PORT ANGELES – Dismantling of the state Department of Transportation’s graving yard project site is expected to begin June 4 and last about 20 weeks, the Planning Commission was told at its Wednesday night meeting.
Commissioners were also told that pulling the steel pilings out won’t be as noisy as putting them in.
The Planning Commission approved the project’s shoreline substantial development permit at its Wednesday night meeting.
The vote was 5-1, with commissioner Stanley Harris voting “no,” saying the project would have an adverse economic impact in an industrial area and the staff report didn’t note it was an industrial area as required.
Technically, the commission was considering a shoreline substantial development permit for that portion of the project that will occur within 200 feet of the shoreline.
But it provided the public an opportunity to get more details about the project.
Construction of the state Department of Transportation’s graving yard on Marine Drive began in August 2003.
The project was halted in December 2004 at the request of the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe after the discovery of hundreds of skeletal remains and thousands of artifacts from the ancient Klallam village of Tse-whit-zen.
