Including Battelle's 140-acre Sequim Marine Research Operations site in the city's urban growth area would allow extension of water and sewer service necessary for its 20-year expansion plan.

A public hearing on the proposal is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, in the commissioners' meeting room at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles.

Only seven acres of the Battelle site is developed. A "campus master plan" projects growth of up to 500,000 square feet in the next 10 to 20 years.

It includes a 600-square-foot building for office space and labs as well as a two-story laboratory of 7,000 square feet, providing space for up to 300 researchers and staff.

Following the Nov. 18 public hearing, the Clallam County Planning Commission will finalize its recommendation and forward it to the county commissioners, who also will hold a public hearing before making a decision.

The Sequim lab is part of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which received a three-year $6.8 million grant last month to study environmental impacts of generating electricity from oceans and rivers.

Battelle performs water resources modeling, ecotoxicology testing, biotechnology research and marine and coastal resource testing for the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as well as other private and public entities.

Reach Brian Gawley at bgawley@sequimgazette.com.



At a glance

What: Public hearing

When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18

Where: Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles (after hours entrance west of

main Fourth Street entrance

Who to call: Steve Gray, planning director, 417-2520 or sgray@co.clallam.wa.us.