PORT ANGELES — Clallam County commissioners are expected to extend a temporary ordinance limiting structures in rural residential areas to 10,000 square feet.
Meanwhile, county officials continue to hammer away at permanent zoning regulations for vacation rentals, bed-and-breakfast inns and other types of lodging facilities.
A six-month ordinance limiting new structures to 10,000 square feet in rural zones will sunset Sept. 3.
The three commissioners Monday said they were inclined to extend the ordinance on or before Aug. 22 — the date required to avoid a lapse — to allow a “visioning committee” to gather input from all three commissioner districts.
The committee would make a recommendation to the board on permanent zoning for B&Bs and similar lodging options.
The aim is to encourage tourism while protecting the rural character of Clallam County.
“Ultimately, we’re trying to balance two very important things, which aren’t necessarily in conflict but would be in conflict if we’re not careful and intentional,” board Chairman Mark Ozias said in a work session Monday.
“We’re trying to get it right.”
Clallam County has a permanent ordinance on the books for vacation rentals but no existing development standards for B&Bs, which are regulated only through definitions.
Bed-and-breakfasts are defined under county code as single-family dwellings occupied by the owner or manager with five or fewer rooms for overnight accommodations.
The ordinance capping rural structures at 10,000-square-feet was enacted in February 2016 in response to a California developer’s proposal to build a 32,000-square-foot bed and breakfast at 695 E. Sequim Bay Road.
A decision to require that structure to be built to commercial standards is being challenged in Kitsap County Superior Court.
Commissioners approved a six-month extension of the temporary zoning in February.
They were seeking a process to allow certain B&Bs to have up to eight guest rooms with a conditional use permit.
The county Department of Community Development recommends a five guest room maximum for new B&Bs.
Community Development Director Mary Ellen Winborn proposed the visioning committee to gather input from each district.
She said she had met with Olympic Peninsula Bed &Breakfast Association Vice President Janet Abbott and other industry proponents to discuss a new ordinance for lodging facilities that would eliminate the conditional use permit process.
Commissioner Randy Johnson said the challenge is to come up with common sense regulations that fit the various types of lodging facilities. He said he welcomed feedback from the unique districts in the county.
Abbott suggested a clause in the B&B ordinance that would exempt duly-licensed B&Bs from further requirements.
Abbott, who co-owns the Agnew-area George Washington Inn bed and breakfast, volunteered to serve on the committee.
She added that the industry supports the growth of tourism “without any harm being done to the rural communities.”
“We don’t want to, in any way, hamper the rural lifestyle that we all enjoy,” Abbott said in the work session.
Winborn, the nation’s only elected planning director, expressed reluctance for the board to extend the temporary ordinance rather than to adopt a new ordinance.
Her concern was based on a church that sought to add 13,000 square feet to a building and was approved only through a conditional use permit and a legal review.
“What if another business comes in in the rural community that needs to add that square footage and we’d have to tell them no because we have this interim ordinance?” Winborn asked.
Ozias said Winborn’s concern was legitimate.
“At the same time, I would say, trying to get this language right for the community is also a really important concern,” Ozias said.
Commissioners are expected to call for a public hearing on a six-month extension of the interim zoning in the coming weeks.
“I would be in favor of extending the ordinance one more time,” Ozias said.
“If we’re able to make rapid progress on this, if the extension only needs to last three or four weeks because that’s how long it takes us to get something done, then there’s no reason why we have to wait all the way until the end.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
