PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County commissioners on Monday postponed deliberations on a controversial rezoning plan at Jefferson County International Airport until today after hearing city of Port Townsend executives and their attorney protest the Port of Port Townsend proposal.
The port, which owns the airport, wants to rezone 24 acres to light-industrial.
The city wants a more comprehensive industrial zoning plan that takes its own industrial areas into account.
The county commissioners called a special meeting for 5 p.m. today on the topic at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St.
Their decision to delay action came after a more than hourlong hearing Monday in which City Manager David Timmons and other city leaders testified.
Proposal not opposed
Stressing that the city did not oppose the port’s proposal that would include a new fire station and other light industrial businesses at the airport, Timmons said the city seeks the move “to be a part of a broader commitment in development” among the three local governments.
The county commissioners are involved because the airport is in unincorporated area.
Timmons and city Development Services Director Rick Sepler said the city doesn’t know what would be built on the airport acreage.
“We’re not objecting to appropriate uses at the airport, but inappropriate uses,” Timmons said, urging the county commissioners to halt the process and take time to determine what planning is needed and where it needs to go.
Sepler questioned if marine trades uses would be allowed at the airport and whether they would draw businesses away from the port’s existing Boat Haven Industrial Park in Port Townsend.
Steve DiJulio, a Seattle attorney representing the city, told the county commissioners the private sector, not the public sector, was responsible for the land uses at the airport, according to county policy.
Drawing a comparison, DiJulio said, for example, the city owns City Lake near Discovery Bay.
He asked if the city should rezone that property intended for city water storage for a resort?
He said the port was “opening the door” to industrial expansion in and near the airport.
Delay until next year
DiJulio urged the county commissioners to delay action on the proposal until 2010.
Carolyn Lake, a Tacoma attorney representing the port, said it was up to the county commissioners — not lawyers — to decide uses at the airport.
She said there was nothing in the law that states the county should delay action.
“We shouldn’t set aside today what might be done today for what might be a perfect future,” Lake said.
Port Executive Director Larry Crockett has repeatedly said the airport site would accommodate between eight and 10 businesses and possibly generate at least 100 jobs.
Crockett on Monday said, “All the way through, the city, the port and the county have worked on this.”
He said entrepreneurs need a place they can afford to get their feet on the ground and provide family-wage jobs.
Eric Toews, a planning consultant for the port, said the proposal was also intended to make the port a more sustainable government agency.
Port Deputy Director Jim Pivarnik said the best example of economic development in the county was the Boat Haven and that was what the port was trying to do at the airport.
Joe Daubenberger, a Jefferson County developer, said he was against the port proposal because it competed against the Port Townsend Business Park, the Glen Cove Industrial Park south of the city and Port Townsend Paper Corp. mill off state Highway 20.
Crockett has said what would go into the airport development would likely not be to the industrial extent in Glen Cove, which does not make it a competitive project.
Bill Marlow, who owns property adjacent to the port site, also voiced his support, saying meetings and studies have discussed it for 20 years and the time was ripe for economic development.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
