Sequim City Council board meeting

When: 6 p.m. Monday, April 25

Where: Sequim Civic Center, 152 W. Cedar St.

After nearly five years, the City of Sequim’s staff recently revealed how much of the city’s Downtown Plan from 2011 they identify as accomplished.

The plan, Joe Irvin, assistant to the city manager/parks manager, says is to guide future growth in downtown, create regulations for development and a road map for a more vibrant downtown. Consultants on the plan mapped the downtown core from Third Avenue to Matriotti Avenue west to east, and Spruce Street to Maple Street, north to south.

Since the plan’s adoption, some projects have been completed such as keeping the city hall, now civic center, in downtown.

However, city staffers showed on April 11 that strategies ranged from 1-3 to 3-7 to 7-plus years and that only a few mid-term and long-term strategies have been completed and/or been worked on. Some of the hot topic projects for the community during the plan’s discussion stages haven’t moved forward much if at all including encouraging low-rise higher density housing downtown, partnering with a cinema developer and pursuing development of a hotel.

These would require a private developer and/or city staff recruiting possible firms but Irvin said they haven’t had any luck securing a developer.

“(The cinema) is still a positive activity generator and could still be located downtown,” he said.

Some of the short-term accomplishments Irvin and staff listed as accomplished include:

• Partnering with the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce and Sequim Merchants Group to coordinate marketing and focus on food, emphasizing markets and restaurants.

• Providing bike parking,

• Restriping parking spots on a portion of Cedar Street. City staff listed Bell Street for re-striping but it was inefficient and could not be re-striped diagonally.

• Evaluating strategies for on-street parking on Washington Street and improve parking and way-finding signage

In the short term

Short-term projects with no progress include developing a business retention and recruitment program, implementing a downtown housing program and enhancing Seal Street.

Irvin said city staff had a meeting with Clallam PUD officials about grounding some power lines in the area between Washington Street and Cedar Street and they are looking at options for installing a crosswalk from the Sequim Civic Center’s front door to Seal Street.

Irvin said city staff also are investigating a plan to optimize the Sequim Avenue/Washington Street signal timing and phasing to increase traffic and pedestrian flow throughout Sequim.

Public Works Director David Garlington said creating a faster crossing time isn’t part of the study though because state mandates require an intersection’s crossing time be based on the city’s average age so Sequim’s is higher than average.

As for mid-term projects, some bike lanes have been striped on select connection streets, but Irvin said there aren’t many bike lane areas city staff would propose on main corridors due to road width.

City staff also are planning to investigate implementing a Main Street Program soon, City Manager Charlie Bush said. It could create funding that helps with infrastructure improvements and low-interest loan programs for businesses in downtown, Bush said.

A plan to create a new entrance from Etta Street’s alley to Pioneer Park is proposed in the city’s capital improvement plan, Irvin said.

Councilor Candace Pratt expressed an interest in identifying more bicycle parking as part of the plan’s long-term goal.

“I see a large interest in bicycles coming from other parts,” she said. “I think it’s a very good thing to plan for bicycles.”

Irvin said he wants to put them in strategic locations so that they’ll be used such as in Carrie Blake Park at the Olympic Discovery Trail head.

Some of the other unfinished long-term projects include creating a southern bypass, which hinges on state planning/funding, Irvin said, and redesigning Pioneer Park, which has no plans at this time.

Councilor Ted Miller said he was concerned about ill feelings/unfairness of the plan after reviewing it.

“(It) just seems discriminatory to treat downtown businesses differently from other business,” he said. “I believe we should be neutral and treat all businesses the same.”

Councilor Bob Lake said the plan could create grant funding.

“If there is an opportunity to get state money into our city, (the plan) might be one way,” he said.

For more information on the plan, visit www.sequimwa.gov.

Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.