PORT TOWNSEND — The Olympic Environmental Council is challenging a ruling by the Port Townsend hearing examiner that issued a development permit to The Hastings Estate Co. to replace and renovate its properties on downtown Taylor Street.
In April, Port Townsend Hearing Examiner Phil Olbrechts ruled that the project falls within the city’s substantial shoreline development permit and the company can move forward without the Department of Ecology’s approval on state permits.
Julie Jaman, a board member of the council, filed a petition with the Washington Shorelines Hearings Board asking for a review of the examiner’s April ruling that granted the Hastings Estate the development permit, citing the permit was based on obsolete policies and improper designation of water-oriented use and the height code used in the ruling was incorrectly interpreted.
Phone calls to Jaman requesting comment on the filing went unreturned as of Wednesday night.
Heather Poulson, project manager for the Hastings Estate Co., said the company would like to meet with Jaman and the Olympic Environmental Council to discuss the situation.
Poulson said if the council’s concerns are environmental, the company believes it can amicably solve any differences.
“We would like to try and have an open discussion from the Olympic Environmental Council,” Poulson said.
“That hasn’t happened.
“We received an e-mail on Tuesday afternoon telling us they were not prepared to meet with us at this time.”
Harry Dudley, president of Hastings Estate Co., said he has taken every precaution toward lessening environmental impact from the project.
“I spent a big part of my career in the Coast Guard protecting the environment, so I know that a project like this has to take environmental issues into account,” Dudley said.
“But as we have seen with Union Wharf, the Northwest Maritime Center pier, the Washington State Ferry Terminal and other similar projects, major structures can be built over the water without undesirable environmental impact.”
Dudley said all the scientific analysis he has received indicates the project will result in significant environmental improvements, and the company plans to seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.
Dudley also said he was not concerned about the legitimacy of the permitting process.
“We have worked closely with the city and state on the project to restore the cracked foundation of the Hastings Building and to salvage the Surf Building after the storms,” Dudley said.
“So we feel positive about working with the permitting agencies to ensure that this project meets the intent of the shoreline master program.”
Any review process would consume time needed to further development of the project.
A pre-hearing conference by telephone is scheduled for July 27.
The hearing is scheduled for Oct. 23 in Port Townsend at a location yet to be determined.
Poulson said the petition for review has temporarily stopped the project and may cause the company to miss a demolition window.
“We’re hoping it doesn’t get as far as [the hearing],” Poulson said.
“We are talking with our lawyers, and we will know more after the July 27 conference call.”
The Hastings owners — Dudley and his sister, Lucinda D. Eubank — plan to replace the single-story structure on Hastings Landing with a five-story hotel and a full-service passenger ferry terminal. The Hastings Landing location now is over the water at the end of Taylor street.
The owners also want to open the top two stories of the current Hastings Building at Taylor and Water streets as a hotel.
Plans also include a restaurant, a cafe and retail space at the location.
Both the 1889 Hastings Building and the structure housing the Hastings Landing — which has been closed since 2005 — are structurally unsound, and the pilings under the Surf Restaurant must be fixed.
________
Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
