SEQUIM — A developer whose planned subdivision has been denied twice by the city Planning Commission is taking his case to the City Council on Monday, arguing that commission members went too far the last time they shot him down.
Portland, Ore.-based GLC Homes proposed a 16.4-acre development of 45 duplexes and 2.5 acres of commercial space between West Sequim Bay Road and East Washington Street and east of Rhodefer Road.
The Planning Commission voted against it 5-2 in March, with opponents objecting to the high density of the project and the conversion of commercial land to residential.
In doing so, commissioners “went beyond the scope of their authority,” according to a letter to the city from GLC Homes. The commission’s duty was to determine if the project met city standards — which it does, according to the planning department and commission members.
“If this limitation [on criteria for denial] was not the case then an applicant would not be able to rely on the provisions of the code . . . and would be subject to whatever whim the reviewer thought up,” the letter states.
City staff recommended that the Planning Commission approve the application, and the same recommendation has been offered to the council. A report to the council notes that the number of housing units proposed is slightly higher than what zoning rules call for, “but the transitional nature of this parcel [between a commercial and residential area] is well-suited for this density.”
Host of growth issues
The discussion over this development and a similar one proposed nearby was lengthy and ranged over a host of growth issues facing Sequim, including land use, development density and the ever-increasing cost of housing.
GLC Homes president Gerry Engler argued before the commission that high density is needed in Sequim to keep housing prices down, since property owners would share more of the cost of land.
He also acknowledged that his duplex units would probably still cost around $200,000 each.
Planning Commission members were also concerned about losing commercial land on the east side of Sequim. Several new housing developments are planned there.
The City Council’s meeting starts at 7 p.m. Monday in the Sequim Transit Center, 190 W. Cedar St.
