HomeMy WebLinkAbout032725 Special Session City Council Meeting (with Planning Commission) Meeting MinutesCITY OF PORT TOWNSEND
MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL
SESSION OF MARCH 27, 2025
CALL TO ORDER
The Planning Commission met in a special session with the City Council on March 27,
2025, in the City Council Chamber at 540 Water Street. Chair Rick Jahnke called the
meeting to order at 6:30pm.
ROLL CALL
Commissioners present at roll call were Andreas Andreadis, Samantha Bair -Jones, Bob
Doyle, Rick Jahnke, Stephen Mader, Viki Sonntag, and Lois Stanford.
City Council members present at roll call were Mayor David Faber, Deputy Mayor, Amy
Howard, Councilmember, Neil Nelson, Councilmember, Ben Thomas, Councilmember,
Monica MickHager, and Councilmember, Owen Rowe.
Staff members present were Public Works Director, Steve King, Planning and
Community Development Director, Emma Bolin, Long Range Planner, Adrian Smith,
and Deputy City Clerk, Lonnie Mickle.
ACCEPTANCE OF AGENDA
The agenda was accepted by consensus.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES- FEBRUARY 27, 2025
The amended minutes from February 27, 2025, were accepted by consensus.
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT
Peter Langley spoke about waiting times for public comments during meetings,
consultant cost, workforce housing, homeless developments, return on investments for
businesses, and the Glen Cove area.
Julie Jaman spoke about the methodology of using polls and surveys, certain Planning
Commissioner's previous comments, definitions and updates in the comprehensive
plan, and dark skies in the city.
Planning and Community Development Director, Emma Bolin and Rick Jahnke
responded to resident's concerns about dark skies and the Glen Cove area.
NEW BUSINESS
Discuss Comprehensive Plan Open House
SCJ Alliance consultant Bill Grimes recapped the city's open house gathering and
conversations about the city's Comprehensive Plan on March 26, 2025. Topics
discussed at the open house were mixed -use centers, housing, underdeveloped streets,
active transportation, art for the city, parks, recreation, open space, and climate. The
SCJ Alliance consultant ended the presentation discussing the implementation process
and how to refine the policies.
Council members and Commissioners discussed neighborhood identity, housing types
and displacement, engineering standards, sustainable development, programs to build
infrastructure, the lack of families at the open house, multi -generational desires for the
town, open space for children, storm water plans, high school students, planet
resilience, greenhouse gases, lack of specificity, community engagement, the flexibility
of the city's Comprehensive Plan, feedback results, and the representation of all city
members.
Steve King discussed the future of street planning investments for the city, the work with
(DASH), the Disability Awareness Starts Here program, the city's connectedness
overall, and the city's park's locations.
Adrian Smith discussed the city's art program, the education of the youth in the city's
local schools and the city's climate.
Emma Bolin gave a synopsis of the data collected at the open house,
Public Comment on March 26, 2025, Open House
Residents commented on limited commercial zones, local artist for local art, the growth
of the city's children, the matrix on parking requirements for the city, and issues with the
open house.
OLD BUSINESS
Continuing discussion of tools for the Comprehensive Plan. Continue reviewing the draft
document grouping policies by topic.
The Council members and Commissioners allowed public comments before continuing
the discussion of tools for the Comprehensive Plan section.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Residents commented on the open house for the high school students, rental
properties, urban farming, traffic changes, engineering standards, and multi -unit
housing, climate resilience, comprehensive plan classes, land density transfers, food
security and comprehensive plan assurances.
Staff, Council members and the Commissioners responded to residents' comments
about classes at the high schools, government policies, the transfer of development
rights, mixed use zone for Hastings and Howard, Cappy's trails, short term rental
regulations, sustainable agriculture, and the encouragement of community base
solutions to the city's housing needs.
Adrian Smith presented the goals and policies for the city's current mixed -use
development and parks and recreation.
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Land Use
Mentioned were goals and policies twelve, twelve -point one, twelve -point one point four,
twelve -point two point two, twelve -point two point three, twelve -point four, and twelve
point five.
Housing goals and policies four -point three, and six.
Transportation goals and policies one point five.
Economic Develo ment goals and policies ten point nine.
Discussion ensued about businesses with drive through services in mixed -use areas,
the duplication and clarity of the goals and policies, how the new comprehensive plan
will be designed, and mixed -used centers.
Emma Bolin gave examples of cities that prohibited businesses with drive -through
services in certain areas. She also mentioned goals and policies of each subdivision,
the mission of the park rangers, and the city's master planning.
Steve King explained the differences between higher and lower standards for
commercial areas. He also mentioned the local access streets in transportation goal
one point five.
Parks and Recreation:
Long Range Planner, Adrian Smith discussed the goals and policies for Parks and
Recreation.
Land Use
Mentioned in this section were goals and policies four, three, six, four -point one, four -
point one point one, four -point one point three, four -point three, four -point three point
one, four -point three point three, four -point four point two, four -point four point four, four -
point four point five, four -point five, four -point six, four -point seven, four point eight, and
four point ten.
Goal and policy three from the Trails section of the Comprehensive plan was
mentioned.
Discussion ensued about recreational programs, the combination of some goals and
policies, subdivision development, real estate excise tax, land for parks in the city,
critical area ordinances, the SEPA process, the complications with active recreation,
environmental protection, (PROS), Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan, and the
community direction statement.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
* THURSDAY APRIL 10 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING CONTINUING
DISCUSSION OF EXISTING AND DRAFT GOALS AND POLICIES IN RELATION TO
GOALS SET BY THE PRELIMINARY DOCKET. EXPECTED FOCUS ON
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, FIGHTS OF WAY, STREETS NON -MOTORIZED
TRANSPORTATION TRAILS AND FERRY TRANSIT.
* THURSDAY APRIL 24 JOINT PLANNING COMMISSION AND CITY COUNCIL
MEETING CONTINUING DISCUSSION OF EXISTING AND DRAFT GOALS AND
POLICIES IN RELATION TO GOALS SET BY THE PRELIMINARY DOCKET
* THURSDAY MAY 8 PLANNING COMMISSION
COMMUNICATIONS
There was no communication for this meeting.
ADJOURN
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:46 pm,
Attest:
City Clerk's Office