PORT TOWNSEND — Community resilience, housing and jobs were the top three priorities chosen by those who attended a city-hosted planning meeting for the 2016 comprehensive plan update.
Comments received from the more than 100 people who attended Wednesday night’s meeting at Fort Worden State Park will help shape next year’s comprehensive plan update and the city’s future, according to city staff.
Participants submitted written comments that will be aggregated into a single document, according to Lance Bailey, city director of community services.
On Thursday, Bailey didn’t know how many written comments were received and had not yet examined the content, but he reported the tally of which issues attendees thought were most important.
Participants indicated their priorities by placing dots on a board for each of five issues. Each participant received two dots.
The priorities were community resilience, 47; housing, 42; jobs and economic development, 40; transportation, 20; and quality of life, 19.
Eight other dots appeared concerning issues such as environmental health, schools and saving the Lincoln Building, a 121-year-old building that once served as Port Townsend’s high school and which is set for demolition.
The aggregate document will be presented at a joint meeting of the Port Townsend City Council and Planning Commission at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 10 at historic City Hall, 540 Water St.
The City Council will incorporate the comments into a work plan that will be used for the June 2016 revision.
“It’s nice to see everyone engaged,” said Deputy Mayor Kris Nelson. “I’m excited to get all this feedback, and I’ll look forward to reading everyone’s ideas.”
Nelson said the best ideas can come from unexpected places.
“I am looking for one of those little nuggets, a brilliant idea that someone will write down for us,” she said.
“It happens all the time, when we are in a meeting or on a panel and someone comes in and says, ‘Have you tried this?’ and it bends the city’s direction. It can be pretty exciting.”
The meeting began with presentations from Mayor David King and Bailey before tables of people focused on five key issues. Also included was a “none of the above” table where attendees could voice concerns about other issues.
The event was the formal rollout of Speak Up Port Townsend, a process that includes online interaction for those not present or who were uncomfortable speaking in a public setting.
The website, http://tinyurl.com/PDN-Comp-Plan, has received more than 500 survey answers, which King said reflects a high level of citizen involvement.
“The town meeting is tonight, but it will continue to July 15 online, where you can leave comments that will help us to plan the future,” King said Wednesday.
“This meeting is the result of things we have been thinking about for 20 years.”
A finished draft of the comprehensive plan update, which Bailey called “a road map for the city,” is due June 2016.
If the final version isn’t submitted on time, some grant funding could be jeopardized, he said.
Bailey said Port Townsend hasn’t yet completely recovered from the 2008 economic downturn, pointing out that actual population increase projections have not been reflected in census data.
Projections in 1996 and 2006 predicted that 13,000 people would live in Port Townsend by 2016. The current number is 9,000.
“It’s clear that we aren’t going to get as many people here as we once thought,” Bailey said.
“Population growth has really slowed down.”
City Councilman Bob Gray, who is unopposed for a second term in the November election, was happy with the turnout and said the city should host more.
“This is great, and there is a wide variety of age groups,” Gray said. “But we don’t have enough town meetings, and we need to do everything we can to reach out to people.”
In addition to the online survey, Gray said, the city should conduct a more structured scientific survey.
City Manager David Timmons said the online component will increase the breadth and depth of comments.
“It’s a good turnout and a good start for the process,” Timmons said of the meeting.
“But the most exciting part for me is opening up the avenue for people to participate online.
“There is something good about having a face-to-face conversation, but the website doesn’t require someone to take time out of their day to make a comment.”
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
