Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Port Townsend council, planning commission workshop focuses on code changes to implement comprehensive plan; residents press MFTE and farm protections
Summary
At a joint Port Townsend workshop, staff outlined code and procedural changes to implement the new comprehensive plan — from lot-recognition and nonconforming-lot rules to possible repeal of some PUD provisions — while residents urged adoption of multifamily tax-exemption incentives and stronger protections for small-scale agriculture.
At a joint workshop, the Port Townsend City Council and Planning Commission reviewed proposed code changes aimed at implementing the city’s recently adopted comprehensive plan, including recognizing historic lots, revising nonconforming-lot rules and reconsidering planned unit developments, city staff said.
City planning staff framed the session as a technical workshop focused on how to translate plan policy into code. “I guess the takeaway is that we still have exclusionary development codes in Fort Townsend,” the meeting chair said, noting a series of code edits staff expects to bring forward to allow smaller lots, more accessory dwelling units and relaxed setback and parking requirements.
Why it matters: the changes would affect how the city counts buildable lots, how developers and homeowners can reuse or split lots, and which projects qualify for incentives intended to increase housing supply. That affects housing affordability, infrastructure costs…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
