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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommunity Direction Statement and Fundamental Concepts Community Direction Statement and Fundamental Concepts Excerpts from the Comprehensive Plan III. COMMUNITY DIRECTION STATEMENT "The future of Port Townsend depends on the actions and plans of its citizens today. It is important, therefore, to understand what Port Townsend citizens want their city to be like in 20 years and beyond, what they want to preserve, and what they want to change." (from Port Townsend 2020: Getting Together, Final Report) Port Townsend is our legacy for the future. ,' SHARE Each generation makes its contribution. This Comprehensive Plan is today's attempt to define and refine our legacy to Port Townsend. Our dream of how Port Townsend should be and could be for generations to come is presented in this Plan. Such a plan is a statement of confidence, optimism and belief in ourselves, a statement that our community can change without losing its essential character. This Direction Statement sets forth the framework for carrying out this planning effort. In the future, the Direction Statement will be referred to when the Plan is interpreted or amended to ensure that the basic values it embodies are not lost. The Direction Statement is in the present tense, as if we were speaking of Port Townsend today. While our vision is to protect most characteristics of today's town, the vision should be read as describing the community we wish Port Townsend to become in the next 20 years. We envision Port Townsend as eastern Jefferson County's economic and cultural center, ,' SHARE Port Townsend is the County seat, and the center of eastern Jefferson County's economy and employment.A diversity of commercial and industrial activities flourish and provide meaningful employment opportunities for residents. The area accommodates a strong retail center catering to residents and tourists alike. Tourism is integrated into the local economy,while at the same time, the affordability of housing, goods and services is maintained for residents, and the livability of the community endures. Cottage based industries and low impact light manufacturing have a strong presence in the community.An important concentration of incubator industries is also found here. The urban waterfront along Port Townsend Bay is anchored at either end by marinas and port areas devoted to the City's marine-related commerce and industry. These areas are essential to the character of Port Townsend as a working waterfront town. A regional center of culture and learning. Port Townsend provides its citizens with quality elementary and secondary instruction, as well as career training and college education needed for success and personal enrichment. The City offers world class arts and entertainment and continually celebrates its cultural and historical assets by hosting many exciting festivals and events.Anywhere in town,we are only a convenient bike ride or walk from work, classes, dining, entertainment and home. This closeness reinforces the tie between Port Townsend's economy, culture and a large residential community People live here because they enjoy being in the midst of the natural beauty and cultural amenities of Port Townsend. a community with a sense of history and place,r,3 SHRRE Founded in 1851, the City harbors a National Historic District and a wealth of superb Victorian era homes recognized on the National Historic Register. These historic buildings provide a magnificent backdrop and preserve a tangible link to Port Townsend's vanished dreams of being the preeminent city of the Puget Sound region. Structures and places of historical importance are surrounded by new compatible development. Following the Highway 20/Sims Way Corridor, a procession of distinctive buildings have been added to Port Townsend's architectural heritage. Port Townsend is a vital and active place that retains a small town atmosphere and a strong sense of community. In its retail districts, sidewalks are lined with busy shops that cater to residents as well as visitors. Historic commercial buildings, long established residential areas, and parks, town squares and streets lined with trees give the City an atmosphere of relaxed permanence. Parks, gateways and walkways are rich with historical monuments and public art. Buses, trails and bikeways provide useful transportation options for workers, shoppers and visitors and dependence upon the automobile is diminished. The City is pedestrian oriented, and neighbors greet one another as they walk by for work, play or exercise. The City's tree-lined walks, trails and streets provide shade and habitat and reinforce Port Townsend's network of green spaces. Open spaces offering an opportunity for rest, views, contemplation and enjoyment of the natural environment are found throughout the City. These public spaces are free of litter,well maintained and richly planted with flora that blends with the native vegetation. a place that prizes its natural setting,f] HRRE The natural setting of this"Key City"of the Peninsula is accentuated with buildings and green spaces that combine with the lower Olympics, the Cascades and marine vistas to create a dramatic backdrop for an attractive and memorable place. By ferry, the City is the gateway to the Olympic Peninsula's natural wonders. The air is fresh and the adjacent waters of Port Townsend Bay,Admiralty Inlet and the Strait of Juan de Fuca are clean, full of marine life, and easily accessible. The downtown waterfront is an attraction that offers cultural, educational and social opportunities that reinforce the City's natural setting. The Waterwalk provides people a pedestrian path along the shore of Port Townsend Bay, tying the City's shoreline together from the Olympic Discovery Trail to Fort Worden State Park and North Beach. The walk connects the waterfront with a larger network of trails that lead to surrounding districts and residential neighborhoods. This loop also unites an extensive system of parks and open spaces, including many environmentally sensitive areas that provide significant wildlife habitat The City's urban wildlife corridors provide vital links between critical wetland habitats, drainage corridors and other protected areas. These corridors connect with a larger network of wildlife movement routes that extend beyond the City and into the County, ultimately leading to the Olympic National Forest and Park. a great place to live,r,,3 SHRRE A wide choice of housing types and prices is available for a diversity of lifestyles and incomes. Residential development is centered in distinct neighborhoods that are safe, secure, and have identities and characters of their own. Opportunities for socializing, recreation, quiet and solitude are all close at hand, as are facilities and events that enrich the body, mind and spirit. a town that cares,C]oI, SHRRE Social and health services are available and provide dignified care to dependent residents. The community offers training and support for those able to become more independent Port Townsend's elderly and special needs populations are appreciated for making valuable contributions to the life of the community and are afforded convenient access to transportation and other human services. Volunteerism remains essential to the fabric of the community. Citizen volunteers enrich the community by donating their time and services to a wide variety of community organizations, artistic and cultural endeavors, environmental protection and enhancement efforts, and efforts that aid disadvantaged segments of the population. The youth of Port Townsend are recognized as an important part of the community. The City cultivates opportunities for the youth of our town to play, socialize, find entertainment,work, and be involved in extra- curricular experiences. where we work together. ,' SHARE The public and private sectors work together pursuing the continued strength and growth of Port Townsend's economy, diverse employment base, and cultural and educational opportunities. City government is open and accessible. It provides leadership in promoting and implementing public policy. Government is willing and able to respond quickly, creatively, and efficiently to provide innovative ways of meeting the challenges facing the community. City and County governments cooperate to solve common problems. The private sector participates in the success of government by actively helping in decision-making and adding its talents to help solve community problems. Regulations, laws and policies are enforced with equity and justice. Development is orderly and predictable. The inhabitants of Port Townsend feel, and are, safe. The City's residents respect the opinions, as well as the cultural and ethnic diversity of their fellow citizens. While discussion of civic issues remains robust, residents communicate with one another and elected officials in a considerate manner. Business supports the cultural and educational life of Port Townsend. Government encourages business, civic and neighborhood organizations to participate in decision-making and in helping it honestly evaluate its successes and failures. Above all, our hope for the future becomes the City's promise to maintain and enhance Port Townsend's special character and small town atmosphere! FOUR FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS What's in this Plan? ,' SHARE At its core, the Plan contains four fundamental concepts which are highlighted below. Maintaining Our Small Town Character t,,' SHARE The overriding objective of the Plan is to maintain and enhance Port Townsend's special character and small town atmosphere.As our community grows, the very character that attracted residents here in the first place is threatened. The Plan contains two very important areas of policy direction designed to preserve our community's essential character while planning for inevitable growth and development. First, the Plan encourages the development of"mixed use centers" surrounded by strong and diverse neighborhoods, similar to the area surrounding the uptown intersection of Lawrence and Tyler Streets today. These centers are intended to serve as focal points for new or emerging neighborhoods and to help promote pedestrian friendly areas with small scale neighborhood shopping and services. Second, the Plan includes policies which would lead to the creation of a City-wide interconnected system of open spaces and trails. These green spaces would help to protect the small town atmosphere of Port Townsend while providing other benefits, including stormwater control and linking key wildlife areas. Achieving a Better Balance Between Jobs & Housing,' SHARE Another major objective of the Plan is to help address the "jobs/housing imbalance."There are many more people living in Port Townsend than there are good jobs. Because good jobs are hard to find, many Port Townsend residents pay more than they can really afford for housing. The Plan seeks to remedy this imbalance in two important ways. First, the Plan contains an economic development strategy that is designed to encourage businesses which provide "family wage"jobs-jobs that pay good money, so that we and our children can afford to live and work in Port Townsend. It seeks to balance economic vitality with environmental protection and preservation of our small town atmosphere. Second, the Plan contains an affordable housing strategy which provides more land for higher density development, allows more creative housing types, and increases the housing choices available to City residents. Taken together, the affordable housing and economic development strategies should help to make housing more affordable for Port Townsend residents in the decades to come. Accommodating Port Townsend's Share of County-Wide Growth C,2 SHARE One of the purposes of the GMA is to limit sprawling urban density development in rural and resource lands. To accomplish this goal, the GMA makes clear that cities and urban growth areas(UGAs) have a responsibility to accommodate the lion's share of growth, and to do it in a compact, urban manner. By mutual agreement, and based upon recent demographic data, Jefferson County and the City have determined that Port Townsend's share of County-wide growth will be approximately 4,985 people during the period between 2000 and 2024. This would increase the City's total population from 8,344 in 2000 to 13,329 by the year 2024. [Ord. No. 2879, § 1.1, (February 7, 2005)]. Providing Public Facilities & Services Within the City's Financial Resources,' SHARE Unlike prior plans, this Comprehensive Plan is designed to balance the need for additional public facilities and services with the City's ability to pay for them. In the past, Plans often contained a "wish list"of capital projects with no demonstrated ability to fund the necessary improvements. This Comprehensive Plan represents a distinct departure from past practice-the Plan sets measurable standards for public facilities and services(i.e., level of service standards), states what specific capital projects will be constructed, and identifies the sources of revenue which will be used to fund the necessary improvements. Policies concerning "concurrency" are also a key component of the Plan. Concurrency is the concept of providing certain facilities and services at or before the time of approval of new development projects. The Plan requires that adequate water, sewer, stormwater and transportation facilities be in place before new development can be approved.