PORT TOWNSEND — The need for the roundabout at Howards and Sims Way will become clear after Howard Street is extended to Discovery Road, creating an alternate route into the city and opening a new retail area, Planning Director Rick Sepler said.
“When this is finished, you will know why we put the roundabout where we did,” he said this week.
“This is the last piece of undeveloped commercial real estate in Port Townsend.”
Howard Street now dead-ends a block from the roundabout and would be extended about a quarter mile to become a through street.
Sepler said that connecting the roads required a land swap between the city and property owners in order to provide a direct route.
The nature and size of the businesses to be located in the new area are yet to be determined, but could be a large retailer, he said.
A planning map supplied by the city depicts a roundabout at the corner of Howard and Discovery but that may not happen, Sepler said.
There are also some wetlands issues that need to be resolved before construction can begin, Timmons said.
Howard Street is eventually planned to extend to Hastings Avenue. The route between Discovery Road and Hastings will require reconfiguring streets.
As Howard Street meets Discovery it will feed directly into Rainier Street traveling north.
Rainier dead-ends after jagging left, but the new road would go straight ahead and cut through about half a mile to Howard Street before connecting to Hastings.
The city owns much of the property to make this connection, although some trades and wetland mitigation might be required, Sepler said.
The city also will install a sidewalk and bicycle lane on Hastings Avenue between Discovery Road and Sheridan Street on the uphill side.
Work on this project, which will begin immediately, is possible due to a $258,000 federal grant administered by the Regional Transpiration Planning Organization.
In the grant application, the city said it had “received several requests” to replace the sidewalk in that area.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
