Sequim council holds comprehensive-plan retreat centered on housing targets, climate planning and growth scenarios

Carla Bowden, a planning consultant with Cross Sound Consulting, told the Sequim City Council at a retreat that state-driven housing and climate requirements are reshaping how the city must plan for the next 20 years.

Bowden said the meeting was intended to ground the council in the Growth Management Act, review county and state allocations and the public outreach completed in 2024, and to test three land‑use scenarios for meeting Sequim’s housing allocation. “It’s about access to your shoreline and to the water. It’s about access to your parks, open space, trails, and biking,” Bowden said, summarizing themes the consultant heard from residents.

The retreat focused on several items that Bowden said Sequim must address as part of a 2025 comprehensive-plan update required by state law: (1) a new housing-element approach that assigns housing-unit targets by income band; (2) a climate/resiliency element and related active‑transportation planning; and (3) updates to the city’s land‑use map and capital facilities plan so utilities and transportation work match the planned growth allocation.

Bowden summarized county and state roles in the process: the Office of Financial Management provides population forecasts; Clallam County translates those into housing‑unit needs and allocates a share to Sequim and its urban growth area;…