Thirty-three acres bordering Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge may become public property after a Wednesday night vote of the Clallam County Planning Commission.
However, commissioners recommending that move also voted against rezoning an additional five acres south of that.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had sought to rezone the entire 38 acres for possible construction of an office, shop and proposed visitor center.
Neighbors of the planned development expressed concerns about traffic, impact on wildlife, paving of the access road and trespassing by visitors to the site.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ranger Kevin Ryan, the project’s leader, said, “If we build the development, the Fish and Wildlife Service will continue to go through the conditional use process.
“This hasn’t stopped our desire to develop the property.”
The rest of this story appears in today’s Peninsula Daily News Clallam County edition. Click on “Subscribe” to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.