PORT ANGELES — The city of Port Angeles’ comprehensive plan is directing strategy and implementation.
“We need to make sure we’re doing something that works for Port Angeles,” city planning supervisor Ben Braudrick said.
Braudrick, who is managing the city’s comprehensive plan periodic update, spoke Tuesday at the Port Angeles Business Association’s meeting at Jazzy Joshua’s. The process to update the plan started in March 2024, he said.
The city is required by the state to update its comprehensive plan every 10 years, and Braudrick said it’s a good idea to check on where things are at.
“As things change, we need to make sure our vision stays aligned,” he said.
One change the city is preparing for is an increase in population. In 2020, the city’s population was 19,960, according to Braudrick’s presentation. This year, the population is at 20,440. The state’s estimated projection for the 2045 population is 23,110.
“We need to make sure we can accommodate those people and provide jobs,” Braudrick said. “It’s good to be ready, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Throughout the process of updating the plan, the city has reached out to community members in multiple ways, including a stakeholder advisory committee, a visioning survey and stakeholder interviews.
“The more specific the feedback, the better we can incorporate it into the plan,” Braudrick said.
Last month, the city hosted an open house on the first draft of the plan, which was a three-hour opportunity for community members to learn about and comment on it. The visioning survey had 1,400 responses.
One update that’s been made is the plan’s vision statement, which is a guide for future planning.
One major area of concern is land use, which Braudrick said is central to all other elements of the plan.
The future land use map included in the plan dictates what the city wants to see in 20 years, he said.
“This map is helping our Public Works Department understand where it needs to prioritize,” Braudrick said.
Another key issue the plan covers is housing.
“Obviously housing is a huge issue locally, at the state level and nationally,” Braudrick said. “The Legislature has made a lot of requirements we had to make sure we were meeting.”
He said that, right now, a household would need an income of $100,000 to afford a medium-sized home, but that income level is about $40,000 more than the average.
Port Angeles needs at least 1,970 new housing units between now and 2045, according to Braudrick’s presentation.
For economic development, the city is looking at trying to build back up traditional resource industries while encouraging more high-wage jobs.
For transportation, the city is identifying priorities for investing in sidewalks and bike routes as a key component. There is very limited infrastructure in some places, Braudrick said.
The next steps include collecting comment on the draft plan.
“We need as many comments as possible for this plan to reflect the community,” Braudrick said.
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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@pensinsuladailynews.com.
