PORT TOWNSEND — Community members, city officials and business owners are working together to hone the city’s final plan for the Upper Sims Way and Howard Street subarea.
The goal is to develop a master plan, which will then be used to update zoning regulations for the area, said Ryan Givens, the project manager for AHBL, a Seattle-based engineering consultant.
“Here, we’re mostly addressing jobs and housing,” Givens said Wednesday night during the first of two community workshops on the subarea.
“We’re planning how to do that, balance jobs and housing.”
The second community workshop will be from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Cotton Building, 607 Water St., Port Townsend.
This city also has an online survey available at www.surveymonkey.com/r/PortTownsendWorkshop1.
Wednesday’s workshop attendees voted on the kinds of homes and businesses they would like to see in the area and rated the current level of green space, transportation and parking.
Small cottages or houses with a shared green space was the most popular housing option. Townhouses, duplexes and apartments followed with a similar number of votes.
Specifically for the apartments, three to four stories were preferred, and having a mix of modern and traditional styles was preferred by the majority.
There also seemed to be plenty of support for shared spaces and such recreational amenities as trails, playgrounds, dog parks and community gardens.
“Housing is a very important part of us having employees,” said Ryan Trail, owner of Mt. Townsend Creamery and one of the property owners along Howard Street.
“I’m hoping we come up with some kind of idea how this can become a neighborhood — a place for people to live, work and eat.”
Those who attended the workshop also voted on the kinds of businesses they would like to see in the area.
Most were in favor of small mixed-use spaces, artisan studios and roughly 5,000-square-foot boutique shops. Also popular were small grocers and delis.
There were also a number of votes favoring businesses occupying ground floors with residential spaces above them.
“I just hope this becomes a community in itself,” said former Port Townsend Mayor Brent Shirley. “If [there’s] any place in this town affordable apartments could be built it’s right here since there’s not an established neighborhood to disturb.”
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
