PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County commissioners are awaiting final draft paperwork on the proposed Pleasant Harbor Resort in Brinnon, the county administrator said.
The 252-acre resort was proposed in 2006 for Black Point, 2 miles south of Brinnon. The plan has been controversial for the past decade.
On Aug. 14, county commissioners received a project update from Patty Charnas, county director of community development.
Charnas and the Department of Community Development (DCD) are working with the Statesman Corp. of Calgary, Alberta, to finalize development regulations and a development agreement for the project, said County Administrator Philip Morley.
The DCD must approve the development regulations and agreement before the final draft will be sent to commissioners for review, he said.
“We need the final draft before we can move forward,” said Commissioner David Sullivan. “Work is being done, but the county doesn’t control the pace. It’s up to them [the developers] to get their work done.”
Sullivan said the topic at Monday’s meeting was only an update from the DCD. No vote occurred.
A protest was organized against the project and held outside the Jefferson County Courthouse on Aug. 14.
“I think there was a little bit of a miscommunication there,” Morley said. “There is a lot more of a process that needs to happen.”
There is currently no timeline on when the developers must have the final draft of the development regulations and agreements.
However, once the final draft is handed over to commissioners, they will vote on whether to proceed. If the draft does abide by county codes, it will be published on the county website and a public hearing will be scheduled.
Both Morley and Sullivan said the hearing would be scheduled roughly two months out to allow plenty of time for people to review the documents and submit public comment.
The area of the proposed resort was previously developed as an RV park with more than 500 spaces. It now stands empty.
“It was already a developed area,” Morley said. “This is a redevelopment.”
During a number of public meetings in the past nine years and in a letter sent Aug. 13 from the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, environmental concerns were raised about the project.
The tribe specifically raised concerns about the destruction of kettles, a unique geologic feature found along Black Point.
The tribe also raised concerns over the potential pollution risk of the waters of Hood Canal should the proposed 890 units be built along the shoreline.
Aside from public comment, the county has continued to consult with the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe to ensure they have a say in the final project, Morley said.
“The results of public comments and that consultation with the tribe will be taken into consideration,” he said.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
