Clallam County planning commission debates rezones, notice and housing targets in comp plan update

Planning commissioners on Dec. 3 continued work on a countywide update to Clallam County’s comprehensive plan, discussing proposed rezones that would increase residential density in several urban growth areas, how to notify affected property owners, and a set of policy edits covering housing, tourism and environmental protections.

Planning staff described the core map changes under review, including roughly 31.3 acres in the Sequim urban growth area proposed to move from SQM Urban Residential 2 (SR2) to SR3 — increasing potential density from 5 residences per acre to 10 — and changes in parts of the Clallam Bay UGA that would raise allowable density in some places to about 16 residences per acre. Staff said these edits respond to housing requirements under the Growth Management Act and are intended to help the county meet a target of 147 high-density residential units.

"The change will result in an increase in potential residential density from 5 residences per acre to 10 residences per acre," planning staff said, explaining the net-lot capacity calculations used to estimate how much new development those rezones could accommodate. Staff also noted that some parcels show very low development capacity because of wetlands or existing development.

Commissioners pressed staff on how the county informed neighbors about the proposed changes. Staff outlined steps taken: a news release, an updated comprehensive-plan web page and posted notices in the Clallam Bay and Sequim libraries, and said mailing individual property owners was not done because of budget constraints. "It is beyond what we're statutorily required to do," the planner said, adding staff hopes additional people will attend the Dec. 17 continuation.

Several commissioners said those measures were unlikely to reach many affected residents. "If somebody was an adjacent landowner and didn't get any notice of the potential change, that'd be very upsetting to the public," one commissioner said, urging mailed notices, property signs or local newspaper and radio outreach. Another commissioner recommended clearer map legends and road identifiers in the packet so neighbors can locate proposed boundaries.

The packet also included policy language that mirrors state guidance on "essential public facilities," listing services such as opioid-treatment programs and recovery residences. Commissioners expressed concern that labeling those uses "essential" could be read as granting siting priority in ways that might sidestep local review; staff responded the legislature intended the language to ensure needed services can locate where appropriate and recommended careful wording and citations to the Growth Management Act.

Other policy discussions included whether to keep a paragraph proposing incentives and disincentives to encourage vacant and out-of-area properties to return to the rental market. Several commissioners favored emphasizing incentives rather than penalties and suggested the county conduct an inventory and survey to understand why units are vacant before proposing tax or regulatory responses.

Environmental protections and the use of "best available science" drew questions as well. Commissioners asked how the county would treat wetlands and whether state or federal changes to standards would force local adjustments; staff said GMA requires use of the best available, peer-reviewed science and noted the Department of Ecology and federal Clean Water Act standards inform county practice.

Public comment included a detailed request from John Worthington of Sequim, who urged the commission to adopt a river-restoration approach he called "Jimmy Come Lately" science for the Dungeness River to improve Chinook salmon habitat. Worthington asked staff to include photographic materials in the next packet for commissioners to review.

No final votes were taken on the comprehensive-plan amendments at the Dec. 3 meeting; the commission agreed to continue the public hearing and work session at its Dec. 17 meeting and to circulate additional materials (including the current RV-code draft and written public comments) in advance. The commission will forward any formal recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners after the hearing process is completed.

Ending: The commission paused further action to allow additional packet review and broader public outreach; the next continuation is scheduled for Dec. 17, when staff will return with clarified maps, any revised language and materials requested by commissioners.