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Sequim planning commission hears 2025 comprehensive plan update, county growth targets and water concerns
Summary
City interim director and hired planning consultant briefed the Sequim Planning Commission on the comprehensive plan update and new county growth targets—1,850 housing units inside the city and 298 in the urban growth area—prompting commissioners to press staff on water, traffic and housing type choices.
The Sequim Planning Commission on Monday heard an overview of the city’s 2025 comprehensive plan update and new county growth targets from interim Department of Community Development Director Christina Nelson Gross and planning consultant Carla Bowden.
Carla Bowden, a planning consultant with Cross Sound Consulting, told commissioners that “we need to be planning for 1,850 new housing units in the city limits and then 298 new housing units in the Sequim Urban growth area.” The figures come from county-level allocations tied to Washington state planning requirements, she said.
The briefing explained why the comprehensive plan matters: it implements the Growth Management Act through a combination of goals and policies, a future land-use map, and a capital facilities plan that guides transportation, water, sewer and parks investments. Bowden said the city will also be required to add a climate change and resiliency element and a housing element that breaks the new housing allocation into state-defined income bands.
Interim Director Christina Nelson Gross, who also serves as the city attorney, introduced Bowden and said the city had sought a planning consultant to provide technical oversight during the department’s director transition. Gross said she has “delegating some limited authority to her,” to sign certain staff reports on the department’s behalf and to mentor planning staff during the transition.
Commissioners used the discussion to press staff on infrastructure and implementation. Commissioner Eileen (last name not specified) said residents she has spoken with are concerned about water and traffic, noting that “people were worried about water of all the development.” Commissioner Alex (last name not specified) described the city’s existing reservoir capacity and potential vulnerability, saying: “we have, you know, roughly a a reservoir of, I think it's, 3,000,000 gallons. We use about a million gallons a day. And so we've got a 3 day reserve.”
Commissioners emphasized resident preferences identified during 2024 engagement: a wider range of housing types, active-transportation improvements such as sidewalks and bike lanes, maintaining Sequim’s small-town character while accommodating growth, and more family-oriented housing and local jobs. Commissioners asked for clearer, regular updates; several requested a concise fact sheet summarizing the new housing targets and planning milestones so they can explain the changes to the public.
Bowden summarized the near-term schedule the consultants and staff plan to follow in 2025: complete the housing needs assessment and land-capacity work, draft comprehensive plan chapters and supporting development regulations, coordinate transportation and utility planning (including capital facility elements), evaluate SEPA and potential environmental review needs, and move into public hearing and adoption phases later in the year. She said the state deadline for the update had been changed by the legislature; that new date was reported during the meeting as December 30 (as stated at the meeting).
Commissioners and staff also discussed geographic constraints—landlocked parcels and where higher-density clusters might be feasible—and the fact that the Sequim Urban Growth Area portion of the allocation (298 units) will be administered by Clallam County and will require coordination so county zoning and development regulations do not create barriers to the kinds of housing the state expects.
No legislative actions on the comprehensive plan were taken at the meeting. The Planning Commission approved the January 7 minutes and adjourned after the briefing. Staff said they will continue drafting the plan and regulations, coordinate with the city engineer and public works on transportation and water-system planning, and return with drafts and public outreach opportunities for the commission’s review.
Next steps identified at the meeting include finishing the housing needs assessment review, finalizing a recommended growth scenario and growth distribution by zoning district, and beginning draft chapters and development regulations for public review and hearings later in 2025.
