After nearly two years of work – thousands of public comments, six stakeholder advisory committee meetings, 12 Planning Commission meetings, several city workshops and many more community engagement events – the City of Port Angeles is nearing the finish line on a major planning effort that will guide how the community grows for the next 20 years.
All that effort — representing thousands of hours from City officials, staff, and residents — culminates on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m., when the will City host three public hearings during a Planning Commission meeting at City Hall (321 E 5th St.) and online via WebEx.
Led by Planning Supervisor Ben Braudrick and the Community and Economic Development team, the process began in August 2024 with a stakeholder advisory committee composed of local public agencies, businesses, community organizations, and residents. Since then, the City has gathered more than 4,000 public comments, 1,400 survey responses, and hundreds of personal “housing stories” that helped rewrite Port Angeles’s long-term vision.
“It’s really a community document,” Braudrick said of the new Comprehensive Plan. “Every policy has been shaped by public feedback. If something’s still missing, this is the last chance to tell us before it goes to Council for final adoption.”
Three plans, one vision
The October 22 public hearings offer residents one more opportunity to comment on three major plans all united by one goal: building a more affordable, resilient, and livable Port Angeles.
Comprehensive Plan Update (2045 Vision):
A full rewrite of the city’s long-range growth and development strategy, covering nine different elements: land use, housing, economic development, parks, recreation and open space, conservation, hazard mitigation and climate resilience, transportation, capital facilities, and utilities and public services.
A citywide rezone is proposed for more than 1,000 properties to ensure enough housing can be built for about 3,150 new residents over the next 20 years. Key areas have been rezoned to allow more housing and mixed-use development, helping create stronger connections within and between existing neighborhoods, and linking residents to where they live, work and recreate.
An updated roadmap for improving housing access, affordability and variety. The final draft will be incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan Update.
What’s new in the housing plan
Building on City’s first Housing Action Plan, adopted in 2019, the 2025 Housing Action Plan proposes local programs, partnerships, and incentives to make it easier to build and afford homes, while better addressing homelessness and preventing displacement:
- Expanding the Housing Pipeline Project: The City will develop a 14,000-square-foot lot, to be sold or leased to a developer to provide housing available to individuals earning below 80 percent of the area’s median income.
- Multifamily Builders Training: A hands-on program with the North Peninsula Builders Association, Port Angeles Realtors Association and Peninsula College to expand multifamily-building expertise.
- Citywide Housing Instability Advocate: A new staff role connecting unhoused residents with services and resources.
- Blighted Property Reduction Strategy: Explores new ways to address vacant and blighted properties, including through homeownership sweat equity programs like Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County, the Peninsula Housing Authority and Olympic Housing Trust.
- Encourage Community Land Trusts: Community Land Trusts promote affordable homeownership not only for the next buyer, but for generations to come. The City will find ways to incentivize the community land trust housing model for developers.
- Co-living and Home Sharing: This code update will help provide a healthy inventory of private rental housing and more affordable options like residential suites and microunits.
Why it matters
City staff describe the process as both thoughtful and transformative.
“We’re looking at how to diversify uses and create opportunities for local businesses, destinations and community assets to become more accessible,” Braudrick said. “Bringing residential and commercial spaces closer together, improving access to schools and parks, creating third places where people gather — it’s all about building a more connected Port Angeles.”
Next steps
After the hearings, the Planning Commission will forward recommendations to City Council. Council is expected to review and adopt all three plans in December, before the state’s year-end deadline.
Residents can attend the October 22 meeting in person, join online via WebEx, or dial 1-844-992-4726 (access code 2552 010 1220). Comments can also be emailed to vision2045@cityofpa.us.
View the draft plans at cityofpa.us/Vision2045
