SEQUIM — Sequim’s hearing examiner heard concerns about traffic and pedestrian safety, drainage, buffers and more for two proposed developments totaling 128 single-family houses in the city.
Hearing examiner Sorter Peregrin with Laminar Law of Tacoma will issue a written decision by March 13 for Bell Creek Major Subdivision’s 104 lots and Bella Vista Estates’ 24 lots. Appeals on Peregrin’s decision can be made within 21 days of the written decision’s published date.
For the Bell Creek proposal, the 104 lots would be split into two phases: 37 lots on 8.27 acres east of Bell Creek in phase A and 67 lots on 20.23 acres west of the creek.
Crystal Sasso with Chartwell Land Company said, if approved, site development would begin in the spring and homes would begin coming online in fall 2026 for phase A. They would be built sometime in winter 2027 for phase B.
The property is bordered by South Third Avenue to the west, West Brownfield Road to the north and South Sequim Avenue to the east.
Nearby residents expressed concerns about the lack of improvements proposed to Brownfield Road, with neighbors calling it an “accident waiting to happen,” a “death trap” and a “swimming pool” whenever it rains.
Claudia Konker of Sequim said she lives near the proposed development and West Brownfield Road has a blind curve and a sudden drop with no safe place for pedestrians or bicyclists to go. She said the developer’s traffic analysis didn’t acknowledge its conditions and didn’t require mitigation, but she and many others said the road must be corrected before any development is allowed.
The project would generate an estimated 1,102 total average weekday daily trips, according to a traffic impact analysis from Heath & Associates of Puyallup.
Aaron Van Aken with the agency said at the hearing that his staff were looking at the road’s level of service and not road design, and that there was no need for further investigation based on city staff and a third party consultant’s review.
Residents also expressed opposition to the city allowing a Fee-in-Lieu of the developer making improvements to the road before installing homes.
Nick Dostie, Sequim’s deputy public works director and engineer, said the city’s guidelines and standards didn’t require mitigation on Brownfield Road, but they recognize improvements are needed.
City staff are in negotiations with the developer to pay the city its required fees for half of street frontage improvements on Brownfield Road to help it purchase right-of-way, and realign and fix the stretch of road between Sequim Avenue and Third Avenue.
City code requires the agreed upon amount between the city and developer must be paid before development begins, and the city has five years to use the funds or the money must be refunded to the developer.
Dostie said city staff plan to re-prioritize Sequim’s Capital Improvement Program to include Brownfield Road improvements before the funds sunset. He said the level of traffic service would be “tolerable” and that the city does recognize the lack of sidewalk and safety on the road.
However, staff wanted to get the full corridor improved, including curbs, gutters, etc., at the same time.
“Ultimately, realignment of Brownfield Road will be a real win for the community,” Sasso said.
Dostie said he’s heard about safety concerns for allowing parallel parking on South Third Avenue, and the city is investigating installing a bike lane to prevent parking.
Staff also are in conversations with the Sequim Police Department about speed enforcement in the area.
Asked by the hearing examiner about a suggestion from the city’s transportation consultant to extend Miller Road to create another east-west connection between Third Avenue and Sequim Avenue, Dostie said that would require a 200-foot span bridge “that didn’t seem like a necessary development” with access available elsewhere.
In application materials, staff with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe recommended the city enforce a larger buffer (150 feet) between homes and the creek due to the area serving as “critical habitat” for the Puget Sound Steelhead, a federally threatened species.
Sequim assistant planner Travis Simmons said the city’s code recommends a 100-foot buffer for a Type B stream, in addition to required hill slope buffers, that total 170 feet in some areas.
“We felt comfortable with the way it was proposed,” he said.
Bella Vista
The proposed 24 lots for Bella Vista Estates would be built south of Miller Road and east of South Sequim Avenue in a single phase. The city would require each home to have a fire suppression system due to a 10 percent grade in the hill, Simmons said.
Nearby resident Norma Peirce asked about relocating the roadway and lighting due to its close proximity to her home.
Representatives with Goldsmith Land Development Services said if the new road moved, it would be too close to Token Lane.
Dostie said they’ll also use shielding with new street lights to point lights down.
He also addressed a concern about stormwater management, saying the development would improve water flow in the area by installing a better ditch basin.
Goldsmith staff also said the development would not alter water pressure or water flow to the area and neighboring properties.
For more information on the hearing examiner proposals, visit sequimwa.gov/471/Current-Projects.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
