Many turn out to look at new Sequim downtown plan
February 11th, 2011
(Sequim) -- The city of Sequim unveiled a draft plan for its downtown. Yesterday, more than 130 people attended either an open house or the public presentation last night.
The plan highlights ways for the downtown to become "more livable" and looks to ways to encourage more development.
The plan outlined a number of items that could be done in the next three years. Among those was changing 90-degree parking to angled parking and restriping Bell and Cedar streets. It also urged more wayfinding signs and changes to the Sequim Avenue and Washington Street intersection traffic signal with better timing and phasing.
The city could also embark on downtown housing program and try to create more events to encourage people to visit the downtown.
Some longer term strategies outlined in the plan include: Partnering with a cinema developer, flanking the downtown core with low rise, higher-density housing and eventually looking at building a southern bypass road.
According to our media partner, the Sequim Gazette, city manager Steve Burkett says some property owners were concerned they were stuck with the proposals as outlined. Burkett emphasizes the plan is a proposal and nothying is final yet.
Burkett says the plan is about 80 percent complete. The city council will hold a study session March 14th and could approve the downtown plan March 28th.