO Reduction program was completed.
Modifications included a 4.9 million gallon storage tank for temporary storage of peak flows of
sewage diluted by stormwater (combined sewage) during rain events, a refurbished deep water
marine outfall providing improved dispersion of WWTP effluent, improvements to the trickling
filters and headworks, and associated elements. The wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) located
at the west end of Ennis Creek road, has a treatment capacity expected to be adequate beyond
2021. The wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is rated at 10.8 million gallons per day (MGD)
maximum month design flow, and can handle peak combined sewer flows of up to 20 MGD. The
WWTP treated an average of 2.5 MGD of domestic sewage in 2014. Peak system flow capacities
average 3.3 MGD (dry weather) with a maximum peak flow of 13.4 MGD. The peak system flow
for 2014 was 9.86 MGD.
The second and final phase of the CSO Reduction program is under construction, and scheduled
for completion in 2016. When complete, combined sewer overflows to Port Angeles harbor will
be reduced to less than once per year per outfall location. By design, overflows will occur at the
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8000 foot long refurbished marine outfall before they occur at the two nearshore outfalls. One
outfall location will be eliminated entirely. This represents a significant reduction, from an
average of over 70 overflow events per year, and is a big pollution control achievement for the
City.
The Utility serves unincorporated areas of Clallam County (the Eastern and Western Urban
Growth areas, and the Lower Elwha reservation land) and treats 2 million gallons annually of
septage generated in Clallam and Jefferson County that is trucked to the WWTP. The WWTP
treats about 0.5 million gallons of leachate generated by the COPA landfill and the Rayonier
Mount Pleasant landfill annually.
The sewer system serves approximately 3,700 acres in Port Angeles. The city has mostly 8-inch
local sanitary sewers and even some small 6-inch. However, the city's original collection system
was designed as a combined sewer system with storm water. There were no storm sewers in the
city until the 1950's. The existing storm sewer system grew in bits and pieces as individual
renovation projects and Local Improvement Districts (LID) responded to local problems. The
storm sewers are 6" and 8" diameter due to the steep terrain of the city. The existing storm sewers
run primarily in the north/south "short block" orientation picking up catch basins, which happen to
be at the east/west "long block" intersections. In summary, the old downtown has combined
sewers and the rest of the city has varying degrees of partially separated sewers.
The Wastewater Utility employs a Source Control Specialist as part of the Pretreatment program,
to better control what comes to the WWTP and to provide education and technical assistance to
business owners. Several sources of grease and oils have been identified and remedied to relieve
sewer backups.
The Wastewater Utility staff operates, inspects, maintains and repairs the sewer conveyance
system, the pump stations, and the WWTP. The Utility funds an organized program of Capital
Improvement projects that is approved by City Council each year and includes a six-year plan for
future projects.
The Solid Waste Utility
The Solid Waste Utility operated by the Port Angeles Public Works and Utilities Department
provides solid waste services. Residential customer's waste is picked up weekly or bi-weekly and
collection is mandatory. Commercial customers are picked up 6 days a week. Curbside yardwaste
and recycling is offered and provided by a private contractor. Current participation in the curbside
recycling program is 80% per cent of the residential customers. Curbside participation in the
yardwaste program is around 50% per cent of the residential customers.
The City of Port Angeles owns and operates the Port Angeles transfer station. The Port Angeles
Regional Transfer Station began operation in 2007 after conversion from a landfill. The landfill
conversion was mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration because of the potential for
scavenger birds at the landfill interfering with air traffic from the adjacent airport. This site
accepts municipal solid waste from residential, commercial, and industrial customers throughout
Clallam County. The Port Angeles Regional Transfer Station does not accept out-of-county waste.
Recycling drop boxes are provided and accept glass, aluminum, and paper. Used oil, antifreeze,
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and batteries are also accepted at the site. Municipal solid waste is transported to regional landfills
in Eastern Washington or Oregon.
A second issue related to the landfill has been the release of buried refuse onto the beach as normal
bluff erosion continued. Two major projects have been undertaken by the City to relocate waste
materials and stabilize the bluff erosion to resolve the problem.
A composting facility for managing green yard waste received from the public, curbside yardwaste
pick-up and biosolids from the wastewater treatment plant at the facility. Yardwaste and biosolids
are processed then tested and becomes finished compost available for sale to the public.
Electric Utility
The Light Division of the City of Port Angeles Public Works and Utilities Department is the
electric power provider within the city limits. Clallam County P.U.D. is the electric power
provider for the unincorporated areas surrounding Port Angeles. The Bonneville Power
Administration (BPA) via its transmission lines delivers the power used by both the City of Port
Angeles and Clallam County P.U.D. The P.U.D. has one substation within the Eastern UGA at
Monroe Street, and another in the Western UGA near Benson Road and Highway 101. There are 7
electrical substations owned by the City of Port Angeles within the City limits.
Schools
The Port Angeles School District Number 121 serves the City of Port Angeles and its surrounding
community. The District operates five elementary schools, one middle school (grades 7-8), one
high school, one alternative high school, and is host to the North Olympic Peninsula Skills Center.
Within the City of Port Angeles there are three elementary schools; Franklin Elementary, Hamilton
Elementary, and Jefferson Elementary. Dry Creek Elementary School is located west of the city
limits and Roosevelt Elementary is located east of the City limits. Stevens Middle School, Port
Angeles High School and Lincoln High School provide for secondary education. The Skills Center,
working closely with Peninsula College and five neighboring school districts - Cape Flattery,
Crescent, Quileute, Port Angeles and Sequim School Districts - provides the latest
vocational/technical education in a competency-based learning environment.
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Figure 12. Schools and school walking routes
Peninsula College, with its main campus located in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains and
overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca, provides a vital center for higher education and diverse
cultural opportunities, enhancing and strengthening community bonds for the residents of the
North Olympic Peninsula. College programs include traditional academic transfer offerings,
professional-technical training, Basic Education for Adults and adult continuing education, on-
line learning courses and a center for baccalaureate degrees, allowing students many educational
options.
In addition to the many associate degree and certificate programs, Peninsula College offers a
baccalaureate degree in Applied Management. The college also works with key university
partners, providing numerous opportunities for residents to earn bachelor degrees locally. These
partners include City University, Western Washington University, Goddard College and Evergreen
State College.
Peninsula College is committed to providing college/community connections and has numerous
partnerships and collaborations in the community with the City of Port Angeles, the Port of Port
Angeles, the Port Angeles School District, the Economic Development Council, local tribes,
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private businesses and others. The college offers classes, training and resources in support of
workforce development and community enrichment.
The college currently serves over 5,000 students and employs 145 full-time faculty and staff and
approximately 390 part-time faculty and staff.
Economic Development
Clallam County and the City of Port Angeles are rich in natural resources. The Olympic Peninsula
has proved to be one of the country's most productive timber growing areas, while the Strait of
Juan de Fuca has provided the area with a vast fishery. However, recent declines in these resource
industries have had a major impact on the economy of both Clallam County and the City of Port
Angeles. The Rayonier pulp mill closed in 1997 putting up to 200 people out of work, the K-Ply
plywood mill was closed and demolished in 2011, and Green Creek lumber mill closed in 2014.
Currently, Nippon USA paper mill and Port Angeles Hardwoods lumber mill remain in operation
within the City limits and Interfor Pacific lumber mill operates just west of the city.
The decline of salmon and the subsequent listing of Chinook salmon, summer chum, steelhead and
bull trout as endangered species have reduced the commercial and sport fishing industries
dramatically. These economic declines are being replaced to some extent by service industries that
are driven by tourism and the popularity of the Olympic Peninsula as a retirement destination. The
City has worked with local tribes, state and federal agencies and local citizen and non-
governmental organizations to restore salmon habitats and runs throughout Clallam County.
Port Angeles is also striving to strengthen its marine trades and industries. Westport Shipyard
continues to operate a yacht manufacturing facility in Port Angeles, producing high-end yachts for
the world market. Armstrong Marine has moved into the city and produces a variety of aluminum
boats and Platypus Marine continues to maintain and repair boats at its harbor location.
Major shipments of forest products to Asian markets have historically provided a strong market.
The log export segment of the local economy has grown in recent years while value added wood
products segment has declined. Old growth timber harvesting is expected to be reduced
significantly in coming years due to various government restrictions.
In light of the recent developments in the timber and fishery industries, it is important for Port
Angeles to develop and improve its other economic resources, such as technology, tourism and
manufacturing.
Port Angeles is part of a major international tourist route. The presence of the Olympic National
Park with over three million visitors a year, an international ferry providing service to Victoria
Canada carrying approximately 400,000 passengers per year, combined with the local freshwater
and ocean sport fishing brings a steady flow of tourists to the City, creating an important economic
resource. Eco-tourism has grown with the removal of the two hydro-electric dams from the Elwha
River. Port Angeles in recent years has established itself as a vibrant arts and performance center.
In general, the local economy appears to be relatively stable despite much uncertainty in the timber
harvesting and log exports segment. Growth in the retirement community has been continuing,
and tourism is expanding rapidly. The forest products industry will most likely stabilize at a lower
level of activity from past years.
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III. DEFINITIONS
General Comments
The following definitions are for terms, which are used in this document and are provided for
clarification purposes in the interpretation and implementation of the various goals and
policies.
Definitions of Terms
Adequate Public
Facilities:
facilities, which have the capacity to serve development without
decreasing levels of service below locally established minimums.
Affordable Housing: the adequacy of the community's housing stock to fulfill the housing
needs of all economic segments of the population.
Accessory Residential
Unit:
a residential unit, which is subordinate in area, extent, or purpose to
a principal residential unit and is located on the same zoning lot as
the principal residential unit.
Available Public
Facilities:
that facilities or services are in place or that a financial commitment
is in place to provide the facilities or services within a specified time.
Best Available Science: that scientific information prepared by local, state or federal natural
resource agencies, a qualified scientific professional or team of
qualified scientific professionals, that is consistent with criteria
established in WAC 365-195-900 through WAC 365-195-925.
Best Management
Practices:
Methods or techniques found to be the most effective and practical
means in achieving an objective (such as preventing or minimizing
pollution) while making the optimum use of available resources.
Bioretention BMP
Engineered facilities that store and treat stormwater by passing it
through a specified soil profile, and either retain or detain the treated
stormwater for flow attenuation. Refer to Chapter 7 of Volume V of
the Department of Ecology's SWMMWW (2014) for Bioretention
BMP types and design specifications.
City: the City of Port Angeles, Washington.
Climatic Change A change in global or regional climate patterns, especially a change
due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature. Climatic
change may be attributed largely to the increased levels of
atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels, but
may also result from natural events such as volcanic eruption or
earth quake.
Cluster Commercial
Development
retail or other commercial uses, usually arranged in a group of
buildings, that create a node of uses with a cohesive design plan and
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shared access points on an arterial street. Cluster commercial
development is characterized by a cohesive design plan that includes
at least two of the following elements: (1) pedestrian connections,
(2) shared parking concepts, (3) buildings arranged in groups to
create a node of commercial uses without individual street access
points rather than along the linear pattern of a strip commercial
development, and (4) common building design features and signage.
Community Services: cultural, social and recreational services necessary to enhance the
quality of life, such as libraries, parks and recreation services, fine
arts, and festivals.
Concurrency: that adequate public facilities are available when the impacts of
development occur. This definition includes the two concepts of
"adequate public facilities" and of "available public facilities" as
defined above.
Consistency: requires that no feature of a plan or regulation is incompatible with
any other feature of a plan or regulation. Consistency is indicative of
a capacity for orderly integration or operation with other elements in
a system.
County: Clallam County, Washington.
District: a portion of a planning area, which is defined by the primary uses
located in that portion of the planning area.
Development: any activity which would alter the elevation of the land, remove or
destroy plant life, cause structures of any kind to be installed,
erected, or removed, divide land into two or more parcels, or any use
or extension of the use of the land.
Development Rights: a broad range of less-than-fee-simple-ownership interests.
Domestic Water System: any system providing a supply of potable water, which is deemed
adequate pursuant to RCW 19.27.097 for the intended use of a
development.
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Essential Public
Facilities:
public capital facilities of a county-wide or state-wide nature which
are typically difficult to site. Essential public facilities include the
following:
Airports
Hazardous waste facilities
State education facilities
State or regional transportation facilities
State and local correctional facilities
Solid waste handling facilities
In-patient facilities including
substance abuse facilities
mental health facilities
group homes
Regional Transit Authority facilities
Emergency Services: services, which are a City responsibility, and consists of provisions
for police, fire, emergency medical and disaster services.
Environmentally
Sensitive/Critical Areas
Environmentally Sensitive Areas means any of the following areas
and their associated buffers:
Aquifer recharge areas
Streams or Stream corridors
Frequently flooded areas
Geologically hazardous areas:
o Erosion hazard areas
o Landslide hazard areas
o Seismic hazard areas
Habitat areas for priority species and species of concern
Locally unique features
o Ravines
o Marine bluff
o Beaches and associated coastal drift processes
Wetlands
Facility: something designed, built, installed or utilized for the specific
purpose of providing a service.
Financial Commitment: that sources of public or private funds or combinations thereof have
been identified which will be sufficient to finance public facilities
necessary to support development and that there is reasonable
assurance that such funds will be timely put to that end.
Impact Fees: payments to the city for the acquisition and development of new
infrastructure or facilities, i.e., parks, schools, transportation
systems, etc. based on a per unit (impact) assessment.
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Imprecise Margin The area between land use designations is called an imprecise
margin. The margin is used to provide flexibility in determining the
boundary between various zones. When determining appropriate
zoning designations for an area near a margin, the goals, policies and
objectives of the Land Use Element should take precedence.
Growth Management
Act:
the Growth Management Act as enacted in Chapter 17, Laws of
1990 1st ex. sess., and chapter 32, Laws of 1991 sp. sess., state of
Washington.
Level of Service (LOS): an established minimum capacity of public facilities or services that
must be provided per unit of demand or other appropriate measure of
need.
Low Impact
Development (LID)
A stormwater and land use management strategy that strives to
mimic pre-disturbance hydrologic processes of infiltration, filtration,
storage, evaporation and transpiration be emphasizing conservation,
use of on-site natural features, site planning and distributed
stormwater management practices that are integrated into a project
design.
Manufactured Home: a factory built, single-family structures that meet the National
Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards Act (42
U.S.C. Sec. 5401), commonly known as the HUD (U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development) Code.
Manufactured homes placed in Port Angeles must also meets the
following requirements:
1. Consists of two or more fully enclosed parallel sections each
of not less than 12 feet wide by 36 feet long.
2. Bears an insignia issued by the appropriate federal agency
indicating compliance with the construction standards of the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
as amended and as approved by the State of Washington.
3. Is placed on an on-grade permanent foundation or on footings
and piers or on blocks in accordance with HUD’s
specifications for the specific home with skirting installed so
no more than one foot of the skirting is visible above grade.
4. Has all travel appurtenances removed.
5. Is served by underground electrical power.
6. Was originally constructed with and now has a composition
or wood shake or shingle, coated metal, or similar roof of not
less than 3:12 pitch.
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Medical Services: licensed professional medical services and retail services directly
related to medical services, such as hospitals, physicians' clinics, and
pharmacies.
Mixed-use a type of urban development that blends residential, commercial,
cultural, institutional, or industrial uses, where those functions are
physically and functionally integrated, and that provides pedestrian
connections.
Neighborhood: an area located within a district or planning area where people live,
and is defined by the primary type and/or density of the residential
units located in that particular area of the district.
Permeable Pavement:
Pervious concrete, porous asphalt, permeable pavers or other forms
of pervious paving material intended to allow passage of water
through the pavement section. It often includes an aggregate base
that provides structural support and acts as a stormwater reservoir.
Planning Area: a large geographical area of the City which is defined by physical
characteristics and boundaries.
Public Capital Facilities: existing, new or expanded physical facilities, which are owned,
licensed or sanctioned by a public entity, are large in size and serve a
county-wide or statewide population. Public capital facilities of a
county-wide or state-wide nature may include but are not limited to
the following:
Airports
State educational facilities
State and federal transportation facilities
Regional transportation facilities
State correctional facilities
Local correctional facilities
Solid waste handling, disposal and storage facilities
In-patient facilities including:
abuse facilities
mental health facilities
group homes
National, state and regional parks and recreational facilities
Marine terminals
Libraries
Fairgrounds
Hospitals
County courthouse
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Public Services: includes fire protection and suppression, law enforcement, public
health, education, recreation, environmental protection, and other
governmental services.
Public Facilities: includes streets, roads, highways, sidewalks, street and road lighting
systems, traffic signals, domestic water systems, storm and sanitary
sewer systems, parks and recreational facilities, and schools.
Rain garden:
a non-engineered shallow, landscaped depression, with compost-
amended native soils and adapted plants. The depression is designed
to pond and temporarily store stormwater runoff from adjacent areas,
and to allow stormwater to pass through the amended soil profile.
Regional Transportation
Plan:
the transportation plan for the regional designated transportation
system, which is produced by the regional transportation planning
organization.
Regional Transportation
Planning Organization:
the voluntary organization conforming to RCW 47.80.020,
consisting of local governments within a region containing one or
more counties, which have common transportation interests.
Regulatory Reform Act: Engrossed Substitute House Bill, ESHB 1724 was enacted in 1995 to
establish new approaches to make government regulation more
effective, and to make it easier and less costly for citizens and
businesses to understand and comply with requirements. ESHB
1724 amended a number of laws, including the Growth Management
Act (GMA), Shoreline Management Act (SMA), and State
Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). Commonly referred to as the
Regulatory Reform Act, ESHB 1724 amended the Growth
Management Act and State Environmental Policy Act to more
thoroughly integrate the SEPA process into the planning process.
Appeals of SEPA determinations or permits must also be
consolidated so that only one public hearing is held. ESHB 1724 is
codified by the City of Port Angeles in Chapter 18.02 PAMC.
Residential Care
Services:
the providing of residential care on a daily or live-in basis including
special needs housing such as group homes, adult-care homes and
day-care facilities.
Sanitary Sewer Systems: all facilities, including approved on-site disposal facilities, used in
the collection, transmission, storage, treatment, or discharge of any
waterborne waste, whether domestic in origin or a combination of
domestic, commercial, or industrial waste.
Scattered Site Housing: smaller scale, publicly assisted housing, new construction and
conversion which is dispersed throughout the community as opposed
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to high density, public housing "projects" concentrated on one large
site or in one area of the City.
School District: the Port Angeles School District No. 121.
Service: the supplying or providing of utilities, commodities,
accommodations and/or activities.
Shall: means the statement is mandatory, and the action so stated is
required to be done without discretion by decision-makers. The use
of "shall" in a statement indicates that the action is imperative and
ministerial.
Should: means the statement ought to be done, but the action so stated is not
required to be done by decision-makers. The use of "should" in a
statement indicates that discretion may be used in deciding whether
or not to take action. The use of "should" is intended to give
decision-makers discretion in matters where exceptions are
warranted by such factors as physical hardships and special
circumstances or when funding must be taken into consideration.
Solid Waste Handling
Facility:
any facility for the transfer or ultimate disposal of solid waste,
including landfills, waste transfer stations and municipal
incinerators.
Social Services: those services necessary to support life and health, such as food
banks, hospices, home health, congregate care, and day care services.
Strip Commercial
Development
retail or other commercial uses, usually one-story high and one-store
deep, that front on an arterial street with individual access points.
Strip commercial development differs from central business districts,
shopping centers, or other cluster commercial developments in at
least two of the following characteristics: (1) there are no provisions
for pedestrian access between individual uses, (2) the uses are only
one-store deep, (3) the buildings are arranged linearly with
individual street access points rather than clustered, and (4) there is
no design integration among the buildings.
Transfer of Development
Rights:
the conveyance of development rights by deed, easement, or other
legal instrument to another parcel of land and the recording of that
conveyance.
Transportation Facilities: facilities related to air, water, or land transportation.
Transportation Systems
Management:
the use of low capital expenditures to increase the capacity of the
transportation system. TSM strategies include but are not limited to
signalization, channelization, and bus turnouts.
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Urban Growth: refers to growth that makes intensive use of land for the location of
buildings, structures, and impermeable surfaces to such a degree as
to be incompatible with the primary use of the land for the
production of food, other agricultural products, or fiber, or the
extraction of mineral resources. When allowed to spread over wide
areas, urban growth typically requires urban governmental services.
"Characterized by urban growth" refers to land having urban growth
located on it, or to land located in relationship to an area with urban
growth on it as to be appropriate for urban growth.
Urban Growth Area: those areas designated by the County to accept future urban
population densities with the intent of future annexation into the city
pursuant to RCW 36.70A
Urban Services: services that are normally available in an urban environment which
include provisions for sanitary waste systems, solid waste disposal
systems, water systems, urban roads and pedestrian facilities, transit
systems, stormwater systems, police and fire and emergency services
systems, electrical and communication systems, school and health
care facilities, and parks.
Utilities: enterprises or facilities serving the public by means of an integrated
system of collection, transmission, distribution, and processing
facilities through more or less permanent physical connections
between the plant of the serving entity and the premises of the
customer. Included are systems for the delivery of natural gas,
electricity, telecommunications services, and water, and for the
disposal of sewage.
Will: the statement is an action decision-makers intend to do to implement
plan goals and policies. The use of "will" in a statement indicates
that the outcome can be measured.
Work/live space a living arrangement where the residential use and living area is
subordinate in size to the work space.
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City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Definitions
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City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Definitions
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IV. GROWTH MANAGEMENT ELEMENT
General Comments
This Comprehensive Plan has been developed in accordance with the requirements of the State
Growth Management Act. The City met all of the Act's required deadlines for compliance and
participated with Clallam County, the City of Forks, the City of Sequim, the Tribes and various
other agencies in the development of a County-Wide Planning Policy.
Early in the planning process the City agreed with the County to address only areas within the
current city limits in the City's Comprehensive Plan and to work with the County on a Joint
Comprehensive Plan for the Urban Growth Area. On April 13, 1993, the Board of Clallam County
Commissioners adopted an Interim Port Angeles Urban Growth Area. The City and County
entered into an interlocal agreement in 2005 on a phased annexation plan for the Eastern Urban
Growth Area. A similar agreement was reached regarding the western Urban Growth Area. At
that time, the City established the intended zones that would be applied to areas annexed to the
City from the EUGA.
The following goals and policies are included in the Comprehensive Plan to insure continued
compliance with the Growth Management Act and compatibility with the County's Comprehensive
Plan outside of the PAUGA.
Goals, Policies, and Objectives
Goal
A. To manage growth in a responsible manner that is beneficial to the community as a whole,
is sensitive to the rights and needs of individuals and is consistent with the State of
Washington's Growth Management Act.
Policies
1. In all its actions and to the extent consistent with the provisions of this
comprehensive plan, the City should strive to implement the following goals of the
State Growth Management Act:
a. Urban growth. Encourage development in urban areas where adequate public
facilities and services exist or can be provided in an efficient manner.
b. Reduce sprawl. Reduce the inappropriate conversion of undeveloped land
into sprawling, low-density development.
c. Transportation. Encourage efficient multimodal transportation systems that
are based on regional priorities and coordinated with county and city
comprehensive plans.
d. Housing. Encourage the availability of affordable housing to all economic
segments of the population. Promote a variety of residential densities and
housing types and sizes, and encourage preservation and expansion of existing
housing stock.
e. Economic development. Encourage economic development throughout the
region that is consistent with adopted comprehensive plans, promote
economic opportunity, especially for unemployed and for disadvantaged
persons, and encourage growth in areas experiencing insufficient economic
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growth, all within the capacities of the region's natural resources, public
services and public facilities.
f. Property rights. Private property should not be taken for public use without
just compensation having been made. The property rights of landowners
should be protected from arbitrary and discriminatory actions.
g. Permits. Applications for both state and local government permits should be
processed in a timely and fair manner to ensure predictability.
h. Natural resource industries. Maintain and enhance regional natural resource-
based industries, including productive timber management, agricultural, and
fisheries industries.
i. Open space and recreation. Encourage the retention of open space and
development of recreational opportunities, conserve fish and wildlife habitat
areas, increase access to natural resource lands and water, and develop parks.
j. Environment. Protect the environment and enhance the state's high quality of
life, including air and water quality, and the availability of water.
k. Citizen participation and coordination. Encourage the involvement of citizens
in the planning process and ensure coordination between communities and
jurisdictions to reconcile conflicts.
l. Public facilities and services. Ensure that those public facilities and services
necessary to support development should be adequate to serve the
development at the time the development is available for occupancy and use
without decreasing current service levels below locally established minimum
standards.
m. Historic preservation. Identify and encourage the preservation of lands, sites
and structures that have historical or archaeological significance.
2. The Port Angeles Urban Growth Area (PAUGA) should be established based at a
minimum upon land use demand as determined by the Clallam County 20-year
population forecast for Clallam County and specified sub-areas, so long as the
county-wide forecast is not less than the most recent forecasts available from the
State Office of Financial Management.
3. The City should work with the County to develop an annexation plan which allows
the annexation of land characterized by urban development and which is consistent
with the extension of services and the land development policies of the City's
Comprehensive Plan and Capital Facilities Plan.
4. The City should work with the County to ensure appropriate techniques for
managing future growth consistent with the urban density, such as a minimum
density within the PAUGA and a maximum density outside the PAUGA. A range
of densities should be provided by the City for lands within the PAUGA, including
some lands for relatively low density single-family development and some lands at
a range of densities both allowing and encouraging multi-family development.
5. Urban services/facilities should be provided consistent with the Capital Facilities
Element.
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6. The City should work with the County and other service providers to determine the
appropriate levels of service for such facilities and services and to ensure
consistency between service provision within the City, the PAUGA, and the
County.
7. The City's preferred policy is to recognize a density of one unit per acre as
urban/suburban and to use this density as the demarcation between urban and rural
for purposes of establishing or amending the PAUGA; however, the City will
continue to discuss this issue with the County with the goal of arriving at a
consistent City/County policy prior to finalization of the UGA.
8. The PAUGA should include areas characterized by urban growth adjacent to the
existing City boundaries and should take into account the area's physical features.
9. Land designated for commercial or industrial uses, which encourage adjacent urban
development, should be located within the PAUGA.
10. The amount of acreage designated for commercial, industrial, or other non-
residential uses within the PAUGA should be based upon the Land Use Element
and Economic Development Element in the City's Comprehensive Plan.
11. The PAUGA should be established to avoid critical areas, unless addressed as part of
the City's Comprehensive Plan, and to exclude resource lands.
12. Urban services to be provided within the PAUGA should include, at a minimum,
sanitary sewer systems, solid waste collection/disposal systems, water systems,
urban roads and pedestrian facilities, street cleaning services, transit systems,
stormwater systems, police, fire and emergency services systems, electrical and
communication systems, school and health care facilities, and neighborhood and/or
community parks.
13. The City should be the ultimate provider of urban services within the City limits and
the PAUGA for those services the City provides except to the extent otherwise
provided in a UGA Urban Services and Development Agreement that is reached
pursuant to the County-Wide Planning Policy.
14. Urban services/facilities for which the City is the ultimate provider should be
provided and constructed to meet the design and construction standards of the City.
15. The City or service provider should demonstrate the financial capability for
continued operation of the facility following construction.
16. Regulations to protect critical areas, which occur within the PAUGA, should be
developed to ensure protection of such areas.
17. All development regulations should be promulgated with due regard for private
property rights in order to avoid regulatory takings or violation of due process and
to protect property rights of landowners from arbitrary and discriminatory actions.
18. The City and County should together designate and set aside additional lands on the
west side of the City for industrial and commercial purposes, both inside the City
limits and in the UGA.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Growth Management Element
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19. The City should establish performance measures to review progress toward
accommodating growth and to ensure appropriate actions are taken to achieve the
goals of our community.
Objective
1. The City will continue its efforts to comply in a timely manner with the
requirements of the State Growth Management Act.
2. The City will recommend expansion of the southwestern Urban Growth
Area to include twelve parcels located in an area bounded on the north by
US 101, on the east by Old Joe Road (the western City limits at that
location), on the west by the existing Urban growth Boundary, and on the
south by a line parallel to the Old Joe Road right-of-way extended west to
the Urban Growth Boundary. Also a single parcel described as Parcel
Number Parcel Number 063017230050, Parcel 5 Volume 12 of Surveys
Page 130, SW ¼ of NW ¼, and a single parcel described as Parcel Number
063018120210.
Figure 13 Proposed area for expansion of the western Urban Growth Area.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Growth Management Element
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3. The City will conduct a Buildable Lands Inventory to examine the need for
UGA expansions.
Goal
B. To ensure the orderly transition of land within the PAUGA into the City of Port Angeles.
Policies
1. Annexation of land, which is outside the established boundaries of the
PAUGA, shall not be allowed.
2. Annexation of land from within the established boundaries of the PAUGA
shall be in accordance with the adopted annexation laws.
3. Annexation of land, which is not adjacent to and/or contiguous with the
established City Limits boundary-line, should not be allowed.
4. At the time of annexation, the City should appropriately classify and zone such
land, based upon the City Comprehensive Land Use Map and the City
Comprehensive Plan. Thereafter, the provisions, restrictions, and requirements
of The Port Angeles Zoning Code, shall apply to development of the annexed
area.
5. Annexation and development of land should be consistent with the orderly
extension of urban services/facilities and be in accordance with the City's
Comprehensive Plan and capital facility planning.
6. No annexation of land should be allowed in which existing development
cannot meet the established concurrency requirements of the City within six
years from the time of annexation.
7. No annexation of land should be allowed which results in decreased minimum
standards for City streets, water service, sewer service, and/or electrical service
provided to existing residents of the City.
8. No annexation of land should be allowed which results in decreased minimum
standards for City solid waste collection, stormwater management programs,
emergency services and/or telecommunication services provided to existing
residents of the City.
9. Annexation boundaries should be drawn to eliminate boundary,
interjurisdictional, and service problems.
10. Necessary rights-of-way and easements should be obtained prior to or at the
time of annexation.
11. The City should facilitate any annexation in a manner that will minimize
financial impact to all residents and businesses.
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12. The City should annex its urban growth areas (UGAs) in accordance with State
statutes as facilities are extended into those areas and as new urban
development takes place.
Objectives:
1. The City will work with Clallam County and affected special districts to
develop fair and equitable interlocal revenue sharing agreements to insure
the orderly transition of land within the PAUGA into the City.
2. As the ultimate provider of urban services within the City limits and the urban
growth areas, the City will work with Clallam County and the affected
special districts to facilitate economic growth and new residential
construction and to encourage annexation of land within the PAUGA into
the City.
Figure 14 Urban Growth Area map
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V. LAND-USE ELEMENT
General Comments
The Land Use Element establishes City policy regarding how land may be developed. This
element and its Land Use Map establishes the following six comprehensive plan land use
categories:
Low Density Residential,
Medium Density Residential,
High Density Residential,
Commercial,
Industrial, and
Open Space.
These land use categories are described below and located on the Land Use Map (Figure 12).
Low Density Residential (Up to 7 Units per Acre)
The Land Use Map identifies three separate categories of residential development. The first is
Low Density Residential, which allows an overall residential density of a project or property to
range up to 7 units per acre. The high majority of residentially designated property in the City
will be of this designation. It is intended for the development of single family homes. It also
allows for the development of accessory residential units and duplexes in accordance with the
underlying zoning.
Medium Density Residential (Up to 13 Units per Acre)
The primary intent of this designation is for the development of multiple residential unit projects
including but not limited to duplexes, townhouses, condominiums, and apartments at a density up
to 13 units per acre.
High Density Residential (Up to 39 Units per Acre, except that existing motel or hotel units
may be converted to residential units at a density greater than 39 Units per Acre).
The primary intent of this designation is for development at a density up to 39 units per acre and
is intended for areas where a higher concentration of residents is compatible with the surrounding
area and uses. Condominiums and apartments, are the types of building designs appropriate for
this category.
Commercial
The Land Use Map contains one commercial category, thus providing maximum flexibility to the
City's Zoning Ordinance in regulating the types of commercial uses and their permitted locations.
Industrial
The Land Use Map also designates only one industrial category, thus again providing maximum
flexibility to the City's Zoning Ordinance in regulating the types of industrial uses and their
permitted locations.
Open Space
The Open Space category includes areas of the City that contain unique or major physical features,
such as marine shorelines, bluffs, ravines, major streams, wetlands, critical wildlife habitat, and
other natural areas deemed of significant importance to the community. This category also
includes developed parks and recreational uses. The development of natural open space areas
should be limited to only that which is necessary and does not degrade the significance of the area.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element
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Figure 15 Land Use Map
Land Use Map, Goals, Policies, and Objectives
Goal
A. To guide current and future development within the City in a manner that provides
certainty to its citizens about future land use and the flexibility necessary to meet the
challenges and opportunities of the future.
Policies
1. The Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map should be used as a conceptual guide for
determining current and long-range zoning and other land use decisions. The map's
land use designations are intended to show areas where general land use types are
allowed. The area between land use designations should be considered an
imprecise margin in order to provide flexibility in determining the boundary of
such areas. When determining appropriate zoning designations for an area near a
margin, the goals, policies and objectives of the Land Use Element should take
precedence.
2. All land use decisions and approvals made by the City Council and/or any of its
appointed Commissions, Boards or Committees should be consistent with the
Comprehensive Plan and its land use map.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element
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3. The City should investigate the value and utility of form-based codes, either as
applied to the entire City or to specific areas within the City.
4. All development within the City should be encouraged to utilize low impact
development techniques and BMPs, where feasible.
5. The City should consider the projected climatic change impacts and adaptation
strategies contained in the Climatic Change Preparedness Plan for the North
Olympic Peninsula, September 2015.
Objective
1. The City will review and revise as necessary the existing Zoning Ordinance,
Zoning Map, and other development regulations to ensure consistency with
the Comprehensive Plan.
Residential Goals, Policies, and Objectives
Goal
B. To have a community where residential development and use of the land are done in a
manner that is compatible with the environment, the characteristics of the use and the users,
and the desired urban design of the City.
Policies
1. Urban services should be available for all residential areas as required by the
Capital Facilities Element concurrency policy.
2. Single family lots should be of reasonable shape and should have access provided
by a collector arterial, local access street or an alley.
3. Large lots should allow for future subdivisions at the densities permitted for the
zone in which they are located.
4. All residential developments should be designed with the provisions of fire
protection and service vehicle access as key factors in street design and circulation
pattern.
5. For efficient circulation, rights-of-way should be obtained and improvements made
to further the grid street pattern in the central Townsite area of the City. Cul-de-
sacs and curvilinear streets may be permitted when designed as an integral part of
the major grid street pattern in the outlying areas of the City, where low impact
development standards apply.
6. All residential developments should be encouraged to preserve and capitalize on
existing unusual, unique, and interesting natural, historic, archaeological, and/or
cultural features, should preserve and utilize native and drought tolerant vegetation,
should utilize and preserve scenic views, should maximize southern exposures and
solar efficiency, should offer protection from prevailing winds, and should be
designed to minimize energy use.
7. Planned Residential Development techniques should emphasize the overall density
of the development rather than minimum lot sizes.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element
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Goal
C. To have a community of viable districts and neighborhoods with a variety of residential
opportunities for personal interaction, fulfillment, and enjoyment, that are attractive to
people of all ages, characteristics and interests.
Policies
1. Residential land should be developed on the district and neighborhood concept.
Although such districts may be composed primarily of residential uses of a uniform
density, a healthy, viable district should be composed of residential uses of varying
densities, which may be augmented, by subordinate and compatible uses. Single
family and multi-family homes, parks and open-spaces, schools, churches, daycare
and residential services, home occupations, and district shopping areas are all
legitimate components of district development and enhancement. A neighborhood
should be primarily composed of low, medium, or high density housing.
2. Medium and high density housing should be located in areas of the community
most suitable for such uses, based on existing services, public facilities, and
transportation.
3. Medium and high density housing should be served by arterial streets of sufficient
size in order to satisfy traffic demand and to lessen neighborhood traffic congestion.
4. Medium and high density housing could be a transitional use between different land
uses, provided such other uses would not adversely impact the residential nature of
the housing.
5. Medium and high density housing policies should apply to mobile home parks.
6. Manufactured homes that meet current state regulations should be treated as site
constructed housing for zoning purposes.
7. The City should expand housing opportunities in the Central Business District for
all income levels, with an emphasis on providing additional moderately priced
owner-occupied units.
1.
Commercial Goals, Policies, and Objectives
Goal
D. To create and maintain a healthy and diverse commercial sector for a balanced and stable
local economy.
Policies
1. The City should encourage the recruitment of new and the retention of existing
commercial developments and businesses, which are consistent with the goals and
policies of this Comprehensive Plan.
2. Public uses such as government offices, public service buildings, and other public
and quasi-public facilities and services should be allowed in commercially
designated areas.
3. The City should vacate rights-of-way to facilitate retention of existing businesses
and location of new businesses where land assembly is necessary to achieve the
desired urban design of the City.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element
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4. The City should consider potential environmental consequences, such as
greenhouse-gas emissions and carbon footprints, when encouraging new
commercial developments and businesses.
Objectives
1. The City will work with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe to develop a cultural
center and marina for large pleasure boats in Port Angeles Harbor.
Goal
E. To provide shopping opportunities which meet the needs of all City residents and visitors
in safe, usable shopping areas that are compatible with the surrounding area and uses, the
environment, and the desired urban design of the City.
Policies
1. Urban services should be available for all commercial areas as required by the
Capital Facilities Element concurrency policy.
2. New commercial developments should follow a cluster configuration rather than a
strip pattern.
3. Commercial development should buffer its impacts on adjacent residential uses.
Where commercial development is adjacent to residential uses, the commercial
development should incorporate elements in the site design to soften the impacts on
the residential uses.
4. Service access may overlap with parking areas to minimize impervious area.
Service areas should be separated from pedestrian areas wherever and whenever
possible to accommodate vehicular traffic and pedestrian safety.
5. Commercial development outside the US 101 corridor should not be in a strip
pattern.
6. New Comprehensive Plan commercial area designations should not be located
along the alternate local cross-town route or the cross-town truck route.
7. District shopping areas should be located at the intersections of arterial streets of
sufficient size to satisfy traffic demand and at the boundaries of neighborhoods so
that more than one neighborhood may be served.
8. The City should allow neighborhood shopping nodes in residentially designated
areas as long as they are in accordance with the planning area/district/neighborhood
land use concept and as long as they do not encourage traffic from outside the
neighborhood or increase traffic congestion within residential neighborhoods.
9. The City should identify neighborhoods lacking nearby accessible services.
10. The City should identify locations to develop small commercial opportunities in
neighborhoods.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element
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Goal
F. To provide a pleasant, safe, and attractive shopping environment in the traditional
downtown waterfront area which provides a wide variety of shopping, dining,
entertainment, arts, culture, and housing opportunities for visitors and residents alike.
Policies
1. Commercial development in the traditional downtown should reemphasize its
waterfront location and historic heritage, should be oriented to pedestrians and
tourists, and should provide maximum enjoyment of the environment and public
amenities as well as protection from adverse weather conditions.
2. The City should continue to promote improvements to the traditional downtown
area, through beautification projects and in cooperation with downtown business
merchants.
3. Residential uses should be encouraged for the downtown area as part of a mixed-
use development concept. The City should encourage the development of live/work
spaces in the downtown area while ensuring that the physical environment of
downtown residential development is compatible with housing uses by minimizing
traffic impacts, maintaining security, and providing and maintaining amenities.
4. The City should work with the Port Angeles Downtown Association and all
interested parties to develop urban design review guidelines that facilitate
architectural elements/features, which should encourage complimentary and
aesthetically pleasing new development in the Central Business District (CBD).
Objectives
1. The City will encourage community events such as holiday ceremonies, town
gatherings, arts and crafts displays, and special business activities such as a
Farmer’s Market, particularly in the Downtown.
4.
Industrial Goals, Policies, and Objectives
Goal
G. To create and maintain a healthy and diverse industrial sector for a balanced and stable
local economy.
Policies
1. The City should promote a cooperative intergovernmental plan for comprehensive
development of industrial infrastructure and amenities to attract and support light
and heavy industry.
2. Office, commercial, and limited work/live uses should be allowed in specifically
designated industrial areas.
3. The William R. Fairchild International Airport should be considered an essential
public facility as referenced in Appendix B (Clallam County-Wide Planning
Process).
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element
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Goal
H. To provide opportunities for industrial development in a manner, which efficiently uses the
community's various attributes and natural resources, has minimal impact on the
environment, contributes to the City's quality of life, and is compatible with the desired
development pattern of the City.
Policies
1. Urban services should be available for all industrial areas as required by the Capital
Facilities Element concurrency policy.
2. Infrastructure, which makes sites attractive and ready to develop, including
transportation facilities and utilities, should be available at industrial parks.
Industrial development should be encouraged to follow industrial park design
concepts.
3. Industrial areas should buffer their impact to mitigate nuisance and hazardous
characteristics such as noise, particulate matter in the air, water or odor pollution, or
objectionable visual material.
4. Industrial activity should be located in three major areas: adjacent to the harbor,
around the airport, and along Hwy 101 west of Benson Road.
5. Because they are hazardous to the community and detrimental to the general
environment of the area petroleum refineries, liquefied natural gas and liquefied
petroleum gas facilities, energy facilities, energy plants and their associated
facilities and associated transmission facilities, as defined in Chapter 80.50 RCW,
should not be permitted outside the heavy industrial use area and without
conditional use review.
6. The City should discourage the siting of incompatible uses adjacent to the William
R. Fairchild International Airport recognizing the need to coordinate airport related
uses and other existing land uses that are already established in the vicinity.
7. Limited work/live environments in industrial zones should be encouraged for art or
cultural activities that engage in media that are consistent with industrial use.
Circumstances should facilitate art opportunities without impacting the industrial
integrity of the underlying zone.
8. The City should consider the siting of clean-energy facilities (e.g., solar, wind,
geothermal, wave, tidal) outside of industrial areas, as a conditional use.
9. The City should consider the climatic change impacts of any proposed new
industrial activity or expansion.
Goal
I To facilitate and encourage redevelopment and reuse of large closed or isolated industrial
areas within the City in a manner that fosters the local economy and a stable job base.
Policies
1. The City should consider a wider range of uses for redevelopment of large closed or
isolated industrial areas than would otherwise be permitted under industrial zoning,
including mixed-use development, commercial development and/or residential
development as well as industrial uses.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element
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2. The City should consider proposals for any needed amendment of the
Comprehensive Plan and zoning concurrently with an application for a binding site
plan for some or all of the site of a large closed or isolated industrial property,
provided that any change to the comprehensive plan will be acted on as part of the
City’s annual Comprehensive Plan amendment cycle.
3. The City should approve mixed-use or nonindustrial development of large closed or
isolated industrial sites, where it is shown that permitting a wider range of uses on
the site will not contribute to or encourage the conversion of other industrial areas
to nonindustrial use.
4. The City should create a planned industrial development overlay zone for the
purpose of allowing mixed-use development for large closed or isolated industrial
sites.
Open Space Goals, Policies, and Objectives
Goal
J. To create open space for relief within the urban landscape, to retain natural landscapes, to
preserve fish and wildlife habitat, and to provide natural corridors, which connect wildlife
habitats.
Policies
1. The City should further public interest by designating open spaces to preserve
unique or major physical features, such as marine shorelines, bluffs, ravines,
streams, wetlands, wildlife habitat and other environmentally sensitive areas
deemed of significant importance to the community.
2. The City should continue to acquire property that provide opportunities to preserve
major physical features providing wildlife habitat and open space corridors between
the waterfront and the Olympic National Park.
3. The City should limit the use of and access to such natural areas to only that which
does not degrade the significance of the area and which protects the rights of
property owners.
4. Wooded areas, vegetation, and individual trees serve a functional purpose in
climate, noise, light, habitat, and pollution control and should be preserved as part
of the urban landscape.
5. The City should discourage intensive recreational uses and impervious surfaces in
sensitive open space areas. Permeable materials should be used for walkways and
trails in open space areas where feasible.
6. The City should consider separating the Public Buildings and Parks zone to an
Open Space zone and a PBP zone to differentiate environmentally sensitive areas or
natural features and spaces from sites containing public facilities and buildings.
Objectives
1. The City will develop a program of land banking, transfer of development
rights, or other innovative techniques, which preserve open spaces.
2. The City will support development of a public golf course.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element
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Goal
K. To encourage the development of parks and recreational opportunities for all residents of
the City and to increase access to natural areas in a manner that minimizes adverse impacts,
and to achieve the desired urban design of the City.
Policies
1. The City should include all City-owned parks in its designated open spaces and
establish development standards that discourage conversion of open spaces to other
uses.
2. Development and planning of parks and recreational facilities should follow a
comprehensive service and facility plan consistent with the Capital Facilities
Element.
3. Public parks and recreational facilities should be equitably distributed throughout
the City to afford access to all residents.
4. Every effort should be made to consolidate and utilize land donated for public use
to provide common open space, public buildings, parks, and recreational
opportunities, while incorporating LID techniques and BMPs in all projects where
feasible.
5. The City should preserve and maintain unique or major physical features contained
within the boundaries of City parks and recreational areas for access and enjoyment
by residents of the community.
6. The City should cooperate with the County and other jurisdictions in planning,
funding, constructing, and managing multi-purpose recreation and transportation
trails which link together various areas of the City, the Port Angeles Urban Growth
Area (PAUGA), and other areas of the County and region.
7. The City should develop neighborhood parks for the developing areas on the west,
south and east sides of the City to support new subdivisions.
Objective
1. The City will establish standards for development of trails, which minimize the
impact on designated open space. The use of permeable materials for walkways
and trails will be required where feasible.
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The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element
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VI. TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT
General Comments
The intent of the Transportation Element is to define in a comprehensive manner how vehicular
traffic and nonmotorized modes of travel are to be routed from one portion of the community to
another in the most efficient, economical, and compatible manner. The City's Circulation Plan in
accordance with the Statewide National Functional Classification System identifies the City's
principal arterial streets, minor arterial streets, and collectors with the remaining streets classified
as local streets (See Figure 6). The City’s Circulation Plan acknowledges that such a regional
system serves many functions. It is a means of intercity commuting, a way to promote economic
development, a means to promote a healthy lifestyle, and a way to provide future utility right-of-
way.
Goals, Policies, and Objectives
Goal
A. To develop a coordinated, multimodal transportation system, which serves all areas of the
city and all types of users in a safe, economical, and efficient manner.
Policies
1. Pedestrian, bicycle, and other non-motorized paths, bike racks, storage facilities,
drinking fountains, and benches should be an integral part of the circulation system.
2. The safety of non-motorized modes of transportation shall be a primary
consideration in the circulation system. Adequate sidewalks, crosswalks, and
handicapped access shall be provided in relation to all new subdivisions, and
required for all development projects where sidewalks do not exist.
3. The collector arterial streets and local access streets should serve primarily local
traffic with special emphasis on safety for pedestrian, bicycle, and non-motorized
traffic.
4. Planning for transportation services and facilities (including public streets,
bikeways, pedestrian walkways, and public and private air, marine and land transit
services and facilities) shall be performed consistent with the goals and policies of
the Capital Facilities Element.
5. The City should update the Transportation Element to be consistent with Bill 1487
and the Regional Transportation Plan.
6. The City should encourage development of low-carbon-impact transportation
infrastructure.
7. The City should improve amenities for walking and biking, connecting
neighborhoods to downtown, commercial centers and the regional trail system.
8. The City should consider converting alleyways into attractive pedestrian zones for
access to local businesses. Encourage alleyways for use as pedestrian zones.
9. The City should improve trails, sidewalks, streets, and public facilities to encourage
walkability and non-motorized transportation.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Transportation Element
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Objectives
1. The City will be an active partner in the development of the Olympic
Discovery Trail which passes through and along key parts of its park, street,
pedestrian, and nonmotorized transportation systems and facilities.
2. The City will support extension of the Waterfront (Olympic Discovery) Trail
from Marine Drive at Hill Street to the Elwha River.
3. The City will support extension of the Waterfront Trail from City Pier along
Railroad Avenue to the Valley Creek Estuary.
4. The City will continue efforts to improve or provide access to Valley,
Tumwater, Peabody, Ennis, and White’s Creeks and the development of the
Foothills Trail System.
5. The City will incorporate bicycle friendly amenities including bike path
development and maintenance, signage, and storage into new transportation
facility improvements.
6. The City will encourage public streetscape improvements, such as street trees,
art and creative community-oriented beautification efforts, pedestrian and
bicycle amenities, and LID techniques and BMPs where feasible through a
comprehensive streetscape development and maintenance plan.
Goal
B. To improve circulation patterns across and within the community, and to achieve the
desired urban design of the City.
Policies
1. Traffic flow modifications such as signalization, signing, parking restrictions,
channelization, and one-way couplets should be made before physical alterations
are made to existing streets.
2. The City should divert cross-town truck traffic around the downtown area.
3. The City should facilitate an additional route for local cross-town traffic across
White's Creek ultimately connecting with US 101.
4. In association with these two proposed cross-town routes the City should require
adequate mitigation measures to reduce any negative impacts on existing land uses,
including buffer areas, pedestrian sidewalks and crossings, bikeways, and reduced
speeds.
5. The City should facilitate the development of an alternate local cross-town route
with improvements, which provide full access at US 101 and SR 117 (the
Tumwater Truck Route). Improvements should be made to the intersections of
Lauridsen Boulevard at Lincoln and Peabody Streets. Improvements should be
made to the Lauridsen Boulevard Bridge over Peabody Creek. Improvement should
be made for the development of a crossing over White's Creek. The City should
revise its development regulations as necessary to preserve the right-of-way within
an identified US 101 corridor.
6. Alternate local cross-town route improvements should be given a high priority in
capital facility planning.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Transportation Element
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7. The City should coordinate with the State Department of Transportation, Clallam
County, Clallam Transit System, and the Peninsula Regional Transportation
Planning Organization transportation planning efforts. This includes recognition of
US 101 and SR 117, along with connecting roadways of Front, Lincoln, Railroad,
Oak, and First Streets to and from the ferry landings, and along Front Street and
Marine Drive and First Street between US 101 and SR 117, as transportation
facilities of state-wide significance which are declared essential public facilities
under the Growth management Act. Review of potential impacts to these facilities
and LOS standards will be incorporated with future updates to the City’s
Comprehensive Plan, as required by the Act.
8. Traffic circulation to and from the airport and around associated industrial areas
should be improved.
9. The City should encourage and participate in the completion of the traffic
circulation system for west side development.
10. New arterial streets, local access streets, and alleys should be designed and
constructed to conform to the most current editions of the Statewide National
Functional Classification System for Federal Aid Systems, WSDOT, and
Transportation Improvement Board minimum design standards and standards as
adopted by the City. Permeable pavement is preferred for local access streets and
alleys where feasible.
11. Arterial street rights-of-way should be acquired by the City in advance of the time
of development in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan's Circulation Plan
Map.
12. Principal, minor, and collector arterial streets should be located on the edge of
district boundaries wherever possible.
13. Off-street parking should be sufficient and accessible within business and
residential areas to ensure that the traffic flow of the street is not impaired.
14. Road improvements should provide for alternate modes of transportation, and new
roads should be evaluated for the ability to accommodate alternate modes of
transportation.
15. Parking requirements should make allowances for shared parking facilities.
16. The City should assist the public transit system by providing convenient access
between neighborhoods, residential, commercial, and industrial areas and between
major community facilities.
17. Police and fire protection should be a key factor in residential subdivision street
designs and circulation patterns.
18. The development of the City's comprehensive service and facilities plan for streets,
bikeways, pedestrian walkways, and the overall transportation system, and regional
transportation plans should all be consistent. These plans, as adopted and hereafter
amended, are incorporated herein.
19. The City should work with other jurisdictions to identify and protect a right-of-way
for a second street accessing the City from the east.
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20. The City should consider undertaking traffic studies, discussions with Washington
State Department of Transportation, local stakeholders, and businesses to
investigate the potential impacts and benefits of returning the First and Front Street
corridor to two-way traffic on both streets.
21. The City should encourage public and private transportation providers to provide
greater access and opportunities to residents, including Sunday and holiday service.
22. The City should support reduced speed limits on portions of Highway 101 through
the City.
23. The City should include the development of Race Street intersections with Front
and First Streets as architecturally significant National Park gateway in its plans for
improvements to the Race Street corridor.
24. The City should assist public transit providers to develop transportation options for
local residents and tourists that showcase regional attractions without cars.
Objectives
1. Secondary and primary arterials will be designed with an appropriate balance
for moving through traffic and providing local access to uses that front on
these arterials. In commercially zoned areas, policies for consolidating access
and providing for joint access and maintenance of driveways would be
considered.
2. The City will develop a variety of funding techniques available for new
development projects to provide mitigation for transportation impacts
resulting from new development or redevelopment. The funding techniques
could include but are not limited to developer provided right-of-way and
partial improvement to the street along the frontage of their property,
establishing a road development or trip end fee, use of latecomers agreements,
waivers of protest to the formation of Local Improvement Districts and
bonding. The intent would be to match the technique to the development
circumstance in order for the City to fund the transportation improvements
that ensure concurrency. Whichever approaches are taken, they must be
equitable and proportional to the level of impact.
3. The City will develop road improvement design standards, which will include
accommodation for pedestrians and non-motorized transportation. Pedestrian
facilities design will be appropriate for the safety, volume and character of
non-motorized/pedestrian traffic in each neighborhood or district.
4. The City will phase the implementation of the alternate local cross-town route
and cross-town truck route in a west to east progression.
5. The City will prepare a study to evaluate options for easterly access across
Whites and Ennis Creeks in the vicinity of Golf Course Road.
6. The City will consider a variety of traffic management alternatives to increase
the existing street system capacity and implement appropriate options as
feasible. Such alternatives may include:
a. Taking into account nonmotorized use;
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b. Remove parking at controlled intersections to provide auxiliary turn
lanes to increase capacity;
c. Remove parking during selected periods of the day (i.e., noon and
PM peak hour) to create additional through lane capacity;
d. Modify signal timing to respond to seasonal and/or daily peak traffic
periods to favor major flows and expand the number of signals that
are coordinated as part of a system, while assuring enough time for a
handicapped citizen to cross when a signal button is pushed.
7. The City will coordinate with the County, RTPO, and State and Federal
agencies in the study of a possible future US 101 corridor including the Heart
of the Hills Parkway and Coastal Corridor concepts. East of Race Street, the
alternate local cross-town route (along Lauridsen Boulevard) will not be
considered as a future US 101 corridor.
8. The City will plan and implement street improvements designed to provide
multi-modal access to and improve circulation around the south side of the
airport along Edgewood Drive, Lauridsen Boulevard, Airport Road adjacent
to the west side of the airport, and along Milwaukee Drive to Lower Elwha
Road.
9. The City will update the adopted Nonmotorized Transportation Map from
time to time and include specific bicycle routes on the map or on a separate
map.
10. The City will update transportation policies to refocus circulation patterns,
street improvements, essential state highways, truck routing, and traffic
controls throughout the City.
11. The City will facilitate the implementation of City-adopted transportation
plans.
12. The City will seek funding to evaluate and improve West 18th Street,
including the addition of nonmotorized facilities.
13. Selection of new or changed routes from any roads designated as being of
"statewide significance" will be evaluated against the following criteria
located in the 1999 U. S. 101 Port Angeles Alternative Study:
Mobility
Connectivity
Safety
Economic Feasibility
Environmental Impacts
Social Impacts
Business Impacts
Public Acceptance
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VII. UTILITIES AND PUBLIC SERVICES ELEMENT
General Comments
The Utilities and Public Services Element identifies and addresses the various services that make a
community a safe and desirable place to live. It also establishes policies that define which services
are the responsibility of the City to provide and which should be provided by the community as a
whole.
Goals, Policies, and Objectives
Goal
A. To provide or allow the opportunity for services and facilities which enhance the quality of
life for Port Angeles citizens of all ages, characteristics, needs, and interests and to achieve
the desired urban design of the City.
Policies
1. Public facilities should be equitably distributed across the City's planning areas
including designated Urban Growth Areas.
2. Public facilities should contain provisions for citizens with disabilities and should
be constructed according to accepted standards.
3. Social services providing home care should be located in residential neighborhoods
in a manner that maintains the character of the immediate neighborhood.
4. Comprehensive service and facility plans should be consistent with the City's
Comprehensive Plan and should be implemented through applicable land use
approvals and construction permits.
5. The City should plan and seek funding to expand its existing infrastructure, to
ensure economic vitality, and to improve the quality of life in Port Angeles.
6. The City should encourage age-appropriate services for all-age groups, including
youth and seniors.
7. The City should promote access to information by investing in a high quality ICT
(Information Communication Technology).
8. The City should incorporate tribal issues and interests into city projects.
Goal
B. To support services and facilities through different levels of participation in cooperation
with other public or private agencies.
Policies
1. The City should be the "primary responsible agency" and should take the lead in
cooperation with other governmental entities to provide:
Utility and emergency services (water, sewer, electrical, stormwater,
police, fire and emergency medical response services)
Transportation infrastructure, including trails and sidewalks and
Parks and recreation
2. The City should participate as a "financial partner" to support essential programs
and services including:
Youth recreation programs and facilities
Library facilities
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Senior programs
Low and moderate income housing programs
Facilities for senior programs
Utility assistance for low income households and
Social and public health services.
3. As a "supporter," the City should promote and cooperate in providing programs and
services including:
Library programs such as information and assistance
Affordable housing information and referral
Economic and business development services
Tourism information and services
Schools and community learning
Fine arts
Community recreation
Public and private youth, family and senior services
Telecommunications and
Crime prevention programs.
Health Care programs
4. The City should develop and use public facilities cooperatively, in the promotion of
social and community services.
Goal
C. To provide safe, clean, usable, and attractive public facilities which enhance the cultural,
educational, economic, recreational, and environmental attributes of the City.
Policies
1. Industrial diversification should be supported by the development of urban services.
2. The City should place a high priority on installing new utility lines underground
and in the existing rights-of-way to increase safety and reliability, and to improve
neighborhood appearance.
3. Where possible, new utilities should be located in alleys or in the existing right-of-
way.
4. Major parks and large open spaces should provide for a variety of outdoor activities
and be located to take advantage of natural processes (such as wetlands and tidal
actions) and unusual landscape features (such as cliffs and bluffs), and to integrate
stormwater facilities into the natural landscape where feasible (such as LID
techniques and BMPs and stormwater treatment wetlands).
5. The City’s park and recreation system should provide a variety of settings and
activities suitable to people of all ages, characteristics, and interests.
6. The City should place special emphasis on the recreational needs of the youth of the
community, including bicycle safety education programs.
7. The City should encourage more active involvement and communication between
education (professional and student), business, community, art and cultural
communities to help integrate key people into the startup community.
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Objectives
1. When development warrants, the City will coordinate the efforts for a new fire
station to the west with the Port of Port Angeles at Fairchild International
Airport and a new station to the east with Fire District No. 2.
2. The City will develop and implement maintenance programs for all public
facilities under its jurisdiction.
Goal
D. To provide utility services in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Policies
1. Urban services should be designed for the maximum planned density and/or land
use intensity of a given area as designated on the Comprehensive Plan Land Use
Map.
2. The City should provide urban services only in areas that are logical extensions of
areas, which are currently served by such services or needed to implement a
specific goal or policy of the Comprehensive Plan.
3. The City, at its sole discretion, should extend urban services outside the City
without annexation.
4. The City should promote and encourage energy conservation, renewable energy,
distributed energy generation, improved distribution efficiencies, and recycling
efforts throughout the community. The City's own practices should serve as a
model.
5. The City should promote the joint use of transportation rights-of-way and utility
corridors for all forms of transportation, including nonmotorized.
6. The City should promote coordination between road construction and utility
installation.
7. The City should allow for simultaneous processing of all development permits.
8. The City should promote coordination among adjacent planning jurisdictions to
encourage consistency between each jurisdiction's utility plans and standards and
the development of a coordinated process for siting utility facilities.
9. The City should identify lands useful for public purposes, such as utility corridors,
landfills, sewage treatment facilities, transportation (including nonmotorized),
recreation, schools, and other public uses.
10. Planning for utility services should be consistent with the goals and policies of the
Capital Facilities Element.
11. New development should be served by sanitary sewers.
12. The City, at its sole discretion, should provide sanitary sewer service to urban
development, outlying areas within the City limits and in the urban growth areas, to
selected areas of intensive rural development to protect basic public health and
safety, and the environment, and to the area of the Lower Elwha Valley where the
Clallam County Board of Health determines that the rise in the water table from
dam removal will cause on-site septic systems to contaminate the aquifer and create
an unacceptable risk of human disease, while prohibiting service to other areas of
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rural development. No provision of sanitary sewer service to a rural area shall
permit urban development in that or another rural area.
13. Urban services provided in areas outside the City limits and not designated for
future rural land uses on the Comprehensive Land Use Map should be sized for
potential urban growth in those areas, while generally prohibiting service to areas of
rural development.
14. The City should consider the policies adopted in the Water Resources Inventory
Area 18 Watershed Management Plan, including the provision of water supply to
the urban areas in and between the Elwha River and Morse Creek drainage basins.
15. The City should provide infrastructure to all industrial lands to encourage
development.
16. As water and sewer is extended into Urban Growth Areas (UGAs), those hooking
up should be required to sign a no-protest annexation agreement.
17. The City should extend sewer into the eastern Urban Growth Area (UGA).
18. The City should extend sewer into the southwestern Urban Growth Area (UGA).
19. The City should encourage the use of renewable energy in both the private and
public sectors, providing all reasonable support and advocacy at the State level for
regulations and incentives that encourage such installations.
Objectives
1. The City will develop a phased plan for the extension of urban services.
2. The City will institute a program to promote water and energy conservation
techniques in new development.
3. Recycling programs will be used to reduce solid waste disposal.
Goal
E. To provide quality customer service with honesty, integrity and flexibility.
Policies
1. The City should promote efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of
customer service.
2. The City should promote responsibility and fiscal accountability in the provision of
customer service.
3. The City should encourage a positive attitude, trust, initiative, and compassion with
a high standard of professionalism and open communication among its employees
and with the public.
4. The City should respect diversity and foster a safe environment.
5. The City should work in partnership with the community as stewards of the area’s
unique environment and quality of life.
Objectives
1. The City will implement a customer commitment program that promotes
internal and external customer service.
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2. The customer commitment program will include the development of a
citywide statement of values, which should be incorporated in all aspects of
customer service.
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VIII. HOUSING ELEMENT
General Comments
The City recognizes the extreme importance of available clean, safe, and affordable housing in the
community. A housing needs assessment, titled Measuring Housing Needs: A Data Toolkit for
Clallam County, was prepared in 2006 for the Housing Authority of Clallam County. This report
is included with the Comprehensive Plan as Appendix C.
The results of this study and public comments greatly influenced the development of the following
goals and policies, which strive to improve the quality, affordability, and availability of housing
for all segments of the community.
Goals, Policies, and Objectives
Goal
A. To improve the variety, quality, availability, and attainability of housing opportunities in
the City of Port Angeles.
Policies
1. The City should expand the residential land use options in the Zoning Code by
classifying residential zones by allowed density rather than by housing types.
2. Residential uses should be allowed in all non-industrial zones. In situations where a
limited work/live environment is found to be compatible with an underlying
industrial zoning, limited work/live environments may be deemed suitable when the
living space is subordinate in nature to the industrial use component and the
integrity and intent of the industrial zone is maintained.
3. The retention and development of safe and attractive mobile home parks should be
encouraged.
4. The City should develop a program to improve substandard housing in the City of
Port Angeles.
5. The City should plan for sufficient urban services to support future housing in a
variety of allowable densities.
6. Accessory residential units should be allowed in single family residential zones,
upon approval of a Conditional Use Permit.
7. The City should promote acceptance of low and moderate income housing through
public information programs.
8. The City should consider the effect of impact fees on the affordability of housing
prior to establishing such impact fees.
9. In State and Federal publicly assisted housing under current contracts, the City
should require property owners who demolish, substantially rehabilitate, change the
use of residential property, or remove use restrictions developments to provide
relocation assistance to those tenants displaced as provided for in sections 49 and
50 of the Growth Management Act (See RCW 59.18.440 and .450).
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10. The City and the County should work together to increase densities in some areas of
the sparsely developed southwestern UGA along Lauridsen Boulevard from low
density to medium density, consistent with the recently developed airport safety
zones and FAA use recommendations.
11. The City should investigate the appropriate siting of additional land to be
designated medium density and high density.
12. The City should strive to achieve an appropriate balance between attainable market-
rate housing and affordable housing and ensure that affordable housing is provided
in a way that contributes to the physical appearance and economic and social health
of the neighborhoods and the City.
13. The City should encourage the use of Green Building techniques for new
developments and support Green Built certification for new developments.
14. The City should encourage the use of Low Impact Development stormwater
management techniques (such as vegetated roofs, permeable pavement, and
bioretention) for all new developments.
15. The City should allow for mixed-use opportunities in neighborhoods, including
commercial development and mix of housing densities.
16. The City should identify opportunities for housing revitalization in targeted areas
including the downtown core.
17. The City should promote and increase the number of downtown residential living
units.
18. The City should develop strategies to combat homelessness and housing insecurity
amongst residents.
19. The City should develop and implement tools to support a range of housing types
including affordable housing options.
Objectives
1.The City will work to eliminate barriers that prevent the use of innovative
green building techniques while maintaining safety and aesthetic quality in
the building process.
2. The City will continue to work to eliminate barriers that prevent the use of
low impact development techniques and BMPs, such as vegetated roofs,
permeable pavement, and bioretention , while maintain safety and aesthetic
quality in the building process.
Goal
B. To participate with Clallam County and other entities in programs to increase the
availability and affordability of public assisted housing and rental units as well as other
affordable housing opportunities.
Policies
1. The City should participate in a county-wide housing task force comprised of
representatives from government, financial institutions, business, construction, real
estate, non-profit housing entities, and other citizens interested in housing issues. A
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major goal of the task force should be coordinating efforts to provide affordable
housing, encouraging rapid review of low and moderate income housing projects
throughout the County, and promoting public education and awareness regarding
the need for and nature of affordable housing.
2. The City should cooperate with the county-wide housing task force and other
agencies in assembling packages of publicly owned land, which could be used for
low and moderate income housing and for shelter or transitional housing.
3. The City, in cooperation with the County, should promote innovative housing
techniques and should explore creative regulatory programs for the purpose of
creating and preserving existing affordable housing opportunities. Such programs
may include the transfer of development rights into high density receiving zones,
density bonuses for inclusion of affordable housing in residential development
projects, floor area ratios, regulation allowances for guaranteed low and moderate
income housing projects, revisions to the existing planned residential developments
regulations, increased height limits in medium and high density zones, and high
density detached single family residential developments, such as cottage colonies or
housing clusters.
4. The City should invite the Clallam County Housing Authority to participate in a
variety of affordable housing opportunities.
5. The City should seek representation on the Clallam County Housing Authority and
non-profit housing organizations.
6. Adequate low and moderate income housing opportunities should be provided
within the Port Angeles Planning Area.
7. A scattered site housing construction program should be promoted.
8. The City should support affordable housing by developing utility cost savings
programs.
9. The City should help support the provision of transitional and temporary housing
for the homeless and/or displaced families.
10. The City should designate specific medium and high density zones where increased
building height limitations could be increased.
Objectives
1. The City will work with the housing task force to determine that the supply of
land will be sufficient for all housing needs including but not limited to
government-assisted housing, housing for low-income families, manufactured
housing, multifamily housing, group homes, foster-care facilities, and single-
room occupancies (SRO).
2. The City will reference the Clallam County Housing Needs Study and
subsequent analyses that update the information in evaluating the type,
amount, and location of needed housing.
3. The City will identify appropriate areas of the city to convert low density
residential designated areas into medium and high density designated areas to
increase the supply of areas zoned for higher density.
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4. The City will consider revising height limitations in all commercial, medium,
and high density zones to accommodate increased residential densities and
housing attainability.
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IX. CONSERVATION ELEMENT
General Comments
The Conservation Element establishes the importance of quality of life to the people of Port
Angeles. A clean, healthy, and diverse natural environment along with a variety of historical and
cultural amenities are critical elements of a high quality community.
Goals, Policies, and Objectives
Goal
A. To create and maintain a community with a high quality of life where the land is used in a
manner that is compatible with the area's unique physical features, its natural, historical,
archaeological, and cultural amenities, and the overall environment.
Policies
1. The City should require all development, including the location and design of all
structures and open space areas, to be compatible with the unique physical features
and natural amenities of the land and complement the environment in which it is
placed, while recognizing the rights of private ownership.
2. The City should promote compatibility between the land and its use by regulating
the intensity of the land use.
3. The City should adopt development criteria, which promote the use of innovative
design techniques to provide for the use of the land in a manner compatible with
any unique physical features or valuable natural, historical, and/or cultural
amenities.
4. The City should promote and highlight Port Angeles' plentiful natural beauty,
amenities and cultural history.
Objective
1. The City will encourage streetscape improvements to beautify entryway
corridors. Incentives may be developed to encourage private property
participation in such beautification projects.
2. The City will maintain an Archaeological Database that shall include a
waterfront archaeological overlay, an archaeological and historical site
database, and an archaeological predictive model that prescribes areas of high,
medium, and low buried archaeological site potential for property within the
City limits.
Goal
B. To protect and enhance the area's unique physical features, its natural, historical,
archaeological, and cultural amenities, and the overall environment.
Policies
1. The City should further the public interest by protecting and enhancing the area's
unique physical features, valuable natural historical, archaeological, and cultural
amenities, and the overall environment, while recognizing the rights of private
ownership.
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2. The City should maintain and preserve its unique physical features and natural
amenities, such as creeks, streams, lakes, ponds, wetlands, ravines, bluffs,
shorelines, and fish and wildlife habitats.
3. The City should protect and enhance the characteristics of its unique residential
neighborhoods.
4. Building density should decrease as natural constraints increase.
5. The City should establish minimum standards for development of properties, which
contain or adjoin critical areas for the purpose of protecting such areas and
enhancing their natural functions.
6. The City should regulate site design, preparation, and development to avoid or
minimize damage to wetlands and other environmentally sensitive areas.
7. Recognizing the functions and values of wetlands, the City should strive to achieve
no net loss of wetlands.
8. The City should preserve uniquely featured lands, which still exist in their natural
states and which are notable for their aesthetic, scenic, historic, or ecological
features and should prohibit any private or public development, which would
destroy such qualities, or are subject to damage from climatic change, while
recognizing the rights of private ownership.
9. The City should promote public access to the shoreline, while preserving a healthy
shoreline environment.
10. The City should enhance and preserve the quality of its air and water as two of its
unique physical features.
11. The City should protect its air and water quality by minimizing potential new
pollution from new and existing sources including climatic change impacts.
12. The City should develop and implement a plan to improve water quality, which
includes measures to reduce and minimize stormwater pollutants and combined
sewer overflow pollutant discharges.
13. The City should use regionally consistent requirements for industrial and
commercial sewer discharge pretreatment and require new indirect dischargers to
locate where appropriate sewer service can be made available.
14. The City should maintain and enhance the quality of water resources through the
regulation of clearing, grading, dumping, discharging, and draining and the
provision of flood and erosion control measures and regulations to protect wetlands
and other environmentally sensitive areas.
15. Through the retention of existing vegetation, the City should protect water quality
and prevent erosion.
16. The City should designate open space areas to preserve major or unique physical
features, to serve as natural greenbelts and wildlife corridors, and to establish an
urban edge to the PAUGA.
17. The City should identify and preserve significant public scenic view corridors.
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18. The City should encourage identification, preservation, and restoration of sites and
structures that have historical or cultural significance.
19. The City should give precedence to long-term environmental impacts and benefits
over short-term environmental impacts and benefits.
20. The City should promote and utilize environment enhancing conservation practices.
Those practices may include waste reduction, use of energy efficient and
conserving materials, and energy conservation techniques and should also
encourage the development and use of alternative forms of energy and
transportation.
21. The City should coordinate its environmental regulations with County, State, and
Federal regulations to simplify the permitting process and to reduce associated costs
to the land user.
22. The City should reference the 2004 Washington State Citations of Recommended
Sources of Best Available Science for Designating and Protecting Critical Areas (as
currently adopted) and other research identified as more locally appropriate and
applicable (when it is available) as Best Available Science in the Critical Areas
Ordinance.
23. The City should avoid adverse impacts to archaeological sites by following and
requiring best management practices for archaeological preservation.
24. The City should publicly recognize the many values provided by trees in an urban
setting, identify opportunities to plant trees, and establish a tree management plan.
25. The city should implement an urban tree management program intended to retain
and/or restore the overall tree canopy in the city by using plant materials as a
unifying element and tool to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public,
using the environmental services provided by trees to mitigate the negative effects
of impervious surfaces and vehicular traffic such as increased temperatures,
airborne particulates, carbon dioxide, nose, and stormwater runoff.
26. Trees should be planted along residential streets, in parking lots, and in other areas
as opportunities arise. Trees should be retained whenever possible and maintained
using Best Management Practices as appropriate for each tree type.
27. The City should seek strategies and technologies which reduce greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions by city facilities and operations.
28. The City should promote the use of alternative energy, energy conservation
technology, and smart energy grid.
29. The City should review all new development for impacts on climate change and
adaptation to sea level rise.
Objectives
1. The City will work closely with State agencies on further development of
regulations and coordinated enforcement of air quality standards.
2. The City will adopt and enforce adequate regulations designed to maintain and
enhance water quality.
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3. The City will identify and implement site-specific requirements for individual
development proposals to mitigate any negative impacts created by the
development, particularly to an area identified as an environmentally sensitive
area.
4. The City will adopt and enforce regulations, which require all new
development to provide appropriate dispersion, infiltration, and/or stormwater
retention/detention facilities necessary to protect water quality and provide
flood protection and flow control.
5. The City will complete an inventory and identification of areas identified as
Habitats of Local Importance to assure that important habitat connections are
not severed.
6. The City will complete an inventory and identification of wetlands.
7. The City will complete an inventory and identification of lands that could be
subject to impacts from climate change.
8. The City will encourage clustering of residential development where necessary
to protect environmentally sensitive areas, or to avoid hazardous areas,
including those subject to climate change impacts or to preserve open space
areas.
9. The City will develop a stormwater management plan consistent with the
NPDES Phase II permit and will update the plan on a regular basis.
10. The City will develop guidelines to evaluate new development that occurs near
scenic resources.
11. The City will establish regulations that allow the preservation of identified
historically significant buildings/sites.
12. The City will participate in various watershed planning and salmon recovery
efforts. The City will incorporate appropriate measures for the protection of
habitat for listed or threatened species under the Federal Endangered Species
Act when providing public services and administering land use and
development regulations.
13. The City will incorporate the North Olympic Resource Conservation &
Development Report, Climate Change Preparedness Plan for the North
Olympic Peninsula, September 2015, as best available science to its
development regulations.
14. City staff will use the Archaeological Database to implement archaeological
conditions for permits with ground disturbing components based upon the
corresponding archaeological probability rating, the nearness of previously
recorded archaeological or historical sites, and presence of the project within
or outside of the archaeological overlay.
15. The City will create a tree management program that will meet the
requirements to maintain the 'Tree City USA' status for the city of Port
Angeles.
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16. The City will promote tree conservation by establishing a desired minimum
city-wide tree density requirement. Tree density requirements will be met
primarily through the conservation of existing trees, replacing trees that are
removed and requiring tree to be include in development projects.
17. The City will create and follow an urban forest management plan in order to
establish a healthy and sustainable urban forest.
Goal
C. To promote community awareness of the importance of environmental, historical and
cultural amenities, the responsible use of such resources, and the use of the land with
minimal impact on its unique physical features, its natural, historical and cultural
amenities, and the overall environment.
Policies
1. The City should inform the public concerning the long-term benefits of protecting
and improving the quality of the region's air, land, and water.
2. The City should encourage the development and implementation of environmental,
historical, and cultural awareness programs which focus on local and regional
issues, including climate change impacts and preparedness.
Goal
D. To preserve and enhance the City's shoreline, its natural landscape, and flora and fauna and
to minimize conflicts with present and planned uses in a manner consistent with the State
Shoreline Management Act and the City's Shoreline Master Program.
Policies
1. Shoreline areas should be preserved for future generations by restricting or
prohibiting development that would interfere with the shoreline ecology or
irretrievably damage shoreline resources.
2. Where possible, riparian vegetation in shoreline areas and on tributary streams,
which affect shoreline resources, should be maintained and restored.
3. Where possible, techniques to rehabilitate degraded shorelines for the purpose of
shoreline stabilization and habitat enhancement should be employed.
4. Where possible, aquatic habitats including shellfish habitat, and important marine
vegetation should be preserved and protected.
5. Development patterns and densities on lands adjacent to shorelines should be
compatible with shoreline uses and resources and reinforce the policies of the
Shoreline Management Act and the City's Shoreline Master Program.
6. Where possible, urban service facilities located in shoreline areas should utilize
common utility corridors.
7. Adequate shoreline area for water-oriented commercial and industrial development
should be designated based on the Land Use Element.
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8. Shoreline uses and activities should be located to avoid environmentally sensitive
and ecologically valuable areas and to insure the preservation and protection of
shoreline natural areas and resources.
9. Where possible, utility facilities and rights-of-way should be located outside of the
shoreline area.
10. Shoreline ecology and resources should be protected when locating utilities in
shoreline areas.
Objective
1. The City will update its Shoreline Master Program consistent with the
Comprehensive Plan, the Shoreline Management Act, and the Growth
Management Act by 2024.
2. City Staff will consult the Archaeological Database for all Shoreline Permit-
able activities and use the information housed in the database to create
appropriate conditions or mitigations to identify, protect, and preserve
archaeological sites and culturally sensitive areas.
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X. CAPITAL FACILITIES ELEMENT
General Comments
The Capital Facilities Element consists of two parts. The first part is the listing of goals and
policies regarding the City's provision of urban services and its planning of capital improvements.
The second part is the Annual Capital Facilities Plan which is adopted separately from the
Comprehensive Plan but is included as part of the Plan as an attachment.
The Comprehensive Plan defines urban services in its definition section, which includes a listing
of the following services and facilities, which should be available in an urban environment:
Surface transportation facilities;
Water facilities;
Sewer facilities;
Stormwater facilities;
Solid waste facilities;
Parks and recreational facilities;
Emergency services (police, fire and medical response);
Public service buildings;
Public schools facilities; and
Regional facilities (libraries, corrections, and mass transit).
The following goals and policies provide guidance on how these services and facilities should be
provided. This includes the establishment of minimum levels of service standards for each service.
The policies also call for the development of individual comprehensive service and facility plans
which take an in-depth look at the current status of each service and the projected future demand
for each service and which include a financial feasibility analysis on the costs of providing each
service.
The Capital Facilities Plan is a six-year plan, which establishes how, where, and when the City
will develop the facilities necessary to provide its various services.
Goals, Policies, and Objectives
Goal
A. To provide and maintain safe and financially feasible urban services and capital facilities at
or above stated levels of service to all City residents and the general public.
Policies
1. The Comprehensive Plan should establish general level of service standards for
each urban utility and service. Such standards should be used to determine the
impacts of development.
2. The City should, at a minimum, ensure the continuation of established level of
service standards for all urban utilities and services to the extent and in the manner
provided herein.
3. The City should develop individual comprehensive service and facility plans for the
following capital facilities and/or services:
Transportation, including streets, and nonmotorized (bikeways and
pedestrian walkways),
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Water system,
Sanitary sewer system,
Electrical system,
Parks and recreation services, and
Emergency services (police, fire, and medical response).
4. The City should co-operate with the appropriate private and/or public agencies to
develop individual comprehensive service and facility plans for each of the
following utilities and/or services:
Telecommunications,
Schools,
Transportation (air, marine and public transit), and
Solid waste collection and disposal.
5. Comprehensive service and facility plans should be consistent with the general
level of service standards established in the Comprehensive Plan and should
establish detailed level of service standards which, at a minimum, meet all local,
state and federal health and safety requirements. Each plan may also establish
desired level of service standards and should include an inventory of current
facilities, measurements of current and future service capacities, the determination
of future service and facility improvements necessary to serve the twenty-year
vision of the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map, and a financial feasibility
analysis.
6. The comprehensive service and facility plan for streets and nonmotorized facilities
(bikeways, trails, and pedestrian walkways) should include specific actions and
requirements for bringing into compliance any street facilities that fall below the
required level of service, including demand management strategies which
encourage reduced reliance on single occupant vehicle trips and encourage use of
alternate modes of transportation such as the bicycles, walkways, and transit riding
with incentive programs for and from local businesses.
7. The comprehensive service and facilities plan for streets, bikeways, and pedestrian
walkways should include a future US 101 corridor to meet long-term local and
regional transportation needs.
8. Each comprehensive service and facility plan should be consistent with the
Comprehensive Plan, the County-Wide Planning Policy, and the State Growth
Management Act.
9. The City should require concurrency at the time of development for the following
utilities and services:
Paved streets, curbs, and sidewalks
Water service,
Sanitary sewer service,
Electrical service,
Solid waste collection,
Stormwater management,
Telecommunications services, and
Emergency services (police, fire and emergency medical response).
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Capital Facilities Element
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10. The City should require the following services and facilities within six years from
the time of development:
Parks and recreation services and facilities, and
Transit system.
11. The City should adopt an annual Capital Facilities Plan consistent with the
Comprehensive Plan and State Growth Management Act. The Capital Facilities
Plan's financing schedule may be corrected, updated, or modified without being
considered as an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan, following a public hearing
before the City Council.
12. If projected funding fails for a capital project listed as funded in the City's approved
Capital Facilities Plan and development permits have been issued reliant upon that
capital project for concurrency, the City should take necessary actions to minimize
further degradation of the impacted service or facility. This may include one or any
combination of the following actions:
Reduce the level of service standard
Increase funding by increasing revenues
Reduce demand by revising the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map and/or
Zoning Map
Reduce demand by reducing consumption (i.e., conservation).
13. Where existing capital facilities are deficient, the City should remove obstacles to
economic development in an area with City participation through a New
Improvements for Community Enhancement (N.I.C.E.) Neighborhoods Program.
14. The City should adopt a Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Plan consistent with
the Comprehensive Plan and the Growth Management Act as an Element of the
Comprehensive Plan.
15. The City should require sidewalks be included in all development and
redevelopment proposals where sidewalks do not exist at the time of application for
development. Permeable materials are preferred for sidewalk construction where
feasible.
16. The City should develop and implement an Urban Forestry Program to properly
manage street trees, park trees, and forested environmentally sensitive areas located
within the City.
17. The City should create a unified, coherent design element for signage, street
lighting, traffic control devices, and similar structures to be used throughout the
City and specifically in the downtown area as a method for improved way finding
and place identification for visitors and residents alike.
18. The City should consider climatic change impacts and adaptation strategies in
planning and designing capital facilities.
19. The City should improve aesthetics of the community by removing abandoned
infrastructure.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Capital Facilities Element
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Objectives
1. The Capital Facilities Plan will be updated on an annual basis and should
implement the goals, policies, and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan.
2. The City will develop a schedule for preparation and adoption of each
required comprehensive service and facilities plan.
3. The City will study the development of a seasonal or permanent ice skating
rink facility.
4. The City will establish a review process with a more comprehensive analysis
of Capital Facilities Plan projects to address new mandates for environmental
protection such as the Endangered Species Act, climate change adaption
extension of urban services into the Urban Growth Area and new residential
areas within the City, and preservation and maintenance of service levels
impacted by changes such as the Elwha Dam removal, landfill closure, and
aging facilities.
5. The City will revise its Urban Services and Guidelines manual to include
sidewalks on both sides of all streets where sidewalks do not exist as a
standard requirement of all development and redevelopment projects.
6. The City will require the use of permeable paving materials for all sidewalks
where feasible.
7. The City will prepare a climate action plan in order to comply with RCW
70.235.070.
Goal
B. To provide urban streets and utilities at minimum levels of service for all city residents and
the general public.
Policies
1. All arterial streets shall function at an average daily Level of Service (LOS) of D or
better.
2. Development on all arterial streets and any other streets identified as school
walking routes should include pedestrian sidewalks on both sides of the street.
3. The City shall not approve any development that is not served with water service at
or greater than the following level of service standards at the time of development:
Single family units: 2 gallons per minute @ 30 psi
- (fire - 1000 gallons per minute @ 20 psi for single family residential >3,600
square feet.)
- (Fire - 500 gallons per minute @ 20 psi for single family residential 3,600
square feet.)
Multi-family units: 1 gallon per minute @ 30 psi
- (fire per Uniform Fire Code)
Commercial: per Uniform Fire Code
Industrial: per Uniform Fire Code
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Capital Facilities Element
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4. The City shall not approve any development that is not served with sewer service at
or greater than a level of service standard of 300 gallons per day per person at the
time of development.
5. The City shall not approve any development that is not served with electrical
service at or greater than a level of service standard of 118 volts (120 volt base) at
the time of development.
6. The City should not approve any development that increases a site's post-
development stormwater run-off beyond that allowed by the Department of Ecology
Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW 2014) as
adopted by the City.
7. The City should not approve any development that cannot be served with
telecommunications service at or greater than the following level of service
standards at the time of development:
Telephone
Residential: 1 service per unit
Commercial: 1 service per business
Industrial: 1 service per business
Cable Television
Residential: 1 service per unit
Commercial: 0 service per business
Industrial: 0 service per business
11. Highways of Statewide Significance (HSS) should function at Level of Service
(LOS) D or better, consistent with the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP).
12. The City should develop a Capital Facilities Plan list, with public input, for
prioritizing pedestrian walkway needs.
13. The City should seek funding to increase the provision of sidewalks in already
developed areas where sidewalks do not occur.
Objective
1. The City will update design standards for street, water, sewer, and stormwater
facilities from time to time.
Goal
C. To provide urban services at minimum levels of service for all city residents and the
general public.
Policies
1. The Port Angeles School District should develop a capital facilities plan, which the
City will consider for inclusion in the Comprehensive Plan. The capital facilities
plan should contain at least a six-year plan for public financing of such facilities as
may be necessary to provide adequate public schools at or greater than the
following level of service standards in order to meet anticipated increases in student
enrollment, which may be anticipated based on the School District's projected
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Capital Facilities Element
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enrollment figures and residential growth as provided for in the Land Use Element
of the Comprehensive Plan:
High School: 125 square feet of permanent, appropriate educational
space per student,
Middle School: 104 square feet of permanent, appropriate educational
space per student, and
Elementary School: 100 square feet of permanent, appropriate educational
space per student.
If capacity is inadequate to house students at the established level of service
standards (LOS) and adequate school funding is not available, then the demand for
new facilities will be reduced (e.g. through year round use of schools or by
matching grade and enrollment to facility capacities) or the level of service
standards will be reduced to keep both schools and housing development affordable
to the majority of Port Angeles School District residents. Imposition of Growth
Management Act impact fees on or denial of new development will not be used as a
measure to prevent further degradation of school services, unless the reduced level
of service standards are deemed unacceptable to Port Angeles School District No.
121, Clallam County, and the City of Port Angeles.
2. The City should not approve any development that will not be served with adequate
transit service as determined in the comprehensive service and facilities plan for
transportation within six years from the time of development.
3. The City should not approve any development that will not be served at or greater
than a citywide level of service standard of 10 acres of parks per 1,000 population
within six years from the time of development.
4. The City should not approve any development that will not be served at or less than
the following level of service standards at the time of development.
Police: 677 persons per one officer
Fire: 4 minute response time or residential sprinkler system
installation
5. The City should not approve any development that will not be served with solid
waste collection service at or less than a city-wide level of service standard of 400
pick-up accounts per 1000 population within six years from the time of
development.
6. The City should participate with the County in the development, maintenance, and
implementation of a regional solid waste plan, which addresses collection, disposal,
and recycling of solid waste.
7. The City should consider the cumulative effect of development on the City's need
for adequate public service buildings.
8. The City should consider projected climatic change impacts and adaptation
strategies to determine whether adequate services can be provided into the future,
prior to approving any development.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Capital Facilities Element
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9. The City should prioritize and support public education and Peninsula College,
including initiatives for rebuilding schools.
Goal
D. To participate with the County, State, and Federal governments as well as other public
agencies to provide adequate regional public services.
Policies
1. The City should cooperate with the County and the community's health care
providers to ensure quality health care facilities within the City that serve the region
as a whole.
2. The City should cooperate with the County in planning regional library facilities
within the City.
3. The City should cooperate with the County in planning for adequate correctional
facilities.
4. Essential public facilities of a county-wide or statewide nature must meet existing
state laws and regulations requiring specific siting and permit requirements
consistent with the City's Comprehensive Plan.
Goal
E. To reduce the amount of impervious surface created by new developments and thereby
reduce stormwater management costs and environmental impacts to the City and its natural
resources, reduce development costs to private property owners, and provide safe and more
attractive streets through traffic calming, safe pedestrian amenities, and improved street
edge landscaping.
Policy
1. The City should further revise its existing urban development standards in low density
residential areas to include low impact development standards for street, pedestrian
and nonmotorized access, sewer, and fire suppression to more nearly reflect the needs
of suburban densities and conditions in outlying undeveloped areas of the City and
PAUGA.
2. The City should invest in Green Infrastructure, Low Impact Development (LID), and
similar technologies to maintain and enhance environmental quality.
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XI. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ELEMENT
General Comments
The intent of the Economic Development Element is to benefit the community through the
diversification and strengthening of the local economy. The following policies address a variety of
subjects, some stand on their own, while others require coordination with other elements of the
Comprehensive Plan.
Goals, Policies, and Objectives
Goal
A. To create and maintain a balanced and stable local economy with full employment and
emphasis on strengthening the community's traditional natural resource related industries
as well as diversifying the overall economic base.
Policies
1. The City of Port Angeles should remain a major economic center on the North
Olympic Peninsula, meeting regional and local needs.
2. The City should promote the retention of employment in all sectors of the local
economy.
3. The City should promote long-term economic stability by encouraging businesses
and industries to invest in modernization and environmentally sound technology.
4. The City should promote the diversification of the community's economic base by
encouraging the location, retention, and expansion of local businesses.
5. The City should promote the location, retention, and expansion of small and
medium sized businesses, which access their markets and suppliers through
telecommunications and available shipping and transit.
6. The City should promote in the traditional downtown retail, dining, arts, culture,
and entertainment oriented activities that are attractive to both tourists and local
residents.
7. The City should develop sufficient utilities, improve traffic circulation, and identify
environmental constraints in the airport industrial area in cooperation with other
governmental agencies.
8. The City should encourage training and educational opportunities, which strengthen
and increase the variety of skills available in the work force.
9. The City should promote the motivation and availability of the community's work
force as a major economic development strength.
10. The City should encourage inter-jurisdictional discussion and cooperation with
other governmental agencies to foster the economic development of the region.
11. The City should work with other community organizations in developing an
effective business assistance program directed toward the commercial business
owner.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Economic Development Element
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12. The City should recognize the economic importance to the community in the
redevelopment of the Rayonier Mill site and take an active role in assisting property
owners to clean up the site to attract the interest of many potential investors.
13. The City should pursue a management agreement with Clallam County as a first
step to a partnership for developing the UGA.
14. The City should support continued development of a strong marine related industry
in the Port Angeles Harbor.
15. The City should promote the sustainability of the existing art and culture industry
encouraging community participation and involvement. Enhancement of the
creative economy contributes to the overall health of the community.
16. The City should encourage businesses with low carbon footprints,
17. The City should consider projected climatic change impacts and adaptation
strategies when encouraging new businesses to establish in Port Angeles.
18. The City should develop and economy which provides opportunities for Port
Angeles' vulnerable and at-risk community members.
19. The City should identify bureaucratic obstacles and work to expedite economic
development.
20. The City should seek to increase Port Angeles' military presence.
21. The City should invest in training and education for local residents, by providing
access to state-of-the-art technology and training opportunities.
22. The City should encourage and incentivize youth entrepreneurship as well as jobs
and businesses that attract young families.
23. The City should attract and retain businesses and industries which create family
wage jobs for local residents.
24. The City should provide opportunities for civic cooperation. Coordinate with local
non-profit and community service organizations to support economic development.
25. The City should prioritize the airport as major economic asset and identify specific
incentives to attract commercial services.
26. The City should promote and incentivize local business.
27. The City should support non-profits and associations which enhance local economic
development.
28. The City should establish a City Ombudsman to help people and businesses handle
complaints, understand and navigate through regulations, and apply for help in
coordinating permits and waivers for events, festivals, etc.
29. The City should establish an authority for community events, meetings, trade
shows, festivals, etc. to encourage and support them, help find venues, cut through
red tape, coordinate volunteer efforts, and publicize them.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Economic Development Element
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30. The City should encourage the location and support for adequate venues for
community meetings, shows, music art, hobby and user groups, and professional
and business meetings.
31. The City should support the location of low-cost places where people (especially
young people) can congregate and talk, and ensure that these have up-to-date
communication facilities.
32. The City should recognize art, architecture, music, and performance as important
community resources and continue to encourage and support cultural activities.
33. The City should support decorating public spaces with more art from the
community.
34. The City should encourage the design of public spaces that encourage people to
interact.
35. The City should support the concept and encourage the establishment of Maker's
Spaces. (See definition) Public spaces where people make things and collaborate
on projects. Spaces are usually equipped with tools, 3D printers, computers, design
software, art and craft tools and supplies.
Objective
1. The City will work with the Port of Port Angeles, Clallam County, and the
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe (LEKT) to study the future of the William R.
Fairchild International Airport, update the Airport Master Plan, and
accommodate the Terminal Relocation Plan.
2. The City will encourage the Port of Port Angeles to work with the City,
Clallam County, and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe (LEKT) to resolve
issues regarding the existence of trees in Lincoln Park that affect the flight
path for landing at William Fairchild International Airport.
3. The City will encourage activities and events that promote arts and culture
educational awareness and commerce.
Goal
B. To have a healthy local economy that co-exists with the community's high quality of life
through the protection, enhancement, and use of the community's natural, historical, and
cultural amenities.
Policies
1. The City should promote the region's high quality environment and available
natural and cultural resources as factors in attracting and retaining business,
industry, and individual enterprises.
2. The City should promote the community's quality public school system and its
diversity of other educational opportunities as factors in attracting and retaining
business and industry.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Economic Development Element
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3. The City should encourage the enhancement of the existing two-year community
college through such means as the expansion of its technical curriculum and
additional four year degree opportunities.
4. The City should promote development of planned office, business, and industrial
parks, while conserving unique physical features of the land and maintaining
compatibility with other land uses in the surrounding area.
5. The City should encourage the availability of housing that meets the needs of the
entire spectrum of the community's residents.
6. The City should recognize, preserve and promote its historic and cultural properties
as a measure of its quality of life.
7. The City should support landscaping and detailing of the streetscape at the City’s
east and west entries.
8. The City should utilize the Climatic Change Preparedness Plan in attracting
businesses, to demonstrate a proactive approach to climatic change in the area.
Objective
1. The City will encourage streetscape improvements to beautify entryway
corridors. Outreach and educational materials may be developed to encourage
private property participation in such beautification projects.
2. The City will identify specific standards for street and parking lot tree
plantings and other landscaping requirements. The City will emphasize use of
appropriate vegetation in planter strips and bioretention facilities.
Goal
C. To create and promote a strong tourism industry for Port Angeles, as well as to recognize
and support existing and prospective tourism attractions.
Policies
1. The City should support improved access to the Olympic National Park, particularly
to Hurricane Ridge.
2. The City should work to enhance the public use of Ediz Hook.
3. The City should take a leading role in enhancing visitors' first impression of the
community by maintaining and upgrading the City’s public facilities, green
infrastructure, and strengthen the nuisance abatement program.
4. The City should support development of an electric vehicle (EV) charging station
network and EV maintenance facilities around the Olympic Peninsula.
5. The City should support tourism and recreation activities which highlights Port
Angeles' natural, cultural and historical amenities.
Goal
D. To strengthen and enhance the restoration and reinvigoration of our downtown historic
buildings, infrastructure improvements, and beautification projects.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Economic Development Element
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1. The City should consider best available science on sea level rise and recommended
mitigation and adaptation strategies in the development of downtown.
2. The City should encourage and pursue economic development with positive
environmental consequences. Identify and attract non-polluting industries and eco-
friendly business.
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XII. PARKS AND RECREATION ELEMENT
General Comments
The intent of the Park Element is to provide a framework and guide for the development and
management of City parks in Port Angeles. The following policies address a variety of
subjects, some stand on their own, while others require coordination with other elements of the
Comprehensive Plan.
The Parks and Recreation Element of the City's Comprehensive Plan was developed as an
outgrowth of the Comprehensive Park, Open Space, and Recreation Plan created in 2003 by
City park staff and incorporated into the City's Comprehensive Plan in 2007.
Goals, Policies, and Objectives
Goal
A. To acquire, develop, renovate and maintain a system of parks, recreational facilities, and
open spaces to ensure that the contributions of natural resources and recreation to human
well-being are maintained and recognized as a value.
Policies
1. The City of Port Angeles should provide its citizens with a diversity of open
spaces, parks, and recreation facilities and programs appropriately distributed
throughout the City.
2. The City should strive to ensure that equality is achieved to the extent possible in
the types and variety of facilities, quality of maintenance, and the range of
recreation services provided.
3. The City should strive to retain and reflect the natural beauty that attracts
visitors, business, and residents to the area.
4. The City should continue to forge effective partnerships and strengthen its ties
with other public, private, and non-profit providers.
5. The City should identify waterfront improvements to increase marine
transportation and recreation.
6. The City should identify appropriate locations for small (pocket) parks,
community gardens and food forests throughout the community and integrate
them into its Parks system.
7. The City should investigate acquisition of the Rayonier property at Harbor Crest
cul-de-sac as park to serve as pedestrian access to waterfront trail.
Objective
1. The City will develop a parks impact fee to aid in funding the acquisition
and development of new park lands in areas where new development
creates a need for additional park facilities.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Parks and Recreation Element
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Goal
B. To enhance the quality of life in the community by providing facilities, services, and
programs that offer positive opportunities for building healthy, safe, and productive
lives.
Policies
2. The City should provide consistently high quality recreational experiences to
residents and visitors through a wide variety of park types and features.
3. The City should strive for excellence through efficient, accurate, and skillful
performance in every process, service and product delivered by the Parks and
Recreation providers.
4. The City should keep citizens involved and informed about parks and recreation
issues and services.
5. The City should manage park facilities in a manner that will ensure public safety,
keep the parks free of misuse to the greatest extent possible and result in a
sustainable and resilient park system.
6. The City should not approve any development that will not be served at or
greater than a citywide level of service standard of 10 acres of parks per 1,000
population within six years from the time of development.
7. The City should incorporate health and nutrition into parks and recreation
programming.
8. The City should enhance its parks and recreation system’s safety, variety and
accessibility, and identify family friendly features and amenities.
Objective
1. The City will provide adequate means of support for the delivery of high
quality park and recreation services and products.
2. The City will provide a responsive, effective and high quality parks system
and recreational programs through community participation and
involvement in park facility and recreation programs to reflect community
needs.
3. The City will provide appropriate signage and follow best practices in
landscaping and design to provide adequate visibility for park users.
4. The City will provide programs relative to park and recreation uses such as
swimming lessons and boating safety lessons to enhance user safety.
5. The City will provide programs and opportunities that are sensitive to the
needs of all of its citizens, including those with limited financial resources,
disadvantaged youth, the elderly, the disabled, and those with other special
needs.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Park and Recreation Element
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6. The City will provide programs relative to park and recreation uses to
encourage increased physical activity.
Goal
C. To establish and protect a visual character of the community through open spaces,
streetscapes, borrowed landscapes, and publicly-owned natural resource areas.
Policies
1. The City should strive to protect and retain the natural beauty of the area.
2. The City should supplement and enhance the visual attractiveness of the city
through the use of formal landscaping in street medians, city entryways, and
along sidewalks, as well as the use of other public spaces, flower beds, and street
trees. The City will emphasize use of planter strips with drought tolerant
vegetation and bioretention facilities.
Objective
1. The City will develop a landscape ordinance to provide for enhanced
street tree management, parking lot screening, and stormwater
management.
Goal
D. To provide a sustainable park system that meets the needs of the broadest segment of the
population as possible by managing the city's available fiscal resources in a responsible
manner.
Policies
1. The City should provide high quality services, emphasize the design of park
areas to reduce long-term maintenance and operating costs, and implement
improved technology to conserve limited resources such as water, power and
people.
Objective
1. The City will use modern equipment and utilize staff effectively and
properly plan maintenance activities.
2. The City will encourage the installation of LID BMPs in parks, including
bioretention facilities and permeable pavement trails. Installation of LID
BMPs in parks will include an element of public education (i.e., signage).
Goal
E. To promote economic growth through recreational tourism, and attract visitors and new
business by enhancing the image of the community through beautification and recreation
programs.
Policies
1. The City should continue to provide or participate with private sponsors to
provide high quality recreational opportunities.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Park and Recreation Element
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2. To encourage efficient transportation systems, the City should support the use of
shuttle services during events to move participants between venues.
Objective
1. The city will promote programs that encourage visitation and
participation from persons outside of Port Angeles to help off-set
program costs.
2. The City will work with the Port of Port Angeles, Clallam County, and
the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe (LEKT) to resolve issues regarding the
existence of trees in Lincoln Park that affect the flight path for landing at
William Fairchild International Airport.
Goal
F. To provide a system of walking trails and bicycle paths to complement and coordinate
with the existing street system and provide recreational opportunities and physical
activity while reducing the dependence on traditional automobile transportation.
Policies
1. The City should continue to participate as a partner in the extension of the
Olympic Discovery Trail through the City to the western City limits.
2. The City should continue efforts to improve or provide access to Valley,
Tumwater, Peabody, Ennis and White's Creeks through the development of an
integrated trails system.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Park and Recreation Element
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Comprehensive Plan Goals, Policies and
Objectives that have been completed since the last
(2004) major update.
Land Use Element
Goal A
Policy 3. The City should work with the County to develop an annexation plan which allows the
annexation of land characterized by urban development and which is consistent with the
extension of services and the land development policies of the City's Comprehensive
Plan and Capital Facilities Plan.
Goal C
Objectives
1. The City will develop a Residential, Single Family (RS-11) zone with minimum 11,000
square foot lots.
Goal D
Objective
2. The City will develop a Commercial Regional (CR) zone to allow and encourage land
intensive commercial uses (e.g. large regional shopping centers or “big box” stores),
where sufficient vacant, buildable, commercial designated land and adequate
transportation facilities exist.
Goal F
Objective
1. The City will assist the Chamber of Commerce and the Port Angeles Downtown
Association in developing heritage tourism and the Downtown underground.
2. The City will assist the Chamber of Commerce and the Port Angeles Downtown
Association in developing a waterfront promenade along the Downtown waterfront.
4. The City will consider various parking options to mitigate parking impacts from the
Gateway Project and other Downtown projects.
Goal G
Objective
3. The City will develop an industrial marine (IM) zone for shoreline uses similar to the
upland industrial park (IP) zone, which allows for mixed commercial and industrial uses.
4. The City will establish a Harbor Study committee comprised of private and public
stakeholders in harbor uses and activities to review and revise the Harbor Resource
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Page 117
Management Plan, considering changes that have occurred since its adoption and visions
that now seem possible.
5. The City will incorporate wording in the zoning code which establishes opportunities for
limited work/live environments consistent with industrial zoning.
Utilities and Public Services Element
Goal D
Objective
6. The City is mandated to close the Port Angeles landfill and will establish a solid waste
transfer station at the landfill site per the Public Works and Utilities Department plan.
7. In conjunction with the National Park Service’s Elwha Dam Removal Project the City will
support the extension of sanitary sewer service to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal
Reservation and to the area of the Lower Elwha Valley outside the Reservation where the
Clallam County Board of Health determines that the rise in the water table from dam
removal will cause on-site septic systems to contaminate the shallow aquifer and create an
unacceptable risk of human disease, and the City also may support extension of sanitary
sewer service to selected areas of intensive rural development, to protect basic public
health and safety, and the environment.
Conservation Element
Goal D
Objective
8. The City will update its 1995 Shoreline Master Program consistent with the
Comprehensive Plan, the Shoreline Management Act, and the Growth Management Act
by 2011.
Economic Development Element
Goal A
Objective
9. The City will work in cooperation with other stakeholders to update the Harbor Resource
Management Plan in 2005.
Goal C
Objective
10. The City will support the creation of a skateboard/wheels park in Erickson Park.
The City of Port Angeles Comprehensive Plan Page 118
EXHIBIT C
CPA 16-01
SUMMARY OF COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENTS
DEFINITIONS SECTIONS
AMENDED DEFINITIONS
Best Available Science: that scientific information applicable to the critical area
prepared by local, state or federal natural resource agencies, a qualified
scientific professional or team of qualified scientific professionals, that is
consistent with criteria established in WAC 365-195-900 through WAC 365-195-
925
Best Management Practices: conservation practices or systems of practices and management
measures that:
Control soil loss and reduce water quality degradation caused by high concentrations of
nutrients, animal waste, toxics, and sediment;
Minimize adverse impacts to surface water and ground water flow, circulation patterns,
and to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of wetlands;
Protect trees and vegetation designated to be retained during and following site
construction; and
Provide standards for proper use of chemical herbicides within critical areas.
methods or techniques found to be the most effective and practical means in achieving an
objective (such as preventing or minimizing pollution) while making the optimum use of
available resources.
Urban Growth Area: those areas designated by the County to accept future urban population
densities with the intent of future annexation into the city pursuant to RCW 36.70A
Work/live space: a living arrangement where the residential use and living area is subordinate in
size and use to the work space.
ADDED NEW DEFINITIONS:
Bioretention BMP: Engineered facilities that store and treat stormwater by passing it through a
specified soil profile, and either retain or detain the treated stormwater for flow
attenuation. Refer to Chapter 7 of Volume V of the Department of Ecology's
SWMMWW (2014) for Bioretention BMP types and design specifications.
Climatic Change: A change in global or regional climate patterns, especially a change due to an
increase in the average atmospheric temperature. Climatic change may be attributed
largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of
fossil fuels, but may also result from natural events such as volcanic eruption or earth
quake.
Environmentally Sensitive/Critical Areas: Environmentally Sensitive Areas means any of the
following areas and their associated buffers:
Aquifer recharge areas
Streams or Stream corridors
Frequently flooded areas
Geologically hazardous areas:
o Erosion hazard areas
o Landslide hazard areas
o Seismic hazard areas
Habitat areas for priority species and species of concern
Locally unique features
o Ravines
o Marine bluff
o Beaches and associated coastal drift processes
o Wetlands
Imprecise Margin: The area between land use designations is called an imprecise margin. The
margin is used to provide flexibility in determining the boundary between various zones.
When determining appropriate zoning designations for an area near a margin, the goals,
policies and objectives of the Land Use Element should take precedence.
Level of Service (LOS): an established minimum capacity of public facilities or services that
must be provided per unit of demand or other appropriate measure of need.
Low Impact Development (LID): a stormwater and land use management strategy that strives to
mimic pre-disturbance hydrologic processes of infiltration, filtration, storage, evaporation
and transpiration be emphasizing conservation, use of on-site natural features, site
planning and distributed stormwater management practices that are integrated into a
project design.
Mixed-use: a type of urban development that blends residential, commercial, cultural,
institutional, or industrial uses, where those functions are physically and functionally
integrated, and that provides pedestrian connections.
Permeable Pavement: Pervious concrete, porous asphalt, permeable pavers or other forms of
pervious paving material intended to allow passage of water through the pavement
section. It often includes an aggregate base that provides structural support and acts as a
stormwater reservoir.
Rain garden: a non-engineered shallow, landscaped depression, with compost-amended native
soils and adapted plants. The depression is designed to pond and temporarily store
stormwater runoff from adjacent areas, and to allow stormwater to pass through the
amended soil profile.
Regional Transportation Plan: the transportation plan for the regional designated transportation
system, which is produced by the regional transportation planning organization.
POLICY AND OBJECTIVE AMENDMENTS
GROWTH MANAGEMENT ELEMENT
Amended second paragraph of General Comments section
Early in the planning process the City agreed with the County to address only areas within the
current city limits in the City's Comprehensive Plan and to work with the County on a Joint
Comprehensive Plan for the Urban Growth Area. On April 13, 1993, the Board of Clallam
County Commissioners adopted an Interim Port Angeles Urban Growth Area. When completed,
the Joint Comprehensive Plan for the Port Angeles Urban Growth Area will identify land use
designations and locations The City and County entered into an interlocal agreement in 2005 on
a phased annexation plan for the Eastern Urban Growth Area. A similar agreement was reached
regarding the western Urban Growth Area. At that time, the City established the intended zones
that would be applied to areas annexed to the City from the Eastern Urban Growth Area
(EUGA).
Growth Management Goal A, Objectives 2 and 3. Regarding request for land inclusions into the
western urban growth area, amended to reduce area being requested.
LAND USE ELEMENT
Minor modifications made to land use descriptions to be more correct.
Goal A; To guide current and future development within the City in a manner that provides
certainty to its citizens about future land use and the flexibility necessary to meet the
challenges and opportunities of the future.
#New Policy #4. All development within the City should be encouraged to utilize low
impact development techniques and BMPs, where feasible.
+New Policy #5. The City should consider the projected climatic change impacts and
adaptation strategies contained in the Climate Change Preparedness Plan for the
North Olympic Peninsula, September 2015.
Goal B; To have a community where residential development and use of the land are done in a
manner that is compatible with the environment, the characteristics of the use and the
users, and the desired urban design of the City.
#Amend Policy #2. Single family lots should be of reasonable shape and should have
access provided by a collector arterial, local access street or an alley or by a local
access street or a collector arterial.
#Amend Policy #6; All residential developments should be encouraged to preserve and
capitalize on existing unusual, unique, and interesting natural, historic,
archaeological, and/or cultural features, should preserve and utilize natural native
and drought tolerant vegetation, should utilize and preserve scenic views, should
maximize southern exposures and solar efficiency, should offer protection from
prevailing winds, and should be designed to minimize energy use.
Goal D; To create and maintain a healthy and diverse commercial sector for a balanced and
stable local economy.
+New Policy #4. The City should consider potential environmental consequences, such
as greenhouse-gas emissions and carbon footprints, when encouraging new
commercial developments and businesses.
Goal E: To provide shopping opportunities which meet the needs of all City residents and
visitors in safe, usable shopping areas that are compatible with the surrounding area and uses,
the environment, and the desired urban design of the City.
#Amend Policy #4; Service access should be distinct from may overlap with parking
areas to minimize impervious area. Service areas should be and separated from
pedestrian areas wherever and whenever possible to accommodate pedestrian and
vehicular traffic and pedestrian safety.
*New Policy #8; The City should allow neighborhood shopping nodes in residentially
designated areas as long as they are in accordance with the planning
area/district/neighborhood land use concept and as long as they do not encourage
traffic from outside the neighborhood or increase traffic congestion within
residential neighborhoods
*New Policy #9. The City should identify neighborhoods lacking nearby accessible
services.
*New Policy #10. The City should identify locations to develop small commercial
opportunities in neighborhoods.
Goal H. To provide opportunities for industrial development in a manner, which efficiently uses
the community's various attributes and natural resources, has minimal impact on the
environment, contributes to the City's quality of life, and is compatible with the desired urban
design development pattern of the City.
+New Policy #8. The City should consider the siting of clean-energy facilities (e.g.,
solar, wind, geothermal, wave, tidal) outside of industrial areas, as a conditional
use.
+New Policy #9. The City should consider the climatic change impacts of any proposed
new industrial activity or expansion.
Goal J; To create open space for relief within the urban landscape, to retain natural
landscapes, to preserve fish and wildlife habitat, and to provide natural corridors, which
connect wildlife habitats.
*New Policy #2. The City should continue to acquire property that provide opportunities
to preserve major physical features providing wildlife habitat and open space
corridors between the waterfront and the Olympic National Park.
#Amend Policy #5 The City should discourage intensive recreational uses and
impervious surfaces in sensitive open space areas. Permeable materials should be
used for walkways and trails in open space areas where feasible.
Goal K; To encourage the development of parks and recreational opportunities for all residents
of the City and to increase access to natural areas in a manner that minimizes adverse
impacts, and to achieve the desired urban design development pattern of the City.
#Amend Policy #4. Every effort should be made to consolidate and utilize land donated
for public use to provide common open space, public buildings, parks, and
recreational opportunities, while incorporating LID techniques and BMPs in all
projects where feasible.
#Amend Objective #1. The City will establish standards for development of trails,
which minimize the impact on designated open space. The use of permeable
materials for walkways and trails will be required where feasible.
TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT
Goal A; To develop a coordinated, multimodal transportation system, which serves all areas of
the city and all types of users in a safe, economical, and efficient manner.
+New Policy #6. The City should encourage development of low-carbon-impact
transportation infrastructure.
*New Policy #7. The City should improve amenities for walking and biking, connecting
neighborhoods to downtown, commercial centers and the regional trail system.
*New Policy #8. The City should consider converting alleyways into attractive
pedestrian zones for access to local businesses. Encourage alleyways for use as
pedestrian zones.
*New Policy #9. The City should improve trails, sidewalks, streets, and public facilities
to encourage walkability and non-motorized transportation.
~New Policy #24. The City should include the development of Race Street intersections
with Front and First Streets as architecturally significant National Park gateway in
its plans for improvements to the Race Street corridor.
#Amend Objective #6. The City will encourage public streetscape improvements, such
as street trees, art and creative community-oriented beautification efforts, non-
motorized and pedestrian and bicycle amenities, and LID techniques and BMPs
where feasible through a comprehensive streetscape development and
maintenance plan.
Goal B. To improve circulation patterns across and within the community, and to achieve the
desired urban design of the City.
#Amend Policy #11. New arterial streets, local access streets, and alleys should be
designed and constructed to conform to the most current editions of the Statewide
National Functional Classification System for Federal Aid Systems, WSDOT, and
Transportation Improvement Board minimum design standards and standards as
adopted by the City. Permeable pavement is preferred for local access streets and
alleys where feasible.
*New Policy #22. The City should encourage public and private transportation providers
to provide greater access and opportunities to residents, including Sunday and
holiday service.
~New Policy #23. The City should support reduced speed limits on portions of Highway
101 through the City.
*New Policy #24. The City should include the development of Race Street intersections
with Front and First Streets as architecturally significant National Park gateway in
its plans for improvements to the Race Street corridor.
*New Policy #25. The City should assist public transit providers to develop
transportation options for local residents and tourists that showcase regional
attractions without cars.
UTILITIES AND PUBLIC SERVICES ELEMENT
Goal A. To provide or allow the opportunity for services and facilities which enhance the
quality of life for Port Angeles citizens of all ages, characteristics, needs, and interests and to
achieve the desired urban design of the City.
*New Policy #6. The City should encourage age-appropriate services for all-age groups,
including youth and seniors.
*New Policy #7. The City should promote access to information by investing in a high
quality ICT (Information Communication Technology).
*New Policy #8. The City should incorporate tribal issues and interests into city projects.
Goal B. To support services and facilities through different levels of participation in
cooperation with other public or private agencies.
*Amend existing Policy #3. As a "supporter," the City should promote and cooperate in
providing programs and services including: (add) Health Care programs
Goal C.
#Amend existing Policy #2. The City should place a high priority on installing new
utility lines underground and in the existing rights-of-way to increase safety and
reliability, and to improve neighborhood appearance.
#Amend existing Policy #3. Where possible, new utilities should be located in alleys or
in the existing right-of-way.
#Amend existing Policy #4. Major parks and large open spaces should provide for a
variety of outdoor activities and be located to take advantage of natural processes
(such as wetlands and tidal actions) and unusual landscape features (such as cliffs
and bluffs), and to integrate stormwater facilities into the natural landscape where
feasible (such as LID techniques and BMPs and stormwater treatment wetlands).
~New Policy #7. The City should encourage more active involvement and
communication between education (professional and student), business,
community, art and cultural communities to help integrate key people into the
startup community.
Goal D; To provide utility services in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
+Amend existing Policy #4. The City should promote and encourage energy
conservation, renewable energy, distributed energy generation, improved
distribution efficiencies, and recycling efforts throughout the community. The
City's own practices should serve as a model.
+New Policy #19. The City should encourage the use of renewable energy in both the
private and public sectors, providing all reasonable support and advocacy at the
State level for regulations and incentives that encourage such installations.
HOUSING ELEMENT
General comments The City recognizes the extreme importance of available clean, safe, and
affordable housing in the community. In April of 1991, a Housing Needs Assessment
Study was conducted for the Port Angeles area as part of a larger two county study. A
housing needs assessment, titled Measuring Housing Needs: A Data Toolkit for Clallam
County, was prepared in 2006 for the Housing Authority of Clallam County. This report
is included with the Comprehensive Plan as Appendix C.
Goal A; To improve the variety, quality, availability, and attainability of housing opportunities
in the City of Port Angeles.
#Amend existing Policy #2. Residential uses should be allowed in all non-industrial
zones including commercial and office zones. In situations where a limited
work/live environment is found to be compatible with an underlying industrial
zoning, limited work/live environments may be deemed suitable when the living
space is subordinate in nature to the industrial use component and the integrity
and intent of the industrial zone is maintained.
#Amend existing Policy #6. Accessory residential units should be allowed in certain
single family residential zones, upon approval of a Conditional Use Permit.
#Amend existing Policy #13. The City shall should encourage the use of Green
Building techniques for new developments and support Green Built certification
for new developments
#New Policy #14. The City should encourage the use of Low Impact Development
stormwater management techniques (such as vegetated roofs, permeable
pavement, and bioretention) for all new developments.
*New Policy #15. The City should allow for mixed-use opportunities in neighborhoods,
including commercial development and mix of housing densities.
*New Policy #16. The City should identify opportunities for housing revitalization in
targeted areas including the downtown core.
*New Policy #17. The City should promote and increase the number of downtown
residential living units.
*New Policy #18. The City should develop strategies to combat homelessness and
housing insecurity amongst residents.
*New Policy #19. The City should develop and implement tools to support a range of
housing types including affordable housing options.
+New Objective #2. The City will continue to work to eliminate barriers that prevent the
use of low impact development techniques and BMPs, such as vegetated roofs,
permeable pavement, and bioretention , while maintain safety and aesthetic
quality in the building process.
CONSERVATION ELEMENT
Goal A. To create and maintain a community with a high quality of life where the land is used
in a manner that is compatible with the area's unique physical features, its natural,
historical, archaeological, and cultural amenities, and the overall environment.
*New Policy #4. The City should promote and highlight Port Angeles' plentiful natural
beauty, amenities and cultural history.
#New Objective #2. The City will maintain an Archaeological Database that shall
include a waterfront archaeological overlay, an archaeological and historical site
database, and an archaeological predictive model that prescribes areas of high,
medium, and low buried archaeological site potential for property within the City
limits.
Goal B; To protect and enhance the area's unique physical features, its natural, historical,
archaeological, and cultural amenities, and the overall environment.
*Amend existing Policy #8. The City should preserve uniquely featured lands, which
still exist in their natural states and which are notable for their aesthetic, scenic,
historic, or ecological features and should prohibit any private or public
development, which would destroy such qualities, or are subject to damage from
climatic change, while recognizing the rights of private ownership.
*Amend existing Policy #11. The City should protect its air and water quality by
minimizing potential new pollution from new and existing sources including
climatic change impacts.
#New Policy #23. The City should avoid adverse impacts to archaeological sites by
following and requiring best management practices for archaeological
preservation.
#New Policy #24. The City should publicly recognize the many values provided by trees
in an urban setting, identify opportunities to plant trees, and establish a tree
management plan.
#New Policy #25. The city should implement an urban tree management program
intended to retain and/or restore the overall tree canopy in the city by using plant
materials as a unifying element and tool to protect the health, safety and welfare
of the public, using the environmental services provided by trees to mitigate the
negative effects of impervious surfaces and vehicular traffic such as increased
temperatures, airborne particulates, carbon dioxide, nose, and stormwater runoff.
#New Policy #26. Trees should be planted along residential streets, in parking lots, and
in other areas as opportunities arise. Trees should be retained whenever possible
and maintained using Best Management Practices as appropriate for each tree
type.
*New Policy #27. The City should seek strategies and technologies which reduce
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by city facilities and operations.
*New Policy #28. The City should promote the use of alternative energy, energy
conservation technology, and smart energy grid.
*New Policy #29. The City should review all new development for impacts on climate
change and adaptation to sea level rise.
#Amend existing Objective #4. 4. The City will adopt and enforce regulations, which
require all new development to provide adequate appropriate dispersion,
infiltration, and/or stormwater retention/detention facilities necessary to protect
water quality and provide flood protection and flow control.
+New Objective #7. The City will complete an inventory and identification of lands that
could be subject to impacts from climate change.
+Amend existing Objective. The City will encourage clustering of residential
development where necessary to protect environmentally sensitive areas, or to
avoid hazardous areas, including those subject to climate change impacts or to
preserve open space areas
+New Objective #13. The City will incorporate the North Olympic Resource
Conservation & Development Report, Climate Change Preparedness Plan for the
North Olympic Peninsula, September 2015, as best available science to its
development regulations.
Amend existing Objective #17. The City will incorporate the Washington State
Department of Ecology Coastal Atlas photographs into its Critical Areas
Ordinance as Best Available Science. City staff will use the Archaeological
Database to implement archaeological conditions for permits with ground
disturbing components based upon the corresponding archaeological probability
rating, the nearness of previously recorded archaeological or historical sites, and
presence of the project within or outside of the archaeological overlay.
New Objective #18. The City will create a tree management program that will meet the
requirements to maintain the 'Tree City USA' status for the city of Port Angeles.
New Objective #19. The City will promote tree conservation by establishing a desired
minimum city-wide tree density requirement. Tree density requirements will be
met primarily through the conservation of existing trees, replacing trees that are
removed and requiring tree to be include in development projects.
New Objective #20. The City will create and follow an urban forest management plan in
order to establish a healthy and sustainable urban forest.
Goal C; To promote community awareness of the importance of environmental, historical and
cultural amenities, the responsible use of such resources, and the use of the land with
minimal impact on its unique physical features, its natural, historical and cultural
amenities, and the overall environment.
Amend existing Policy #2. The City should encourage the development and
implementation of environmental, historical, and cultural awareness programs
which focus on local and regional issues, including climate change impacts and
preparedness.
Goal D; To preserve and enhance the City's shoreline, its natural landscape, and flora and fauna
and to minimize conflicts with present and planned uses in a manner consistent with the
State Shoreline Management Act and the City's Shoreline Master Program.
New Objective #2. City Staff will consult the Archaeological Database for all Shoreline
Permit-able activities and use the information housed in the database to create
appropriate conditions or mitigations to identify, protect, and preserve
archaeological sites and culturally sensitive areas.
CAPITAL FACILITIES ELEMENT
Goal A; To provide and maintain safe and financially feasible urban services and capital
facilities at or above stated levels of service to all City residents and the general public.
Amend existing Policy #15. The City should require sidewalks be included in all
development and redevelopment proposals where sidewalks do not exist at the
time of application for development. Permeable materials are preferred for
sidewalk construction where feasible.
Amend existing Policy #16. The City should investigate and consider the benefits and
costs involved in developing and implement an Urban Forestry Program designed
to properly manage street trees, park trees, and forested environmentally sensitive
areas located within the City
+New Policy #18. The City should consider climatic change impacts and adaptation
strategies in planning and designing capital facilities.
*New Policy #19. The City should improve aesthetics of the community by removing
abandoned infrastructure.
+Amend existing Objective #4. The City will establish a review process with a more
comprehensive analysis of Capital Facilities Plan projects to address new
mandates for environmental protection such as the Endangered Species Act,
climate change adaption, extension of urban services into the Urban Growth Area
and new residential areas within the City, and preservation and maintenance of
service levels impacted by changes such as the Elwha Dam removal, landfill
closure, and aging facilities.
#New Objective #6. The City will require the use of permeable paving materials for all
sidewalks where feasible.
+New Objective #7. The City will prepare a climate action plan in order to comply with
RCW 70.235.070.
Goal B. To provide urban streets and utilities at minimum levels of service for all city residents
and the general public.
Amend existing Policy #2. Development on all arterial streets and any other streets
identified as school walking routes should include pedestrian sidewalks on both
sides of the street.
Amend existing Policy #6. The City should not approve any development that increases
a site's post-development stormwater run-off beyond that allowed by the
Department of Ecology Stormwater Management Manual for Western
Washington (SWMMWW 2014) as adopted by the City.
Goal C; To provide urban services at minimum levels of service for all city residents and the
general public.
New Policy #8. The City should consider projected climatic change impacts and
adaptation strategies to determine whether adequate services can be provided into
the future, prior to approving any development.
*New Policy #9. The City should prioritize and support public education and Peninsula
College, including initiatives for rebuilding schools.
Goal E. To reduce the amount of impervious surface created by new developments and thereby
reduce stormwater management costs and environmental impacts to the City and its
natural resources, reduce development costs to private property owners, and provide safe
and more attractive streets through traffic calming, safe pedestrian amenities, and
improved street edge landscaping.
*New Policy #2. The City should invest in Green Infrastructure, Low Impact
Development (LID), and similar technologies to maintain and enhance
environmental quality.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ELEMENT
Goal A; To create and maintain a balanced and stable local economy with full employment and
emphasis on strengthening the community's traditional natural resource related
industries as well as diversifying the overall economic base.
+New Policy #16. The City will encourage businesses with low carbon footprints.
+New Policy #17. The City should consider projected climatic change impacts and
adaptation strategies when encouraging new businesses to establish in Port
Angeles.
*New Policy #18. The City should develop and economy which provides opportunities
for Port Angeles' vulnerable and at-risk community members.
*New Policy #19. The City should identify bureaucratic obstacles and work to expedite
economic development.
*New Policy #20. The City should seek to increase Port Angeles' military presence.
*New Policy #21. The City should invest in training and education for local residents, by
providing access to state-of-the-art technology and training opportunities.
*New Policy #22. The City should encourage and incentivize youth entrepreneurship as
well as jobs and businesses that attract young families.
*New Policy #23. The City should attract and retain businesses and industries which
create family wage jobs for local residents.
*New Policy #24. The City should provide opportunities for civic cooperation.
Coordinate with local non-profit and community service organizations to support
economic development.
*New Policy #25. The City should prioritize the airport as major economic asset and
identify specific incentives to attract commercial services.
*New Policy #26. The City should promote and incentivize local business.
*New Policy #27. The City should support non-profits and associations which enhance
local economic development.
~New Policy. #28 The City should establish a City Ombudsman to help people and
businesses handle complaints, understand and navigate through regulations, and
apply for help in coordinating permits and waivers for events, festivals, etc.
~ New Policy #29. The City should establish an authority for community events,
meetings, trade shows, festivals, etc. to encourage and support them, help find
venues, cut through red tape, coordinate volunteer efforts, and publicize them.
~New Policy #30. The City should encourage the location and support for adequate
venues for community meetings, shows, music art, hobby and user groups, and
professional and business meetings.
~New Policy #31. The City should support the location of low-cost places where people
(especially young people) can congregate and talk, and ensure that these have up-
to-date communication facilities.
~New Policy #32. The City should recognize art, architecture, music, and performance as
important community resources and continue to encourage and support cultural
activities.
~New Policy #33 The City should support decorating public spaces with more art from
the community.
~New Policy #34 The City should encourage the design of public spaces that encourage
people to interact.
~New Policy #35 The City should support the concept and encourage the establishment
of Maker's Spaces. (See definition) Public spaces where people make things and
collaborate on projects. Spaces are usually equipped with tools, 3D printers,
computers, design software, art and craft tools and supplies.
*New Policy #36. The City should support concepts and plans that broaden
transportation and recreation opportunities associated with the Olympic National
Park and National Forest, as a means of increasing local employment and to
attract additional visitors to the City.
New Objective #2. The City will encourage the Port of Port Angeles to work with the
City, Clallam County, and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe (LEKT) to resolve
issues regarding the existence of trees in Lincoln Park that affect the flight path
for landing at William Fairchild International Airport.
Goal B; To have a healthy local economy that co-exists with the community's high quality of life
through the protection, enhancement, and use of the community's natural, historical, and
cultural amenities.
#Amend existing Policy #1. The City should promote the region's high quality of
environment and available natural and cultural resources as factors in attracting
and retaining business, industry, and individual enterprises.
#Amend existing Policy #5. The City should encourage the availability of housing that
meets the needs of the entire spectrum of the community's work force residents.
#Amend existing Policy #6. The City should recognize, preserve and promote its
historic and cultural properties as a measure of its quality of life.
+New Policy #8. The City should utilize the Climatic Change Preparedness Plan in
attracting businesses, to demonstrate a proactive approach to climatic change in
the area.
#Amend existing Objective #1. The City will encourage streetscape improvements to
beautify entryway corridors. Incentives Outreach and educational materials may
be developed to encourage private property participation in such beautification
projects.
#Amend existing Objective 2. The City will identify specific standards for street and
parking lot tree plantings and other landscaping requirements. The City will
emphasize use of appropriate vegetation in planter strips and bioretention
facilities.
Goal C; To create and promote a strong tourism industry for Port Angeles, as well as to
recognize and support existing and prospective tourism attractions.
Amend existing Policy #2. The City should work to enhance the commercial and public
use of Ediz Hook.
Amend existing Policy #3. The City should take a leading role in enhancing visitors'
first impression of the community by maintaining and upgrading the City’s public
facilities, and green infrastructure, and strengthen the nuisance abatement
program
+New Policy #4. The City should support development of an electric vehicle (EV)
charging station network and EV maintenance facilities around the Olympic
Peninsula.
*New Policy #5. The City should support tourism and recreation activities which
highlights Port Angeles' natural, cultural and historical amenities.
Goal D; To strengthen and enhance the restoration and reinvigoration of our downtown historic
buildings, infrastructure improvements, and beautification projects.
+New Policy #1. The City should consider best available science on sea level rise and
recommended mitigation and adaptation strategies in the development of
downtown.
*New Policy #2. The City should encourage and pursue economic development with
positive environmental consequences. Identify and attract non-polluting
industries and eco-friendly business.
PARKS AND RECREATION ELEMENT
Goal A. To acquire, develop, renovate and maintain a system of parks, recreational facilities,
and open spaces to ensure that the contributions of natural resources and recreation to
human well-being are maintained and recognized as a value.
Amend existing Policy #1. The City of Port Angeles should provide its citizens with a
diversity of open spaces, parks, and recreation facilities and programs
appropriately distributed throughout the City.
Amend existing Policy #2. The City should strive to ensure that equality is achieved to
the extent possible in the types and variety of facilities, quality of maintenance,
and the range of recreation services provided
*New Policy #5. The City should identify waterfront improvements to increase marine
transportation and recreation.
*New Policy #6. The City should identify appropriate locations for small (pocket) parks,
community gardens and food forests throughout the community and integrate
them into its Parks system.
New Policy #7. The City should investigate acquisition of the Rayonier property at
Harbor Crest cul-de-sac as park to serve as pedestrian access to waterfront trail.
Goal B. To enhance the quality of life in the community by providing facilities, services, and
programs that offer positive opportunities for building healthy, safe, and productive lives.
Amend existing Policy #1. The City should provide consistently high quality
recreational experiences to residents and visitors through a wide variety of park
types and features.
Amend existing Policy #4. The City should manage park facilities in a manner that will
ensure public safety, and keep the parks free of misuse to the greatest extent
possible and result in a sustainable and resilient park system.
*New Policy #6. The City should incorporate health and nutrition into parks and
recreation programming.
*New Policy #7. The City should enhance its parks and recreation system’s safety,
variety and accessibility, and identify family friendly features and amenities.
Amend existing Objective #3. The City will provide appropriate signage and follow
best practices in landscaping and design to provide adequate visibility of for park
users.
New Objective #6. The City will provide programs relative to park and recreation uses
to encourage increased physical activity.
Goal C. To establish and protect a visual character of the community through open spaces,
streetscapes, borrowed landscapes, and publicly-owned natural resource areas.
Amend existing Policy #2. The City should supplement and enhance the visual
attractiveness of the city through the use of formal landscaping in street medians,
city gateways entryways, and along sidewalks, as well as the use of other public
spaces, flower beds, and street trees. The City will emphasize use of planter strips
with drought tolerant vegetation and bioretention facilities.
#New Objective #2. The City will encourage the installation of LID BMPs in parks,
including bioretention facilities and permeable pavement trails. Installation of
LID BMPs in parks will include an element of public education (i.e., signage).
Goal E. To promote economic growth through recreational tourism, and attract visitors and
new business by enhancing the image of the community through beautification and
recreation programs.
New Objective #2. The City will work with the Port of Port Angeles, Clallam County, and the
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe (LEKT) to resolve issues regarding the existence of trees in
Lincoln Park that affect the flight path for landing at William Fairchild International
Airport.
#Goal F. To provide a system of walking trails and bicycle paths to complement and coordinate
with the existing street system and provide recreational opportunities and physical
activity while reducing the dependence on traditional automobile transportation.
Policy language origination
* = Public Participation Process
+ = Submittal from Organizations
~ = individually submitted
# = staff created
Throughout the updated Comprehensive Plan all completed policies and objectives have been
moved to an appendices. This will speak to the accomplishments that have been made by the
City and keep those objectives in the Comprehensive Plan.
T:\COMP PLAN\2016 Amendment\Council items June 7 2016\Summary of amendments.docx
EXHIBIT D
CPA 16-01 Comprehensive Plan Update, 2016
City of Port Angeles 2016 Comprehensive Plan Update Calendar
Public contact / outreach opportunities
April 11 Todd Ortloff radio show
April 12, 13, 14 Downtown open studio
April 12 Public forum/workshop LEKT Heritage Center
April 13 Chamber of Commerce Luncheon presentation
April 13 Public forum/workshop Skill Center
April 22 Submitted 60-day notice of intent to adopt to Department of Commerce
April 26 Port Angeles Business Association (PABA) Short announcement
April 27 Planning Commission work session & public comment
April 29 Soroptimist noon club presentation
May 7 Farmer’s Market – Mayor Pat Downie & Council Member Lee Whetham (Scott Johns)
May 9 TAFY (The Answer For Youth) 3 pm (Scott Johns & Allyson Brekke)
May 9 Community Conversation Stevens Middle School, 6 pm – 8 pm
May 10 PABA Short announcement about community conversation (7:30 am at Joshua’s
Restaurant)
May 10 Community Conversation at Franklin Elementary School, 6 pm – 8 pm
May 11 Rotary noon club Short 5-10 minute announcement at noon (Scott & Allyson)
May 11 Laurel Place Senior Living 1:00 pm (Scott & Allyson)
May 11 Planning Commission work session & public comment
May 13 Final day to submit comments
May 18 Chamber of Commerce 7:30-9:30 am Red Lion. Main outreach to business community –
Focus on accomplishments of the Comprehensive Plan since last update.
May 20 Rotary morning club (Nor’ wester) full program (7 am at OMC’s Season’s Café) (Scott)
May 24 PABA full program (7:30 am at Joshua’s Restaurant)
May 25 Planning Commission Public Hearing and recommend approval.
June 7 City Council public meeting - first reading of ordinance
June 21 City Council public meeting second reading and adoption.
June 30 submit final Comprehensive Plan to Department of Commerce