PORT ANGELES — The city of Port Angeles and community leaders welcomed forerunners of a team that will make recommendations for city design this week.
Two representatives from the American Institute of Architects, which has awarded the city a grant that will help determine the future design of the city, met with city staff and representatives of community organizations and tribes on Monday and Tuesday.
“They come here to see what the interests and issues are,” explained Mike Gentry, local architect and AIA member.
“They come here to take the temperature of the community.”
That temperature was far from lukewarm, said Erin Simmons, director of AIA Center for Communities by Design, which awarded Port Angeles the $15,000 grant in October.
“This is one of the most enthusiastic communities that I have met,” Simmons said on Tuesday. “It’s a huge asset.”
Team recommendations
Through the AIA Center for Communities by Design grant, a project team of professionals in careers likely to include architecture, planning and economic development will evaluate the city’s level of sustainability — as in its ability to meet environmental, economic and social needs for current and future generations — and provide recommendations for improvement.
The grant covers the expenses of the project team members, who offer their time to the AIA for free.
The city provided a $5,000 match, Simmons said.
Simmons was joined by Wayne Feiden of Northampton, Mass., planning director and AIA member, who is serving as team leader for the project, in Port Angeles.
She said 10 cities out of about 15 that applied have been awarded the grant.
Simmons said the city’s application was “extremely well put together” and was joined with letters of support from community members.
The project team members themselves, she said, have not been selected.
The intent of the meetings with city staff, community organizations, the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe and Port Angeles High School students was to find out what issues affect the community the most in order to determine what sort of expertise is needed.
Simmons said the issues can range from transportation to open space and downtown development.
Based on the city’s grant application, its goal with the project is to create “a vibrant, aesthetically pleasing tourist destination,” according to the AIA.
Nathan West, city Economic and Community Development director, said that the city would like input on how to fill vacant spaces — particularly the second stories and basements of downtown buildings — how to provide incentives for building owners to implement design improvements; vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle traffic options; encouraging beautification and economic development and sufficient open space and access to the waterfront.
It will cover “what people see when they enter and exit the city,” he said.
Simmons said the public will get an opportunity to provide its input at an open meeting while the project team members are in town from March 16 to 18.
West said the focus of the project is on the city’s “International Corridor Area,” which stretches from Ennis Creek through the First and Front streets corridor to the Valley Creek estuary.
The city, he said, would like to “create a sense of community place,” which he defined as “the feel you get when you drive through your community and the appeal of your surroundings.”
West said the project team’s recommendations will be reviewed by the City Council’s Port Angeles Forward Committee — which is made up of council members and members of the Port Angeles Downtown Association, Economic Development Council and other organizations — and then the committee will give its recommendations to city staff on what should be included in the capital facilities plan.
“They will take it to the City Council and the council will make the final determination,” he said, adding that the city intends to have that done in June.
Waterfront promenade
West said the city is also looking for input on a waterfront promenade that was part of the city’s downtown revitalization plan in 1997 and incorporated into its capital facilities plan in 2003.
The promenade, he said, would complete the extension of the Waterfront Trail from Hollywood Beach to the Valley Creek estuary.
West said the goal of a promenade would be to “create a pleasant walking environment downtown when you arrive in a ferry or waiting for a ferry or just strolling around.”
One of Simmons’ and Feiden’s meetings was on Tuesday with Port Angeles High School seniors who are previous or current students of Marcus Logan’s drafting projects class.
Logan said the intent was for the students, some of whom want to become architects themselves, to talk with Simmons and Feiden.
“I’m always looking for a good opportunity to talk to architects,” said student Albert Barnier prior to the meeting on Tuesday.
Gentry, who sponsored the city’s grant application, said he brought the grant to the city’s attention when he was chairman of the Innovation and Grants Committee for Built Green of Clallam County last year.
He said West was at the meeting and showed a lot of interest.
“He took this and ran with it,” Gentry said.
Built Green is an association of North Peninsula Building Association members to promote sustainable development, he said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
