PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend City Council has approved extending the interim land use rules for the areas of Sixth and 10th streets and Rainier Street and Discovery Way.
According to City Manager David Timmons, city staff and its consultants continue to process the subarea plan for the Rainier Street/Upper Sims Way area.
To provide sufficient time to formulate and implement permanent regulations, the City Council extended the interim regulations July 10 and extended them again Dec. 4. The extension approved Monday after a public hearing is for an additional 180 days.
Director of Development Services Lance Bailey said staff needed more time to finish the work.
“The council adopted some interim land use regulations back before Rainier Street was extended through and we tried to anticipate that these properties were going to be more open for development,” Bailey said.
“We anticipated doing some other planning processes on those areas that would look at excluding certain uses that would be high-land but low-job generation uses. So there were some revisions that excluded those and gave the city the opportunity to go thorough our planning process which, hopefully, is coming to a close.”
The proposed mixed use zoning districts and commercial zoning districts permitted uses include residential apartments and multi family dwellings; commercial uses such as offices, retail and restaurants; temporary uses such as outdoor art shows and rummage sales; and other uses including childcare centers and churches.
Bailey said copies of the sub area plan will be provided to the Planning Commission for its meeting June 14.
He said consultants are still reviewing some of the chapters and finalizing some of land use regulations.
“Those have taken a little longer than anticipated,” he remarked.
No members of the public signed in to speak during the hearing.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Jeannie McMacken can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jmcmacken@peninsuladaily news.com.
