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Planning staff presents parks, transportation and future land‑use updates; council presses for clarity on jet skis, trails and housing capacity
Summary
Planning staff reviewed draft parks and recreation, transportation and future land‑use elements, including a proposed shift to multimodal transportation metrics, a request to restrict jet skis near shore, trail and park acquisition priorities and a housing‑capacity gap for low‑income units.
At the Feb. 25 council meeting, planning staff presented draft updates to three comprehensive‑plan elements — parks, recreation and open space; transportation; and the future land‑use map — and asked the council for direction on several specific policies.
Parks and open space: Planning staff said the draft contains 40 policies organized under five goals, with an emphasis on acquisition, preservation of natural areas and opportunities to expand the town’s trail network. The planning commission urged early action on a policy (identified in staff materials as PR‑4 / 3.4) that would restrict jet‑ski use in sensitive shoreline areas; staff and several councilors discussed limits of the town’s jurisdiction offshore and the potential need to coordinate with the Port and the county for enforcement.
Commissioners also flagged a perceived lack of publicly accessible parkland south of the highway; staff noted several school‑district facilities that are technically public but may be effectively unavailable without formal access agreements. Councilors asked staff to review whether town‑owned parcels labeled as parking or civic should remain so designated and cautioned against unintentionally converting commercial parcels into park inventory without a council decision.
Transportation: Staff proposed moving from traditional “level of service” traffic measures to a multimodal “level of stress” approach that evaluates comfort and safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. The draft recommends prioritizing pedestrian connections along the waterfront and improved crosswalks on Main Street. Councilors asked for clearer language on responsibility for right‑of‑way vegetation maintenance and for a grant‑ready ADA transition plan; staff agreed to research implementation requirements and likely grant opportunities.
Future land‑use map and housing capacity: Staff presented a preliminary future‑land‑use map that responds to property‑owner interest and sewer extensions. Using county population projections to 2045, staff said existing zoning (with sewer fully extended) produced a deficit of roughly 41 dwelling units relative to the town’s calculated need for 351 units; proposed map changes reduced that shortfall to about 10 dwelling units but left a remaining deficit concentrated in the lowest‑income band (0–80% of area median income).
The staff presentation also noted interest in protecting manufactured‑home parks and discussed policy tools — overlays, acquisition, cooperative purchase programs and regulatory changes — that might reduce redevelopment pressure on those parks. Councilors cautioned that rezoning publicly owned parcels (for example, county‑owned sites) needs careful treatment to avoid unintended consequences.
Why it matters: Draft comprehensive plan elements guide future zoning, capital projects and development standards. The council asked staff to prioritize enforceable language where the town has authority (shoreline activity near the Port, trails within town boundaries), tighten definitions and return with revised text and implementation steps.
Planning staff said they will incorporate council feedback — on jet‑ski language, trail backbone priorities, park acquisition focus, ADA planning and housing‑capacity options — and return with updated drafts and implementation recommendations.
