PORT TOWNSEND — Contentiousness ruled the hour Monday night as City Council members worked on various aspects of the Historic Preservation Code.
In the end, the council approved an ordinance combining two parts of the municipal code on historic preservation; adopted interim design guidelines that have been put in place through usage over a period of time; ordered a Planning Commission review of those guidelines; and set the stage for establishing a design review task force for the uptown commercial district.
None of the four actions was easily adopted, with the council split 4-3 on most.
The most contentious issue was interim adoption of design guidelines that the Historic Preservation Committee put into place in 1990 without council approval.
Councilman Geoff Masci, who cast one of three dissenting votes, wanted the Planning Commission to work on those guidelines rather than seeing them adopted on an interim basis.
“It’s a bone that sticks in my throat,” Masci said. “There’s no reason to adopt something on an interim basis.”
Two public hearings
Kees Kolff disagreed with dissenting comments against rushing into a decision on the design guidelines.
“There will be two public hearings,” Kolff said. “I think (adopting the guidelines) is in the best interest of the people working with them.”
