PORT ANGELES — Clallam County has purchased a 2.7-acre parcel in Clallam Bay that will expand public shoreline access along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
County commissioners voted 3-0 Tuesday to approve the $90,000 purchase of the vacant parcel at 16401 state Highway 112 from Kevin and Kelly Bonsell.
The land will be added to the existing 8.6-acre Clallam Bay West County Park and will increase public access to saltwater beaches.
“Excellent news, really and truly,” West End Commissioner Bill Peach said of the land purchase Monday.
“A lot of people have been following this. … (There was) a lot of interest from the community.”
County Parks Supervisor Hannah Merrill said the $90,000 purchase price was slightly more than an recent appraisal.
Two other parties were interested in the land, which was being advertised online for $125,000.
Once the sale is finalized, the county will begin a planning process for potential access improvement. The land is just north of Highway 112 on Clallam Bay’s west side.
“Right now, that parcel is reachable from what we call Clallam Bay West via a bridge,” Merrill told commissioners Monday.
“How we move forward to access it, maybe with a different sort of drive or that sort of thing, will be the next steps.”
The property connects Clallam Bay West County Park to Washington State Parks land that is being transferred to the county.
The specific parcel was highlighted in the county’s parks and recreation master plan.
Clallam County’s Parks Advisory Board voted unanimously to support the property acquisition, Merrill told commissioners in March.
County Parks, Fair and Facilities Director Joel Winborn has said the property will complete public access from Clallam Bay West to Slip Point and provide miles of continuous public beach access.
________
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
