Seaplane association files permit application for Port Angeles

Published 4:10 pm Friday, April 24, 2026

PORT ANGELES — The public has until the end of this week to comment on a permit to bring a seaplane float to Port Angeles.

The Hollywood Beach Seaplane Association has filed for a permit with the city of Port Angeles to construct and install a seaplane float and ramp adjacent to Hollywood Beach.

The full permit application can be found at tinyurl.com/PDN-Seafloat-Ramp. The deadline to provide public comment is 5 p.m. Friday. Public comments can be sent to ced@cityofpa.us.

“Once the public comment period is over, the city will determine whether or not the proposal will be brought to the hearing examiner to commence the public hearing process,” Deputy Director of Community Services Shannel Cartmel wrote in an email. “If it is determined that the scope of the project and the public comment received will not warrant a public hearing, a decision can be made administratively on the proposal.”

The project is an effort by the Hollywood Beach Seaplane Association to bring back a seaplane float to Port Angeles, association President Christopher Thomsen said.

“There were seaplane docks back in the 1980s down at the Port Angeles City Pier near the hotel,” Thomsen said. “They were washed away during a storm and haven’t been replaced.”

The association formed in 2020 and has been working toward this goal since then.

“It’s a private venture, but we’re working with multiple organizations,” Thomsen said.

While researching the project, the association found a 2018 Washington State Seaplane Association report on the impacts of private and commercial seaplane passengers which stated “Port Angeles is a Top 10 location for seaplanes.” The report also said private and commercial seaplane tourists spend between $70 and $280 per person per landing on fuel, food and beverage, lodging, excursions and ground transportation.

The application for the permit was filed by Erik Marks — the owner of Port Angeles Wharf — on behalf of the association, for which he acts as general counsel.

The permit application notes that Marine Floats of Tacoma would construct the seaplane floats and ramp. The project would include the installation of a 6-foot by 45-foot aluminum ramp with 100 percent fiberglass grating and a 10-foot by 150-foot seaplane float with 100 percent fiberglass grating and helical anchor/seaflex system.

“Mitigation for the project will be provided by removing substantially all the overwater structure located north of the Port Angeles Wharf (the “Historic Causeway”),” the application states. “The Historic Causeway to be removed is composed of 16,000 square feet of overwater decking, and overwater building, 250 creosote-treated wood pilings and 25 steel pilings.”

The project will leave 62 feet of overwater pier for the enjoyment of Port Angeles Wharf visitors, the application states.

The association has had a state Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review completed, and association members are very environmentally conscious, Thomsen said.

“We’re not going to have any impact on the sealife or the wildlife that’s there,” he said. “We’re not going to touch eelgrass or anything like that.”

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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.