II. INTRODUCTION
All of us make financial plans, travel plans, and work plans that reflect personal goals and objectives. Cities plan for the same reasons each of us make plans as individuals - plans help us to organize our time and to work toward our goals in a step-by-step fashion that saves time, money and effort. Planning simply makes good sense. City planning is very similar to personal planning, but it involves more factors, a lot more money, and is intended to serve the best interests of the community rather than the individual.
Before adoption of this Plan, Port Townsend's Comprehensive Plan had not been updated since 1981, and was growing obsolete. Between 1981 and 1996, Port Townsend grew by about 35% (from 6,160 residents in 1981, to an estimated 8,366 in 1996). The new Plan is intended to reflect the goals and values of today's residents. Port Townsend is our legacy for the future. Prior generations set the basic growth patterns and handed down to us a city rich in history, architecture, and natural beauty. This new Comprehensive Plan allows a new generation to define its contribution to Port Townsend. As such, the Plan is a statement of confidence, optimism and belief in ourselves, a statement that our community can change without losing its essential character.
The new Comprehensive Plan attempts to clearly state the community's vision for its future, and how to get there from here. There are many difficult questions that the Plan seeks to answer:
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What areas are best for development, and what areas should be preserved in their natural state? |
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Where should we locate new housing, industry, commerce and public facilities? |
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How can we encourage "infill" development in neighborhoods without sacrificing their character? |
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Should we encourage "mixed use" commercial and residential development in certain key locations? |
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What strategies should we use to increase the "walkability" of our town? |
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Should the City work to develop an interconnected system of parks, open spaces and trails? |
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How can we help to make housing more affordable to Port Townsend residents? |
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In sum, how can we manage growth to achieve the kind of community we want? The new Comprehensive Plan attempts to answer these questions.
What is the Comprehensive Plan?
Required by the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA) of 1990, the Comprehensive Plan consists of a Land Use Map designating the desired use of lands for various activities, and goals and policies to guide government and private decision-makers in determining how Port Townsend will grow, look and operate in the future. The Plan reflects the results of citizen involvement, technical analysis, and the judgement of the Port Townsend City Council.
The Plan anticipates change and provides specific guidance for growth and development in the City over the next 20 years by defining:
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How much population and job growth should occur, and where it should be located; |
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Where people will live and what type of housing they will need; and |
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How to pay for the utilities and public facilities needed to carry out the community's vision. |
Who Created the Comprehensive Plan? (A Summary of Public Involvement Efforts)
Public participation was vital to the success of Port Townsend's Comprehensive Planning process. As a means to encourage public awareness of the comprehensive planning process and solicit comments from citizens. Port Townsend undertook all of the steps outlined below. The feedback from the public enabled the Planning Commission and City Council to reach decisions on key policy issues for the final plan and implementing programs.
Port Townsend 2020: Getting Together (PT 2020)
The PT 2020 Coffee Hour project was advertised frequently in the newspaper and by word of mouth. Over 80 citizens volunteered to host coffee hours. The City Planning and Building Department compiled and mailed coffee hour materials to interested hosts. Between March and May, 1993, over 1,400 hours of citizen discussion took place in living rooms throughout town, regarding the present and future direction of the City. Approximately 600 citizens responded to a questionnaire that sought information about the concerns and' values of Port Townsend residents. Additionally, high school, junior high, intermediate and elementary school students participated and expressed their vision of Port Townsend in the year 2020. The product of this process was a report entitled, "PT 2020: Getting Together - Final Report of Coffee Hour Process and Results." The City Council accepted the PT 2020 report as a guide to be used in the City's future planning efforts.
Comprehensive Plan Workgroup Public Workshops
In May of 1994, the Mayor appointed five Comprehensive Plan Development Committees, one for each of the elements of the Plan. The Committees, comprised of seven to eleven members each, included City Council members (one of whom served as Chairperson for each Workgroup), Planning Commissioners, and citizen volunteers representing a wide spectrum of philosophies and opinion. These Workgroups conducted public workshop meetings to develop goals, policies and implementation strategies for the Draft Plan. The City Council's Comprehensive Plan Coordinating Committee (i.e., the "String & Glue" Committee) worked throughout the process to coordinate the efforts of the Workgroups. Between May of 1994 and December, 1995, the Workgroups held over 50 meetings and workshops as they gathered information, identified key issues, prepared draft Plan elements and provided feedback on the alternatives proposed for environmental review under the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA).
Joint City Council & Planning Commission Public Workshops
After release of the Draft Plan, the City Council and Planning Commission held a series of four televised workshops to make sure that everyone knew what was in the draft, and to discuss key issues addressed by the Plan. These workshops took place in February of 1996.
Planning Commission Public Meetings & Hearings
In March and April of 1996, the Port Townsend Planning Commission held a series of eight public hearings to accept public testimony on the specific recommendations contained in the Draft Plan. Following the conclusion of the Planning Commission public hearings in late April, the Planning Commission held a series of seven meetings to deliberate on the testimony received, and prepare findings, conclusions, and recommendations for the City Council's consideration. On June 3, 1996, the Planning Commission transmitted the Draft Port Townsend Comprehensive Plan and a list of final recommended amendments to the City Council, together with a unanimous recommendation for adoption.
City Council Public Meetings & Hearings
During the first two week of June, 1996, the City Council held four public workshop meetings to review the recommendations of the Planning Commission and to identify potential additional changes to the Draft Plan. In late June, 1996, the Council held two televised public hearings to accept further public testimony on the Draft Plan. Following these hearings, the Council held six more special meetings to consider the testimony received, and to direct final changes to the text and map of the Plan.
Other Public Involvement Efforts
Throughout the comprehensive planning process, workshops, meetings and hearings were advertised through a wide variety of media, including direct mailings to City Utility customers and individuals on the City's Comprehensive Plan Mailing List, legal ads and display ads in the Port Townsend - Jefferson County Leader, and announcements broadcast on Port Townsend's cable television station (Channel 8).
In addition to advertisements for meetings, workshops and hearings, information about important issues for community discussion and the key recommendations of the Draft Plan were widely disseminated. Examples of these efforts are listed below:
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Draft Comprehensive Plan Video - In August, 1995, the City prepared a 25 minute video describing major issues addressed by the Draft Plan and encouraged residents to become involved in the planning process. This video was broadcast a total of 30 times on local Cable Channel 8, and was available for free rental at local video stores, City Hall, and the Port Townsend Library. |
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Councilmember Newspaper Articles - Over the course of the planning process, five articles written by the Mayor and City Councilmembers were published in the Port Townsend - Jefferson County Leader describing the planning process, important issues for community discussion, and how to become involved in the process. |
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Display Boards - Prior to the Planning Commission's public hearings in March, 1996, Draft Port Townsend Comprehensive Plan display boards were set up at key locations throughout town, including: City Hall; the Port Townsend Library; Safeway; the Port Townsend Food Co-Op; and Stock Market Foods. These displays consisted of the draft Land Use Map, the Community Direction Statement, text highlighting important policy issues for community discussion and major recommendations of the Draft Plan, and text describing how to participate in the process. |
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Visits to Service Clubs - To promote community involvement in the development of the Plan, the Mayor, City Councilmembers and staff visited local service clubs (i.e., Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Lions, and Soroptimists) on ten occasions between the summer of 1995 and spring of 1996. These presentations highlighted key issues for community discussion, the major policy recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan Workgroups, and encouraged citizen involvement in the planning process. |
At its core, the Plan contains four fundamental concepts which are highlighted below.
Maintaining Our Small Town Character
The overriding objective of the Plan is to maintain and enhance Port Townsend's special character and small town atmosphere. As our community grows, the very character that attracted residents here in the first place is threatened. The Plan contains two very important areas of policy direction designed to preserve our community's essential character while planning for inevitable growth and development.
First, the Plan encourages the development of "mixed use centers" surrounded by strong and diverse neighborhoods, similar to the area surrounding the uptown intersection of Lawrence and Tyler Streets today. These centers are intended to serve as focal points for new or emerging neighborhoods and to help promote pedestrian friendly areas with small scale neighborhood shopping and services.
Second, the Plan includes policies which would lead to the creation of a City-wide interconnected system of open spaces and trails. These green spaces would help to protect the small town atmosphere of Port Townsend while providing other benefits, including stormwater control and linking key wildlife areas.
Achieving a Better Balance Between Jobs & Housing
Another major objective of the Plan is to help address the "jobs/housing imbalance." There are many more people living in Port Townsend than there are good jobs. Because good jobs are hard to find, many Port Townsend residents pay more than they can really afford for housing. The Plan seeks to remedy this imbalance in two important ways.
First, the Plan contains an economic development strategy that is designed to encourage businesses which provide "family wage" jobs - jobs that pay good money, so that we and our children can afford to live and work in Port Townsend. It seeks to balance economic vitality with environmental protection and preservation of our small town atmosphere.
Second, the Plan contains an affordable housing strategy which provides more land for higher density development, allows more creative housing types, and increases the housing choices available to City residents.
Taken together, the affordable housing and economic development strategies should help to make housing more affordable for Port Townsend residents in the decades to come.
Accommodating Port Townsend's Share of County-Wide Growth
One of the purposes of the GMA is to limit sprawling urban density development in rural and resource lands. To accomplish this goal, the GMA makes clear that cities and urban growth areas (UGAs) have a responsibility to accommodate the lion's share of growth, and to do it in a compact, urban manner. By mutual agreement, and based upon recent demographic data, Jefferson County and the City have determined that Port Townsend's share of County-wide growth will be approximately 4,985 people during the period between 2000 and 2024. This would increase the City's total population from 8,344 in 2000 to 13,329 by the year 2024. [Ord. No. 2879, § 1.1, (February 7, 2005)].
Providing Public Facilities & Services Within the City's Financial Resources
Unlike prior plans, this Comprehensive Plan is designed to balance the need for additional public facilities and services with the City's ability to pay for them. In the past, Plans often contained a "wish list" of capital projects with no demonstrated ability to fund the necessary improvements. This Comprehensive Plan represents a distinct departure from past practice - the Plan sets measurable standards for public facilities and services (i.e., level of service standards), states what specific capital projects will be constructed, and identifies the sources of revenue which will be used to fund the necessary improvements.
Policies concerning "concurrency" are also a key component of the Plan. Concurrency is the concept of providing certain facilities and services at or before the time of approval of new development projects. The Plan requires that adequate water, sewer, stormwater and transportation facilities be in place before new development can be approved.
How Will the Plan be Implemented?
Adopting the Comprehensive Plan is the City's first important step towards realizing the community's vision. The overall vision will only be achieved when the Plan is implemented. Port Townsend's implementation efforts consist of short-term and long-term actions. Some of the short-term actions include revising the City's municipal code (e.g., zoning and subdivision ordinances) to conform with the land use designations and policies of the Plan. Long-term actions include preparation of functional plans (e.g., Open Spaces and Trails Master Plan, Comprehensive Nonmotorized Plan, etc.), monitoring, evaluating, and amending the Plan as conditions change, and developing a capital investment program that allocates resources to projects that will spur development in the direction envisioned in the Plan.
Long before the advent of zoning or planning enabling legislation, much of Port Townsend's basic land use pattern was established. During the Victorian era of the late 19th century, over 14,470 small city lots were platted, typified by the 50' by 100' parcel. In 1935, Washington passed the State Planning Enabling Act, giving authority to cities to establish planning programs.
During the two decades that followed the Second World War, the pace of development decreased and empty stores and homes symbolized the military's departure from Fort Worden. As the size of the City dwindled, there seemed little need to plan for the future growth of the City.
During the late 1950s, Port Townsend defied news and national magazine reports of its future as a ghost town. In 1958, the community succeeded in attracting a state owned juvenile diagnostic and treatment center to Port Townsend. In an effort to ensure the protection of the City's historical legacy, and to improve the economic fortunes of the community, the City Council appointed the Port Townsend Planning Commission in 1962. Charged with the responsibility to make ongoing, policy-oriented recommendations regarding the overall development of the City, the Commission produced the first City of Port Townsend Comprehensive Plan in 1968. This Plan was implemented in 1971 with the passage of the first Port Townsend Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. The heart of this implementing ordinance continues to guide Port Townsend's growth and development today.
During the 1970s, two notable state laws affected land use regulation in Port Townsend: the Shoreline Management Act (SMA) and the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). Aside from the City's efforts to implement these two important pieces of legislation, only minimal revisions were made to Port Townsend's zoning code during this period.
In 1979, a thorough review of the Comprehensive Plan was undertaken by the Planning Commission with assistance from the Jefferson County Planning Department. Although this updated Plan (adopted in 1981) made substantial alterations to the 1968 Plan, the basic land use patterns remained unchanged. By 1987, with development pressures from the greater Puget Sound area reaching out to touch the edges of Port Townsend, the City recognized the need to establish a Planning Department and hire its first part-time planner. During the late 1980s, City leaders initiated two important planning processes that focused attention on developing goals and policies to guide development from Port Townsend's highway entrance to its historic waterfront area. These efforts culminated in the adoption of two important components of today's planning policy framework: the Port Townsend Urban Waterfront Plan; and the Port Townsend Gateway Development Plan. These policy documents set the stage for complying with the GMA mandate to prepare a new Comprehensive Plan.
There were an estimated 7,998 people living within Port Townsend as of 1996.1 The most heavily populated areas of the City were in the Uptown district and in some areas in the southwestern portion of the City, near Kah Tai Lagoon, with densities approaching 25 people per acre.
Out of 6,266 persons in Port Townsend aged 25 years or older, 91.7% had high school diplomas in 2000, and 33.1% had bachelor degrees or higher. These figures are high in comparison with Jefferson County and the State of Washington as a whole.
The median age in Port Townsend is 46.6 years, a full eleven years higher than the median age for the entire State (35.3), and fractionally lower than the median age for Jefferson County as a whole (47.1). For the entire planning area, 19.6% of the population is under the age of 18, while 20.8% is 65 or older. Table II-1 on this page compares the age distribution of the State, County and City.
The median household income for Port Townsend in 2000 was $34,536. Port Townsend's residents have slightly lower income levels than those of Jefferson County as a whole ($37,869). In comparison with the State, however, the City's income level is considerably lower (i.e., lower than the state average, $45,776). The most drastic difference between City and State figures occurs in non-family households, with Port Townsend's non-family household income approximately 33.4% lower than the State average. Approximately 14.0% of Port Townsend's population has incomes below the poverty line, compared with 10.6% statewide.
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TABLE II-1: CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND, JEFFERSON COUNTY & WASHINGTON STATE AGE DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION |
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[Ord. No. 2879, § 1.2, (February 7, 2005)].
Employment - Who Works in Port Townsend & What Do They Do?
Port Townsend Paper Company continues to be a major source of nongovernmental employment for the Jefferson County area employing 214 workers in 2004. The marine trades provide more than 400 jobs within the City and its immediate vicinity. Among the major governmental employers in the City are Jefferson General Hospital (400 employees), Jefferson County (280 employees), and the Port Townsend School District #50 (285 employees, including part-time and seasonal workers). The City of Port Townsend employs 101 people (including seasonal workers). [Ord. No. 2879, § 1.2, (February 7, 2005)].
Building Blocks for the Comprehensive Plan
Port Townsend Urban Waterfront Plan
In recognition of the need for improved municipal guidance and control in the urban waterfront planning area, the Waterfront Plan was adopted by the City Council in December of 1990. The Waterfront Plan was a detailed plan for the Urban Waterfront area that addressed:
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Pedestrian and vehicular circulation throughout the planning area; |
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Physical and visual connections throughout the planning area; |
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Physical and visual connections to the rest of the waterfront and from the bluff above; and |
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The Waterfront Plan was among the first steps in the City's attempts to revise and update its Comprehensive Plan. Urban design guidelines and regulations originating in the Waterfront Plan were later codified in Chapter 17.30 Historic Overlay District-Design Review of the PTMC.
In 2007, the City adopted an updated Shoreline Master Program. To improve efficiency, the master program incorporated relevant policies, regulations, and design recommendations from the Waterfront Plan and the stand alone Waterfront Plan was retired. [Ord. No. 2945, § 1.8, (April 16, 2007)].
Port Townsend Environmentally Sensitive Areas Ordinance
Adopted by the City Council in November of 1992, Port Townsend's Interim Environmentally Sensitive Areas Ordinance (Chapter 19.05 Port Townsend Municipal Code) identifies and regulates to protect "critical areas" as required by the GMA. Port Townsend's ESA ordinance regulates development in order to avoid adverse impacts when possible, to reduce adverse impacts when avoidance is not feasible, and to compensate for adverse impacts. Port Townsend's ESA ordinance defines and establishes standards for the protection of five types of areas:
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Port Townsend Gateway Development Plan
Adopted by the City Council in August of 1993, Gateway represented the culmination of over three years of active citizen involvement Gateway expands upon an earlier "concept plan" adopted in May of 1988. The Plan identifies specific transportation improvements for capital development and establishes development guidelines for the Sims Way/S.R. 20 corridor from the Port Townsend City limits to the Washington State Ferry Terminal. These guidelines are "performance-oriented" rather than "prescriptive" and address issues regarding the look, feel and function of the Gateway Corridor. The Gateway Plan incorporates three primary goals into a comprehensive transportation redevelopment strategy:
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The County-Wide Planning Policy for Jefferson County
In Jefferson County, the first step in coordinated planning efforts called for by the GMA occurred in December 1992 with the adoption of the CWPP. The CWPP addresses eight subject areas, and is intended to be used as a guiding framework for subsequent development and adoption of comprehensive plans. The CWPP specifically deals with the following:
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Joint City and County planning within urban growth areas (CWPP #3); |
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The siting of essential public facilities of a county or state-wide significance (CWPP #4); |
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County-wide transportation facilities and strategies (CWPP #5); |
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The need for affordable housing for all economic segments of the population (CWPP #6); |
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County-wide economic development and employment (CWPP #7); and |
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Port Townsend 2020: Getting Together (PT 2020)
In May of 1993, Port Townsend sponsored the PT 2020 project to seek new and more comfortable ways for citizens to express their feelings, hopes and concerns about the future of the City. Approximately 600 citizens participated in 80 "coffee hours" and school sponsored events to provide the information that ultimately was incorporated within the report. The results of this public involvement effort were summarized and later used as the basis for preparing the Community Direction Statement in Chapter ED of this Plan.
Similarities of the "Building Blocks"
Each of the seven "building blocks" provided direction for the development of Port Townsend's Comprehensive Plan. Concepts commonly found within these documents include:
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Greater citizen involvement in the development of planning policies and regulations. |
Predictions for the Future (Assumptions for Port Townsend's Comprehensive Plan)
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The assumptions influenced the development of each of the Comprehensive Plan elements. |
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Port Townsend will continue to be the retailing, service, government, medical, and transportation center for eastern Jefferson County. Diversification of the local economy will cause the City to reevaluate its historic land use patterns, and zone more land for commercial or manufacturing uses. Shoreline areas that are necessary for the continued vitality of the marine trade industries will continue to be protected and reserved for such uses. |
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Port Townsend will remain the principal city of Jefferson County, and as the population of the area continues to grow and age, the City's role as the activity center for governmental, professional, and medical and social services within the County will grow. |
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Port Townsend and the surrounding portions of unincorporated Jefferson County will remain an attractive place to live, and population growth within the City and Jefferson County will considerably exceed that of the state and nation as a whole. |
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Port Townsend's citizens will remain active in the affairs of City government and planning, and will demand that growth and development be responsive to the desires of the community, with an emphasis on maintaining Port Townsend's special places and high quality of life rather than encouraging growth for growth's sake. |
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As areas within Port Townsend become more densely developed, the demand for public services and amenities will also grow, requiring local government to plan for and provide the services and facilities necessary to serve the growth. |
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Like other local governments. Port Townsend will be forced to rely even more heavily on local sources of revenue as state and federal funding of community services and capital improvements become increasingly difficult, to obtain. As a result, the City will nave to reexamine traditional land use patterns in order to make the most effective use of its capital facilities investments. |
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The majority of Port Townsend's new residential development will occur in previously platted areas. |
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There will be significant commercial redevelopment activity along the Highway 20 corridor and in Port Townsend's Commercial Historic District. |
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As vacant and developable land becomes more scarce and population continues to grow, the cost of housing will continue to rise at a faster rate than personal income. This will force the City to reexamine traditional housing and residential development patterns. |
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Although improvements will be made and greater emphasis will be placed upon public transportation and pedestrian and bicycle travel, the private automobile will continue to be a significant form of transportation for the majority of Port Townsend and Jefferson County residents. Port Townsend must consider revisions to its traditional land use patterns and development regulations to promote greater use of pedestrian and bicycle routes and its public transportation investment |
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Concerns about water quality and wildlife preservation, as well as other environmental issues, will continue to generate changes to state and federal laws, which will also impact local land use planning requirements and development regulations. |
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Port Townsend's economy will expand, tourism will remain important to the local economy, and the marine trades will increase in economic importance. The Port of Port Townsend will also focus more attention on promoting marine trades and providing the necessary improvements to sustain these uses. |
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Port Townsend will experience growth in citizen interest in the arts and cultural activities as the population increases. This growth will result in increased attendance at local art, cultural, educational and recreational events, and create a demand for new and improved facilities. |
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An increasingly dense population will create greater demand for recreation facilities and open space, and Port Townsend will need to specifically identify recreational and open space needs. |
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Port Townsend will continue to provide municipal public services (e.g., water and wastewater) to the residents of the City and water service to certain portions of unincorporated Jefferson County, as they become designated UGAs or are included within areas to be served by the City through the City's Comprehensive Water System Plan. |
Uncertainty of Assumptions (Changes Beyond Anyone's Control)
All comprehensive plans are based upon a set of assumptions about trends and events that are likely to occur. However, we cannot predict the future, we can only adopt growth strategies based upon our best understanding of likely growth trends and the consequences of implementing a particular strategy.
Unforeseen events can affect the amount, rate, composition and location of future job growth, demand for housing, vehicle trip generation, and land development. For example, the decision of a major employer to move into or out of Port Townsend could significantly affect Port Townsend's Plan. Construction of a major business park, a decision regarding the future viability of the Port Townsend Paper Mill, changes in lifestyles, and technological advancements are events beyond the control of the City that could alter the assumptions used in the comprehensive planning process.
Unforeseen events and changes to growth treads will cause Port Townsend and other jurisdictions to periodically reevaluate their comprehensive plans. Plan amendments are anticipated to occur regularly over the life of this Comprehensive Plan.
Intercensal and Postcensal Estimates of the Total Resident Population by Year for the State, Counties, Cities, the Unincorporated Areas, and Incorporated Areas: 1968 to 2002 (Washington State Office of Financial Management, February 2003).