HomeMy WebLinkAbout060925 City Council Workshop Meeting (with Planning Commission) MinutesCITY OF PORT TOWNSEND
MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING OF JUNE 9, 2025
CALL TO ORDER/ ROLL CALL
The City Council met in a regular workshop meeting with Planning Commission on June
9, 2025 in the City Council Chambers at 540 Water Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368.
Mayor Faber called the meeting to order at 6:00pm.
Councilmembers present at roll call were David Faber, Amy Howard, Monica MickHager,
Neil Nelson, Owen Rowe, and Ben Thomas with Libby Wennstrom excused.
Staff members present were Planning and Community Development Director Emma
Bolin , Long Range Planner Adrian Smith , City Manager John Mauro, Planning Manager
Jacob Gates, and City Clerk Alyssa Rodrigues.
Planning Commissioners present at roll call were Lois Stanford, Rick Jahnke, Vikki
Sonntag, Samantha Bair -Jones, Stephen Mader, and Robert Doyle, with Andreas
Andreadis excused.
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT (REGARDING ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA)
There was no public comment.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Comprehensive Plan Update- Land Use and Housing
Planning and Community Development Director Emma Bolin, Planning Manager
Jacob Gates, and Long Ranger Planner Adrian Smith presented the Land Use
Element DRAFT.
Discussion ensued around feedback, length of documents, goal/purpose of
documents, relationship of sections, visual, historic vs. cultural, character, organic,
intensity/density, additional densities, and incentives for affordable/workforce
housing.
Commissioner Andreadis arrived at 6:23pm.
Discussion continued around working waterfront, lower/medium households income,
footer, reordering of paragraphs, increasingly aging population, consistent colors in
graphs, graphs move to housing element, historic development, Area by Zoning
graph, residential uses, artisan crafts, cultural and artistic facilities, Quimper Wildlife
Corridor, agriculture- where appropriate, climate mitigation,
Opportunities, Challenges, open space preservation, unique character, Sustainable
Street Plan, demographic imbalances, displacement, economic development and
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opportunity, safe and secure environment, seasonal surface water availability, infill
development, sporting area, trails and beaches, help generate jobs, form based
approaches, zoning code update capacity issues, conflict zoning, flexibility in
density, R-V residential zone, nodes, Future Land Use Map, categories in map,
mixed use allowed anywhere, schedule, and review written comments.
Public comment:
Bly Windstorm spoke about precipitation and agricultural land use element.
David Cohn spoke about agricultural and food security land use element.
Jude Rubin spoke about agricultural land use element and agricultural housing.
Julia Cochrane spoke about displacement, nonprofit/community center/welcoming
center etc., and rest stops.
Kellen Lynch spoke about Olympic Housing Trust and land/housing.
Alita Greenway spoke about public comment timing and historical nature of
agriculture land.
Kelsey Caudebec spoke about younger people staying in Port Townsend and denser
housing uptown.
In response to public comment Mayor Faber acknowledged timing of public
comment.
Discussion ensued around map presented during public comment, agricultural
housing district, permissive use for agriculture, flexibility, development code, Urban
Growth Area, zoning flexibility, minimum zoning, parameters, mixed use centers
allowed everywhere, SEPA analysis, transit/infrastructure investments, upzoning
increasing land prices, de -zoning, strategy discussion, goals, neighborhood third
spaces, food option accessibility, and multifamily tax exemption.
ADJOURN
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:54pm.
Attest:
Al =saRod"rig�ues
City Clerk
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