SEQUIM — Growth in Sequim is fulfilling a plan put forth to guide development in 1996, a city official said Tuesday, but even with a plan in place there are significant issues that need resolving.
That was the word from capital projects manager Frank Needham to members of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce, who listened to a presentation on the 10-year update of the city’s comprehensive plan.
The plan is used by city leaders to anticipate and meet Sequim’s needs.
“We’ve got a growing, dynamic city,” Needham said.
“And there’s nothing we can do about it. That’s the way it’s going to be.”
The Sequim-area population increased 35.4 percent between 1996 and 2004, to 7,850 from 5,825.
Most of that growth occurred in the city’s urban growth area, where the population almost doubled to 3,100 people.
The city’s popularity with retirees driving this boom isn’t going to fade, said Needham.
Indeed, the city is adding businesses, shopping and medical facilities that likely will make Sequim an even more desirable place to live.
But two tasks the city faces received special attention Tuesday — the infrastructure needs of a growing population, and the population’s decided tilt toward retirees and the elderly.
