SEQUIM — The numbers painted a vivid picture of growth, but big questions remained open after Clallam County and Sequim planners put their heads together this week.
More than 2,600 residential units are in various stages of construction in Sequim.
Four senior-housing complexes, totaling nearly 500 units, are taking shape.
The city has annexed close to 600 acres of land from Clallam County.
Projections put the county’s population somewhere between 78,000 and 87,000 by 2025 — and the majority of housing for them is expected to be built in and close to Sequim.
This city, whose population is 5,107 today, will in the next 15 to 20 years grow to 28,819, according to those projections.
“My God, it makes your head swim sometimes,” said Sequim Planning Commission vice chairman Dick Foster.
Joint meeting
Steve Gray, the county’s planning manager, and his Sequim counterpart, Frank Needham, reeled off the figures Wednesday night, setting the scene for something that hasn’t happened in years: a joint meeting of the city and county planning commissions.
Sequim commission chairman Larry Freedman summoned a spirit of cooperation.
“I hope we can look at this [growth] as a community — and not one with boundaries,” he said.
And all planners present agreed that they want the same things: parks, continuous trails, stormwater management, relief from traffic troubles.
“The city and county need to get together because neither one of us have a lot of financial welfare,” added Clallam Planning Commission chairman Gary Gleason.
Then Gleason asked the tough question.
“If you had your druthers, which way would you see Sequim expanding?”
“Up,” was Freedman’s rapid reply.
One way to avert sprawl, some urban planners believe, is to build high-rises close together in city centers.
But Freedman quickly changed his tune.
“I’ve got to withdraw my ‘up’ comment. There’s a discussion going on about a 35-foot or 50-foot height limit, and I don’t want to walk into that one,” said the chairman, who is also an attorney and developer.
In some parts of town, 50-foot structures are permitted.
But some 700 residents signed a petition last spring calling for a 35-foot maximum citywide.
The Sequim Planning Commission discussed the limit, but has yet to move toward changing city code.
