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Port of Port Angeles alley vacation approved despite neighbors’ bluff, drainage concerns
Summary
The City Council approved an ordinance to vacate roughly 5,000 sq. ft. of unimproved right-of-way in Block 105 to allow the Port of Port Angeles to incorporate it into adjacent industrial property. Residents urged stricter geotechnical and monitoring conditions; staff and the hearing examiner said environmental and shoreline impacts are addressed by separate permitting.
Port Angeles City Council voted to approve a petition from the Port of Port Angeles to vacate an unimproved strip of city right-of-way between Marine Drive and West Fourth Street so the port may incorporate the property into adjoining industrial holdings.
City staff and the hearing examiner recommended approval, finding the narrow right-of-way is not needed for “current or reasonably foreseeable public use” while retaining easements for utilities and public services. Adel Torres, the city’s long-range and special-projects planner, told the council the action changes the legal status of the right-of-way only; it does not authorize construction. “Approval of the street vacation does not authorize site construction, grading, shoreline development or industrial operations,” the staff memo states.
Neighbors who spoke during the meeting urged a different outcome. Alexis Sorenson, a Port Angeles resident speaking during public comment, told council the strip sits adjacent to a 170-foot bluff and is used today as a buffer by nearby homes. She urged adoption of updated geotechnical reviews and real-time monitoring “before passing the vacation permit,” and asked whether the city would require realtime vibration monitoring and structural reinforcement of a 42-inch storm conveyance pipe prior to deep foundation work.
Supporters — including speakers from the Port and economic-development leaders — argued the vacation is a narrow procedural step that precedes any future project permits and does not bypass environmental review. Chris Hartman, representing the Port of Port Angeles, told the council, “The street vacation is entirely separate process from any future development approval,” and highlighted that the proposed boat-building project has already been subject to SEPA and shoreline substantial development review and conditioned permits.
Council debate split on whether the vacation should be considered strictly as a title/legal question or as part of the larger development trajectory. Deputy Mayor Navara Carr said she remained unconvinced that outstanding environmental and bluff-stability questions had been resolved and stated, “I will be voting against this tonight.” Other members said they trusted the hearing-examiner process and staff review; the council adopted the ordinance subject to the hearing examiner’s conditions and retained easements.
What happens next: staff emphasized that any construction, grading, or shoreline work will need separate permits (shoreline, building, grading, stormwater) and that those permits include public notice and further opportunities for comment. The ordinance will become effective only after required conditions are satisfied, including compensation for the vacated area and recordation of conveyance documents.
Why it matters: the decision resolves the legal status of a small but environmentally sensitive parcel adjacent to a steep bluff and a marina, and it sets the terms under which the port can consolidate land holdings. Residents will continue to watch later building-permit and shoreline review phases for the project’s environmental mitigation and bluff-stability measures.
Next steps: the city retains easements for utilities and the existing storm conveyance; future permits for the boat-building project will come through environmental/shoreline and building-permit review with additional mitigation as required.
