Council debates language on historic downtown, density and incentives in 2024 comp plan update

Gig Harbor City Council held an extensive review of the 2024 comprehensive plan periodic update matrix, focusing on several contested policy edits including how the plan describes protection of downtown character, whether the word “significantly” should be removed from neighborhood-protection language, transit references, equity language about “overburdened communities,” planned-community development (PCD) provisions and a menu of incentives/density bonuses.

Interim Community Development Director Jeff Wilson and consultants Inez and Andrew (from the consultant team) walked council through line-by-line comments received from the public and internal reviewers. On the proposed change to Land Use policy LU 2.3 (language to "maintain the historic development pattern in the downtown area and integrate the downtown with newer development outside of downtown"), several councilmembers supported keeping the policy focused on the downtown core. Councilmember Wood and others asked whether “established neighborhoods” should be added; staff and multiple councilmembers said adding that phrase would broaden the policy and could impede future land-use flexibility across the entire city. Council consensus was to keep the downtown-focused wording and not add the broad “established neighborhoods” phrase.

The council spent notable time on…