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Sequim staff and consultant outline extended schedule for 2025 comprehensive-plan update
Summary
Planning staff and consultant described progress on the city’s 2025 comprehensive-plan periodic update, including internal chapter drafts, a planned joint planning commission—council session on the future land use map, and a suite of technical studies (land capacity and housing needs) to inform maps and capital facilities.
Carla Bowden of Cross Sound Consulting told Sequim City Council that the city’s periodic comprehensive-plan update is proceeding but will need additional time and technical analysis to be thorough and Sequim‑specific.
Carla said staff and consultants had drafted most policy chapters internally and were advancing chapters to the planning commission for review; she described an added six-month schedule extension to allow full public engagement, technical studies and coordination with the planning commission and council.
The nut graf: The update will produce three linked documents—a policy document (chapters with goals and policies), a future land use map, and a capital facilities plan that incorporates utility- and facility-specific projects (including sewer and other utilities) to serve growth allocated under the Growth Management Act.
Carla said chapters for introduction, community character and other topics are near completion, and that the transportation chapter was under review by engineering staff. She said the city will engage a specialty consultant (Leland Consulting, subcontract to SCJ) to complete a land capacity analysis and the housing needs assessment that will include housing-unit estimates by income band and a market analysis tailored to Sequim.
Christina, identified in the meeting as a city staff member working on the update, told council the department had hired an intern to assist with mapping and that staff are preparing to accept annual map‑amendment requests from private property owners as part of the docket process required by state law. "We're trying to get the word out," Christina said regarding the open application window for map amendment requests.
Carla outlined the public engagement and decision timeline: continued chapter review through the summer and fall, a joint planning commission–council meeting to vet the draft future land use map, a public release and outreach phase in February with online and in-person open houses and a Saturday workshop, planning commission recommendation and council hearings in spring.
No formal council action was recorded at the work session; staff sought direction on schedule and technical scopes so the planning commission can continue review and the consultant work can proceed.
Staff emphasized that the Growth Management Act requires the city to plan for allocated growth rather than to create growth, and that the housing and market analyses are intended to provide neutral, data-driven inputs for map and policy decisions. Carla said draft development regulations (title 17 subdivisions and permit-procedures chapter 20.01) are in parallel internal drafting and will be advanced during the update.
Council members asked clarifying questions about timeline and public engagement; staff said they plan iterative updates to the planning commission and will bring amendments through the statutory docket process for council consideration.
