Sequim planning staff preview FLUM and zoning changes aimed at easing housing and clarifying public zones

Senior Planner Travis Simmons briefed the Sequim City Council on Feb. 9 about a planning commission redline of the 2025 comprehensive‑plan update and a proposed set of future land‑use map (FLUM) changes and related code updates.

Simmons said the redline reflects a year of chapter‑by‑chapter review and that staff intends to release materials to the public April 1, with staff reports due in March/April and hearings scheduled for May and June. He described two parallel workstreams: the policy chapters and the FLUM/zoning updates that will translate policy into regulatory changes.

Key proposals Simmons reviewed included consolidating a number of public designations (parks, schools, open space) into a single P (public) designation for clarity; a modest density change in low‑density residential from R‑48 to R‑49 (an increase that staff says would yield roughly one additional unit per gross acre in some multifamily configurations); and retention of agricultural conservancy and open‑space designations where appropriate.

On site‑specific requests, staff recommended redesignating three single‑family parcels south of the highway at the River Road interchange from Highway Commercial to Low‑Density Residential to resolve nonconforming status, while leaving one adjacent vacant parcel as Highway Commercial because its owner opposed the change.

Simmons addressed multiple requests to redesignate properties to Community Mixed Use (CMU) — including two parcels that had been High‑Tech Light Industrial (HTLI) and one Regional Commercial (RC) parcel near Walmart — and recommended approving some CMU changes while proposing code amendments to allow other outcomes without spot rezonings. Notably, staff proposed a code‑based affordable housing exception to help Serenity House (a 17‑unit supportive housing facility with a building in need of repair) pursue necessary repairs and potentially future expansion without creating a single‑parcel spot zone.

Staff also discussed the Opportunity Areas (formerly economic opportunity areas) and Bell Creek, acknowledging council concern for mature Garry oak trees and floodplain constraints; Simmons said trees would be preserved to the extent practicable and that FEMA floodplain map updates have expanded constrained areas.

Simmons said the HTLI and some Opportunity Area parcels have seen little development and that staff may loosen use restrictions (for example, permitting breweries or similar uses) to entice market activity. For Regional Commercial land, staff proposed limited blending of Highway Commercial uses into RC's use table to make some smaller parcels more viable without wholesale redesignations.

Councilors asked clarifying questions about public engagement, differences between rezoning versus conditional/code approaches, annexation implications for parcels currently in the Urban Growth Area, and the tradeoffs of preserving RC capacity while encouraging housing nearby. Staff said any changes would include outreach to property owners and would proceed through Planning Commission recommendation and council hearings. Simmons said staff aims to have a full staff report by March and move to hearing notices in April with hearings in May and June.