PORT ANGELES — Clallam County and the cities inside it are teaming up to update a 1992 countywide planning policy that will guide the development of comprehensive plans.
County commissioners Tuesday will consider a resolution establishing a process and framework for updating the policy under the state Growth Management Act in coordination with the cities of Port Angeles, Sequim and Forks.
They also will discuss a recommendation to appoint two county representatives to serve on a countywide Growth Management Steering Committee.
One of the requirements of the 1990 Growth Management Act was for cities and counties to adopt uniform planning polices, Clallam County Planning Manager Steve Gray said.
“The state wanted the countywide planning policies, that framework, to be in place prior to the county and the cities moving forward with their new comprehensive plans under the Growth Management Act,” Gray told commissioners in a work session Monday.
“So the primary purpose of the countywide planning policies back then, and what it would be today for the update, would be to establish a framework that would guide the development of county and city plans.
“It’s also intended to help ensure, as much as it can, that there’s consistency between the cities and counties when they develop their plan.”
The Growth Management Steering Committee that formed in the early 1990s “framed the discussion” that led to the adoption of Urban Growth Areas that surround the three cities, Gray said.
The new committee, which will likely include one county commissioner and Community Development Director Mary Ellen Winborn, will develop a new policy to help the four jurisdictions update their comprehensive plans as required by the state.
The existing countywide policy contains old data such as 1990 growth projections, Gray said.
“I see some cleanup,” Gray said of the committee’s task.
“I don’t know if there’s a lot of substantive things that need to be changed. Maybe, based on new issues, regional issues, there might be some things added.”
The city of Sequim, which took the initiative to revisit the countywide planning policy, has selected two representatives from its city council to serve on the Growth Management Steering Committee, Gray said.
The cities of Port Angeles and Forks are expected to pick representatives later this month, he added.
According to the resolution before county commissioners, the Growth Management Steering Committee will finalize its recommendations by Sept. 30.
In addition to planning polices, Gray predicted that the committee would discuss broader issues such as water supplies, sea level rise or the replacement of the U.S. Highway 101 Elwha River bridge.
“The main challenge is going to be staying on task and not getting too broad,” Gray said. “That being said, I would say the board discussion is going to happen.”
The Growth Management Steering Committee could facilitate continued dialogue between the four jurisdictions, Gray said.
“I think our department and each of the cities will be coming to the table with different interests, and getting those interests on the table early will help provide that direction,” Gray said.
Nathan West, Port Angeles community and economic development director, attended the work session to support Gray and Winborn’s effort to assemble the steering committee.
“I know it is extremely important to us that it be an efficient process,” West told commissioners. “For that reason, we really want to stay on task, keep it efficient and move forward.
“I think it’s also important to recognize we already have a great relationship between city community development and county community development,” West added.
“It’s easy to collaborate as it is now, so we don’t feel like there are major overhaul changes needed to the countywide planning policy.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsula dailynews.com.
