PORT ANGELES — The final touches on the city of Port Angeles’ waterfront redevelopment plan are being made before the City Council considers adopting the plan Feb. 1.
City staff members met with some of the project’s consultants Thursday to discuss changes proposed by residents at a public meeting in November, said Nathan West, city community and economic development director.
Some of the changes involve widening Railroad Avenue to improve truck access to the ferry terminal, landscaping on a proposed waterfront park on the west end of downtown and a proposed roundabout at Lincoln Street and Railroad Avenue, he said.
The waterfront redevelopment effort is part of the city’s Waterfront and Transportation Improvement Plan.
The two-phase plan — which includes a transportation study and the development of new way-finding signs and entryway monument signs — is expected to cost about $778,000.
The waterfront improvements and signs are projected to cost about $4.7 million to implement and are expected to be funded by a mixture of grants and money from the city’s economic development and lodging tax funds.
Among other ideas, the proposed waterfront improvements include expanding Hollywood Beach, turning a portion of Railroad Avenue into a primarily pedestrian street, creating an esplanade west of the ferry terminals and a 2-acre park on the west end of downtown with beach access.
The city’s schedule calls for starting the improvements in July.
While the city seeks $3.5 million in grant funding to make the project happen, it has budgeted $500,000 in economic development funds for the effort this year.
Already, the city submitted a $2 million grant application with the state Economic Development Administration for the waterfront improvements.
The City Council will determine which aspects of the plan to implement first, West said. No recommendations have been developed by staff yet, he said.
Meanwhile, all efforts related to the placement for two large entryway monument signs are on hold.
Last month, the council approved locations for the signs — which are still being designed — along U.S. Highway 101 at the bottom of the Morse Creek S-curve east of town and at the Tumwater Truck Route exit on the west side.
Citing concerns that placing a large sign, possibly as tall as 30 feet, on the S-curve would be a safety hazard, the council also directed staff to find ways to limit the impact on traffic before finalizing the design.
That effort is now also on hold, West said, so that consultants’ staff can focus on finishing the waterfront designs.
“It’s just so we can focus on one thing at a time,” he said.
The design of the signs won’t likely be finished until March, West said.
On Friday, the city received the first draft of construction documents for new way-finding signs to be installed later this year.
West said the next step is to review the documents and select a manufacturer.
The city plans to start with six prototype signs to ensure there are no issues with the design. Those will be put in place over the next 60 to 90 days, he said.
Up to 50 in total will be installed. Old, irrelevant signs will be removed.
________
Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.