CARLSBORG — The largest development in Clallam County in at least 20 years could add an estimated 1,900 daily vehicle trips to the area’s current 400-500, according to a traffic impact study conducted for the project.
The proposed 40.7-acre, 194-lot Carlsborg Village planned-unit development west of Carlsborg Road between Runnion and Spath roads will be the subject of a public hearing before the Clallam County Hearing Examiner at 2 p.m. Thursday in the commissioners’ meeting room in the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St. in Port Angeles.
The area, which is bisected by Mariotti Creek, is located in the Carlsborg Urban Growth Area. It is zoned Carlsborg Urban Residential High (CR-III) and Carlsborg Village Center (CN).
All the documents for the hearing can be found at https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/178/Community-Development-DCD.
Density in the Carlsborg UGA ranges from four to 10 dwelling units per acre and this one will be six, county Principal Planner Donella Clark wrote in an April 23 email. However, the area currently is an undeveloped hay field and this would be the largest single development in almost 20 years, she wrote.
A mitigated determination of non-significance was issued April 1. The hearing examiner will issue a decision within 10 working days after the record closes, which will be posted to the web address above.
Traffic analysis data was collected at six intersections between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. during August and October 2023. According to a Clallam County Road Department analysis, the project’s “average daily trips” will be about 1,914, distributed between Spath and Runnion roads.
The maximum traffic count during November 2023 was 404 on West Runnion Road and 501 on Spath Road. The developer will be required widen both roads to 34 feet along the development.
Greywolf Elementary School traffic also was evaluated to see if its vehicle queues or traffic volumes would impact the studied intersections, particularly Runnion and Carlsborg roads.
The analysis reached the following conclusions:
• Southbound queues of 400 feet at U.S. Highway 101 and Carlsborg Road caused morning backups to the school’s southern driveway.
• No significant issues from morning school traffic were identified.
• Vehicles waiting along Carlsborg Road’s western shoulder in the afternoon did not block advancing north/south traffic.
“Despite the overflow of vehicles observed along Carlsborg Road, no blockage to the right-of-way was observed,” the analysis found. “Moreover, the school peak periods are estimated to be dissimilar from the proposed development. Therefore, no further examination was conducted.”
Water to the development will be provided by Clallam PUD and the site will be connected to the Carlsborg sewer system by a gravity sewer. The property fronts three county roads: Runnion, Spath and Carlsborg and will have internal roads to provide access throughout the development.
The development will be served by a gravity sewer system bisecting Mariotti Creek using the Carlsborg sewer system. The development will allow for critical area restoration, including a 127-foot buffer for Mariotti Creek.
The applicant is proposing a 200-lot single-family home subdivision totalling 40.73 acres.
Access will be provided through an internal road system with approaches to be built onto Carlsborg, Spath and Runnion roads. Both will be improved and only one access point to Carlsborg Road will be allowed.
Internal roads will be 20 feet wide with sidewalks on one side and a 40-foot right-of-way. Tbe proposed north-south road connecting Spath and Runnion roads is proposed to be 24 feet wide with a 60-foot right-of-way. A 20-foot landscaping boundary will be built along the property boundaries.
It will have one road south from Spath Road, three roads north from West Runnion Road (two for the west and two for the east) and two roads west from Carlsborg Road. The northerly one will be unrestricted and the southerly one will be restricted to emergency vehicle exit only.
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached by email at brian.gawley@peninsuladailynews.com.
