EDITOR’S NOTE: Corrects the location of Tuesday’s meeting.
PORT ANGELES — Public comment will be taken on the city’s comprehensive plan update at four upcoming meetings, with three scheduled next week.
The first two workshop-style meetings will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. Monday’s will be held at the jazz band room at Stevens Middle School, 1139 W. 14th St., while Tuesday’s meeting is set for the library at Franklin Elementary School, 2505 S. Washington St.
They will be followed the next day, Wednesday, by a city planning commission work session from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.
A public hearing is planned before the planning commission from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 25. It will be in council chambers.
Port Angeles’ comprehensive plan establishes long-range policies for city land use, parks, transportation, housing and other services.
The 2016 update is expected to be complete by June 30, said Nathan West, city director of community and economic development.
Build on input
The upcoming meetings will build on input from workshops and drop-ins last month, city officials said.
More than 150 people helped identify issues they felt the city ought to tackle over the next decade or longer, officials said.
Residents identified living-wage jobs as a major need in the city.
Access to the outdoors was rated high. Group recommendations included better access to restroom facilities at parks; additional athletic facilities, especially on the west side of the city; and improved maintenance of those places.
Ratings varied on such aspects as crime, small-town feel and shopping and services.
On Monday and Tuesday, residents will be urged to suggest ways the updated plan might address issues raised earlier.
The update work is being led by the city’s community development department and Studio Cascade Inc., a Spokane-based planning firm that also provided oversight on the city’s 2010 waterfront plan.
“We’ve been impressed by how deeply people care about this community,” said Bill Grimes of Studio Cascade.
“One of the best ways to keep Port Angeles moving in a good direction is through efforts like this one, shaping city policy on parks and trails, downtown, the waterfront, neighborhoods, jobs, housing, streets and more.”
The Washington State Growth Management Act mandates the development of comprehensive plans and also requires them to be updated periodically.
For more information, see www.pa-compplan.org.
